The Ends of the Earth…a little closer.

Although at times we feel like we are at the ends of the earth.  Certain technologies have really helped to bridge that gap in communications between missionaries and their home churches, families, and friends – worldwide.   For many years our connection to the outside world was one phone line that was 28.8kbs on a good day.  We roughly paid 1500 dollars a month to pass data through that phone line.  Thanks to the many years of pioneering help of a retired airplane pilot, by the name of Gabor Leidenfrost, we were able to secure a license from the PNG government to install our first satellite dish.   This is the first satellite dish for the field of PNG.  What a blessing that has been.  We went from 28.8 to regular DSL speeds.   Although we still pay roughly the same amount each month, the amount of data we push through it that dish far exceeds what we could do in the past.   Through the use of this technology, missionaries can skype their families and churches.  Leadership can setup online meetings, and an unbelievable amount of resources have been made available to the missionaries…thanks to the web.   So although it can take 20+ hours of flying by commercial jet to reach us on this side of the world, a single email can arrive in a matter of seconds.  Man have times changed!  I wonder what Hudson Taylor would have thought of this technology.   God has been gracious to us.