Currently I am traveling in Southeast Asia. When I was here in 2005, just after the tsunami to assess the need and recommend relief efforts, my Blackberry didn’t fully function. I could detect a simple signal, but it didn’t allow me to do anything. This time I stepped off the plane in Bangkok and immediately received a network connection at the same level of service I have in North America.
Imagine my surprise when I arrived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and the same thing happened. I shouldn’t have been so shocked because a year ago, when I was in Nicaragua, not only was the service level the same, so was the carrier—a Canadian company! This is a digital world! Even in the rural areas of Cambodia where we traveled, I was never without a cell phone signal
The young pastor who traveled with us in Cambodia had his trusty Nokia cell phone with him, complete with GPS. His next investment will be an iPhone so he can also receive e-mail when he is on the road. He’s also on Facebook and I’m sure other social media connections won’t be far behind.
Throughout this trip, I’ve kept in touch with my wife in Winnipeg via Blackberry chat. The interesting part of the connection is that we are 13 hours apart. When I’m getting up for a new day, she is heading to bed!
The world has changed. As I write, I am sitting on an outside porch in Kao Lak, Thailand connected to the Internet through a wireless connection to my laptop.
The Lord has given us this tremendous technology to connect with the world. I’m looking forward to introducing my new Cambodian pastor friend to some of my pastor friends on Facebook.
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2 comments:
These are encouraging words Ian!Technology is definitely a powerful tool with incredible potential to work good in our lives when in the right hands. Praise be to God!
I was listening to a presentation by Lenord Sweet called "Preaching through A Storm" and he was saying some nations spent billions hanging wire to communicate with on poles, as they were first. The third world late comers didn't have to do that, they just spent their money on going wireless. It is hard for some folks to understand that communication just keeps uniting us into one smaller world. Ain't God good?
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