Party Line

On Friday I wrote a quick email to a pastor in Illinois, copying the message to one of our missionaries in Ecuador. The pastor plans to come to Costa Rica for a quick visit in December and wants to meet up with the missionary here. I am trying to make a few arrangements for the trip for both of them.

In my email I told the pastor (whom I do not know personally) that he could call my office if he had any questions. We have one of those internet protocol (IP) phones that allows someone to dial a number in Illinois and talk directly to us in our office in Costa Rica. Modern technology never ceases to amaze me.

Within four minutes of sending the email, the pastor was talking to me from his car. He told me he received the message on his Blackberry while waiting in traffic. He also said, "I started to respond to your email, but then decided that it was safer to call than to write you while driving."

Although I am opposed to talking on phones while driving, I guess I would have to agree with his logic.

All of this made me think about how far communication has come in our thirty years in Latin America.

When we first lived in Bolivia, it took three weeks for a letter to get to us… that is, if it ever actually arrived. We lost about thirty percent of our mail. Except we didn't actually lose it - someone else did that for us.

We used to have to make reservations for international phone calls. Susan or I would call the long-distance operator and give him the information about where and whom we wanted to contact. We would then be given an approximate time when the operator would call us back. Usually that meant we had to wait by the phone for two to three hours just to have one costly phone conversation.

All of this made phone calls very, very special. We usually only made them in the case of incredible news (like when our daughters were born) or in dire emergencies.

Once, during a particularly nasty revolution in Bolivia, I called the mission's office in the US to let them know how things were going. After waiting an hour and half for the call to go through, I ended up talking to someone in the finance department. Everybody else was out of the office. The first thing I said was, "I am calling to let you know that everyone is okay. We are all safe." The response was, "Great Woody. Why wouldn't you be okay?"

Even back then, news for Latin America didn't make many headlines in the States. Most of our military and political turmoil was already over by the time people back home ever heard about it.

Sometimes I think the old way was better. It certainly gave you more time to think and pray about your response before actually sending your messages or making your phone calls.

I grew up in the country. Our house was on a "party line." This meant that we shared our phone line with ten other families. In a time and place when listening to other people's conversations was one of the best entertainment values around, you thought twice about anything you said... especially if it was about another person.

As a direct result of our party line, many people who lived along our gravel road knew just about as much about my romance with Susan as I did. It was a humbling experience to have the "lady on the next farm over" give me suggestions about how to phrase certain things to my girlfriend. Humbling, but sometimes helpful.

Yesterday I heard about a new computer product designed to help people not send emails when they are intoxicated or not at their best. After a certain hour on weekdays and all weekend, this program requires you to answer specific math problems before you can send your mail. If you do not answer the questions correctly, the computer shuts down your email program and encourages you to go to bed.

I wonder if it wouldn't be easier and more profitable in the long-run if all of our email was sent along the modern day equivalent of a party line. I bet if we knew our neighbors were reading our messages it would change the way we say certain things.

I may have nostalgia for how things used to be out in the country, but none of us who are serious about being disciples can remain rooted in the past. Each of us must consider how we can best communicate Jesus to this generation - and the next. With that in mind, we would like announce the launching of www.woodyandsusan.com , our new website. This is one more attempt on our part to clearly explain to you what we are doing and how you can partner with us.

On the website you will find a general overview of our ministry, information about our book, helpful links, and photos. We have also placed both of our blogs on the website. Now you can go to one internet address to see all of our information and stories. As Cliff Barrow used to say for Billy Graham at the end of their televised programs, "That's all the address you need."

We would like to encourage you to check the website regularly. Consider it your party line to Costa Rica and Latin America. We'll try to make sure the information you receive is as interesting as what we used to listen to back at the "old place" on the party line.

Remember, www.woodyandsusan.com. And God bless you real good.