Hard to believe it, but our daughter turned 18 Saturday. Her birth was in Arizona, her first few birthdays were in St. Louis, fourteen of them were in California, last year she celebrated in Arizona again, and now in Indonesia. Instead of a birthday cake Gena made her a bunch of cinnamon rolls. I know… Continue reading Happy 18th, Mika!
Category: Parenting
Mika’s Birthday!
How can it be that our daughter is about to turn 18? It seems so improbable, such a long time in the making to be over in the blink of an eye. So Gena and I went out to get her birthday present. I thought the store was a short walk away from where we… Continue reading Mika’s Birthday!
Christmas in the Tropics
While I was gone the family was busy not just with visas but with preparations for Christmas. We were ecstatic to find out (back in September!) that Christmas decorations (including artificial Christmas trees) could be purchased in Medan. The kids were particularly excited to make the place feel a bit more festive for the Advent/Christmas… Continue reading Christmas in the Tropics
A Long(er) Trip
Today I head out for a week-long trip, the longest of my travels thus far in Southeast Asia. Although there will be longer trips ahead, this is an important start. It’s a testimony to how far we’ve come in the last nine months. I can leave Gena and the ‘kids’ here in Medan knowing they… Continue reading A Long(er) Trip
Thanksgiving I
Living overseas you know things will be different. You don’t always know which things or how they’ll differ, but you know in a general way life is going to be different. One of the more obvious differences is holidays. Each country and culture celebrates their own holidays. Some overlap, others don’t. Thanksgiving is one that… Continue reading Thanksgiving I
First Meeting – Bishop Lawrence of the ELCM
I was blessed today to meet with Bishop Steven Lawrence of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Malaysia (ELCM). He set aside not just time to meet in his office and to introduce me (and my wife, Gena) to their staff, but also to drive us 90-minutes to visit one of their ministries – the Women’s… Continue reading First Meeting – Bishop Lawrence of the ELCM
A Visit Home
This summer LCMS teens from around the country will gather together – as they have every three years for nearly 40 years – for the National Youth Gathering. What’s different about this one is that for the first time (as I understand it) a scholarship is available to enable families serving the church overseas to… Continue reading A Visit Home
Learning Culture
I’m listening to the gradually waning sounds of laughter, splashing water, and hoots and hollers coming from our front porch area. Our three kids and three of their friends/teachers from the language school we attend have been busy pouring bucket after bucket of water down our carport, accompanied with some rather nice smelling bodywash, apparently.… Continue reading Learning Culture
Ride Sharing
We don’t have a vehicle here in Indonesia. While the kids are eager to try their hands at the ubiquitous motos or scooters, we aren’t sure that will actually work out for them without a valid US drivers’ license first. Time will tell. Beyond the switch from American roads and driving on the right-hand side… Continue reading Ride Sharing
Tuesday Bible Study & Strategizing
This morning I had a great opportunity to meet with a Bible study of 20 or more guys from both local congregations in Norfolk as well as other communities within a drive of 30 minutes or so. They’ve been gathering every other Tuesday for 13 years to study various books of the Bible (they’re currently… Continue reading Tuesday Bible Study & Strategizing
The Nelson Family Indonesia 