At first I was skeptical of jumping on to Epistle... but not for obvious reasons. Let me explain, I still use (much to my friends' delight) a small flip phone courtesy of the early 2000's. I wasn't sure if I'd really be able to use Epistle well, but after hearing from others how much their partners have enjoyed Epistle, I thought it'd be worth a shot. Now, roughly 9 months in to #epistlelife, I have to say I am incredibly thankful for this tool. My ministry partners have responded in droves! I love the freedom to post prayer requests, life updates, or just a short synopsis of my week. It turns out, my ministry partners love it too. It's been amazing to connect with partners much more frequently - Epistle helps me develop intentionality with them as well as with my own opportunities. For example, I posted once about a conversation I had with an unbelieving student and within moments, over 150 people were praying for that student all over the world. I want all of the people I meet to have that same kind of prayer support! Epistle helps me be more aware of the people and places right in front of my eyes each day. If you already have a smart phone, it's just one step easier for you to bridge the gap between your ministry partners and your life - you'll love seeing those two worlds come together in the most important ways.
"A blog is too much," one friend said to me, "but Epistle is just right." She comments and prays over each and every update I send via Epistle. I know as I go out each day sharing the gospel or just running to the store, Emily is going right along with me in prayer and solidarity. I love that she can see and understand my life so much more clearly via Epistle and I love the chance to connect with her more often via this wonderful tool. It wonderfully invites others into sharing my daily life, a luxury most missionaries forfeit moving overseas. Epistle has helped me develop friendships over many miles and years with some of the most wonderful people in my life: my supporters and partners in prayer.
I originally got Epistle for my ministry partners, but I keep it for myself. I love the intentionality it fosters. I see my opportunities and appointments with students where I work so differently now - knowing that by sharing a short update, 150 of my ministry partners will be praying for me and for the students with whom I work. It makes it so easy to bring others in to my daily routine and dreams for the spiritual transformation of those around me. There's no better format for going to wide and so deep all at once.
I love the comment section the most. It takes seconds for a ministry partner to respond to a prayer request or update. The format removes that looming barrier of "it's been ages since we've talked, where do I start?" Connections happen instantly and frequently over the posts and aspects of my daily life here that I share. It's been such a gift to reconnect with ministry partners in this new way - a daily reminder of the great cloud of witnesses surrounding us all!
My uncle is an atheist so I wasn't sure about adding him to my Epistle mailings, I didn't know what he'd think. Though when I posted recently about a terrible accident one of my friends was in, he reached out to me right away and expressed his sorrow for my friend and her situation. It was so wonderful to hear from him and to process this tragic event from our different perspectives together. Thanks for the chance to come together, Epistle!