Generic Tech advice STINKS!
"You just need to play with it. Try things out. Explore all the buttons and options till you figure the program out." or "O it's easy, all you have to do is, . . . (insert something I've tried a half dozen times already and didn't work)" Ummm, yeah. . . 6 weeks later I'm frustrated to the point where I'm snapping at my wife and kids, making glacially slow progress, and I'm on the verge of smashing my computer in a fit of pure rage. "Jesus, forget the wheel, take the **** computer!"
Living in Botswana with unreliable internet means that we often find ourselves behind the times. In an effort to get ourselves and our ministry up to speed, I have been trying to update our face book group, (Wild Acacia), create a new website, set up online updates, online giving options, a blog, and linking all those things to each other. It has NOT been going smoothly.
The most frustrating part of the whole process is knowing that what is currently taking me weeks, could be done in a few hours if I could just get a few critical questions answered in a timely manner. Unfortunately, timely knowledgeable tech support is hard to find and even harder when you know so little that you don't really know the right questions to ask.
Sarah and I have been on the mission field for 15 years now and I have discovered that I posses a rare, God given quality that helps me get through these types of difficulties.
Stubbornness! I will NOT be defeated. I will bend this computer to my will and NO I don't care that the software isn't designed to do what I want, It will do it anyway! :)
I think maybe you'd better pray for me! :)
Seriously though, we are trying to be more vocal about the ministry we are doing and keep our friends, family, and supporters up to date on our progress. We need you to lift us up in prayer regularly and we hope that as we increase the amount of information that we are sending out, that you will have more to pray about and more reminders of how much your prayers and support are needed. If you want the most up to date information, please join the Wild Acacia face book group as we post on that group most often.
Despite my frank admission of tech frustration above, I would greatly appreciate any constructive criticism and advice you may have on our communications including the newsletters, face book group posts, this website and blog, etc.