Choosing to help those less-fornutate in far-flung corners of the planet is indeed a noble decision. Having an adventurous nature, willingness to battle against the odds, put up without life’s supposed necessities and in some cases gaze helplessly on at practices and cultures that aren’t understood are all traits of being a missionary.
Having said all that, in this day and age connectivity is a must. Logging on is unavoidable.
How can missionaries get online in these far-flung corners of the world?
Benefits of Satellite Internet
Staying in touch with loved ones, keeping track of events in the country you find yourself in and having handy online tools at your disposal (translation sites) are all benefits of satellite internet.
Translation tools are especially advantageous for missionaries working with indigenous populations who don’t speak western languages.
With many translation sites easily found online, getting the message across has never been easier.
US news channel CNN recently published a good story about this which was posted to their website –
With approximately 6,900 languages in the world, the satellite terminal is expected to cut in half the amount of time left to translate the remaining 2,000-plus languages Wycliffe is working on or hopes to be working on soon.
“It has increased the speed we thought it was going to take, 150 years. … It’s now going to be 2038 when it’s completed,” said Wycliffe’s president and chief executive officer, Bob Creson.
Translators in the field can now communicate with linguists through e-mail on the satellite terminal, eliminating the huge amount of time needed to travel back and forth from district or regional offices.
Missionaries as Geeks
It’s a fact that is true. Missionaries are increasingly utilising technology that’s available.
Many probably know more about geek related stuff than your workplace IT bod.
The majority of this comes from having to adapt to various situations that missionaries find themselves in.
Third World countries often don’t have reliable sources of basic amenities let alone electrical hook ups and internet connectivity. So missionaries have adapted.
Using solar energy to power their routers, before logging on via satellite internet is just one example of how technology savvy missionaries are keeping in touch.
Affordable and Reliable
Satellite internet is both affordable and reliable meaning that missionaries shouldn’t have to worry about their connection being lost – instead they can focus on the job in hand.
Not being attached via any type of cabling also means your access to the internet can be from literally anywhere.
As technology continues to advance ways in which everyone stays in the loop are going to become more commonplace, location won’t hold you back and neither will lack of perceived ways to connect.
If you find yourself in a secluded corner of the planet then take a leaf out of missionaries books and get hooked up to satellite internet.
