Be a Real-Time Pray-er

clockModern technology has created possibilities that never existed for previous generations of foreign missionaries and their support teams. One such possibility is us getting up-to-the-minute prayer requests to faithful prayer warriors back home.

Imagine this: I'm about to have a meeting with a key disciple; we'll call him José. I send an update saying something like, "I'm about to meet with José. Pray God opens his heart to the possibility of evangelizing nearby villages." Through Facebook or Twitter, I send that message straight to your cell phone as a text message. You are then able to be praying when it's needed, right as the meeting is happening.

Would you be willing to partner with our work in this way?  Even if you're not too technologically savvy, don't worry.  I have put together some instructions below for getting set up.  It's not too difficult.

You will need a Twitter or Facebook account to do this.  It doesn't matter which, because I send the same updates to both.  Perhaps you have had reservations about joining Twitter or Facebook.  You've wondered, "What if I end up wasting my entire life? Or what if starting a Facebook puts me on a slippery slope to receiving the mark of the Beast?" Again, I encourage you not to worry.  You don't have to use your account for anything other than this if you don't want to.

Or you can just sign up to receive email updates.  The only drawback to email is that we can't give you up-to-the-minute prayer requests like we can with Facebook or Twitter. By the time you hear about that important meeting with José it might be five days later.

So you're on board? Good. Let's get started!

Figure out whether you want to connect with us through Twitter or through Facebook.

Using Twitter

  1. If you don't already have a Twitter account, go to Twitter.com and create one.  Once your account is created, you don't ever have to log in again if you don't want to. (That is, if all you want the account for is to receive my updates on your phone.)  Just be sure to write down your username.
  2. Now that you have your Twitter account, we're going to connect your cell phone to it.  (The instructions I'm giving are found here, but I'll step you through everything.)  Look up the Twitter phone number for your country on this page. (In the U.S. the number is 40404.)
  3. Got your number?  Okay, send a text message (also called SMS) that says START to your country's phone number.
  4. When Twitter replies to you, they'll ask for your username.  Text it to the Twitter phone number.  Twitter will again reply, this time asking for your password.  Text that to Twitter as well.
  5. Okay, you should now have your phone connected to your Twitter account!  To start having my updates sent to your phone as text messages, text the following message to Twitter's phone number: ON 520life
  6. That's it!  If you have any questions or problems, or if you want to know how to control which users' messages you receive, check out this helpful Twitter Phone FAQ page.

Using Facebook

  1. If you don't already have a Facebook account, go to Facebook.com and create one.
  2. Once you have your Facebook account, follow the instructions on this page for adding your cell phone to your Facebook account.  (Note: It's the second set of numbered instructions on the page.  The first set of instructions you'll use once your phone is added.)
  3. Once you've added your cell phone, go to the 520life Facebook fan page.  Under the profile picture on the upper left, select 'Subscribe to 520life.org'.  You're set!  You should start receiving my Facebook updates via text message.

Other Ways You Can Be Involved