Well, not intentionally! My longest trip this year (other than our time back in the US in the spring) will be this trip to the Philippines. I’ll be in-country for three weeks, not including travel time on either end. Initially I’ll be providing pastoral care and teaching during a deaconess review session for over 80… Continue reading Typhoon Chasing
Category: Partners
Transience
One of the many books we read before deploying overseas talked about the difficult nature of relationships amongst ex-pats. While it can be easier to make friends overseas, when people of a similar cultural background are fewer and more inclined to seek one another out, those relationships may not last very long. At least in… Continue reading Transience
Great Discussions
My work in Malaysia continues with a weekly Saturday night online and in-person (as my schedule permits) Bible study based on the lectionary readings for the next morning. It was a joy to gather again with half a dozen or so brothers in Christ, mostly in their early to mid 20’s, for an evening of… Continue reading Great Discussions
Home
And just like that, it’s over. The planning and anticipation of the past year is over all too soon. The weeks fly by. Faces and smiles and tears blur together in a Impressionist reverie. Was it all real? When we arrived in the States we were amazed at how natural it felt. Granted, we’ve only… Continue reading Home
Discerning
I think back to them still, more than two months after first meeting them. Who could have predicted such an encounter and opportunity? Who could have foreseen the Holy Spirit’s web of connectivity being spun in time and space and lives? My seminary classmate who invited me out to his community in central Colorado likely… Continue reading Discerning
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
Orange Lutheran High School
We were very excited to be invited to present to three classes of high school students at Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, CA. Orange is a suburb of the sprawling Los Angeles metropolis and our experience at OLU was nothing short of eye-opening and incredible. OLU has an entire missions program. Interested students can… Continue reading Orange Lutheran High School
Excelsior, MN
Just a few weeks before we departed Indonesia for the US we were informed we had a new partner congregation. The LCMS has a program called Together in Mission (TIM) that connects congregations with deployed church workers around the world. We were told a new congregation was now partnering with us. Very exciting news! I… Continue reading Excelsior, MN
Mission Central
We drove all day Monday from Chicago to Mapleton, IA. We were hosted by the wonderful Kaftons, whom Gena and I were privileged to stay with three years ago as we were just starting out on this adventure. This time they hosted Gena and I as well as the boys, providing a wonderful meal and… Continue reading Mission Central
Chicago
As we were publicizing our impending Home Service through our newsletters, I was contacted by another former classmate from seminary. Rev. Michael Brown and I have remained in good contact through the years and have even managed to meet up at a few conferences along the way. He invited me to preach at his congregation,… Continue reading Chicago
The Nelson Family Indonesia 