Lae (pronounced lay) is a major shipping port for Papua New Guinea (PNG) on the northern coast. We came here for several reasons, mostly exploratory in nature. There are two major Lutheran church bodies in PNG – Gutnius Lutheran Church (GLC) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of PNG (ELC-PNG). The LCMS founded the GLC, while… Continue reading A Day in Lae
Category: History
Take Your Sandals Off Your Feet…
These were God’s Words of love and warning to Moses in Exodus 3:5 as Moses approached the burning bush. God’s plan had worked – the burning bush attracted Moses’ attention. Then God spoke to Moses, warning him that coming closer would be harmful, and instructing him in how to show the proper respect and honor… Continue reading Take Your Sandals Off Your Feet…
Oh, the People You’ll Meet!
I had the opportunity to meet an unexpected visitor this week! A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from a man at one of our first supporting congregations, Peace Lutheran Church Camarillo. Our connections with this congregation go way back – to my first pastoral Call just out of seminary. I was called to… Continue reading Oh, the People You’ll Meet!
Homeward Bound
My flight from Asia to the US was: Medan to Kuala Lumpur to Singapore to Chicago to Ft. Wayne. But tonight as I started back towards Asia my route is a bit longer. Tonight I flew from St. Louis to Chicago. Then tomorrow morning bright and early I fly Chicago to Los Angeles to Tokyo… Continue reading Homeward Bound
Renewing Old Connections
My wife was born in Papua New Guinea where her parents served in LCMS missions. I’ve been hearing their family stories about that formative decade overseas for over 30 years now, 20 of them as part of the family by marriage. And one of the recurring characters in those stories were their teammates on the… Continue reading Renewing Old Connections
New Year, New Responsibilities
Work on the mission field is always in flux. At times I’m surprised that, after close to a century doing ministry work in Southeast Asia we lack things that seem basic and obvious, more extensive systems to capture the work being done and connect it with previous work and future work. Part of this is… Continue reading New Year, New Responsibilities
Samantha*
Summertime, the first week of July, 2012. Our second anniversary of my second pastoral Call, this time to the California seaside community of Santa Barbara. But we were living about 15 miles south of there in a sleepy little beach town called Carpinteria, where we were renting a house about half a mile from the… Continue reading Samantha*
Bangkok
Bangkok is a massive city. Founded 500 years ago it sprawls now over 600 square miles with a population of over 9 million. I first visited Bangkok eight years ago with my wife on a trip to do some teaching and visit friends of ours in Vietnam. We made a brief stopover in Bangkok for… Continue reading Bangkok
Representing
The nature of my work is fluid. A jack of all trades and master of none. A chameleon of sorts, able and willing to accommodate myself to a variety of situations and needs. Not perfectly, of course, but still it’s a gift I have been given that has served me well in a variety of… Continue reading Representing
Homeward Bound
Concluding our time in the Los Angeles area we next headed north. Homeward, as it were. As close to home as we’ve ever known. Nearly eleven years spent in the idyllic locale of Santa Barbara, California. The American Riviera. An exquisite, beautiful bubble of wealth mixed with a healthy strain of surf culture. It’s where… Continue reading Homeward Bound
The Nelson Family Indonesia 