One of the many books we read before deploying overseas talked about the difficult nature of relationships amongst ex-pats. While it can be easier to make friends overseas, when people of a similar cultural background are fewer and more inclined to seek one another out, those relationships may not last very long. At least in… Continue reading Transience
Category: Culture
Worship in Singapore
I was blessed to lead Word & Sacrament this past Friday evening in Singapore for the first time since February. Although our full contingent wasn’t available, our small gathering of four (including me) was still beautiful. We met in a different room than we have for the past year. Once I began regular ministry visits… Continue reading Worship in Singapore
Fast Food Theology
If somehow you were to be teleported to a McDonald’s, opening your eyes in this particular one, in the Bukit Bintang district of Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia, one of the largest tourist areas in all of KL, you’d be hard pressed to know where in the world you were. The McDonald’s would be familiar enough.… Continue reading Fast Food Theology
Great Discussions
My work in Malaysia continues with a weekly Saturday night online and in-person (as my schedule permits) Bible study based on the lectionary readings for the next morning. It was a joy to gather again with half a dozen or so brothers in Christ, mostly in their early to mid 20’s, for an evening of… Continue reading Great Discussions
It’s the Little Things
It’s the little things, people say. It sounds trite but that doesn’t mean it isn’t often true. Big events stand out more. We anticipate them more. Spend more on them. Expect more out of them. But it’s the little things that fill each day of our lives and can make those days and those lives… Continue reading It’s the Little Things
Home
And just like that, it’s over. The planning and anticipation of the past year is over all too soon. The weeks fly by. Faces and smiles and tears blur together in a Impressionist reverie. Was it all real? When we arrived in the States we were amazed at how natural it felt. Granted, we’ve only… Continue reading Home
Orange Lutheran High School
We were very excited to be invited to present to three classes of high school students at Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, CA. Orange is a suburb of the sprawling Los Angeles metropolis and our experience at OLU was nothing short of eye-opening and incredible. OLU has an entire missions program. Interested students can… Continue reading Orange Lutheran High School
St. John Book Club
Apologies right off the bat – we all forgot to get a picture of this! But we were blessed to join Pastor Dan Kletke and his Book Club from St. John, Canon City. While they have read a wide variety of books over the years together, most recently they read Ministering Cross-Culturally, a book Dan… Continue reading St. John Book Club
Windshield Time
Today was a long day behind the wheel. From the beautiful family cabin we were loaned in Salida, I had a two hour drive back to Colorado Springs for a 10am meeting at Immanuel Lutheran, Colorado Springs. I joined them for morning worship in their chapel led by Pastor Jonathan Kern (first photo below). Then… Continue reading Windshield Time
Concordia International School – Hanoi
The final leg of this two week journey is Hanoi. Here I visited with the leadership of Concordia Interantional School Hanoi (CISH). It’s always a joy to visit here as the staff is truly world-class, serving Christ by witnessing to the love of Christ through their care and teaching of their students. While there are strict rules that… Continue reading Concordia International School – Hanoi
The Nelson Family Indonesia 