Highly motivated competent people are fun

Our measurements conference is going great! It is so fulfilling to work with a team of highly-motivated, competent people who are seeking to honor God by creating systems to help count what God is doing. Here we are in the East Asia Area of Affairs office. Click the photo for a larger version. I’ve blurred some faces for security.

We are a multi-national team working together globally on local needs. We are a team from Singapore, Indonesia, U.S., Hungary, Mali, India, and the big east asia. We have needs to measure ministry results in each area. We have banded together to solve the problems for all of us by working for each of us. This is an amazing way for a global technology group to work. Normally, information technology (IT) solutions are developed top-down and rolled out to users. We are working middle-up and middle-down to develop a flexible solution that meets needs but also everyone feels ownership.

It’s amazing to see the things internet technologies are allowing us to do. One night, I was sitting in a local Singapore McDonalds with some of these team members. It was a noisy place, but they do have free, high-speed internet! Tom (who lives in Hungary) was watching a U.S. television show via a Slingbox device on his dad’s TV in Orlando. Mark (traveling with me from Orlando) was talking to his family via Skype internet telephone. I called my dad on his birthday (in Texas) to wish him happy birthday (by Skype telephone).

I was also responding to seekers who are exploring how to follow Jesus. I corresponded with 14 seekers that night. While on a business trip to Singapore. Sitting in McDonalds. Talking about Jesus with Vasantha in Sri Lanka, Ed in Ohio, Ntando in South Africa, and IriNe in Indonesia.

While here in Singapore, I met with Rev. Jeong Insoo the director for our East Asia area of affairs. East Asia AOA includes Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and maybe a few others. Huge populations. Huge economies. Huge need to know Jesus. Signficant barriers to overcome.

We plotted together how technology can help. I invited Insoo to speak at our MinistryNet 2007: Bangkok conference in April. His area is sending a number of participants to learn to use the internet for effective ministry.

I enjoyed time with Richard Lim, the technology leader for this area of affairs. He is helping lead this significant area of the world. He is also on the planning team for MinistryNet 2007: Bangkok.

This has been a very fruitful trip. God is giving us bits and bytes. He is giving us communication and travel opportunities that have never existed before. It is a blessing to work with this group of highly-motivated, competent missionaries who are blending years of ministry and technology expertise to advance the gospel and help fulfill the Great Commission.