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!
Category: Partners
Back in Phoenix
Two months almost to the day after leaving Phoenix for the Pacific Northwest, we’re back in Phoenix through the end of December. We made the roughly 1600 mile trek over the course of a week. In Santa Barbara we were able to connect with friends from our nearly 11 years living in the area, as… Continue reading Back in Phoenix
Visiting ‘Home’
Yesterday we were blessed to worship with my former congregation, Emanuel Lutheran in Santa Barbara, CA. I admit it felt a little strange to be in the pew instead of at the altar, but what a wonderful time it was to say hi to old friends and give them a first-hand update of what has… Continue reading Visiting ‘Home’
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
Calvary Lutheran, Aberdeen, WA
We were blessed to spend Thanksgiving week in Tokeland, WA, a small fishing community on the edge of the continent a little south and west of Aberdeen, WA. From the small cabin kindly donated to us by relatives of long-time friends we had a fantastic and up-close view of the incoming storms and rain. At… Continue reading Calvary Lutheran, Aberdeen, WA
In Faith Dependent Lutheran Church, Anderson – Redux
Our time in the Pacific Northwest is drawing to a close. For the past two weeks I’ve been able to share the Word and Sacraments of our Lord with the people of In Faith Dependent Lutheran Church. This morning we talked more specifically about our upcoming work, gathered e-mail addresses and reluctantly left this tiny… Continue reading In Faith Dependent Lutheran Church, Anderson – Redux
Partners & Experience
As we meet with congregations to share what the Holy Spirit has Called us to in serving overseas, I always highlight four major roles our partners play. They aren’t mutually exclusive by any means, but it helps to give people a way of grasping how they can partner with us regardless of their giftings and… Continue reading Partners & Experience
A Promising Start!
This afternoon we had a Zoom meeting with the owner of a language school in Medan. This school was utilized by the Woods when they deployed to Medan a couple of years ago and comes well-recommended. The owner outlined the process we’ll go through to be admitted to Indonesia on a short-term basis. Visitor visas… Continue reading A Promising Start!
A Path Forward
Thanks to a great conversation with the Regional Director for Southeast Asia (now my boss) this morning, we have a roadmap and timeline of how to proceed. For the first time since June and our physical departure from the place we called home for 11 years, we feel like we can begin tangible planning for… Continue reading A Path Forward
Experienced & Encouraging!
A blessing in our work is talking with others who have experienced living and working overseas, particularly in the service of Christ and the Church. Gena attended a small Lutheran Bible college (no longer existing) in Washington state for her Associate’s degree in Biblical Studies. There she made friends with a young woman also starting… Continue reading Experienced & Encouraging!
The Nelson Family Indonesia 