Help us connect!
I really need to get something on the blog as to push the "no makeup" post down. The past few days I've been a bit blank...haven't had much to talk/write about. Life is normal -- well, whatever that means here.
With the impending court date we've begun trying to set a fresh time line. That's always dangerous as our plans have never seemed to work out the way we thought they would. Of course there's a good bit of spiritual application in that thought...however, we do need to get some things lined up so that when the time comes we'll be prepared to go on stateside assignment (aka STAS). The date we're groovin' with right now is July 14. Yeah, it's sort of pulled out of a hat, but it looks good to us. I expect all of you at the airport when that time comes!!
I'd like to somehow get your thoughts on a big question that has interested me for a very long time...what do YOU want from US? What helps you connect with us? Do you feel connected? What would help? What doesn't help? What could we do better? What should we stop doing completely? And I'm serious about this. Frankly I think we, as missionaries, just do the things we're used to doing in hopes that it works. But we know that generally the "folks back home" aren't going to be completely open to share when something isn't quite working.
Case in point...email newsletters. Do you all read them? We're not able to track that like we can visits to a website or blog. [Actually we could but it seems that might just be mean and all big-brotherly...don't want to go there.] I mean, I realize that many of you probably get umpteen newsletters a month to go along with your normal inbox assault including work- and personal-related messages, solicited informational messages, and the occasional junk mail (right!...if every 5 minutes constitutes occasional). I know that not everyone is going to read the newsletters...but what about those that do not?
This question leads me to think about other forms of communication and whether or not these could be more effective. Of course along with each form comes more questions. Blogs...(1) how often to update, (2) keep it only ministry-related or include everything from life, (3) add video or audio/podcasts, (4) use freaked out makeup looking pictures that cause some to lose sleep??? Similar questions can be found when considering other tools we use to connect with everyone.
So, I'd really like to hear from you. What, in your opinion, could I/we be doing to better communicate with you? Would you like to see/hear about more specifics from ministry? More pictures of the place where we live? Video? A blog from Vicki (realize she's like anti-technology...but she could be persuaded)? More emails...less emails? Anything you might be thinking, please feel free to either comment here or send me an email. If I actually do hear from you all, I'll post again with some of the general impressions I've received. And don't worry about encouraging me by telling me that everything we do is perfect...that my blog is by far the best one out there in cyberspace...and that I enrich your life with my words and visual art (ha!!). I, of course, already know those things.
I love y'all and always think of you as I'm writing. Let me hear from you on this!!
With the impending court date we've begun trying to set a fresh time line. That's always dangerous as our plans have never seemed to work out the way we thought they would. Of course there's a good bit of spiritual application in that thought...however, we do need to get some things lined up so that when the time comes we'll be prepared to go on stateside assignment (aka STAS). The date we're groovin' with right now is July 14. Yeah, it's sort of pulled out of a hat, but it looks good to us. I expect all of you at the airport when that time comes!!
I'd like to somehow get your thoughts on a big question that has interested me for a very long time...what do YOU want from US? What helps you connect with us? Do you feel connected? What would help? What doesn't help? What could we do better? What should we stop doing completely? And I'm serious about this. Frankly I think we, as missionaries, just do the things we're used to doing in hopes that it works. But we know that generally the "folks back home" aren't going to be completely open to share when something isn't quite working.
Case in point...email newsletters. Do you all read them? We're not able to track that like we can visits to a website or blog. [Actually we could but it seems that might just be mean and all big-brotherly...don't want to go there.] I mean, I realize that many of you probably get umpteen newsletters a month to go along with your normal inbox assault including work- and personal-related messages, solicited informational messages, and the occasional junk mail (right!...if every 5 minutes constitutes occasional). I know that not everyone is going to read the newsletters...but what about those that do not?
This question leads me to think about other forms of communication and whether or not these could be more effective. Of course along with each form comes more questions. Blogs...(1) how often to update, (2) keep it only ministry-related or include everything from life, (3) add video or audio/podcasts, (4) use freaked out makeup looking pictures that cause some to lose sleep??? Similar questions can be found when considering other tools we use to connect with everyone.
So, I'd really like to hear from you. What, in your opinion, could I/we be doing to better communicate with you? Would you like to see/hear about more specifics from ministry? More pictures of the place where we live? Video? A blog from Vicki (realize she's like anti-technology...but she could be persuaded)? More emails...less emails? Anything you might be thinking, please feel free to either comment here or send me an email. If I actually do hear from you all, I'll post again with some of the general impressions I've received. And don't worry about encouraging me by telling me that everything we do is perfect...that my blog is by far the best one out there in cyberspace...and that I enrich your life with my words and visual art (ha!!). I, of course, already know those things.
I love y'all and always think of you as I'm writing. Let me hear from you on this!!
posted by Michael Shattuck at
4:04 AM
2 Comments:
I found your blog by searching for information on missionaries in Poland because of my interest in keeping a little in touch with what's going on. So...I feel like I don't get enough info about the ministry aspect. I love hearing about the family (to me you are who you are in your blog...since I don't know you otherwise) and I enjoy the photography (I'm into that too...but to a much smaller degree), but I would like to know more about what you are doing to reach Poles for Christ.
As far as method, I'm into blogging at the moment, so this is great for me. I would love to have something that could be printed and passed out to others (like my SS class)...like a one page ministry/family info summary every couple months or so. Of course, that would need to be black and white so that I could easily copy it. That's all my thoughts for now.
I really like the idea of the printable info sheet for people to handout. I'll see what I can do with that for May or June. Since we're going on stateside soon that would be a great thing to plan for after our return.
While I have used this blog as more of a personal journal-type thing I do need to work on including more specifics from ministry to give y'all the whole picture of life/ministry here.
Thanks for your thoughts!
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