MANILA, June 2, 2009—Physical proximity is no longer an impediment for prayer meetings and spiritual get together as internet made the first online international missionaries’ household meeting of the Couples For Christ Global Mission Foundation, Inc. (CFC) a success.

At least 24 CFC missionaries from the United States, Trinidad & Tobago, Seychelles, Kenya, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, St. Martin and the Philippines simultaneously went online to participate in a pioneering intercontinental sharing last May 28.

Through videoconferencing via Yahoo Messenger, the CFC missionaries met online for three hours and shared their stories of victory, challenge, and realization about being out of the country on mission.

According to one of the participants, Nirva'ana Ella Delacruz, some of the missionaries had to stay up until dawn to join the online meeting due to the time differences.

“The missionaries who took time out of their jam-packed schedules to join us even sacrificed their much needed sleeping time. Those in the US had to stay up till early morning,” Delacruz said.

Even Keith Janohan, a former missionary to Singapore who is set to leave for Indonesia, has admitted that he once thought it would be impossible to have an online household gathering.

But James Arela, a missionary for South Africa, said this breakthrough destroyed concepts of how a normal household meeting should be as it virtually broke down the barriers of distance and space.

Among the topics discussed where the missionaries’ difficulty adjusting to the culture and tradition of their host countries, the challenge posed by language barriers in communication, and the disappointments they face on missionary work. (Kris Bayos)