Not all of the region – not all spouses and families opt to come to Taiwan in November. But deployed staff are gathered here – with the unfortunate exception of Rev. Dr. Walter & Robyn Steele, who have been side-lined with visa challenges in the Philippines and are awaiting their resolution and the ability to travel abroad again.
There’s a lot of excitement at these workgroup meetings. To be honest, not all of the excitement is for the work to be done – presentations to be made and received, tasks to be planned and delegated, budgets to be imagined and documented. A lot of the excitement is in the gathering. Many of our workers and families are somewhat isolated in their geographical region and don’t have LCMS brothers and sisters nearby to fellowship with. So being together is a big blessing. Hugs, smiles, laughter are all part and parcel of our workgroup gatherings, and this gathering is no exception.
Smiles were in additional supply due to a wonderful meal prepared by one of our seminary students who is also a professional chef. We gathered on the “front porch” of the Luther Building in Chiayi, where many LCMS workers live and work, to celebrate being together.
It was a great way to get the celebration started, even though we’d be very busy in work the next three days!
