So of course we joined in the annual American tradition – watching the Superbowl! We’ve done this almost every year with friends of ours in Medan. We have to get up early – kickoff is at 6:30am Monday morning, Medan time. Our snacks this year included a ceviche with chips, breakfast pizzas, and literal pounds… Continue reading Abroad, But Still American
Category: Change
Legendary Ladies
The Asia Region held a Women’s Retreat in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It’s the first one in quite some time, and participation and anticipation were running high. All the women in the Asia team, whether Called workers or spouses, were invited and the response was very good. The theme was centered around managing changes through life,… Continue reading Legendary Ladies
Planning – Day 2
A second day of planning. The main difference being that overnight it snowed! Not a lot of snow, and most of it melted away by mid-morning, but it was still beautiful and impressive. Our meeting concluded well. After thorough discussion on every area of the region, the next step will be to assemble a budget… Continue reading Planning – Day 2
Planning – Day 1
Asia Leadership consists of an executive and more general level. The executive level positions – Regional Director and Regional Business Manager – are currently vacant after some changes last year. In their stead we had Rev. Dr. Brian Gauthier joining us. Normally he manages all four of Office of International Mission Regional Directors, but he’s… Continue reading Planning – Day 1
Planning in Seoul
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
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
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
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
The Nelson Family Indonesia 