The Battle for Attention

We live in a very unique era.

Email, the Internet, Skype, and social media have provided us a way to stay in touch at any moment of the day no matter where we are or what we're doing.

And yet we are a more distant, lonely and less relational generation than ever before.

And all of this technology - wonderful as it is - has caused our society to become so saturated with information that missionaries find it very hard to effectively communicate with family, friends and supporters.

You see, we understand that in order to remain at the forefront of people's minds requires a continual presence - interruption, if you will - into their lives.

It is no longer enough to send monthly updates of our ministry because people quickly lose interest in that which doesn't continually interest them on a regular basis.

A ministry that isn't continually appealing to the attention of their supporter base (and by supporter, I mean those who support prayerfully as well as financially), will soon find that their voice drowned out by the cacophony of the millions of others vying for the attention of the same audience.

And, let's face it, we are continually bombarded at every turn with emails, letters, and appeals for offerings from one ministry or another.

There are a few disadvantages that missionaries face in the area of communication:

1. Technology - many missionaries lack modern technology.  While they may have access to the Internet, often times they have bandwith limitations or the signal is very unreliable.

2. Time - one finds it difficult to balance the demands of ministry and family with the time it takes to maintain adequate contact with their supporter base.

3. Time zones - for many missionaries this is an enormous problem. While they're awake and about their day, their supporter base is asleep in their beds! So, social media is of little value to them as their posts and tweets are often made while everyone is sleeping.


This battle for attention often leaves missionaries feeling forgotten, even abandoned.  While their supporters may not have actually forgotten them, perhaps even pray daily for them, the unanswered prayer-and-share letters or emails grow discouraging. Just a simply answer of "we are praying for you each day" will let them know that they are remembered.

Would you take a moment today to encourage your missionary by sending them a thoughtful email?  Let them know that you value their ministry and that they are in your daily prayers. Let them know that they are not forgotten.

Today I am also writing at Beauty Through Imperfection, sharing about the 12 Days of Christmas - a new family tradition! So pop on over there to see what fun ideas I have planned for us this year!




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  Do you have a question related to missions?  Feel free to contact me via email, comment below or visit my Facebook page to ask your question.  It will be featured here during our fall Answer the Call series!


 
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