She describes herself as a “behind the scenes” girl who never really used social media.
That all changed for Kaveinga Lisati in May 2015 when she had an impression to start a blog and Facebook group for LDS Pacific women from all over the world.
“This particular impression threw me off because it would require me to spend time on time on social media,” she said.
“But I knew it was an impression and I knew I needed to act.”
With the help of her Sister Cilati who lives in Alice Springs in Australia, Kaveigna created a Facebook group that now has over 8,000 women and a blog that attracts over 30,000 viewers every month from 100 different countries.
“The Facebook group is a safe place for sisters to talk about issues we face in our daily lives as Pacific women,” she said.
“Their stories are about women who lead simple lives but are doing extraordinary things.”
Kaveinga was raised in Mount Roskill, Auckland and is the Chiefs Operations Operator for Vaka Interactiv.
“It’s been a beautiful experience using social media to spread the gospel,” she said.
“I believe the more goodness we can share through social media, the better. If this blog could reach out to one sister every day, then we’ve reached its purpose. The goal was never to impress anyone. It was to strengthen our sisters. And for women to come together and inspire each other is incredible.”
Kaveinga isn’t the only one who is making waves through social media.
Thomas Swain’s website Mission Geek attracts over 180,000 visitors in one month
Not bad for someone who claims he had “no idea what he was doing”.
Tom is passionate about missionary work, serving a mission in West Indies and teaching at the Missionary Training Centre in New Zealand for five years.
“There’s nothing better than helping someone realize their spiritual potential. It fuels this amazing desire to figure out for themselves why they are here,” he said.
He too received an impression to start a blog back in 2014.
“There needed to be somewhere for young people to be inspired about mission work and at the time there wasn’t anything. I noticed a lot of young people spent a lot of time online and on their phones. I thought, ‘why not just go where they are?’”
Tom now has almost 30,000 followers across Facebook and Instagram.
Tom, who moved to New Zealand from England when he was 18, said Mission Geek allows people to share inspiring articles with friends and families. It has also helped many members return to church activity.
“There was a sister missionary in Australia who had an accident and Mission Geek covered her entire journey all the way through to rehab,” he said.
“I realized there was an enormous power in people coming together. People went to visit the sister missionary in the hospital. It also meant an enormous amount of web traffic so people were reading articles about how to prepare for a mission, what to do on a mission and how to stay safe on a mission.”
And he hopes Mission Geek will continue to be a source of motivation for anyone considering serving a mission.
“I hope it will be a place to come and stay focused waiting for your call during those vulnerable moments and a source of inspiration to keep going.”
Kaveigna’s top five tips for sharing the gospel online:
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The blog is not just about you- I have formed relationships with people I have never met through the LDS Pacific blog and Facebook page. Reach out and connect with other people. I was getting so many messages from people who are thankful for the page. All it takes is one click to make a difference.
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Ensure your blog is a safe zone- The LDS Pacific Facebook group and blog is a safe place for sisters to talk about issues we face in our daily lives. Don’t be afraid to moderate and delete comments, so you can keep the spirit of the blog.
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Make sure you are living righteously. The spirit will prompt you to write things you won’t understand but you will write it and it will become a sacred piece that will inspire so many people.
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Don’t stop! Keep going. For me, the purpose of the blog drove me. It kept the momentum going.
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Just do it! And make sure you have God as part of your team.
Tom’s top five tips for sharing the Gospel online:
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Decide your theme- Think about what is going to make your blog unique. I decided to write about missionary work because of my background, experience and it’s something I’m passionate about.
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Don’t be afraid- Everyone is self-conscious of themselves and putting themselves out there. Just be yourself. No one you admire or look up to is scared to put themselves out there otherwise you wouldn’t know who they are.
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Do something every day- You don’t have to post something every day but at least write some ideas down, do research or do something related to your blog every day.
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Don’t be a perfectionist- People just want to hear your voice so don’t worry too much about structure and don’t give yourself a hard time about spelling and grammar. Just get your stuff out there.
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Enlist the help of the Lord- Pray to the Lord and pray for help when you write. Be open to the spirit in terms of how you go about finding and publishing stories.
Pacific LDS women website: https://pacificldswomen.wordpress.com/
Pacific LDS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/448552695317742/
Mission Geek website: http://www.missiongeek.net/
Mission Geek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themissiongeek/