Thank you, Tech Team!
“It’s a simple equation: less time missionaries spend with computer problems means more time available for spreading the gospel.”
Eric, Mark Five founder
CONNECT SEPTEMBER 2009
Focus on eDOT’s Website
“The old eDOT website recruited me to eDOT. I’m excited to see the ways God uses the new website to recruit for His work in Europe.”
Laura, website designer
Transforming Moldova
“Thank you very much for the Café Pilot you installed.
The number of clients increased twice, and we are working further to improve our services.”
Igor, president of Communitas in Antoneşti, Moldova
Description: Assist eDOT team with managing and tracking various projects, including creation and maintenance of outreach materials, online discipleship and training programs, and wherever else the Lord leads us.
Location: Southern Germany
Cost: Depends
Length: 1 year to career missionary
Skills needed:
- Good organizational and administrative skills
- Good working knowledge of standard software programs (Microsoft or Open Office) and be willing and able to learn others quickly
- Knowledge of Moodle is a plus, but can be learned
- Be comfortable working in an online environment
- Enjoy working with people, both through email and in person
Are you extremely organized and love administrative tasks? Contact us for more information.
Description: Person would be responsible for editing online course material, as well as websites for spelling, grammar, and style – ensuring that the material complies with eDOT style standards, as well as with commonly accepted online course standards.
Location: Computer with solid Internet connection
Cost: Depends
Length: 1 year to career missionary
Skills needed:
- Editing background, preferably in editing online materials and online courses
- Need to be comfortable working in a completely online environment
- Experience using Moodle is a plus
Do you love spelling, grammar, and style? Contact us for more information.
Launching Online Learning in Spain
“We are convinced that this training is essential
to the long-term success of our online program.”
Mel, Director of Online Learning
at Al-Andalus Theological College
in Spain
When Janet and Paul joined a short-term team for an eDOT computer outreach in Kiev, Ukraine, in March 2007, they never dreamed how God would change their lives! As North Americans, they thought they were going to help people there learn about computers and about God. And they did. They also connected with Pasha who gave them his e-mail address. Since then, through emails and Skype with Pasha and his family, Janet’s and Paul’s lives and values have changed. They’ve begun evaluating their values as Pasha has shared the pain of his family’s past – but more importantly, his family’s life of authentic faith and hope.
Through trials and testings, their family stood firm under Communism – and they learned to live by faith, not by sight. Current challenges with the economy, deceit, and government inequality continue to plague the country. Yet Pasha and his family often share verses with Paul and Janet such as 2 Cor. 7:4 (see sidebar). As Janet expressed, “Their e-mails abound with joy and a genuine concern for us. Their faith and love have changed the direction of my husband’s and my lives. What they have given us defies measurement.”
In April 2008, Janet and Paul again joined an eDOT computer team in Kiev, and Pasha and his sister, Marianna, served as translators. Their friendship deepened. Pasha’s parents invited the team into their home for borsch and torte – as well as singing and prayer. “Jesus’ love, which knows no borders, was evident,” Janet explained. “They don’t have a car, big house, job security, or most of the things we take for granted. Yet their lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving; they trust God with areas of life over which they have no control, living day by day by faith.” Today, Janet and Paul are considering how they can serve God long term in Ukraine. “We talk with Pasha or his parents every week,” Janet shared. “We believe our meeting was God-directed, and we have found kindred hearts in one another.”
Does God use us in short-term missions? Sure He does. But He also uses the people we go to serve to change us.
Trudging through the mud filled streets, a horse drawn cart splashes by as you enter through a black gate simply labeled “Internet”. You make your way through the courtyard kicking the mud from your shoes then enter the whitewashed building. Next you enter a room where people are actively sitting in front of monitors, clicking on the keyboards. Some are researching school projects, others are emailing and IM’ing with loved ones who have moved away, while others are producing marketing signage for their small business.
The 10 computer Internet Café in Antoneşti, Moldova is the first of many small businesses to be started by Communitas (www.Communitas.md). Communitas is a small group of Christian Moldovans who have a vision to contribute to a social, economical and spiritual transformation in the different communities of Moldova. They purchased the old communist bath house in Antoneşti which is large enough to house several businesses that are needed to help the community improve – the first of which was the Internet Café. Here they not only have open hours where people can come in and rent time on the computers, but there are computer training sessions for those who don’t know how to use the computers, for those that want to use the computers to improve their business and even training for the farmers on how to farm more effectively. Other businesses are to follow including a pasta making factory, a greenhouse, a tailoring workshop, and a mini-bakery.
eDOT is partnering with Communitas by helping them make the Internet Café run more efficiently by installing Internet café control software and Internet filtering, teaching the administrators more about Linux and its administration, and loading appropriate open source software that will be a benefit for those coming to use the Internet Café.
Do you have a group of people that could help teach a basic computer skills class for a week? Are you familiar with Linux and would like to share your skills? Want to help with the construction of the other business initiatives in the bath house? Talk to us about how you could get involved in helping Communitas work in Antoneşti and other villages around Moldova.
Description: Website design for several different types of audiences and various platforms. Understand website layout and elements and have the ability to work well with a developer for solid websites and web applications. Able to create graphics and virtual environments in several different styles to appeal to various groups and cultures.
Location: Southwest Germany
Cost: Depends
Length: 3 months to career missionary
Skills needed:
- Adobe products such as Photoshop/Illustrator and Flash (desired)
- Ability to work with the restrictions created by some CMS (WordPress) and other web applications on which we may base our sites
- Most important – a creative mind
If you love to design websites and like the challenge of working in a cross-cultural environment, contact us for more information.
Description: Develop web applications and interactive websites using mainly open-source technologies. Must have strengths in a particular technology, but able to learn other forms and receptive to doing so.
Location: Southwest Germany
Cost: Depends
Length: 3 months to career missionary
Skills needed:
- PHP/MySQL (preferred)
- CSS, HTML/XHTML
- Flash (desired), Actionscript (desired)
- Javascript (desired)
- XML (desired)
- Python (desired)
- Understanding of API’s and how to work with them
- Ability to develop for various browser types including cell phones/handys
- Most important – a creative mind
If you love open-source technology and creating interactive websites, contact us for more information.
