The Unfinished Task

Yes, we still have a job to do, and most of us are busy doing it. A 40-hour work week doesn’t seem like enough time to get it done. I have another overarching focus in mind, though.

Before us is the yet-unfinished task of the Great Commission. Our God-given mandate is clear: “Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:18 ESV). Why? Because in the end “…a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages…” (Revelation 7:9 ESV) will worship before the throne of God and before the Lamb. Imagine what a time of praise that will be!

What is left to do? Depending on whether you choose an ethno-linguistic approach without political boundaries or a cultural ethno-linguistic approach with political boundaries, the number of peoples in the world today can range from 13,000 to more than 16,000. Of those, according to the Joshua Project, 6,955, or approximately 2.84 billion, are considered unreached, meaning there is “no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize this people group.”

What do you know about the Zermas of Niger? The Senoufo of Mali? The Pashtun of Southern Afghanistan? The Mozabites of Algeria? The Chechen of Russia? The Ticuna of Brazil? The K’iché of Guatemala? The Uyghur of China? The Tharu of Nepal? These are a few of the least-reached peoples who TWR desires to reach with the gospel.

More than 50 PH Groups in Finland

Project Hannah (PH) in Finland is part of the worldwide Project Hannah network. Its pillars are prayer, women’s radio programs and raising awareness particularly about the suffering women. Sanansaattajat has included Project Hannah as one of its ministries since the year 2000. There are now more than 50 PH groups around Finland.

The popularity of Project Hannah is largely based on the fact that it’s something that a person can carry with her – or him – in everyday life, says Ms. Anne Isokuortti. PH is a ministry that one does not necessarily have to go somewhere to do. We can pray always and everywhere. Also Hannah-Manna can be listened to pretty much everywhere. Hannah-Manna offers a spiritual energy shot for people to carry on and for defending those that are weaker.

By: Annaleena Pakkanen

Hannah-Manna Podcast Ministry

Hannah-Manna podcast opens the windows into the women’s lives. The newest area of expansion in Sanansaattajat’s Project Hannah (PH) ministry is podcasting. The first Hannah-Manna podcast came out in the beginning of February. These podcasts are 2-3 minutes in duration, produced twice a month, and can be listened to on the computer, mobile phone or an mp3-player. 

Hannah-Manna offers a small peek into the life of a sister far away, and includes a "spiritual snack", says Ms. Merja Kauppinen, editor of Hannah-Manna. What connects Hannah and manna is the trust in God. Hannah in the Old Testament was given a son, and manna was available every day to those traveling through the desert.

Central Asia Outreach

It is becoming increasingly difficult to spread the gospel to the Central Asian region. Believers are experiencing persecution, churches are being closed, cross-cultural workers are being forced to leave the region and Christian organizations are being shut down. The majority of Central Asian believers are first-generation Christians and do not have a heritage of Christianity that they can draw from when facing difficulties.

TWR is seeking to provide the radio programs to train and prepare the believers of this region to stand firm in their faith and help others along in their spiritual journey.

Through various programs, TWR hopes to accomplish our goals for Central Asia, which include: 

TWR's Project Hannah App

Have you downloaded Project Hannah’s app for Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch yet?

The app, which supports Project Hannah’s worldwide outreach, is available for free. Project Hannah’s mission is to offer compassion, encouragement and hope to suffering women through prayer, awareness and radio programming.

The app is available on iTunes by searching “TWR” or “Project Hannah.” To access it directly, click www.projecthannah.org/app.

For more information about Project Hannah, visit the ministry’s website at www.projecthannah.org.

Stoyko Petkov to Receive NRB Award

Manassas, VA – Dr. Stoyko Petkov will receive the NRB International Individual Achievement Award during the February 21st International Keynote Session at the NRB 2012 Convention & Exposition.

“Dr. Stoyko Petkov has been a pioneer in Christian media in Bulgaria,” said NRB Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships Dr. Ron Harris. “His Studio 865 ministry, now 20 years old, is involved in radio program production in Bulgarian and Roma (Gypsy) languages, TV program production, newspaper publishing and Internet ministry. His faithfulness for the Gospel is helping change hearts and lives for Christ and for eternity.”

Dr. Stoyko Petkov was born in 1966 into a Christian family in Bulgaria, where during the Communist regime his grandfather had been a preacher. Immediately after the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, Stoyko Petkov founded Studio 865, a Christian media association, and it became the national partner of TWR for Bulgaria.

Starting with the production of radio programs in the Bulgarian language, Studio 865 then established a Christian newspaper in 1994. In 1996 Roma (Gypsy) radio broadcasts were added and in the fall of 1998 Studio 865 initiated a weekly Christian TV program. Currently, Studio 865 is utilizing TV, radio, Internet, and printed media in order to encourage the Christian community in Bulgaria and to address the needs of those yet untouched by the Gospel.

For a Hurting Child of God

God has a way of intervening in the lives of his children when we least expect it, always at our point of deepest need.

TWR’s vital outreach to women, Project Hannah, is a ministry of compassion and encouragement to suffering women around the world, expressing itself through three main thrusts: prayer, awareness and programming. In September 2011, Project Hannah’s Women of Hope program went on the air for the first time in the Zulu language to South Africa. The production team has already recorded 35 programs.

“One of the Zulu-speaking Christian ladies told me, ‘Women’s ministry is one of the most neglected in Kwa Zulu Natal,’” said TWR-South Africa National Director Danie Du Preez at the 2011 Africa National Partners’ Conference. He explained that the needs of women in the Zulu nation are great: broken marriages; single parenthood; emotional and physical abuse; poverty and lack of education.

Siberian Youth

Radio Programs for Youth in Siberia and Russia

In Siberia and Russia, communism created a society where deceit, fear, immorality and an unwillingness to make decisions became normal. Alcoholism and drug addiction tear apart the lives of millions of Russians. In addition to these problems, HIV/AIDS has become a growing crisis because of drug use and sexual promiscuity. Today, it is feared that there are as many as 500,000 AIDS orphans in Russia.

In the midst of all this, how can we show Christ's love to the young people of Siberia? They need to see a difference in the lives of Christians, as well as the relevance of Jesus and the Bible that they often do not see in their families or friends.  To answer this pressing need, TWR produces the following three-minute daily segments for local Siberian FM stations: Said-Done, Dialog, Intersection, Stop Station, Living Word and From Faith to Faith, all programs that discuss current issues while pointing to a hope in Jesus Christ.

The Power of Prayer

INDIA – “He clutched his chest, and his expression was filled with pain. Not knowing what to do, I prayed for him in Jesus’ name. Within a few minutes, to our astonishment, the pain subsided,” shared Vikram. Vikram, a listener of TWR-India’s programs, was sharing an encounter he had that revealed the power of God through prayer. He recounted another healing miracle that his family member received after he prayed to God.

“I recall an occasion when my mother was ill. As soon as I prayed for her, she regained her health,” Vikram said. “My experience of His grace and mercy continually inspire me to share the love of God with everyone I come across!” Looking back, Vikram said that he used to worship idols and was involved in rituals which his parents insisted he observe. His new found faith began when his friend introduced him to TWR-India’s radio programs.

An Unforgettable Time

I received a follow-up report yesterday from my friend TWR-Romania Director Nick Vandici. During the 2010 ministry vision trip, Nick introduced us to the heart of TWR-Romania’s ministry: outreach to the Roma people (known for years as “Gypsies”). The Roma are the largest minority group in Europe, estimated to number around 15 million.

What an eye-opening trip it was! With Nick’s leadership, we visited five Roma villages in the Romanian countryside to distribute Galcom pre-tuned solar-powered radios. I recall that each person had to “sign” (most cannot read or write) for the radio, so that Nick could provide a statement of ownership. These people, for years treated as social outcasts, needed to provide proof to the local authorities that they were the owners of the radios we provided them.

Nick wrote that he and his team made two more trips for radio distributions after our visit. These were to remote villages. More than 1,000 radio sets were distributed. TWR-Romania has distributed to 37 out of 42 counties in Romania. Nick added, “We’re glad for this and thankful to our Lord and to all the donors who provide funds for the radios.”

The News from TWR Colombia

TWR recently signed a new partnership agreement with Radio Trans Mundial Colombia, a new legal entity that replaces the former partnership with Radio Nuevo Continente. RTM Colombia works closely with local radio stations all over the country.

"TWR has a tremendous opportunity to reach a diverse population in Colombia," says U.S. Hispanic Ministries Coordinator Jim Munger. "We are ministering to Christians who can't go to church because churches have been closed, non-Christians who are looking for meaning in life and to the guerilla forces there, as well as the armed forces who are trying to catch the guerillas."

Here's part of a listener letter that was received from an isolated area of Colombia, where there is constant war between the government and several guerrilla groups:

Internship with TWR Europe

We are happy to introduce to you the internship programs for 2012 in Europe, Africa and Asia! Are you looking for a place to serve the Lord while gaining professional experience? Do you need to fulfill internship requirements for college? TWR may be just what you are looking for!

Whether you are a college student, recent graduate, or working professional, we would love to help you enhance your skills. Join us at TWR and reach the world for Christ through mass media so that lasting fruit is produced.

Through the internship with us, you can receive mentoring in job-related skills as well as personal and spiritual growth; gain overseas and cross-cultural experience and a global perspective on missions; real job experience for your résumé; develop skills in the area of your giftedness and interests; get opportunities to serve others and be challenged; learn fundraising and communication skills through raising financial support, a necessary part of participating in missions and much more.

Phenomenal Growth of Missions in Africa

“In 1900, it is estimated that there were about 7.5 million Christians on the continent of Africa. Today, there are about 500 million, out of a population of around a billion people!”

Addressing the second TWR Africa International Partners Conference (AIPC), Peter Tarantal, past National Director of Operation Mobilisation (OM) of South Africa and currently heading up the Emerging Missions Movement of OM, tackled the session titled, Understanding the African Mission Field.

He first laid the groundwork of missions in Africa by clarifying the misunderstanding that “Christianity is not a ‘western religion’ as some people assert. The notion that the gospel only came to Africa with the arrival of western missionaries is wrong, because church history shows that even from New Testament times, Africa has played an important role in shaping the Christian faith.”

Peter has found that, “African Christians are coming to realize that they are equal partners with all believers, and that the mission mandate applies to them as much as to any other Christian.  Many Africans are getting involved in missions.”

Meet Frank!

Now that the wheels of the new year are turning more and more quickly, we at TWR Europe are glad to present you our first blog update of 2012. Simply go to BehindTheMedia to get the latest news. In our current video clip, you can meet Frank, our Deputy Director of the Marketing and Communication department at TWR Europe in the Bratislava office, who will tell you about how he came to know TWR Europe and more.

Due to the fact that there are so many people involved in TWR Europe's media work behind the scenes, our blog seeks to highlight our staff members so that you (and maybe even our TWR colleagues from other locations) can get to know them better. Therefore, you can find video clips of staff members working in the fields of technology, human resources, administration, communications, IT/IS, and also our interns as well.

Spanish Devotional in Latin America

Spanish devotional Alimento para el Alma (Food for the Soul) continues its long-standing popularity with people across Latin America. More than 50,000 copies of the most recent edition have been sold or distributed this year.

Many of TWR's partners in Latin America sell and give away the soft-cover devotional book, which contains 365 daily devotionals. The spiritual ruminations are written by various ministry leaders and mature Christians from Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela and elsewhere.

"The unique thing about Alimento para el Alma is that it is written in Spanish by Hispanic speakers, so it's not translated from English into Spanish," Jim Munger says. "People in Latin America definitely appreciate the authenticity of it."

Lingua4me in Sweden

During the year 2011 God has blessed Norea Sweden over and over again. He has, once again, opened our eyes towards the needs within our society and has also opened doors for us to meet people and organizations that share the same visions as we do.

It all began with Projekt Hanna in Sweden when we started handing out MP3-players filled with the Swedish Women of Hope program series called Hanna’s Café. For example, these players are given out to prostitutes. Others are given to refugees who seeking asylum in Sweden. One woman said: "Who has such a good heart and wants us, ragged women, to have the privilege of listening to these stories and even gives us an MP3-player. Thanks Norea!"

TWR's Women of Hope Program in Nepal

Sara was brought up in a non-Christian family in Nepal. She is currently 17-years-old and still in school. Unknown to many, she has been oppressed by an evil spirit for three years.

Her parents did everything they could but no solution was found. Her state of health had deteriorated so badly that everyone around her thought she was going to die soon. One day, she experienced a breakthrough and it started from her first visit to the TWR Nepal office.

“I got an opportunity to visit TWR Nepal. I felt peace while listening to the sharing of the Word by the ministry staff. I also came to know about the Women of Hope radio program, Nari Asha, and decided to listen to it.” 

TWR Nepal gave Sara a radio so that she could listen to the program at home. From the program, she came to know that Jesus had healed the man who was possessed by an evil spirit, and also healed the women who had suffered bleeding for 12 years.

Project Hannah Arabic Broadcasts

TWR is pleased to announce launch of Project Hannah broadcasts in the Arabic language, which will begin airing the first week of January 2012. The weekly Project Hannah Women of Hope 30-minute broadcasts will air from TWR’s transmitting outlet to the Middle East on Saturdays at 9:11pm (21:11) on 1233 kHz AM/MW.

The Project Hannah prayer movement in Arabic started in July 2011. It is remarkable to see how God answered prayers and provided funding for this strategic new program to go on the air in the New Year. 

Project Hannah, a ministry of TWR, offers compassion, encouragement and hope to suffering women worldwide through prayer, awareness and radio programming. Including Arabic, the Women of Hope program is aired in 59 languages around the world.

Her Life Changed

In Jesus' day, women were not respected or highly valued in Jewish society. During his time of ministry, though, Jesus often went out of his way to show that God does place a high value on women. Many times he helped women, even though the religious leaders looked down on him for this.

One day Jesus and his disciples were passing through an area called Samaria. The Samaritan people were only partly Jewish, so they were greatly disliked by the Jews. Jesus could have gone another way, but he needed to show the Samaritans that God loved them too. At noon, they stopped to rest by a well, because Jesus was tired. His disciples went into the nearby village to buy food, but Jesus did not go with them. He stayed by the well, because he knew someone was coming that he needed to talk to. 

A woman came out to the well to draw water. She had been married five times, and was now living with a man who was not her husband. She was not considered a good woman, even by her own people. It is very possible that she had to come by herself to the well at the hottest time of day because even the other women did not want to be with her. But this was the woman that Jesus needed to talk to.

It’s Cold Outside

If you think it’s cold where you are, imagine what the climate might be like in Siberia. You might have awakened this morning to -44 degrees and light snow. All I can say is “brrrr…” Nevertheless, on the inside, there is warmth—a spiritual warmth that has come to those who have received the Good News of Jesus Christ.

TWR Europe Ministry Director for Russia, Ukraine and Belarus Johann Wiens shares the details of a visit he made to one of the coldest and darkest parts of the world:

“I went to visit a small town, 150 miles north of the Trans-Siberian Railway. In this village is a small church with several TWR listeners. We had some time before the evening service, so the pastor suggested we go visit someone, a retired general from the Soviet Red Army. He publishes a small weekly newspaper in town and is very friendly to the church. They can freely publish their articles and advertisements for their events. We sang several praise songs together and spoke quite extensively about what God has done. With tears running down his face, he began to tell his story:”  I grew up an atheist. All I ever heard was that there is no God. That is all I knew and all I ever believed my whole life long. I came from this small village and returned here to retire. I have three friends with impossible problems. One was addicted to alcohol. On was addicted to drugs. And one was addicted to both drugs and alcohol. They were hopeless cases. There was no way they were going to change. But they each came to know God and their lives changed completely. They now attend church and you would never recognize them from before. I now know without a shadow of a doubt that God exists and that he loves us and can change our lives. I do not yet believe in him, but would like you to pray for me.

An Encouraging Note…

We received a note recently from one of our HopeSMS subscribers. It was a very encouraging note, because often, the SMS just goes out day after day…and at times, we are not sure whether anybody even reads them. However, God works in marvelous ways! This subscriber not only read the SMS, but was inspired to compose a song based on the verses she received! Here’s an excerpt of the letter…

I thank God for your service to the Lord through the HopeSMS ministry! Last Sunday, the verse that I received was 1 Chronicles 16:9, “Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.” The next morning, I woke up with a tune which kept playing in my mind. I’m not a professional songwriter and have only attempted writing a few songs. I asked God if he wanted me to write a new song, and if he did, I prayed for his help as I had no lyrics.

TWR Announces Broadcasts in Chawi

TWR is pleased to announce that the Mission will soon begin gospel broadcasts in the Chawi (Tachawit) dialect of the Berber language. Starting on December 10, the 15-minute Seek and You Will Find program will be aired every Saturday at 10:15 local time on AM/MW 1467 kHz from a 1-million-watt transmitting facility in Monte Carlo.

The Chawi people (also identified as Ichawiyen) are a Berber people group that lives mainly in Algeria, but they can also be found in Morocco, Tunisia and Western Sahara. The Chawi people live in the Aures Mountains but also in adjacent regions such as the plains of Belezma, the Chott region, and the high plains of Constantine in eastern Algeria. Due to their heritage, the Chawi also understand Arabic.

Guam Dedication Heard in Moscow

TWR’s staff on the island of Guam has received numerous reception reports from the recent live transmitter dedication event on November 18, 2011. Reports have arrived from shortwave listeners in New Zealand, India, Sweden, Germany, Austria and Russia.

Click here to listen to an audio file sent from a listener on a shortwave transmission from a suburb in Moscow.

TWR-CZ: Challenges versus Faith

At TWR-Czech Republic, the main focus of the organization is not necessarily on dreams or goals, but in moving forward in the direction that the Lord provides. Aleš Bartošek, director and program producer at TWR-CZ, explains that “many Christians have dreams and forget them by the morning.” Those in the TWR-CZ office focus instead on the direction of their ministry while looking for opportunities for outreach. 

Bartošek has worked with TWR-CZ for 21 years and has yet to see God fail to provide for their ministry. Despite economic hardships and budget difficulties, the Lord has always provided the correct amount of funds to keep the organization going. “A month before the year ends our budget may be in the negative,” Bartošek explained, “but by the end of the year it always works out.”

Because of these blessings, TWR-CZ is able to continually produce around 45 different programs per week that target many types of people. Bartošek explained that the producers try to create programs that can be enjoyed by people of varying ages, genders, educational levels, backgrounds, and spiritual situations. “We have a big scope of programs,” Bartošek said. “The goal is for every listener to find a program that suits them and provides true Biblical teaching. We want these programs to provide educational and spiritual growth.”

Wisdom for Africa

TWR has fortified its strategic alliance with Wisdom from the Heart, a Bible teaching ministry based on the sermons of Dr. Stephen Davey to reach millions of Africans with the gospel in the Swahili language.

Wisdom for the Heart is heard on 250 radio stations throughout the United States, as well as in the Middle East (Arabic), Europe (English), Latin America (Spanish) and Africa. TWR and Wisdom for the Heart have collaborated in ministry for more than 10 years.

TWR will translate and adapt Dr. Davey’s verse-by-verse messages, which will be voiced by Dr. Emmanuel Mbennah, TWR’s international director for Africa. “We are thrilled to partner with TWR and Dr. Mbennah to reach so many people in their native tongue,” says Dr. Davey, who also serves as senior pastor of Colonial Baptist Church in Cary, N.C. Plans call for the broadcast to begin airing in 2012.