I haven’t worn shoes or socks since Monday, February 14. I can safely say without exaggeration that this is the longest I’ve ever gone without wearing shoes or socks probably since I was an infant. Instead I’ve worn a pair of Tiva sandals purchased before we left the US. Every day. I’ve owned sandals and… Continue reading Differences I
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!
Practicing Language With My Grab Driver Who Is Also a Charismatic Pastor
Grab is the Indonesian (Southeastern Asia, really) equivalent of Uber. It’s practically pennies to get back and forth to most anywhere in the sprawling city of Medan and a lifesaver when every day the temperature and humidity wrestle with one another for dominance. I was invited by the waitress at the restaurant across the street… Continue reading Practicing Language With My Grab Driver Who Is Also a Charismatic Pastor
Lenten Beauty
It may at first seem counterintuitive, that in the midst of Lent we could find and enjoy beauty. But contrition and repentance are not the same thing at all as boringness or repetition or monotony or ugliness. If anything, our Lenten contemplations should drive us in part by comparison – the aching awareness of our… Continue reading Lenten Beauty
Scenes in Medan I
The area of Medan we know best after three weeks is the small street our hotel/apartment is on – Jalan Listrik. It’s an elbow of a street jutting out to the east and north from a major thoroughfare. This is looking out are window, facing southeast. There are two large complexes directly next to us… Continue reading Scenes in Medan I
Drinking from a Firehose
It’s hard to believe we arrived in Medan two weeks ago. Although we feel so inadequate in terms of language, we’ve learned so much in such a short time. Like this post’s title, we’re at times overwhelmed by the process of learning a language and a culture as well as how to function in life… Continue reading Drinking from a Firehose
Earthquakes & News
Apparently two rather strong earthquakes hit Sumatra yesterday. Some damaged buildings as well as injuries and some deaths. Devastating locally, but here in Medan we didn’t even feel it or notice it. The earthquake was centered in West Sumatra which is roughly 400 miles away from us. No damage or injuries here in Medan. We’re… Continue reading Earthquakes & News
Hungry?
Looks good, doesn’t it? Incredibly ripe and fresh. You’d like one. You know it. How would you get it? You’d have to know what it is to begin with, what to call it and then where to find it. You’d do a near-invisible sorting of the many potential places in your area you even know… Continue reading Hungry?
Kevin
Our first full day in Medan included an outing to a nearby shopping center. It’s a five or six story mall filled with restaurants and stores and on the top level there’s a grocery store. Partly to practice our Bahasa Indonesia skills and partly out of necessity for some basic kitchen goods and partly out… Continue reading Kevin
Good Mooooorrrrnnniiinnnggggg Medan!
Hello and good morning from Medan, Sumatera, Indonesia! We arrived safely on our flight from Jakarta yesterday evening. We may not look terribly excited in the photo but we are – just weary as well! The sig behind us, as we exit the airport terminal in Medan, means Welcome (at least we think it does!)… Continue reading Good Mooooorrrrnnniiinnnggggg Medan!
Quarantine Day 4
Because they counted the day of our arrival in Indonesia – Wednesday February 9 – as our first day of quarantine even though we spent most of that day in the air – today is our last day of quarantine. The quarantine hotel informed us yesterday that sometime after 8am today we would be tested… Continue reading Quarantine Day 4
The Nelson Family Indonesia 