That’s Jimmy, our first pet in Medan. Kind of anticlimactic in many ways. We didn’t pick him out, he picked us. We rarely saw him, except when we’d inadvertently open a cabinet door he was hiding behind. We joked about the parties he would throw when we were away from the apartment, but he was… Continue reading Goodbye Jimmy
Category: Current Events
Our First Ramadan
A beautiful sunset Saturday night from the east side of Medan… Of course it’s not really our first Ramadan. Ramadan has been celebrated for over a thousand years. We heard more about it in the US over the past few years but even so it remained a very distant affair. Important to adherents of the… Continue reading Our First Ramadan
Lenten Beauty
It may at first seem counterintuitive, that in the midst of Lent we could find and enjoy beauty. But contrition and repentance are not the same thing at all as boringness or repetition or monotony or ugliness. If anything, our Lenten contemplations should drive us in part by comparison – the aching awareness of our… Continue reading Lenten Beauty
Earthquakes & News
Apparently two rather strong earthquakes hit Sumatra yesterday. Some damaged buildings as well as injuries and some deaths. Devastating locally, but here in Medan we didn’t even feel it or notice it. The earthquake was centered in West Sumatra which is roughly 400 miles away from us. No damage or injuries here in Medan. We’re… Continue reading Earthquakes & News
God’s Sovereignty and Covid and International Travel
What does it mean that God is sovereign, that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is not just our Savior but our Lord? We say these words so often in worship and prayer, but what do they mean to us in our lives? What does that look like? For me it has to boil down… Continue reading God’s Sovereignty and Covid and International Travel
Romans 8:22 For a Dude
I make this disclosure up front – I am not a woman. I’m a man. I don’t take this lightly or for granted and I sincerely doubt I could fake otherwise even were I so inclined, which I am not. So allusions and metaphors and similes that involve strictly female things such as childbirth are… Continue reading Romans 8:22 For a Dude
Watching & Waiting
The bank still hasn’t cleaned up our credit card purchase of our airline tickets. So, to date, still no tickets, and still four separate, identical charges for one set of tickets! Hopefully this gets sorted out soon! In the meantime we continue to watch and wait. Mostly I’m scanning the news for Indonesia trying to… Continue reading Watching & Waiting
Some Good News!
To be honest, the past week or two has been hard. We’re settled into our temporary digs in Arizona again. It’s nice to be back in somewhat familiar territory and close to family. But to be honest, the wear of constantly having to figure out our next living arrangement so we don’t lock ourselves into… Continue reading Some Good News!
Shifting Sands
News reports indicate Indonesia is adjusting foreign visitor quarantine requirements in light of the newly discovered Omicron Covid variant. What was a three-day quarantine period for a short period earlier this month is being expanded to a seven-day quarantine. It is still possible to enter the country (at least from the US. Citizens of countries… Continue reading Shifting Sands
While You’re Waiting…
No new news this week, which is frustrating but all part of the process, apparently! Our eagerness to deploy doesn’t necessarily translate into other entities moving at the speed we’d like them to. A good reminder we’re not in charge of all of this. In the meantime, here’s an article about LCMS work in Washington… Continue reading While You’re Waiting…
The Nelson Family Indonesia 