wmpl_reset( $prayer );
In these days, it is difficult to escape the world of technology without some concerted effort. I find this especially difficult as, day by day, I make a concerted effort to do just the opposite.
As Electronic Media Coordinator with World Mission Prayer League, I regularly delve deep to the inner workings of our technologically connected world. In order to re-establish a secure foundation upon which future projects might depend and so that all our fellow workers might effectively communicate with one another and with those who follow the story of their service, I have embarked on a massive project of restructuring both the front-end and back-end of wmpl.org.
When first I set out to restructure the site, it was with the intent of tweaking bits and pieces for basic needs. However, as further organizational needs were either proposed by individuals or clarified during our communication’s meetings, I fell down the rabbit hole. During the past few months, I have greatly broadened my scope of knowledge regarding WordPress, the content management system upon which our site is built. Two plugins have been developed from scratch and one has been significantly modified for our specific needs. I think code often.
So, what can you expect when the site is rolled out? I’ll briefly explain the front-end (and the back-end for you geeky types).
- Member Accounts: World Mission Prayer League members will have the opportunity to register a user account. Praying members will also have access to additional content and resources on the website (e.g. live video feed of WMPL events).
- eTapestry Integration: eTapestry houses our membership database and donor records. Via the eTapestry Integrator plugin (my most ambitious plugin project), member accounts will allow users to update their personal information in this organizational database.
- Prayer Requests: Amen, a modification of the Pray With Us plugin, will allow all users to post prayer requests to the website and also to pray for the requests that others have posted.
- Intuitive Navigation: Content is being reorganized, ordered, and neatly packaged in expandable/collapsible boxes with the help of the jQuery Collapse-O-Matic plugin. The final plugin I developed was designed with the intent to automate our use of this plugin.
- Fellow Worker Specific Pages: Fellow Workers will have a page devoted to content regarding them and their work with WMPL.
- Additional features will be available for our missionaries and for internal purposes.
It’s exciting to begin seeing the fruit of so much work. And so I press on to complete this task before us. It can be so easy to get lost in the zeros and ones of this digital age. Remember to stop, disconnect, and breathe. Rest, and reset your mindset with a bit of prayer today. A few months ago, I had opportunity to retreat to a week in the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota with some of the men from my family. Such wonderful rest! Oh, that we might know this peace in the midst of every day!
Settling In
Summer has come and gone, and we are now getting quite settled in to autumn…and in to life at the World Mission Prayer League (WMPL). As a family living and serving at the home office, we have been richly welcomed into this community of Fellow Workers. By beautiful and humble examples, in our short time here our faith and our practice of the discipline of prayer have been nurtured and strengthened–as a family, and as individuals.
As Electronic Media Coordinator, Joshua continues to acclimate himself to life in the office, learning all of the systems that help the office to run and to communicate with our constituents. He enjoys spending his time trying to enhance and improve these systems, that the Gospel may be more clearly communicated—and more far-reaching–in this inter-connected, technology-driven world in which we find ourselves.
I am spending a bit of my time creating meaningful opportunities for WMPL staff to be in community with one another, that God may nurture their relationships, and make their work time together effective. Most of my time, however, is spent with our ever-growing daughter, now already 7 ½ months, and helping to guide her along her way as she begins to crawl, stand, and soon, walk. Our prayer for Aelah is that she may walk every day confident in the love that Jesus Christ has for her, and for the whole world. May she always be ready and willing to share it.
That love I spoke of, the love Christ has for the whole world, is what the World Mission Prayer League is truly all about, as I have seen over our first months here. I am privy to the happenings around the office and I watch daily as the Fellow Workers here share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in this country, and as they support the Fellow Workers sharing the Gospel across the globe. I sit in on prayer times, and on missionary sending gatherings and watch many faithful, fervent pray-ers as they join God in His mission–that all people would come to know Him as God and Savior.
Would you join in God’s mission as well? Maybe you already have. If so, we rejoice! Is there a way we can support the work God is doing through you? Let us know. Send prayer requests here and we will gladly lift up your work to the Lord.
Are you looking for another way to join in God’s Kingdom work? Maybe God is calling you to join WMPL in some way; maybe He’s calling you to pray, maybe to learn, maybe to give, or maybe to go. Learn more about these various opportunities for involvement here. To be involved in prayer for our family’s work, specifically, please see below.
Thank you sincerely for your loving support of our family and God’s work through us! May God bless you and keep you.
In Christ’s love,
Adrienne
October Prayer Points:
*Thank God for the new WMPL praying members that recently committed to prayer after connecting with WMPL staff at the LCMC convention in Colorado. May God be present as these pray-ers pray, and may He draw them ever closer to Him.
*There are many people who have yet to hear the Gospel! Ask God to send more workers—to WMPL, to other agencies, to neighborhoods, to work places, and to communities across the globe–and make himself known through them!
*Thank God for so graciously providing for our housing needs and living allowance!
*Ask God for persistence and guidance for Joshua as he spends many hours learning new programs and working on long-term projects.
*Ask God for discernment for Adrienne as she considers how to balance her ministry to Aelah and other ministry opportunities before her.
*Thank God for Aelah’s good health and demeanor, and ask that she grows up daily walking in the love of the Lord—and sharing it!
Lifting the Nations
During our initial days in fellowship with the Prayer League, we heard much regarding the work that is being done throughout the world by WMPL missionaries. And we prayed for that work. Through this practice of daily, consistent, and intensive prayer, i was inspired to write the following song. May it encourage you to lift the nations to Him who is sovereign o’er all.
A Praying Family
Welcome, friends and family! This is the most recent chapter in our story … we invite you in …
Over the past several years, we have been blessed by our involvement with so many different communities … Intervarsity, Campus Crusade, Camp Lutherhaven, Camp Lakeview, Grace Lutheran, Shepherd of the Hills, Youth Encounter, Camp Wapo, Ox Lake, Luther Dell, and Bethel Lutheran, among others.
For some time now, Adrienne and i have sensed a desire to serve in overseas mission work and have been seeking to involve ourselves with an organization that might lead us to such service. In January, i happened upon an online job posting for an Electronic Media Coordinator with the World Mission Prayer League. Having enjoyed such work, simply as a hobby, i was intrigued by the opportunity to utilize these skills in a more professional manner. Even more so, this seemed like it might be a natural stepping stone towards future missionary service overseas.
Adrienne and i both had some exposure to WMPL, as Chuck Lindquist, the Director of Missions, had led a cross-cultural session during our training for service with Youth Encounter. Additionally, we have recently been following the missionary work of Luke S. and his family in the Philippines. Adrienne had attended grade school with Luke and served alongside him at Camp Lakeview for a summer. In all our initial contact with WMPL, we had gained a great respect for the integrity, mission, and passion of the organization. As we considered the opportunity to join WMPL in service, i read through the Mission Handbook and was overwhelmed by the Biblical values and principles evident in their operation of and vision for mission.
My initial meetings with WMPL staff were interrupted by demanding projects at Youth Encounter and the birth of Aelah. Then, in March, after a few meetings with WMPL leadership and much prayer, an invitation to apply for missionary candidacy was offered. We gladly accepted. Application was made, and on May 16, our call to candidacy for missionary service was confirmed by the WMPL directorate.
How fitting that confirmation of this call should fall on Grandma Elser’s birthday. She was a prayer warrior and i am told she prayed that we might one day serve in full-time missionary service. Here we are, Lord.
On June 1, i completed three years of employment in the office of Youth Encounter. On June 2, our family joined the fellowship of World Mission Prayer League, traveling to camp in Wisconsin for an annual briefing course. Last week, we moved to downtown Minneapolis into housing provided by the Prayer League. This week, i began work in the home office. For now, here we serve. May we keep attuned to God’s guiding.
Aelah is blessed to be growing in such an environment. We are thankful. As you can see, at just under four months, she is now folding her hands. i’m certain she’s already learned a thing or two from this community of prayers.
If you would like to know more about WMPL, how you can become involved, or how you can be praying for our family, please visit the pages linked above. Thank you for your friendship, your prayers, and your encouraging support. May our Lord bless you coming and your going!