After 7 months of broadcasts, the radio station is exceeding our most optimistic expectations as an effective tool for disseminating the Gospel and for influencing the course of Kwong society. What is perhaps most gratifying is the “knock-on” effects of the station in other facets of our ministry which we could never have anticipated. Here, for your encouragement, are a few of them.

Ø         The promotion of “traditional” media - i.e. written materials. We rather hoped this might be the case, but it is indeed staggering to think that in the seven months since the radio opened, we have sold more Kwong discipleship books than we sold during the previous 4 years. In one of those weird flukes of human psychology, hearing these materials on the radio every day somehow makes them “serious” and more worthy of purchase than they were previously.

Ø         A boost in the self-confidence and motivation of key women to teach other women. The marvels of digital sound editing, Diane’s patience as a human teleprompter, and a lot of repetition has enabled a few godly women who can’t otherwise read and do not understand Scripture particularly well to sound like literate, learned teachers on the radio. As Naomi and Tabitha listened to the finished product of their first recording session, they saw the incredible possibilities and exclaimed in wonder: “We sound like pastors!” “You are,” Diane replied, “to hundreds or even thousands of women who will be listening to your teaching every Monday night.”

Ø         The setting of Scripture to music. The need for good music on the radio was the impetus behind the Kwong song-writing workshop Diane organized in April. Twenty-three men and women from 8 different villages arrived, many with their traditional harps in hand.  During the 4-day workshop the Lord’s Prayer, the Great Commission, The Great Commandment, and the Song of the Lamb (in Revelation 5) were set to traditional Kwong tunes. In all, some 20 new Scripture songs were birthed and are being aired over the FM airwaves.

Ø         A vibrant ministry to the Fulani ex-nomads of our area. We planned from the beginning to broadcast programming for the Muslim ex-nomads who settled in our area some 40 years ago. But little did we anticipate that our main employee at the station, David, would “happen” to be fluent in their language, and that the nomads would themselves have such an affection for the stories of Jesus they hear every Friday night. So intent are they to not miss any of those stories, they asked us to delay the broadcast by 5 minutes - so they could finish their Muslim prayers first. We obliged. The photo at right was taken on a visit we made to their village. We were warmly received and recorded some of their folk music for broadcast on the radio.