To kick off the new year, Asia leadership gathers in Seoul, South Korea to plan for two days. This is my first time to South Korea. Or Seoul. And though it took the entire day to get here from Medan and arriving close to midnight I couldn’t see very much on the hour-long taxi ride… Continue reading Planning in Seoul
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!
And We’re Off!
Happy New Year. Merry Christmas. All of that seems so long ago already. We pray your Christmas and end-of-year/new year celebrations and observations were blessed in the light of the angelic announcement – unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior, who is Christ, the Lord! Christ is indeed Lord… Continue reading And We’re Off!
2025 Home Stretch
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… Continue reading 2025 Home Stretch
Flooding Follow-Up
Thank you for prayers and inquiries about the Thanksgiving flood in Medan. We woke the next morning and, thank you God, the rains had abated and the floodwaters had dropped. Our street looked as if nothing had happened. Other than the sight of neighbors shoveling mud out of their homes, the first step in returning… Continue reading Flooding Follow-Up
Happy Thanksgiving!
It’s Thanksgiving evening here in Medan, Indonesia. We had plans to gather with some other ex-pats to share turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, pumpkin pie, and most of the accoutrements we’re used to as Americans for Thanksgiving. My friend Kyle and I secured a turkey in advance. For the sake of simplicity, let’s call… Continue reading Happy Thanksgiving!
Early Mornings….
After four years of nearly full-time travel, I’ve learned a few things about how to mitigate the inevitable exhaustions and inconveniences of travel. For example, I avoid early, early flights. While it might seem like a good idea to schedule an 7am flight, it’s less desirable if I arrive too early to check into my… Continue reading Early Mornings….
Home Service Planning
It’s hard to believe that it’s time to start planning for our next Home Service in 2026. Every two years (or three years in unusual circumstances) overseas workers return to the US to visit their partners in ministry. Six weeks of visiting with partner congregations and individuals, and two weeks of reconnecting with family and… Continue reading Home Service Planning
Pieper’s Posse?
I may need to define the term thug for my first year students at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Baguio. Some of them look way to cheerful and friendly. But they look like great future pastors and deaconess, don’t they!?
Installation
It was a blessing today to be present for the installation of Rev. Dr. Walter Steele in his capacity as a faculty member at Lutheran Theological Seminary (LTS) in Baguio, Philippines. LTS is the seminary of the Lutheran Church in the Philippines (LCP), one of our oldest and strongest church partners in Asia. Rev. Steele… Continue reading Installation
Ouch!
Amazing the things I wouldn’t have even known to pay attention to just a few short years ago. How US passports are ranked in terms of global accessibility is probably near the top of that list of things I never knew to even know about. But it’s something I’ve witnessed firsthand in my travel-intensive work… Continue reading Ouch!
The Nelson Family Indonesia 