The big event for the end of August and early September is a trip to Papua New Guinea (PNG). A legendary locale of Lutheran mission work going back 80 years, it’s also one of the most challenging places to get to, get about in, and get out of. It’s also a personal frontier of sorts.… Continue reading Papua New Guinea Arrival
Category: Life
Supporting Staff
A large chunk of my responsibilities as an Area Facilitator (AF) is to be the main connection between our deployed staff in the Region and Regional leadership as well as leadership back in St. Louis. In that capacity I’ve been involved with assisting Rev. Dr. Walter Steele and his wife Robyn, who decided to transition… Continue reading Supporting Staff
Adventures
When we were recruited to join OIM back in 2021 and discussions of where we might be placed in Asia were underway, very early on Medan, Indonesia was a front runner. My boss had lived and worked there for four years. There was another LCMS family already stationed there. We’d have some support locally. And… Continue reading Adventures
Back in the Saddle
Our family enjoyed a couple of week of R&R at the end of last month, a much needed breather and time together for which we are very grateful. But now it’s back to work. This month, work means a visit to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur for Word & Sacrament and partnership opportunities. I’m writing this… Continue reading Back in the Saddle
Vending Options
Just a pleasingly organized vending machine right? This one is at the airport in Manila, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). But if you’re able to zoom in a little closer, you’ll see that these are not juice boxes or candy or other snacks. Rather, they’re a variety of self-tests to check if you contracted… Continue reading Vending Options
Community in KL
Today I joined James, the young man I baptized about a year ago, for worship. He attends Good Hope Lutheran Church, a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia. We were also happy to make a new acquaintance with Tiffany, a recent transplant to Kuala Lumpur from Taiwan. She’s moved to KL to work… Continue reading Community in KL
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
Frigid-er January
When I passed through immigration control at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago (first time I’ve gone through immigration there), the immigration officer asked me where I was headed. When I told her Ft. Wayne, she made some sort of exclamation which I took effectively to mean thank-goodness-I’m-not-there-because-it’s-colder-than-Chicago. She was not incorrect. I arrived on the… Continue reading Frigid-er January
The Nelson Family Indonesia 