What usually comes to mind when you think of volunteering? Retirement, perhaps?
But why wait? Nineteen-year-old Rachael Snell didn’t.
I met Rachael via a Skype interview one Friday afternoon. She lives in rural Canada and is a college student. She became interested in different types of digital and social media at school and was looking for additional outlets to learn and gain more experience. So she contacted her cousin, missionary Jason Bechtel, who serves at the NTM Canada home office in Durham, Ontario. He suggested she could help remotely with the NTM Pinterest account.
“What?!! NTM is on Pinterest?” I can hear you asking, “How does that help with missions?”
Those were my questions exactly. And Rachael had the answers.
For 30 minutes each day, so it doesn’t interfere with her studies, Rachael mans 13 different NTM Pinterest boards. She pins compelling mission photos, Scriptures, quotes, recipes, crafts for kids, interesting books to read and videos to watch. Her goal in what she chooses? To motivate people to click on links to related stories recently posted on NTM missionary blogs.
My favorite “click” was a link on the “Family Life in Missions” board. When I saw this cute little blonde girl holding HUGE black beetles, I had to read the story. Jon and Jen Quast visited two tribal communities to see what family life would look like if they lived among an unreached people group. They discovered it would involve beetles, ducks and waterfalls — and their children helping to build relationships simply by being kids. God used their trip to confirm that tribal church planting was something that their family could do — together.
I only came across this sweet, uplifting story because a college student in Canada chose to volunteer.
“If you’re going to be on social media anyway,” she said, “why not use it to help people be more aware? While we’re still young and in school, why not use our abilities to help others go?”
Why not indeed.
Great choice, Rachael — on both counts.
Do you have a skill to contribute to the mission team?
