I arrived safely back in the US today. Gena preceded me by a couple of weeks and has been enjoying time with our kids. I’m grateful the 24 hours of flying and layover time went smoothly. I’m looking forward to recovering and preparing to start our Home Service travels! It’s amazing how readily the brain… Continue reading Back in the USA!
Category: Change
Bridging Church Bodies
This morning I had the opportunity to meet with the President of the Mongolian Evangelical Lutheran Church (MELC), Pastor Puje. We spent about two hours together as he shared about his history with the Christian faith and Lutheran theology, as well as his hopes for the future of his church and country. Christians make up… Continue reading Bridging Church Bodies
Building Relationships
As my role has evolved over the last four years in Asia from a roaming theological educator to a manager, I’ve grown in my appreciation for what it takes to be the Church overseas. It seems like a simple thing, right? Pack up, move to a new country and start sharing the Gospel. Sure, culture… Continue reading Building Relationships
Foro Day 2
For the second day of this Foro we took to the roads. Literally. The LCP provided us with a van to carry our group members northwards five hours to the city of Baguio, where the Lutheran Theological Seminary (LCP) sits enshrined in pine trees and general loveliness. The company was pretty good on the drive.… Continue reading Foro Day 2
Abroad, But Still American
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
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
The Nelson Family Indonesia 