Friends, the state of our culture has moved very far in a particular direction over the last several years. There are some things, one in particular that is on my mind today, that we as a culture need to return to. We missionaries are especially affected, and should be at the forefront of bringing back into the public’s attention. I’m talking about old-school slide show report back presentations.
My Dad used to go on short-term missions trips every Summer. And every Summer, he would take a few rolls of 35mm slide film with him. Without fail, shortly after the team returned, we would have a bunch of people over for dessert, and he would pull out a bed sheet and the old projector. He’d find a good song to go with the pictures (usually Michael W. Smith, or later, Celine Dion), and we’d all have a nice informative presentation of his adventures.
While some people with short attention spans scoffed at such gatherings, I will always have a certain fondness for the warm whirr of the projector, the kla-clunk of the changing slides, and Celine Dion’s Call the Man.
Many were moved to tears. I’m not completely sure, but I think I can identify around half a dozen people who saw my Dad’s slideshows and decided in those moments to go into missions as well.
Life After Missions 