That’s Jimmy, our first pet in Medan. Kind of anticlimactic in many ways. We didn’t pick him out, he picked us. We rarely saw him, except when we’d inadvertently open a cabinet door he was hiding behind. We joked about the parties he would throw when we were away from the apartment, but he was… Continue reading Goodbye Jimmy
Category: Vocation
He Is Risen – Everywhere!
He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! This truth stands in human history. In geography and history and time and place, witnessed and attested to. And it is true whether we are gathering in the United States or Europe or Indonesia. The same Lord is one Lord raised from the dead as proof his… Continue reading He Is Risen – Everywhere!
Edi Long Hair
The pier we emerge onto at Lake Toba is a small, unassuming stone affair. Large, volcanic stone mortared together, layer upon layer out of the calm surrounding water and leading to land. Two young men sit hoping for customers for their water-craft tourist experiences. I pause to talk with them. With only a month of… Continue reading Edi Long Hair
Practicing Language With My Grab Driver Who Is Also a Charismatic Pastor
Grab is the Indonesian (Southeastern Asia, really) equivalent of Uber. It’s practically pennies to get back and forth to most anywhere in the sprawling city of Medan and a lifesaver when every day the temperature and humidity wrestle with one another for dominance. I was invited by the waitress at the restaurant across the street… Continue reading Practicing Language With My Grab Driver Who Is Also a Charismatic Pastor
Scenes in Medan I
The area of Medan we know best after three weeks is the small street our hotel/apartment is on – Jalan Listrik. It’s an elbow of a street jutting out to the east and north from a major thoroughfare. This is looking out are window, facing southeast. There are two large complexes directly next to us… Continue reading Scenes in Medan I
Drinking from a Firehose
It’s hard to believe we arrived in Medan two weeks ago. Although we feel so inadequate in terms of language, we’ve learned so much in such a short time. Like this post’s title, we’re at times overwhelmed by the process of learning a language and a culture as well as how to function in life… Continue reading Drinking from a Firehose
Kevin
Our first full day in Medan included an outing to a nearby shopping center. It’s a five or six story mall filled with restaurants and stores and on the top level there’s a grocery store. Partly to practice our Bahasa Indonesia skills and partly out of necessity for some basic kitchen goods and partly out… Continue reading Kevin
Good Mooooorrrrnnniiinnnggggg Medan!
Hello and good morning from Medan, Sumatera, Indonesia! We arrived safely on our flight from Jakarta yesterday evening. We may not look terribly excited in the photo but we are – just weary as well! The sig behind us, as we exit the airport terminal in Medan, means Welcome (at least we think it does!)… Continue reading Good Mooooorrrrnnniiinnnggggg Medan!
Quarantine Day 4
Because they counted the day of our arrival in Indonesia – Wednesday February 9 – as our first day of quarantine even though we spent most of that day in the air – today is our last day of quarantine. The quarantine hotel informed us yesterday that sometime after 8am today we would be tested… Continue reading Quarantine Day 4
Quarantine Day 2
How painful yesterday was, staying awake after very little sleep the last 48 hours! We were all so exhausted we were all happily in bed before 10:00 pm – probably a first in our family! And while today is painful still, how glorious it was to get a solid eight hours of sleep! While we… Continue reading Quarantine Day 2
The Nelson Family Indonesia 