Tell a Friend
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
Shelley Nolan Freesland
One of the unique aspects of Adventist World Radio’s (AWR) ministry is that the radio programs aired are produced by native speakers from each country or region.
These producers are intimately familiar with the culture of their listeners and the challenging issues they face in their day-to-day lives. The programs that result from this contextualised approach speak to listeners’ shared experiences and mindsets in a powerful way.
This connection is immediately apparent during the training sessions conducted by AWR global training director Ray Allen.
He teaches radio newcomers how to create relevant scripts and professional programs, and the eloquent messages produced by his students demonstrate to listeners, “We feel what you feel. We’ve been there too.”
During training held in Burundi last year, student Rizinde Lazare wrote the following personal account.
“In 1994, I was in the northern part of Bujumbura, which is situated by Lake Tanganyika. I was living in an area that had been destroyed by the war. Many houses around us were empty. There were no people, no domestic animals; nothing was moving.
“One day, my father went to visit my mother and sister, who were living up country. I was asleep on my bed, when I heard a big voice calling me. I opened the door, but I felt frightened.
“It was an attack by criminals, one of whom was our neighbor. Their mission was to collect all items of value in our house, including money. If they failed to get money, no one in the house would survive.
“I’m sure those criminals thought my parents were there, but no one else was at home. You can imagine what happened to me, a little guy with only my brother. The criminals were holding guns in their hands; some had knives or swords, and others had sticks. With some branches and grass on their belts, they looked like bushmen. It was terrible for me to watch this scene.
“The leader of the operation asked me where my parents were. I said, 'Please don’t beat me! My father has gone up country to visit my mother, who has been there for a long time.’ He said that I was telling lies, and then he ordered his soldiers to beat me until I spit blood. They beat me seriously. For a time, I thought I was already dead, but finally I reasoned that a dead person cannot think as I was thinking.
“At that time, I was very far from God, because I kept asking where the lovely God was that I had been taught about from birth. But what I’m telling you is that God can come to you even in a time of despair. At a moment when you don’t have any hope, the Lord is there to help you.
“I say that because one of those criminals decided to stop that operation and leave me alive. The Lord’s power came to him and told him to protect me from death. I’m sure that he was not working for himself. He was serving God without knowing it, because he saved me when I was at the end of the tunnel.
“What I ask you now is to trust in our God. Be assured that even if you’re falling down into a very deep tunnel, the Lord will be there to help you at the right time. He knows you more than you think, and He is ready to help you in one way or another. May the name of God be glorified in the world!”
These are the voices that AWR uses to carry the message of God’s hope to listeners living in the hardest-to-reach places of the world. AWR’s ministry is unique in several ways:
- Programs are created in 70 languages by native speakers from each country.
- Several thousand hours of programs are broadcast each day, covering the majority of the world.
- Programs can be heard on AM, FM, and shortwave radio, as well as Internet podcasts and satellite transmissions.
- Radio can reach more people, for less money, than nearly any other form of outreach.
- Broadcasts bypass political and geographic barriers, bringing the message of hope to people who are otherwise inaccessible.
Learn more about Adventist World Radio.
