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Christian missionaries find new frontier in VRChat

As more people build friendships and spend significant portions of their lives in virtual spaces, Cru’s missionaries are adapting familiar evangelistic practices to reach them. “At first we were like, what is it like here? Who comes here? Why are they here?” said Frank Kuligowski, the digital strategist for Cru who spearheaded the idea of Cru missionaries purchasing VR headsets. “How can we bless them and, you know, love them and listen to them?” After praying, the missionaries pull up their virtual maps and choose a world to enter, which Kuligowski described as an art of ...

DEAR ANNIE: Odd one out needs to get out into the world

DEAR ANNIE: I’m 29, living in New York City, with a job I love and a great group of friends — none of whom are single. Half are married or engaged, the other half coupled up in serious relationships. I’m generally OK being single, but going out as the perpetual third wheel is wearing on me. I’ve thought about making new friends; I’ve even thought about moving cities. I’ve also caught myself secretly hoping my coupled friends break up, which I know is terrible. How do I find my people? —- Odd One Out DEAR ODD ONE OUT: The odd seat out can feel isolating. Don’t be too ...

HINTS FROM HELOISE: Grammar skills fall by wayside

DEAR HELOISE: As a retired high school English teacher, I read with interest the letter concerning how written and spoken English standards have deteriorated in the United States. Based on my experience, my students in middle school would tell me that there was little to no exposure to grammar skills or learning to speak in front of a group. There wasn’t any diagramming of sentences or speech units. Most of this is due to state education departments who apparently no longer feel that grammar skills and being articulate are necessary — and that students will somehow learn on their ...

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Treating crashes in blood pressure

DEAR DR. ROACH: My mother lives with me. She’s 88 and on hospice. She’s totally bedridden. Her brain is fine, but her body has failed her. The problem is that if I try and get her out of the bed for anything (a change of scenery, to change the sheets, etc.), within minutes of getting her into a wheelchair, her blood pressure crashes, and she loses consciousness. Obviously, this is a huge issue. She’s always complained of a lifelong “vasovagal” issue. This also happened occasionally before she was on hospice, and her cardiologist gave her a new medication — midodrine. But ...

Dear Annie: She’s hoping to heal a hurting blended family

DEAR ANNIE: I’ve been married for 35 years and have four children and seven grandchildren. We are a blended family. All the children lived with, and were raised by, my husband and me. One of my daughters was always kind of a black sheep, always doing things outside the box. As a young child, teen and adult, she always did it differently. So much so that, as she got older, it actually started to hurt our family and the other children. She moved out in her early 20s, and I thought things would get better, but they just got worse. Then she came and told us she was pregnant and getting ...