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| This summer we said good-bye
to Lynée’s two uncles and to Tess, our 19-year-old cat. |
Alan has mentioned that he works on a team of about 17 people in 11 locations in five different countries. How does that work? It definitely would be harder to do without technology! Instead of weekly “staff meetings,” Alan’s department has weekly “teleconferences.” They can see each other on the computer and talk about necessary topics. They also have a virtual “water cooler” where they can talk to each other by typing online, sometimes one-on-one and sometimes to the group as a whole.
I experienced just a tiny bit of this earlier this year when we held a virtual baby shower for some of Alan’s team members. Tim and his wife, in Thailand, recently adopted a little boy. Nico and Bekah, in France, were expecting their first baby. Someone collected money ahead of time using computer technology and arranged for the gifts. Then during their weekly teleconference, each person on the team had a chance to share either a verse or a bit of advice. Spouses were invited, which is how I was a part of it. :-)
I am just now getting the feel of being remote even though we have had remote people as part of our department before. Up until a year ago, the leadership of my department has been here in our local office; now they are in the U.K., California, and Nebraska. Since these changes, it has been a lot easier for me to feel disconnected. It has taken a while for us to figure out how to work as a remote team so that everyone feels connected, but we are making progress.
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| The teacher orientation had 13 participants. Lynée put together the notebook amidst funeral travels. |
Our missionary families work around the world, sort of like a remote team. One way we work to support and stay connected with them is through the regular emails we send. The email we sent in April had to do with special needs and where to get help. The contact person we recommended had an email within 24 hours from a mom who was trying to homeschool her kids (at least two with special needs) in an isolated location. Yes! That is what we are here for — to encourage them so they can stay on the field doing what God has called them to do.
Our Remote Team
You are also part of a remote team — our team, and we greatly appreciate you. As team members, we want to update you on our work and finances. Thankfully, for the last 10 years, we’ve been able to report that while our committed giving has been less than our ministry budget, occasional gifts have made up the difference, but this year we had a gap of $140/month over the last 12 months. (For reference, committed giving is about $600/mon low.) Since 40% of the giving to our ministry comes from people in our parents’ generation, giving will likely decline further in the coming years.
Please pray that God would raise up more people who can partner with us prayerfully and financially, especially in the next few months. We are planning to visit Georgia from October 22 to November 5. If you currently are not partnering with us, would you prayerfully consider doing so?
