NTM

We were working this week on one of the most important aspects of missionary life . . . updating our e-mail address book. You, our friends and family who care about our work and pray, are a valuable and precious part of our lives.

Each time we send a group e-mail update, an average of 10-12 messages are returned as undeliverable. These were folks who at one time requested our updates. We don’t want to lose them, so we do our best to make the needed corrections to our address book. But at the same time, we can’t help but wonder: Do these folks REALLY want to stay in touch? If they did, wouldn’t they have given us their new e-mail address?

Every missionary is grateful for technology that allows our partners to have up-to-the-minute information without the time and expense of photocopying, folding, stuffing, sealing, and putting postage on letters. But many electronic options are available, and we wonder which option is best.

So we ask ourselves questions like the following: If we regularly update our blog, should we still send e-mails? If so, how often? If we e-mail our prayer letter as an attachment, can you open it? WILL you take time to open it? What if we ask you to subscribe online in order to get our letters?

Some missionaries believe that those who have Internet and truly care and pray will make the effort to subscribe. Other missionaries feel that because your lives are as busy as ours, we should make it as easy as possible for you to read our letters, even if that means a little more work for us . . . and a few more e-mails in your Inbox.

What do you think?