As we continue to wait for Covid to subside so we can submit our visa paperwork for Taiwan and Indonesia, we’re continually amazed by opportunities for cross-cultural engagement here in Phoenix. It’s a big city with a lot of international communities. Gena and the kids explored another part of it today, a large international supermarket.… Continue reading A World at Home
Category: Change
Sowing and Reaping
Twenty two years ago my wife returned to the Phoenix area after completing her degree at Concordia University, Irvine. Rather than seeking out a job she decided to launch a ministry. Based out of the LCMS campus ministry to Arizona State University located right across the street from campus, she launched an outreach to international… Continue reading Sowing and Reaping
Waiting
Like us, you’ve no doubt watched the increasing intensity of reports about the Coronavirus Delta variant that is leading to higher infection rates throughout the US. This is worrying, to be sure. Unfortunately, it is also worrying to the rest of the world. Indonesia and Taiwan are both dealing with outbreaks. As such, entry to… Continue reading Waiting
Answered Prayers!
Many of you might know that we left our home in Santa Barbara as of June 1 as part of the transition towards deployment overseas. That involved what I like to describe as the mother of all garage sales, where we sold off literally 95% of our worldly possessions, hanging on only to our clothes,… Continue reading Answered Prayers!
Shifting Gears
This morning we bid our hosts, the Taggatzes farewell. To thank them for their hospitality we took their family to their favorite coffee shop where we enjoyed caffeine until their girls let us know it was time to go. Already we’ve met so many great people, it’s hard to even begin to imagine all the… Continue reading Shifting Gears
Practicing Patience
Yesterday we got to practice patience, something we’re told we’ll need plenty of in getting around in Indonesia. Friday we flew into Santa Barbara from Phoenix. Months ago I promised to do the memorial service for a parishioner of my former congregation. The memorial was this morning at 11am. We made it to the Santa… Continue reading Practicing Patience
Making Connections
As a newly Called global church worker, making connections with pastors to come and visit their congregations can be challenging. I know from experience as a parish pastor there are plenty of agencies and groups – all good organizations, to be sure – hoping to get word of their work and invitations to support it… Continue reading Making Connections
A Bit About Chronology Here
Just as a heads up, I try to keep this blog more or less chronological. But being human, I’m also prone to lapses of memory. Add to that juggling technology in terms of whether the photos for the day are on my wife’s phone or mine, and sometimes things get lost in the shuffle, at… Continue reading A Bit About Chronology Here
Ambushing Pastors
Both parishes I served prior to embarking on this new role of theological educator were relatively small. Visitors were relatively rare, whether congregants or members of the larger city stopping by at random. By and large I enjoyed unexpected drop-ins, depending on what I was working on at the moment. Certainly there were times when… Continue reading Ambushing Pastors
Flexibility
One of the big things they try to ascertain about someone considering overseas church work is how flexible you are. Are you able to adapt to changing circumstances? Are you able to regroup, think on your feet, and problem-solve in light of shifting realities? It’s not something everyone is gifted at, but it’s important when… Continue reading Flexibility
The Nelson Family Indonesia 