Matthew, Kali, Laurel, and Eleanor will serve in Medan, Indonesia with LCMS International. Matthew supports The Indonesian Christian Lutheran Church, by mentoring pastors, providing continuing education, and overseeing translation projects.   Pastor Matthew Wood and his family visited Pacific Hills Lutheran Church last November, lead a presentation on his planned work in Indonesia

Update on the Wood Family Deployment

The Wood family house in Saint Louis is empty and up for sale. They have said their good-byes and made their farewells.  After 24 hours of travel they made it to Chiayi, Taiwan.  In Chiayi, they are getting to know the regional team and making preparations for their arrival in Medan, Indonesia. You can download their full newsletter for more details!  There's some BIG NEWS inside.  You don't want to miss it.

The following is a sneak peak into the newsletter.  

You can read the entire newsletter here or get newsletters in your email.

The Move

The house is for sale. Our possessions are packed into suitcases for travel or boxes for storage. This is real. We have left Saint Louis many times over  the  last  six months. This time we moved from Saint Louis. On February 20, 2019 we crammed our lives into a  12’  moving  truck and the Saint Louis chapter of our story came to a close, and the next chapter began: The Move.

The move first brought us to West Des Moines, Iowa to visit with Kali’s Sister, Tia, and her family. They graciously offered their basement for us to store books. Laurel and Eleanor enjoyed the time with their aunt, uncle, and cousins. The visit blessed us and we look forward to seeing them again.

With the truck a lot lighter, but still half full we departed for the Twin Cities. Here we spent some time with Matthew’s side of the family. They planned a sending party for us on Saturday, March 2 where we said  goodbye to Matthew’s large extended family.

On March 6th we departed Minneapolis with 10 checked pieces of luggage, 4 carry on bags, and 4  personal items all bursting at the seams. Seventeen hours in flight, a 5.5 hour layover in Seattle, and a 3 hour bus ride later we arrived at the LCMS regional offices in Chiayi, Taiwan. Here we are getting acquainted with our Regional Director, Business Manager, and Communications Director. Everyone here in Chiayi has been wonderful to us as we adjust to our lives outside America. We are slowly getting over jetlag and will soon begin language learning.

Soon the move will bring us to Medan Indonesia where this chapter will close and the next will open. We have been working hard to get to Medan. There is  the end  to  the move. There will still be transitions, travel, expectations, excitement, and a lot of hard work. Ministry in Medan is the where it all leads. It  is the goal. It ’s so  close and we are excited to get there.

Kali Wood

We’re Pregnant!

It’s True and it’s big news. Over Christmas we learned that Kali is pregnant. We are thrilled with this blessing of life given to us by God our Father. Before we moved Kali was able to meet with the doctor who delivered Eleanor. He said everything is looking good and gave us a due date of September 9. Abroad we will establish medical care and Kali will give birth in Indonesia or Singapore.

Kali has been doing great. Packing, moving, taking care of two kids, homeschooling, and a husband traveling around the country all present big challenges in themselves. All this she has taken on with first trimester morning sickness! She’s this family’s super heroine.  Her confidence and excitement through all this have been inspirational.

Laurel is excited to welcome a new sibling into the family. Sometimes she wants another sister and other times she wants a brother. Kali expects that we will be welcoming another girl. So far all the girl grandchildren on both sides of our family have come from us. We have fun guessing, but we do not plan on spoiling the surprise as to which way the Lord has blessed us.

Please be vigilant in prayer with us for this child and for Kali’s health and safety. Pray also for our mental health as individuals and as a family as we welcome this new child. Pray for Laurel and Eleanor to adjust with patience and joy. Give thanks to the Lord with us for showing us such great mercy.

Rev. Matthew Wood

Your Support is Appreciated

Our support and funding has come in for our first year. Kali and I are committed to make this work for many years to come. Please continue to support us! Listen to the Lord's work and read our newsletters. Pray for those we are serving in Indonesia. Tell others about this ministry. Continue your financial support!

Listen Website: theseaside.asia Instagram: instagram.com/seasidewoods Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  to receive email updates

Pray For the sale of our home. Safe Pregnancy Healthy Baby Thanksgiving for deployment.

Tell Talk with your friends & family about our ministry in Indonesia Connect us with your Lutheran school, LWML, Mission Board, or Congregation. Share our Newsletter!

Give Visit: www.lcms.org/wood to partner with us financially. Call 712-882-1029 to support us through our MC friends in Mapleton, Iowa.