Rob and Nichole have served in France for several years. And like most Global Workers, the Plasters have spent many hours organizing and compiling their various long-distance correspondence to family, friends, and donors.

Nichole can recall all the times she wanted to share amazing experiences with her people and the cumbersome effort it used to demand.

After something great would happen in France, Nichole would sit down at her computer and process what she wanted to say. After writing it all down and editing, she would send it to a U.S. press service who would print and ship the letter to her people in the States. Typically, her readers would not get the letter until a month later, which could be frustrating at times.

Services like MailChimp and Gmail made this process faster and more affordable, but sharing their life and ministry in an authentic and dynamic way remained difficult. What they really wanted was to easily bring people into their lives in real time with honest engagement and connection.

Rob and Nichole shared their woes with their friend and coach, Kary Oberbrunner. As a profession, Kary helps individuals and organizations clarify who they are, why they are alive, and where they should invest their time and energy. After talking with the Plasters, Kary offered some advice. Instead of coming up with a solution, he gave them a challenge.

The challenged was to post one video on social media per day for 60 days.

The videos needed to be short, clear, and authentic highlighting all things Plaster. Kary encouraged them to not edit the videos, but to live-stream them. The goal was to share authentically their passions and ministry in France in a way that adds value to the viewer.

So, instead of going through the hustle and bustle of newsletters, the Plasters accepted the challenge not realizing how effective it was going to be. Soon after starting the challenge, they were making more connections and gaining more support for their ministry.

Since then, they have stretched beyond the 60-days challenge by regularly sharing videos with their family, friends, and donors. Their use of video over social media has completely reshaped their relationships with people. Though they still write occasional newsletters, social media remains to be their primary tool for interaction.

Authentic connections with family, friends, and donors is essential for the overall health of those working to bring the gospel to the unreached and unengaged peoples of the world. Social media and communications technology are helping make those connections possible!

Consider This: Make a connection with a missionary you know today. Tell them how much you appreciate their work. Share an encouraging Bible verse. Let them know you care 🙂

If you are interested in classes or mentoring, check out Nichole Plaster’s Website