It all started back in October or November of 1998 when Dennis Fulton, a representative from Mission Aviation Fellowship presented what is going on in the way of electronic communications for missionaries. MAF is the largest provider of email for missionaries from organizations around the world. Dennis shared a plan for a new, more reliable system to keep missionaries in touch with their families, friends and churches through secure email, conferencing and web connections. In order to deploy the new systems, MAF was creating an intern program where college computer science students would spend a summer overseas installing new communications servers and training the local personnel to administer it. It sounded exciting to me, so I signed up to recieve more information.

A couple of weeks later, an application arrived in the mail. I filled it out, sent it in, and prayed that God's will would be done concerning the situation. Weeks passed without hearing from MAF, so I gave up and forgot about it. Then, one Friday early in February, I got a call from Rich Olenik. I'd been accepted into the intern program and he needed to know right away if I would do it. I talked it over with my parents, prayed about it and called Rich back Monday morning with an enthusiastic "yes".

I really saw God move in my support raising. MAF required that I raise $3000 plus a few other expenses for a total of just over $3700. My need was met and exceeded - a confirmation that I was in God's will. I would really like to thank my church and family for their generosity and recognition of the importance of missions.

Over the next couple of months I received technical training on the new system, was partnered up with Josh Gee (another LeTourneau student) and was assigned to Puerto Ayacucho, Venezuela. This was exciting for me because my good friend Mark Nonhoff had spent a summer at the same location in Venezuela working on sending email over radio systems to places in the jungle with no phone service.

Here's the schedule for my trip:

• June 13 - travel to Redlands, California for training
• June 26 - travel to Venezuela
• August 3 - return to Redlands
• August 7 - return home

• Week of June 14, 1999 - training in Redlands
• Week of June 21, 1999 - training in Redlands
• Week of June 28, 1999 - installing the server
• Week of July 5, 1999 - training the local admin
• Week of July 12, 1999 - converting users
• Week of July 19, 1999 - unscheduled
• Week of July 26, 1999 - pack up
• Week of August 2, 1999 - debrief in Redlands

Here's a pic of Josh and me while training in Redlands. (256Kb)
More pictures here.
Read about my day in the jungle.
MAF IT-Internship PowerPoint presentation.
MAF IT-Internship promotional.
MAF IT-Internship application.