Salutations,
You’re tired. You’ve been up since 4:30am and you are now, in the last stage of your journey, cramped into the very far back corner of a packed airplane. Everybody has just finished boarding and settling in when the P.A. switches on and it’s the pilot.
“Our stewardess broke the airplane, we’re pretty sure we can fix it, but we are going to need for everyone to get off.â€
How reassuring. Everybody complies with the directive and gets off the plane. You wait patiently at the gate while men in coveralls bring tools and new batteries. Eventually you hear the call to get back on the airplane. So, after this cycle is repeated once more, you do get on to a working plane and fly off to your destination. You land several hours late, but you got there. My name is Jamie Fehr and this was one of the first trials that I experienced on my journey to missions.
What I’m really up to
Avant Ministries (formerly GMU) has appointed me to outreach with media, more specifically, a one-year term at the Malaga Media Center (mmcmedia.org). The Malaga Media Center (MMC) was formed when missionary activity was banned in the country of Morocco. Currently Christianity is illegal in Morocco, but that does not stop God’s word from penetrating into the heart of the country. MMC uses radio and television programming, bible learning correspondence, and the Internet to reach the lost people of North Africa.
“As a broadcast signal, the gospel message is borderless. It’s not daunted by the eight-mile Strait of Gibraltar that divides continents, nor the much wider chasm of religious and socio-political ideologies†AvantMinistries.org
My role in the center will be Webmaster. I will be responsible for maintaining MMC’s English and Arabic websites. Which will include design/layout, ensure that content is fresh, and interactive elements, and use databases to add more sophisticated functionality. Above all that I may be required to help out with videos that MMC produces and any other web projects that come up in western Europe. It may seem like a lot, but I know that I am capable.
Why Me? Why Now?
Both are very good questions that have some good answers. I think this chronologically order list will thoroughly explain the first question.
- In High School I took a semester of Spanish, it’s not much, but the language doesn’t scare me.
- I spent a year at the Peace River Bible Institute to develop a better understanding of scripture (only to realize how much I didn’t know).
- I went and did a three-week building project at the Malaga Media Center in 2002. We built a make-up room and I realized that I wanted to develop media for a living.
- On August 12th 2005 I graduated the Digital and Interactive Design program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.
- August 13th 2005 I casually mailed in an application for the Webmaster position in Malaga, a short time afterwards I was accepted.
- January 20th 2005 I was appointed by Avant Ministries to do God’s work in Spain/Morocco.
As for why now:
- I currently have no financial burdens to inhibit me from ministry
- I don’t have the financial/time burden of a family to feed and care for while I minister
- I am still quite young and adaptable
- It’s something that I really have a passion to do
It was hard to accept at first, but, after going over the facts and listening to the convincing arguments given to me at the Candidate Orientation, I am going to be a missionary.
Where you fit in
You may not know the first thing about creating a broadcast ready television program or configuring a database driven web app, not many people do, however, I am not one of those people. I have an opportunity to use learned skills to propel the gospel into some of the least reached areas of the world. Another thing that you may not know is that this ministry will not happen without finances.
I need partners. I need people who care about reaching out, people who will give of their time and finances. I think that you could be one of those people. At the time of writing I am at less than 1% of my required financial support. I am looking for a thirteen-month commitment (twelve months for staying there and one months support covers plane tickets and setup stuff).
