Our last day in Seoul. Worship in the morning, and then for me, the long stretch from lunch to midnight and my red-eye flight back to Kuala Lumpur.
Worship at International Lutheran Church was a great experience. The community is warm and welcoming. I was asked to preach and lead the Bible study before worship, and even got to do a children’s message. In the process I discovered that sometimes the authentic local snacks you buy in your home airport to use as an object lesson for the children’s message are really nothing but crumbs and you have to come up with an entirely new approach six minutes before church starts.
As in most of life no matter where you are, flexibility is the key!
I opted to use the alternate readings for the day which focused on commemorating the Conversion of St. Paul. The Epistle reading was from the ninth chapter of Acts which describes Paul’s conversion experience. I focused the message on the contrary nature of God’s response to our sinfulness and need – with grace and mercy and forgiveness rather than the Law and judgment.
After worship we enjoyed a lunch with the ILC church council at yet another delicious restaurant. Then I had the chance to hang out with Carl and his wife at their home adjacent to ILC. I managed to befriend their dog, Luna, with the help of some snacks and mostly a lot of attention and scritches behind the ears.
It was a long night of travel, but all of it was worthwhile. It’s a blessing to serve in Asia and be able to assist in organizing the way the region functions and how resources – resources that come from you – are allocated. Please continue to pray for wisdom and faithfulness!
The Nelson Family Indonesia 