Communication

To: mike.blyth@sim.org Date: Friday, July 15, 2005 4:46 PM Mike, Kelly is having emergency appendectomy this afternoon. Tried to reach you by phone. John.

We received the email Friday evening, and had planned to leave the next day for the Abuja airport to meet Barb’s sister Brenda and our niece Kelly who were coming from Georgia to visit. Kelly had developed appendicitis on the way, in London. Had this happened 14 years ago during our first term in Nigeria, we probably could not have gotten the message in time, and would have been waiting at the airport, wondering what had happened and what to do next. Fortunately, communications have improved very much since then.

I (Mike) have spent a fair amount of time over the years working to improve communication for SIM and Evangel Hospital. That’s not the main reason for the great progress we’ve made, which has more to do with advancing technologies and decreasing costs, but my computer background has made it possible to take advantage of these advances.

When we arrived in 1991, phones often did not work at all, and international calls were a nightmare. We often booked specific times a few days ahead, trying to make connections work. In ’95 we started what was probably the first email service in Jos. Our SIM office in Charlotte collected messages during the day, then made an international phone call each night to transfer them by modem. The next day we would separate the messages, put them onto diskettes or print them out, and distribute them to the missionaries here.

In the past three years, and with the encouragement of my friend Greg Kirschner, I have been developing a computer network for the Evangel campus, and connecting it to the Internet. Because of the size of Evangel and the risk of lightning, we decided to use the then-fairly-new WiFi wireless system. I never imagined how much trouble it would be, but we’ve gradually made progress.

Last May we took a step forward and installed a VSAT (satellite) connection, giving us more bandwidth and better reliability. It is still not even as good as a DSL or cable connection in the US, and is far more expensive, but it’s worth it as we share it among missionaries, Nigerian doctors, hospital offices, and the AIDS counseling center.

Well, that’s all fine but rather technical and dry—what are the practical results for mission and evangelism? Here are a few examples.

	We have used the Internet quite a bit for the AIDS is Real book project, to research it, for collaborative proofing and editing, and for distribution. The whole book can be downloaded from our web site.
	Our Joslink mailing list helps missionaries in Jos and elsewhere communicate easily about practical matters (we need a ride), security, ministry (does anyone have a copy of the Jesus film in Fulfulde?) and so on.
	A missionary in a remote bush location emailed me about a newborn with unusual birth defects. Using the Internet I quickly found several sources of information about the condition, and relayed an answer back by email.
	Last week two deaf patients got a chance to hear again, as our own ear specialist Dr. Joel Anthis and a visiting one, Dr. Doug Green, gave them cochlear implants. Besides needing technical expertise for the surgery, these implants need specialized programming that cannot be done here—but will be done from the US over our Internet connection!
	Our family practice residents now have access to medical journals that they never could have read five years ago.

We were thankful for the blessing of communications when we learned about our niece being hospitalized. Using email and our new Internet telephone, we kept in touch with Kelly and her mom in the London hospital, her father visiting Mali, their church in Georgia, and two doctor friends in London who offered their hospitality. Kelly ended up hospitalized for two weeks with a ruptured appendix and resulting abscess, but as I write this, Barb is on the way to Abuja to meet her. We are so glad that Brenda and Kelly are still going to visit us in Africa even after all they’ve been through.

Follow-up

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement about the AIDS Is Real book. We finally have printed copies in our hands and are happy to learn how the book is being received outside and inside Nigeria. Here’s one story:

“One of our COCIN pastors received the book as part of the pastor's bookset. He took it home where his 18-year-old son read the book. According to the pastor, the boy gave his life to Jesus and has been a changed person ever since. He has read the book three times, and is sharing the message about AIDS with his contemporaries.”

Family News

	Steve and Lisa will spend this school year in Scotland where Steve will pursue a master’s degree in Christian-Muslim dialog at the University of Edinburgh.
	Saralynn has spent the summer with us, observing and helping at the hospital, getting some experience in medical missions. She’s moving to California next month. (Saralynn with Luke this summer, photo)
	Jonathan and Lori alone are still our midwestern kids. Jonathan is taking a course on massage therapy

Please Pray

	Raising Luke is a real challenge. Pray for us to be the best parents we can be.
	Pray that our patients and their families will understand God’s love as they hear the story of Jesus.
	Pray for the Church to grow in grace and love in dealing with people living with HIV.
	Pray for encouragement and healing for our families of children with HIV, sickle cell, cancer, kidney disease, and other chronic illnesses.