We were blessed to arrive in time to worship with the good folks at Grace Lutheran of Oak Creek, Wisconsin at their 6:30 pm Thursday worship. Afterwards, we were amazed – nearly everyone who attended worship stayed after the service to hear us talk about our upcoming deployment to Southeast Asia. We had a great… Continue reading Oak Creek, WI
Category: Travel
On the Road Again
Or more accurately in the air again! Tomorrow Gena and I fly from Phoenix to Milwaukee to visit two congregations in the area. This means getting up at 3:30am to catch a 4:30am Uber to the airport for our 7am flight, then a brief stop in Chicago to change planes and then on to Milwaukee.… Continue reading On the Road Again
St. Paul, Ogden UT
Today we were blessed to worship with the saints at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Ogden, UT. My wife’s family has a long history here, with her grandparents on her father’s side being life-long members there, along with her aunts and uncles until most of them moved away. St. Paul Lutheran, Ogden UT I was… Continue reading St. Paul, Ogden UT
Practicing Patience
Yesterday we got to practice patience, something we’re told we’ll need plenty of in getting around in Indonesia. Friday we flew into Santa Barbara from Phoenix. Months ago I promised to do the memorial service for a parishioner of my former congregation. The memorial was this morning at 11am. We made it to the Santa… Continue reading Practicing Patience
Making Connections
As a newly Called global church worker, making connections with pastors to come and visit their congregations can be challenging. I know from experience as a parish pastor there are plenty of agencies and groups – all good organizations, to be sure – hoping to get word of their work and invitations to support it… Continue reading Making Connections
What We’re Reading
Part of trying to prepare ourselves for life overseas means doing research, learning history and other things that could help us make better sense of where we’re going. I don’t know about y’all, but Southeast Asian history was touched rather lightly (ie not at all!) in my education. Even my undergraduate studies in history never… Continue reading What We’re Reading
Home!
Glad to say we made it home at last! Thanks to everyone we met and talked with over the past two weeks! We look forward to next time! But for now, it’s nice to be home!
Ambushing Pastors
Both parishes I served prior to embarking on this new role of theological educator were relatively small. Visitors were relatively rare, whether congregants or members of the larger city stopping by at random. By and large I enjoyed unexpected drop-ins, depending on what I was working on at the moment. Certainly there were times when… Continue reading Ambushing Pastors
Flexibility
One of the big things they try to ascertain about someone considering overseas church work is how flexible you are. Are you able to adapt to changing circumstances? Are you able to regroup, think on your feet, and problem-solve in light of shifting realities? It’s not something everyone is gifted at, but it’s important when… Continue reading Flexibility
Last Big Day!
Today we packed up and began the drive back eventually towards Omaha, where we’ll fly home from tomorrow evening, but more specifically for today towards Mapleton, Iowa. There we’ll be blessed to gather at Mission Central, to introduce Old Missionary Gary to our kids and let them experience the unique experience MC is (as many… Continue reading Last Big Day!
The Nelson Family Indonesia 