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.

Index Cards

I have used a variety of systems for personal organization, from notebooks to legal pads, and PDAs to smartphones.  I now use a combination of a smartphone, web-based task list, and a stack of index cards.  I carry 15 unruled index cards held together with an ideal clamp (a big paperclip that looks like a butterfly).  I use the index cards to capture information.  Tasks that are not completed by the end of the day are entered in my web-based task list, and the index cards are retained for a month.  If you have a scanner, you can scan the index cards and keep them on a computer.  Index cards may be a ideal choice for missionaries who need a place to quickly jot down a phone number, draw a map, sketch a concept, make a task list, take notes and more.

Reasons why index cards are better than smartphones/PDAs:

  1. Writing on index cards is faster than using a smartphone
  2. Index cards are available in most locations
  3. Index cards are not likely to be rejected on an expense report, but getting approval to purchase a smartphone may be tricky
  4. Index cards are easy to give away
  5. Index cards are easy to let someone use
  6. The use of index cards is more reproducible/transferrable than a smartphone because it does not introduce an economic or technological barrier
  7. Index cards require little training to use
  8. Index cards do not become outdated
  9. Index cards do not create the appearance of affluence
  10. Index cards do not need power or internet
  11. Index cards are not likely to become a distraction for yourself or others
  12. Index cards will not reboot when you need them the most
  13. No one wants to steal index cards
  14. No one thinks you are texting or playing games when using index cards
  15. Index cards can survive being dropped on the sidewalk
  16. You don’t envy your neighbor’s index cards, as you might a newer smartphone
  17. Index cards can be easily destroyed, without fear of data theft
  18. Index cards fail predictably (fire, water) unlike gadgets

Related Links:

Getting Things Done

Do you want to be more productive with your time?  Do you want to stay on top of everything for which you are responsible?  David Allen’s book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity is about how to do just that.  In somewhat of a contrast to Steven Covey’s top-down approach of time management, Allen presents a bottom-up model for “getting things done” or “GTD,” as it is often called.  His model is comprised of five phases: collecting, processing, organizing, reviewing, and doing.  The basic idea is that everything is gathered in some form outside your head and collected in a paper inbox or email inbox.  Then each item is evaluated to determine what, if anything needs to be done.  Tasks that need to be done at a certain time are placed on the calendar.  Tasks that may be accomplished in less than two minutes are done immediately and the remaining tasks are placed on a “next action” list, grouped by the context in which they must be accomplished – i.e. at work, at home, at a telephone, at a computer, etc…  Each week, the calendar, the projects, and the “next action” lists are reviewed to make sure everything is on track.  The GTD system may be implemented by high tech users with smartphones, PDAs, computers, and other gadgets, by low tech users with paper and pencil, or by a combination of both high and low tech tools.  The principles remain the same.

Key Concepts:

  • Write everything down
  • Enter tasks and projects in a system that you really trust
  • Use do-able language on your next action list (Verb, Subject, Object – “Call Bill about Training”)
  • Organize reference materials
  • Review your lists

Related Links:

Harvest Information System

global computer networkHave you ever found yourself talking with a co-worker from another mission organization and discovered that you have different terminology for the same thing?  Did you ever wish someone would write a glossary to explain that “World A” equals “the 10/40 window,” “Australasia” equals “Oceania” and so on?  What if I count Somalia as part of East Africa while you count it as part of the Horn of Africa.  Imagine the increased complexity when using multiple databases for measuring lostness and progress in the task of global evangelization.  The Harvest Information System is a collaborative effort to establish a system that mission agencies can use to link their database together and be on the same page in their research.  Several “registries” have been established, adopted by a custodian organization, and shared in database formats for researchers to use.  The following are links to information about the current registries.

Radio Phonetic Alphabet

alphaThe NATO phonetic alphabet is a system where key words are used to represent letters and numbers when using two-way radios or other verbal communication.  Often with international speakers, accents, stress, and poor communication links, letters such as b, c, d, e, g, p, t, v, z, and the number 3 can sound alike.  Assigning a commonly agreed upon word helps avoid confusion when spelling words.  This is different from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), which is a method of documenting each sound in language.  Below is each letter, its word, the pronunciation, and the IPA spelling.

A Alpha AL FAH ˈælfɑ
B Bravo BRAH VOH ˈbrɑːˈvo
C Charlie CHAR LEE
ˈtʃɑːli
D Delta DELL TAH ˈdeltɑ
E Echo ECK OH ˈeko
F Foxtrot FOKS TROT ˈfɔkstrɔt
G Golf GOLF ɡʌlf
H Hotel HO TELL hoːˈtel
I India IN DEE AH ˈindiˑɑ
J Juliet JEW LEE ETT ˈdʒuːliˑˈet
K Kilo KEY LOH ˈkiːlo
L Lima LEE MAH ˈliːmɑ
M Mike MIKE mɑik
N November NO VEM BER noˈvembə
O Oscar OSS CAH ˈɔskɑ
P Papa PAH PAH pəˈpɑ
Q Quebec KEH BECK keˈbek
R Romeo ROW ME OH ˈroːmiˑo
S Sierra SEE AIR AH siˈerɑ
T Tango TANG GO ˈtænɡo
U Uniform YOU NEE FORM ˈjuːnifɔːm
V Victor VIK TAH ˈviktɑ
W Whiskey WISS KEY ˈwiski
X X-ray ECKS RAY ˈeksˈrei
Y Yankee YANG KEY ˈjænki
Z Zulu ZOO LOO ˈzuːluː
Digit Word Pronunciation
0 Zero ZE RO
1 One WUN
2 Two TOO
3 Three TREE
4 Four FOW ER
5 Five FIFE
6 Six SIX
7 Seven SEV EN
8 Eight AIT
9 Nine NIN ER

How to use a High Lift Jack


High-Lift-JackA high lift jack is a valuable tool when off-road driving.  Primarily used to quickly change tires, the high lift jack has many other uses, such as a winch, jaws of life, and other tasks that involve lifting heavy loads.  For about $100, this piece of equipment can be used to perform a variety of tasks.  It is important to understand how the jack works before using it to avoid personal injury or property damage.

Draw a Floor Plan or Vehicle Accident Online

Here are two tools to help you draw things online.  FloorPlanner.com helps you draw furniture layouts, office renovations, new construction, and shipping container layouts.  Just measure the room and then drag and drop walls, doors, furniture, plants, and more to see 2D and 3D views of your project.  AccidentSketch.com helps you draw a nice picture of your vehicle mishap.  This can also be used in accident reports and driver’s training.  Both tools are free, fun, and easy.

Google Voice

Google VoiceGoogle Voice, formerly called GrandCentral, is a free phone service from Google.  The basic idea is that you choose a local US lifetime number which forwards calls to your phones (home, work, mobile, computer, and more) automatically.  It is currently in an invitation only roll out, so you have to request an invitation and then wait for an email from Google to sign up.

Some neat features:

  • Forward all calls to voicemail (voicemails are delivered via email or SMS)
  • Make calls for free to US numbers (calls your phone and then the other persons phone)
  • Send SMSs for free to US numbers
  • Temporary forwarding to a hotel room or other temporary number
  • Press * to switch phones without loosing the call
  • Forwards to phones in other area codes, giving you a local number even if your real number is in another area code
  • You can create a separate number that only goes to voicemail for use when buying things online
  • You can setup a number for a “duty officer” and forward it to the on-call person of the week

Sign up for Google Voice now (requires requesting an inviation)

Read more about how to use this along with Project Gizmo (which gives you a free phone number on your computer) at Gizmo Voice

Gmail Allows Other SMTP Servers and Removes “On Behalf Of” Header

GmailGmail has made a small change that has a big benefit for those who use email forwarding and have their email forwarded to a Gmail account.  Under Settings > Accounts, you may send mail from another email account.  Gmail has had a similar feature for some time, but it actually still used their outgoing mail server and showed “on behalf of” message in the from section of the email for users of Microsoft Outlook.  Now you may use your own SMTP (outgoing) mail server and send mail without the “on behalf of” note being displayed to your recipients.  Learn more about email forwarding.