I successfully left Indonesia today. I wasn’t sure if immigration would want to see more documentation than the little stamp in my passport, but the officer didn’t say a word. We’ll see if they let me back in on Saturday! I’m headed to Singapore to lead worship for a small group of LCMS people there.… Continue reading On the Road Again
Author: mrpaulnelson
I've been blogging for over twenty years on one platform or another, and my favorite topics are cross-sections of faith and culture and everyday life. I'm an ordained minister with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod - among other things. Welcome!
Reaching Out
Today was a busy day. The morning was spent at the local immigration office where Caedmon, Gena and I were fingerprinted and photographed as the final step for my Indonesian work visa. We’ll return on Tuesday afternoon of next week to pick up this new visa which will cover the three of us until next… Continue reading Reaching Out
Graduation!
Today was a special day for our family. Everyone (except Paul!) graduated from language school! Although I had to drop out after the core program (6 units of study), the rest of the family continued for the final 3 units. Their studies culminated in a 2000-word research paper and oral presentation – all in bahasa… Continue reading Graduation!
A Busy Tuesday
Normally my schedule is busiest when I’m not in Medan, but today was a welcome exception! I had a lunch meeting today with the missions executive for the Lutheran Church of Australia, Rev. Matt Anker. Rev. Anker does a lot of work in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia and Singapore and I’ve been hoping to meet… Continue reading A Busy Tuesday
Good News and No News
The good news is three-fold. The first part is that I’ll be catechizing James in Kuala Lumpur towards baptism, and will be able to bring him the Eucharist as I’m passing in and out of KL on future trips. That’s very exciting, and I think a relief for James who has struggled as to where… Continue reading Good News and No News
God Provides
It wasn’t the night I expected. I awoke shortly after falling asleep, realizing something wasn’t right. After tossing and turning for a while I realized I had some sort of food poisoning, most likely. The already-short night was tragically spent mostly not in bed sleeping. By the time my driver arrived I was dressed and… Continue reading God Provides
Into the Wilderness
Today I embarked on a 7-hour drive from Medan to the southern side of Lake Toba. I’ve been invited to be the guest preacher and teacher for the GKLI, the partner Lutheran church we work with in Indonesia. Formerly my colleague, Rev. Wood, has done the honors but he and his family are currently in… Continue reading Into the Wilderness
Home Again
Thank you all for your prayers. This evening Gena, Caedmon and I were able to successfully re-enter Indonesia on e-visas as prelude to receiving my Indonesian work permit in the next 30-days or so (God-willing!). We still need to go to the local immigration office to finalize the work permit but that should be relatively… Continue reading Home Again
Unexpected Visit
I was pleasantly surprised to have time with Bishop Lawrence, head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Malaysia (ELCM) today. While we have been in touch via e-mail, this is our first in-person meeting in almost a year. During our time together we discussed the possibility of restarting deaconess training in Malaysia, something that has… Continue reading Unexpected Visit
Back to KL
Today I flew back to Kuala Lumpur from Singapore. Another good day for travel! My short visit in Singapore was fruitful in several different ways. Most importantly, I received word while in Singapore that my Indonesian work visa has arrived! This simple detail is an immense source of relief after a year or worrying and… Continue reading Back to KL
The Nelson Family Indonesia 