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: Culture
A Bit of Sightseeing
While there was plenty to do on this trip (just getting around town is laborious given the incredibly dense traffic!), Nomin and his wife were gracious enough to take us a little ways out of the city to see some things they are very proud of as Mongolians. They were eager to share a bit… Continue reading A Bit of Sightseeing
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
Sunday in Mongolia
Today we were privileged to join in worship at the local Lutheran congregation Nomin serves – Good News Lutheran Church. The building is apparently old, but as is typical with many old churches, the measure of the place should be taken on the inside, not the outside! Between 30-50 people gather for worship each Sunday,… Continue reading Sunday in Mongolia
Mongolia
The view on exiting the airport. March is early spring for Mongolia and people are thrilled the snow is beginning to melt. But this is more snow than I’ve seen in multiple years combined! When I knew I would be making this trip, I knew Gena had to come with me. She’s talked about wanting… Continue reading Mongolia
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
Foro Day 1
Foros are supposed to bring partner organizations together with LCMS OIM and partner church leadership to hear about the goals and strategies of the partner church, and then to determine how partner organizations might be able to bring resources to bear to assist in achieving those goals. The partner church drives everything. However for this… Continue reading Foro Day 1
Staying Healthy
Certainly a major concern no matter where you live or what you do is health. So easy to take for granted when all is well, but we can easily be sidelined when health struggles occur. Serving overseas offers additional challenges in terms of getting good health care at all stages from diagnosis to treatment to… Continue reading Staying Healthy
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
The Nelson Family Indonesia 