- Baptist Press - https://www.baptistpress.com -

E-mail party teaches teens about missions

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McLOUD, Okla. (BP)–When Lottie Moon was a missionary in China, it took weeks, sometimes months, to receive mail from the United States. Today, correspondence around the world is almost instantaneous.
A group of Girls in Action from First Baptist Church, McLoud, Okla., discovered the miracle of electronic mail when they sent messages to 15 missionaries during an e-mail party at the home of their GA leader.
Lynette Weaver, whose brother, Monte Erwin, is a missionary in Riga, Latvia, said her mother and brother have been carrying on Internet conversations since he’s been in Latvia.
“He told me how he wanted me to get on the Internet because it is so wonderful for him to be able to communicate with us in that way,” said Weaver, whose husband, Dan, is the McLoud church’s pastor.
Weaver said her family bought a computer in January, and when they began their e-mail correspondence with Erwin, he noted how messages from the States were helping his family deal with culture shock.
“That gave me the idea to send messages from our GA group,” Weaver said. “We thought it would give our GA program a little boost and also help our girls learn more about the countries we sent e-mail messages to.”
Erwin sent Weaver 15 missionaries’ e-mail addresses — among the countries were Poland, Scotland, Mexico, the Caribbean and even home missionaries in New York.
The 20 girls gathered at the Weaver home, decorated banners with greetings from the countries with which they were corresponding, ate foods from those countries and settled at the computer to send messages.
“My brother sent the girls a special e-mail which arrived at the time of the party,” Weaver noted. “He talked about how much he thought Lottie Moon would have enjoyed e-mail.”
Weaver said the girls sent messages to the missionaries through an Internet site that has animated greeting cards.
“We have received several replies from the missionaries,” Weaver said. “They have all really appreciated what we did. They have shared prayer requests, told about themselves and the work they do. It has really been a education for our girls.”
Weaver noted the girls are going to continue to learn more as additional replies come in.
“One of the missionaries in the Caribbean is desiring an ongoing relationship with her GA,” Weaver said. “We will continue to use e-mail as a method of educating our GAs on missions around the world.”