About Jonathan Parsons

Jonathan thinks and writes about practical aspects of missionary service to help train and equip missionaries to fulfill the Great Commission. Jonathan ministered in East Africa with the International Mission Board. He now serves in the International Ministries office at the headquarters of Word of Life Fellowship coordinating logistical and administrative matters. He and his wife Amy live in the Adirondack mountains of upstate New York.

Satellite Phone Options

Are you considering purchasing a satellite phone?  If so, you will quickly learn that it can be more complicated that buying a mobile phone.  Below are some points to help compare themajor networks.  For starters, if you want global service, you want either Iridium or Inmarsat networks.  If you want coverage only in Europe, the Middle East, parts of Africa, or parts of Asia, choose Thuraya for their low rates and great phones.  If you want a phone to use in the US only, consider GlobalStar.  Any way you look at it, you will make an intial investment of $700-$1,700 and likely have a monthly contract or purchase prepaid service.

Iridium

  • Global coverage
  • 66 satellites in a low-earth orbit – 485 miles away
  • Motorola handsets
  • Large US corporate customers, including US military
  • Country codes – 8816, 8817
  • Prepaid and postpaid options available
  • Iridium to Iridium – $0.75/minute
  • Iridium to other satellite phone – $9.72/minute
  • SMS outgoing $0.45 (incoming free)

Inmarsat

  • Global coverage
  • 11 geosynchronous satellites – 22,183 miles away
  • Country code – 870
  • Prepaid and postpaid options available
  • SMS outgoing $0.45

Thuraya

  • Europe, Middle East, North/Central/East Africa, Central/South Asia coverage
  • Handsets are affordable, small, and offer many advanced features
  • Country code – 88216
  • Thuraya to Thuraya – $0.89/minute
  • SMS outgoing $0.49
  • Thuraya to other satellite phone – $9.75/minute
  • Thuraya to a landline phone$1.49/minute
  • Thuraya to a mobile phone $3.99/minute

Globalstar

  • North America coverage
  • Country codes – 8818, 8819
  • Calls cost $1.49/minute

More information:

FSI Language Courses Online and Free

If you are learning a new language, you will want to check out the Foreign Service Institute’s (FSI) language materials.  They have been developed by the US government and are more than a little dated, but tried and true.  The are available at FSI-Language-Courses.org The following languages are currently available.

Taking Passport Pictures

Do you want to save money by taking passport pictures for your family or organization?  If you also need photos for visas, work permits, bank accounts, staff ids, applications, or other documents, the cost can add up quickly.  You can save money by taking your own pictures, if you follow the specifications laid down by the US Department of State.  The goal is to produce a 2 inch x 2 inch picture of the applicant’s face against a white background without shadows or distortions.

7 Steps to Successful Photos (from travel.state.gov)

Frame subject with full face, front view, eyes open
Make sure photo presents full head from top of hair to bottom of chin; height of head should measure 1 inch to 1-3/8 inches (25 mm to 35 mm)
Center head within frame (see Figure 2 below)
Make sure eye height is between 1-1/8 inches to 1-3/8 inches (28 mm and 35 mm) from bottom of photo
Photograph subject against a plain white or off-whitebackground
Position subject and lighting so that there are no distracting shadows on the face or background
Encourage subject to have a natural expression

Some helpful links:

See the Department of State Website for more information

Currency Conversion

UCC

Universal Currency Converter under license from XE.com Terms of Use

Expense Reports iPhone BlackBerry Android WAP

Etnopedia

Do you want to learn more about a particular unreached people group?  Do you want to share information about the people group you serve?  Are you multi-lingual and willing to translate important missions research into other languages?  Etnopedia is a website that seeks to share information about unreached people groups for the purpose of prayer, mobilization, and planning.  As the name suggests it uses the wiki software and is similar to Wikipedia.  Check it out and contribute your information or translate.

Technology: Is It Changing Missions?

The June/July 2010 edition of Lausanne World Pulse has several good articles on the theme of the way technology is changing missions.  Follow the links below or download the entire edition as PDF.

How Technology Is Changing, or Should Change, the Way the Gospel Is Shared
By Dion Forster
Social media and networking are challenging us to transform the way in which we engage the world with the love of Jesus.

The Inseparable Bond of Technology & Mission
By Nick Nicholaou
The trends of text messaging and Twitter point in the direction of things to come—namely, mobile computing. What does this mean for the Church and how it fulfills its mission?

Ten Ways the Internet Is Changing Evangelism and Missions
By John Edmiston
The very heart of how we minister is being changed forever in at least ten significant areas.

The 21st Century Roman Road: How Technology Is Changing Missions
By Troy Carl
The digital “Roman road” has been built. The Lord has provided a way to spread the good news to places otherwise unreachable.

The Challenge of Keeping Up with Technology for Ministry
By Robby Richardson
The Church needs “pioneer missionaries” who understand the culture and can use current media and technology to effectively communicate the gospel.

Renting a Vehicle in the US

Are you looking for a vehicle for your upcoming furlough in the US?  There are some organizations who specialize in providing vehicles to missionaries.  These organizations also sell vehicles to missionaries at special prices as well.  If you plan to be in the US for a year or longer, you should consider purchasing a vehicle.

MATS International 888-776-7211

  • Monthly rental rate ($490 compact car, $640 sedan, $790 mini-van)
  • No mileage rate (unlimited mileage)
  • Purchase your own insurance
  • Mechanical repairs paid by MATS
  • Accidents, flat tires, windshields, etc… paid by renter
  • Delivery available for $0.65 per mile to any airport (Indianapolis, IN and Dayton, OH are free)
  • Vehicles from sales lot
  • Richmond, IN

CMTS Ministries 610-488-6975

  • No monthly rental rate
  • Mileage rate ($0.15 per mile)
  • Insurance $175 per month (must be 25 years old; includes foreign drivers)
  • Repairs over $100 paid by CMTS with advance approval
  • Maintenance under $100 and insurance $250 deductible paid by renter
  • Vehicles may only be driven east of the Mississippi River
  • Donated older vehicles
  • Bernville, PA

Missionary Tech Team 903-757-4530

  • Monthly rental rate ($120 car, $170 mini-van)
  • Mileage rate ($0.08 car, $0.10 mini-van)
  • Purchase your own insurance
  • Repairs over $100 paid by Missionary Tech Team with advance approval
  • Routine maintenance paid by renter
  • Donated older vehicles
  • Longview, TX

Others