Welcome to Missionary Blog Watch
September 17, 2005 14:03
What would a website about blogs be without a blog of its own? Welcome to Missionary Blog Watch! If you want to meet new missionaries, hear fascinating missionary stories, visit new parts of the world, and keep up to date with other cultures, you've come to the right place.
I'll be keeping an eye on missionary blogs from around the world. When I find something new and interesting, I'll stop by and tell you about it. Also, you'll hear about features and updates here at Missionary-Blogs.com. So what are you waiting for? Bookmark this page, add it to your newsreader, and be a part of the adventure!
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Ko jemma boni fuu, weetu
September 17, 2005 14:35
 It seems fitting to start by posting about one of the first missionary bloggers to hit the web. Stephen Davies has been blogging as "Voice in the Desert" from Burkina Faso since 2001. One of his recent posts will give you an idea why he's not only a veteran blogger, but a popular one. Steve won Africa Geographic magazine’s Travel Writer of the Year 2003 award, and is still using powerful words to describe life in Burkina Faso, West Africa.
Take a couple of minutes to read "Peace only" from August 21, 2005. We're on our way to the market with Steve, stopping to talk with people along the way. The conversation is powerful. I especially enjoy Steve's inclusion of proverbs. The title of this entry is a Fulani proverb - Ko jemma boni fuu, weetu means Even if the night is bad, morning will come.
Read other proverbs in a July post Fulfulde Sweet-talk.
Visit the main Voice in the Desert site.
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The Evangelical Blog Awards
September 17, 2005 16:38
Do you remember the Evangelical Blog Awards from a few months ago? They were given out by Eric Ragle's Evangelical Underground. When I started to check out the nominees, I was introduced to a number of blogs that I never would have heard of otherwise. Many of them I still read regularly - especially, of course, the missionary blogs!
Eric is considering running the awards contest once again. He wants to hear from you to find out if there's still interest. Why not drop by his site and tell him to go for it? You can leave a comment on this post.
By the way, last year's missionary winner was Keith Smith from under the acacias.
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Expectations in Africa
September 19, 2005 09:12
I don't know exactly why it is. Sometimes you read a post and you don't realize it at the time. But something about it is going to stay with you a long time.
For me, that's the way it was with a recent post at Mission Safari. I'll let Tim tell the story, but his story sheds light on the words,"unmet expectations". Everyone, after all, has expectations. But life in the trenches tends to open our eyes in ways we never imagined, and sometimes in ways we never wanted.
Tim Hutchison is a doctor working in Kenya with his wife and three children. He writes on his "About" page: I have been called to work with medical students and residents to educate them in medicine and disciple them for Christ.
Read the post Bothersome Reaction, and then see the main page of Mission Safari here.
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¡Viva Mexico!
September 19, 2005 09:47
I've been looking forward to this one! Recently Mexico celebrated its Independence Day (16 September). The Poulettes have been documenting the affair in their all-movie blog, aptly named Mexico Movies.
Dennis and Jannell aren't the only missionaries to do "vlogging" (Video Blogging), so be sure to keep your eyes open for more. They started their vlog in March with an ultrasound of their baby, so you won't be surprised that he has a role in the Independence Day videos!
There are two movies to check out here - first, with the Mexican national anthem, ¡Viva Mexico! Then, be a part of the party - the Mexican Independence Day Fiesta.
Please note - these movies may take a few minutes to load, especially on a slower connection. Be patient!
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Of Haiku from Africa
September 19, 2005 18:38
I wasn't the only one that enjoyed Steve's article in Voice in the Desert. It has also been published in the Guardian Weekly, in the UK. As I write there's a link on the front page of the Guardian here. There's also a link directly to the article in this post at Voice in the Desert.
Did you know this man also writes haiku? If you visit the post on his site, you can also follow a link to some of his newly published poetry. It's some powerful Japanese/British/African poetry. After the poetry the page notes: To relax, he plays classical guitar and writes haiku, but not at the same time.
I don't know, sounds like they might have an idea for a new art form there...
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Bob the Builder, Batman Costumes and Bobble heads
September 21, 2005 08:20
Comparing of cultures between missionary bloggers can be an interesting experience. Often we find that cultures are more the same than different.
Take for example this exchange hemispheres apart. The question is, what items can we find being sold to people in their cars? Many people have had the experience of being offered a window cleaning. But during a Nairobi traffic jam, Mission Safari demonstrates the variety of items available.
The first list inspires a little more observation in Mexico City and area, and Finding direction comes up with this list.
I'm sure there are more items out there, even more varied and unusual. Any other missionary ready to give it a try?
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Katrina Relief Blog
September 21, 2005 12:07
 As the US still trying to help desperate refugees from Hurricane Katrina, everyone is holding their breath as Hurricane Rita roars closer. Sometimes even in the USA missionaries find themselves reaching out to other cultures in a disaster area.
One such situation is with the many Latinos living in the devistated areas. CAM International missionaries are among those reaching out. A team is on the ground in New Orleans now to gather information as a plan is put together to give further help to those who need it most.
What brings this to our attention? Well, the mission itself has put together a blog to post the latest about the relief effort! You can visit this new Katrina relief blog here.
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Fresh view of France
September 22, 2005 18:17
 I've been enjoying the fresh view of France brought to us by Alan Davey. There are a bunch of quick recent posts and pictures, so I won't direct you to any particular one. Just take a moment to swing by Daveys to France.
There are several pictures that are beautiful. I'm slightly baffled by the fact that when I click on them my browser shows a smaller version of the picture. But perhaps there's some profound symbolism in that! (Note - yes, the picture above is from France, but no, it's not from their blog)
The Daveys recently moved from North East Wales to Bordeaux. I especially enjoy the observations about traffic and...and kissing. I haven't seen a post yet about kissing in traffic, but maybe that's yet to come.
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Blogging security and anonymity
September 23, 2005 16:24
Reporters Without Borders (www.rsf.org) is an organization that defends the freedom of the press. They have offices in Montreal Canada, New York USA, Tokyo Japan, and in various other parts of the world.
Recently these guys put together an interesting ebook called Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents. In this free downloadable book they offer tips for anonymous blogging, secure email, how to avoid being censored, and more.
It would be interesting to hear from anyone who blogs from a restricted country. There are certainly many bloggers out there who have to be anonymous or else fear for thier lives. Still, they're getting the word out and finding ways to do it in a safe way. If you're concerned about security, this may be the book that gets you started.
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Peace and travel in Thailand
September 24, 2005 11:00
I enjoyed reading Jessica's rambling post today. She writes on an airplane, and she's writing about telling stories and enjoying travel.
She makes a very good point about peace. Being at peace allows us to enjoy the moment, and to see the little things that make life so interesting.
I would add that perhaps that means being at peace with conflict, with tension. The paradox is resolved when we realize that somehow God has things under control. When we leave our conflict in His hands, we can have peace in the midst of difficult circumstances.
But I'll let you read what Jessica (aka Linguistica) has to say in her 24 Sep blog entry, entitled Exuding. Jessica was travelling in Thailand, and you can see a few photos on the main page of her blog, Jessica's Adventures in Language and Travel.
Monkeys, beaches, people, tragedy, beauty, food and villages. Stop by and see her perspective!
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Ministry's twists and turns
September 26, 2005 08:07
Sometimes it's the unexpected things that God uses the most. God loves surprising us and reminding us that He is the God of all of life.
Herschel and Christine Rothchild, along with their children Christian and Danielle, are missionaries in Nigeria. They're working with street children, but as with any Christian their ministry goes beyond a job description on paper, and is full of surprises. Herschel who loves watching and being involved in sports, has enjoyed using sports as a ministry tool in Nigeria. You can visit the Rothchild's excellent website here.
But back to those unexpected things that God uses. Find out what happens when they take aside 200 people for ministry training in their latest post. Then you can visit the main page of their blog here.
In a recent post they write about following the Lord where He leads, rather than tacking God on to our plans: My eyes are now open and I am looking at Jesus and praying that the path I follow is the one He wants me to take. May this be true of us all!
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Just plain fun
September 27, 2005 09:51
I have a confession to make. I just loooove the Caption Challenge at Comings Communiqué! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy reading Andrew's other blogs too. But if you're looking for something that's just plain fun, check these out!
Here's how it works. Andrew posts a very strange picture, and you have to think of a good caption for it. Or, just go and read all the other captions everyone else has thought of.
When the next Caption Challenge rolls around, Andrew will pick a winner from the last one. This reveals Andrew's bizarre sense of humour, and gives the winner the satisfaction that she or he shares Andrew's bizarre sense of humour.
See the most recent Caption Challenge here, or - joy of joys - check them all out here. Be sure to click on "comments" to see what captions people have thought of.
But Andrew - where do you find these pictures?
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Blogs and instant messengers in ministry
September 28, 2005 13:48
Some missions have been developing programs to reach people via the internet, or to train missionaries to make use of the internet.
One such mission is the Greater Europe Mission, which has developed eDOT (electronic Discipleship, Outreach and Training). It was interesting reading the blog of Leroy and Patti Hite. In this blog entry, Leroy talks about his vision for the use of blogs in evangelism, among other things. What do you think? Have you used blogs for evangelism?
Speaking of technology, it was also interesting to read Alan Davey's post about a recent use of MSN messenger. I would love to hear more about this one.
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Missionary photo albums
September 29, 2005 20:44
Many missionaries make good use of photos in their blogs. Some put photos right in their blogs or link to photo albums on their website or in online services such as Yahoo!s Flickr. Blogger also allows you to easily put in photos that you can click on for a larger version. Some of these services allow you to easily put pictures directly into your blog. Depending on what copyright restrictions you have, you can even share these photos with people like me! These photo sets also often have RSS feeds of their own, and you can even leave comments.
Today I went for a quick surf to some of the best photo albums of missionary bloggers. Perhaps I'll do a separate page with the best albums later. Consider this a test! Comment if you like the idea...
Tim and Annette from MexiText have these two great albums...
Dennis and Janell Poulette have photos and movies on Flickr...
Breathtaking photos on Flickr from Design Ministry (would we expect any less?)
For the nautical flavour, try Mercy Watch on Flickr:
And let me give a few more mentions...
HUBERnews brings us another Flickr set.Keith Smith from under the acacias shows us the face of Africa on his website, (with links to Flickr too).The Rothchilds bring us some photos on mac.comVessel of Mercy has some great varied shots on FlickrThe Kingsley Clan has a set on Flickr too.
There are more out there - take a look around, and be sure to leave a comment or two (it wouldn't hurt to mention where you found the link...).
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