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A personal computer (PC) is most often a personal thing. Even when one is shared, each person can have his or her own username and password, and can keep viewing very private.
That privacy makes for ease in seeing p-or-n. On the other hand, it allows those who have drifted away from the Lord, or rebelled, and now are too embarrassed to go to church, to quietly look for spiritual help online without their family knowing. It also allows people in restrictive muslim countries to look for answers to their spiritually quests.
There are many Christian websites on the Internet. But not all of the same calibre or quality. Some excellent Christian testimonies are sometimes added to a poetry or even a business site. Others offer large libraries of articles and news to appeal to Christians. Churches are putting up sites for their members, to check program calendars, announcements, and even listen to sermons.
But the sites that provide effective evangelistic pages are a little more rare. Even the church sites often speak to the converted more than those needing the Lord.
Variety is in order for the different aspects to the Christian life, and those who know how to search for it are likely to find what they want.
WesternTractMission.org aims to be mostly an evangelistic site, and to help those who want to evangelize others with the distribution of tracts.
We also put our Reflections online after it comes out in the printed paper edition. It is aimed mostly at our supporters and friends, to keep them informed, and once online it may attract new friends and supporters.
However, we have been most keen to get all our tracts and booklets up on the site, so that anyone doing a keyword search might be brought to the site, and can read the tract immediately without having to order and wait for it. This project is nearly completed, involving nearly 100 tracts. Some of those are out of print, and some will not be re-printed when we run out, but this way they may continue to minister to readers.
The Bible says to sow both day and night, here and there, for we do not know which will bring fruit. We can sow liberally on our site.
Our next goal is to set up a shopping cart system on the site, so that those who would like to order the printed tracts, either for themselves, or to distribute to others in person, or by mail, may do so conveniently through PayPal. The order will be in the office usually the same day, and if received early enough in the day might go out in the mail that day too.
Those who wish, can still order by mail, but must allow extra days for it to arrive and the order to be sent to them.
We have pages on the site that explain about the mission, and how to form tract clubs, or volunteer, but right now the largest area is the tract section. Because I, (Ruth) have only one evening a week to give to this, it is an ongoing process over many weeks and months, yes, over years!
Some have drifted away from the Lord, or rejected Him outright, yet – as their heart softens towards the Lord, they go online from the privacy of their computer, and look for help in returning to the Heavenly Father.
At first it may just be a tenative search for "Jesus" or "forgiveness." Everyone of our tract pages has a link at the bottom to a page that explains how to invite Christ into their life.
Certainly, our web site is not perfect, and doesn't have everything anyone could possibly be looking for, but we hope and pray that it will reach some, and that they will sign up to our Bible correspondence courses for further discipleship and growth in their walk with the Lord.
I want to especially thank Anna Kroeker for the many, many hours she has spent typing up most of these tracts and booklets. Without that, we would not have moved ahead as well as we have this past year!
Ruth Marlene Friesen
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