You do what again?
Using technology to connect people to people for the sake of making God known
I get asked by a lot of people – “What is it that you do again? Something with computers, right?” and then as I’m about to explain it to them they interject – “But don’t talk technical with me as I don’t understand technical.” Sometimes I feel like I need a translator when trying to describe my job (which has been interesting when I’ve actually had a translator trying to help me answer this question with someone who doesn’t know English). When I finally meet someone who can speak technical, I’m in heaven and will talk with them for hours. We may even talk about something not technical.
The best way to describe what it is I do is probably the phrase – I help ministries use technology to connect people to people for the sake of making God known. As a “computer consultant”, I have a customer base however these are not your normal customers. They are ministries and missionaries working in Europe that need help using technology to enhance how they fulfill their vision. That’s where I come in. Say they want to help prepare people to get jobs in Eastern Europe – I may help them set up a computer center to teach job skills. Say they are a ministry that works in “creative” access countries (countries where its against the law to tell people about Jesus), I help them understand how to use computers, USB sticks, mobile phones, email and the Internet safely. Say they are a ministry or Bible school who wants to develop an online discipleship ministry/run online courses, I help them set up a website using open source web applications (like Moodle) to run these online discipleship programs/courses. Say they are entrepreneurs who are starting a business that includes an Internet Cafe or Wifi hotspot so that they can meet more people in their community to tell them about Jesus, I come in and design the setup and teach them how to use it all. Say they are a ministry that wants to connect with people they’ve interacted with via text messaging (SMS), then I help them set up a low cost SMS management system. And the list goes on.
So what is it that I do – a lot of different things but in the end its about helping a group of people connect with other people all so that God is known by all. I explore all sorts of technologies – free, open source and even paid systems – to help these ministries provide professional levels in how they use technology.
Want to be a part of it? There are several different ways to participate:
- Be a prayer partner – pray with us and for us regularly. We won’t survive in a ministry like this without people praying. Send us an email to let us know you are praying.
- Volunteer with us – Got some geeky “mad skills”? Check out GEMeDOT.com for ways to get involved either in North America or in Europe. We even have needs for people who say “I can use a computer but I’m not a computer person by any means”
- Join us – We are receiving a lot of requests for help – more than I can handle. Come work with us for 3 months, 6 months, 1 year or more. Fill out a Ministry Exploration Form and say that you are interested in working with eDOT to start the process of seeing what God has for you.
- Financially support us – We don’t charge these missionaries and ministries for our help. Most of them just wouldn’t be able to even think about paying for professional level technical consulting. However, we rely on the financial support of others for us to do what it is we do. Financial support from people like you. See our How to Give page for more information on ways you can partner with us in this way.
Hello! I would like to invite you to come join in on the discussion about our hearts this Christmas season at Missionary Moms. I hope you stop by to be encouraged and to pray! God bless and Merry Christmas!
http://www.ForMissionaryMoms.com
~Ashley