Our family enjoyed a couple of week of R&R at the end of last month, a much needed breather and time together for which we are very grateful.
But now it’s back to work. This month, work means a visit to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur for Word & Sacrament and partnership opportunities. I’m writing this entry from the airline lounge in Kuala Lumpur on my way back home to Medan after a long weekend away.
Once I return, we stay put for about two weeks. It’s time again for my work visa to be renewed, and I’m not sure how long that will take. Hopefully less than a week (since all the information has already been provided and fees paid). But we have to be in-country when it actually renews – rumor is this time it’s digital and doesn’t require any visits to the immigration office. Woohoo!
Once the dust settles on that, Gena and I part ways again. She’ll be headed to Chiang Mai, Thailand for the second part of a training she started last year called Community Health Evangelism (CHE). It’s a process for helping groups of people identify change they want to accomplish in their community and then guide them through that process of initiating change. Rather than outsiders coming and telling people what they need and then providing it to them, this model focuses on the community in question being the agent of change, not the outsiders. She’s really excited about this and I’m so happy she has this opportunity!
While she’s gone I’ll be back to Singapore and Malaysia again, and possibly the Philippines as well. We’ll then meet back up in Medan before heading out to celebrate our 25th anniversary next month. Hard to believe it’s been that long, but blessed that it seems more like the blink of an eye than some sort of long, arduous undertaking! Once we return from that I’m off to Sri Lanka for a Regional leadership gathering. My boss, Regional Director Rev. Charles Ferry, is changing positions and areas of the world – moving from Asia to Eastern Europe. Until a new RD can be found and brought up to speed, myself and the other two Area Facilitators for the Asia Region will likely have a greater workload to ensure everything continues to happen that needs to happen.
Later in July Gena and I will return to the States. Gena will go for a long visit home with family – her parents and siblings as well as our kids. I’ll head back with her for a week of training as well as the last of my vacation time for the year to spend a week with her in Phoenix with our family. I’ll fly directly from the States to the Philippines to begin teaching at the seminary in Baguio for the first two weeks of August.
Thank you for your continued partnership in prayer and support. It’s only through our partnership with you that we can serve as the Holy Spirit has called us!
The Nelson Family Indonesia 