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.

Buying a Netbook

Do you need a netbook?  A netbook is a small laptop computer that provides the basic aspects of a laptop (or notebook) computer, but is not as powerful.  By removing non-essential parts and reducing the size, manufacturers are able to deliver a machine that is small, lightweight, and “good enough” for basic computer tasks at an affordable price.  A netbook is ideal for travel and does a good job for writing email and browsing the internet.  A netbook is not adequate for running more sophisticated applications or running several common office applications at the same time.  Most netbooks include a SD card reader and a webcam, but do not include a CD/DVD drive or a multitude of ports.  Here are some things to look for when purchasing a netbook.

  • RAM memory – most netbooks are only sold with 1GB of RAM; make sure you can expand this to 2GB and do this right away – it will make a big difference
  • VGA port – make sure you can connect it to a larger monitor or video projector
  • Keyboard size – make sure it is not too small to type comfortably
  • Battery life – most people use netbooks while traveling or at other times when they are not plugged in, so make sure you have good battery life.

A recommended model is the Asus EeePC 1005PE.  It boasts a 14 hour battery life.

Social Security Totalization

As a American missionary serving in another country, you should only pay social security in the US.  Paying into two countries social security systems results in double payment and may result in ineligibility for benefits.  The US has social security totalization agreements with the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

The treaties indicate that a worker should pay into the system where they work, which is referred to as the “territorial rule.”  However there is an exception that applies to most American missionaries called the “foreign detached worker exception.”  Under this exception employers are allowed to request certificates of coverage from the US Social Security Administration for employees they send overseas.  These certificates permit the worker to not be forced into the social security system of their host country.  The requirements are that the assignment originate in the US, that the worker be assigned to the the foreign branch of the same company, and that the assignment last no longer than five years.  After five years, the worker must return to the US for at least six months.  France and Germany require the workers to return for 366 days.  Short trips back to the host country for meetings and vacation during this time away are permitted.

Missionaries should carefully plan their assignments and furloughs to fulfill these requirements.  Mission boards should apply for the certificates for their personnel.  Careful adherence to to these agreements will save the mission board money and ensure that the missionary is eligible for retirement benefits.

More Information:  Social Security Administration Totalization Overview

Foreign Earned Income Credit

Are you an American missionary living and working overseas?  If so, you may be able eligible for the foreign earned income credit on your federal income tax.  You may qualify to exclude up to $91,400 of your foreign earnings.  You will need to satisfy either the bona fide resident test (a full tax year abroad) or the physical presence test (330 days abroad within 12 months) to qualify.  See the flow chart below to learn more.

from IRS publication 54

Tracking a Flight

If you are concerned about a friend who is running late or needed the flight number or other information for a flight, just turn to the web.  Here are three good options.

Google Search

Just type the airline code and flight number as a Google search.

FlightStats.com

FlightAware.com

Travel 2.0 with Trip-it

Trip-it is a free web-based service that organizes your travel details for you.  Just forward your itinerary email to plans@tripit.com and they build organize this and send you a link to your on-line itinerary.  You can add flights, rental cars, maps, weather, and more.  You can share these details with family or co-workers and they offer off-line access for the iPhone, Android, and Blackberry devices.  The premium version offers advanced features.  Trip-it.com

Laptop International Surge Protector

You know you should always use a surge protector for valuable electronics, but most conventional power strips are bulky and are either 120V or 240V, not both.  So instead of traveling with two power strips for just a laptop, you should consider a special surge protector for your laptop.  This multi-voltage model plugs in in-line between the two parts of your power cord and attaches to the power supply with a velcro strap.  Once you plug it in you never have to worry about forgetting a surge protector again.  It also provides protection for LAN and phone cables.

2-pin model 3-pin model

How to Automatically Forward Outlook Exchange Email to Another Address

If you use Microsoft Exchange and want to forward your incoming email messages to another email address, here is a handy guide.  This will automatically forward all mail to you@yourorganization.org to you@gmail.com or any other address.  It is better to configure this “rule” on the server instead of in Outlook on your computer, as you will want it to run whether your computer is running Outlook or not.  To do this, you will use Outlook Web App, or the older Outlook Web Access.

  1. In your internet browser, go to your company’s Outlook Web App website and log in.
  2. Click on Options in the top right.
  3. Click on Organize Email on the left side.
  4. Click on New.
  5. Choose [Apply to All Messages].
  6. Choose Redirect the message to.
  7. Enter your other email address on the bottom line and click OK.
  8. Click Save.
  9. You will see a warning that says “This rule will be applied to every message received. Is it correct?”  Click Yes.
  10. Click Sign Out in the top right.

Instructions for using the older Outlook Web Access

Security Manuals

Are you prepared for an emergency situation?  Have you accessed the risk and developed contingency plans with your team?  Here are some good resources (PDF files) from large humanitarian organizations that help give a overview of security preparation.

Use Dropbox to Sync Your Computers and Gadgets

Do you wish you could have your important computer files on your different computers and backed up online?  Dropbox is a service that places a special folder on all your computers and synchronizes  the contents of that folder constantly so you have your files regardless of which computer you use.  You can also access your Dropbox files online as they are stored securely on Dropbox’s website.  Dropbox works on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers and Apple, Android, and Blackberry mobile devices.  Another feature is the ability to easily make a file or photo album publicly viewable on the internet  for family, friends, or co-workers to view.  Your files are actually on each device and on the internet, so this works great in situations where you are offline and need access to your files and when you are away from your computer.  The free service is limited to 2GB, so you will not be able to store everything on Dropbox for free.  Premium accounts start at $99/year for 50GB.  Visit Dropbox.com to learn more and sign-up for free.  More ways to use Dropbox.

PAL & NTSC Videos

Different standards are used to produce videos.  You need a video format that matches your player.  NTSC is the video format used in North America, while PAL is used many countries across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.