As with most of you, the sprint towards the end of the calendar year has begun, and there are plenty of things to do before then, not the least celebrating the birth of our Savior as we look forward to his promised return!
Our last joint trip of the year was to Hanoi, Vietnam to visit Concordia International School Hanoi (CISH), one of the three international schools the LCMS operates in Asia (Hong Kong, China and Shanghai, China being the other two). Each visit is a time to provide pastoral care and support to the LCMS staff at the school, as well as meet with executive leadership at the school for updates, brainstorming, and ongoing awareness of what is happening between the education side of LCMS work in Asia and the work with partner churches in Asia.
This visit had the added drama of a last-minute dental appointment. It’s helpful to know people in the various areas I work, and we were given rave reviews of a dentist in Hanoi, and he happened to be able to see me and complete three fillings and two crowns in the span of about six hours spread over two days. I had to extend my stay in Hanoi by a day while Gena returned home on Tuesday as planned, but it was worth it to have the work done, and with the added confidence of knowing the person comes highly recommended!
Now we’re eagerly awaiting the arrival of our kids on their yearly visit to Indonesia from the US. They were each able to get off nearly three weeks from their respective employers and are *very* excited to head Asia-ward on Sunday, December 7.
As an update, the kids are all doing well in the US as they try to make sense of the next stages of their lives. Alec (now 23) is working at Chili’s and has been advanced to his desired position as server. He’s consistently rated top (or nearly top) server for his restaurant based on customer reviews and feedback, and loves the pace and opportunity to interact with lots of people (he’s the lone extrovert in the family!). He’s preparing to wrap up his undergraduate degree and evaluate his next steps, but he’s doing great where he’s at.
Mika (21 on December 17!) changed jobs a few months back. She had been working at a local cafe and planning to head to Malaysia in January to start a program in digital illustration. However, after successfully illustrating a book written by a member of our extended family (https://www.amazon.com/Ronnie-Tri-Armed-T-rex-Simon-Gray/dp/B0FH9Z7BWQ?s=books), she decided she didn’t want a career glued to a computer and desk for hours and hours every day.
She turned to another love of hers – cooking. In anticipation of possibly enrolling in a culinary program, she changed jobs to work at a hip local eatery in the same area of town, but this time as a kitchen worker/chef. She’s been doing this for several months now. While she enjoys it, she has already realized that the life of a professional chef is not exactly simple and takes a great toll physically and mentally if you’re going to be great at it. While she’ll always love cooking, she’s decided that maybe culinary arts is not the route she wants to pursue. So she’s enrolled in the local community college, transferred her existing college credits and will work towards completing her undergraduate degree in an as-yet-to-be-determined major.
Last but not least, Caedmon (19) has made some professional shifts as well. This week marked his last week at Einstein’s Bagels, where he had been promoted to shift supervisor. Two months or so ago he picked up a second job for a steakhouse, accessible once he purchased his first car. As he works his way up towards the envied role of server (like Alec!), he found out his work ethic was so appreciated his employer would guarantee him an increased number of hours every week so he could quit Einstein’s. He’s excited to make the switch from two jobs down to just one. He’ll likely start back up his college work as well, but at the moment is focused on saving up money and doing some investing.
All three now have their drivers license and Mika and Caedmon have each purchased a car with the money they’ve saved over the last few years. The irony is that – unplanned – they each purchased the exact same make and model of car – and even the same year of production and color. Crazy!
So, their lives are good and moving forward as we continue our work here in Asia. It’s going to be great to have several weeks with them out here and they are already excited to return to favorite spots, pick up with friends from the past, and enjoy the local cuisine. Prayers for safe travels are appreciated!
I shouldn’t have any other travels in December, other than a quick trip perhaps to Singapore. Next year’s travels are already beginning to shape up, with trips to the US and South Korea anchoring January, then the Philippines in February, and either Papua New Guinea again or Mongolia in March. Then of course we head off to the US for Home Service, where we hope to see some of you in person! Please let us know if you’d like us to try and visit your congregation. Sundays are almost all filled up but there are still good possibilities for mid-week visits. Some congregations sponsor a midweek pot-luck lunch or dinner where we can share about our work. Others schedule us for regular LWML or Bible study groups. We’re also happy to talk with schools, Confirmation classes, and pretty much anybody else willing to listen!
To God be the glory, always and in all things…
The Nelson Family Indonesia 