(Nov. 4, 2011 - by Harold Goerzen) A witchdoctor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo gives his life to Christ after hearing the gospel message and begins leading fellow shamans to the Lord, some of whom are now pastors....

A survivor of Haiti’s January 2010 earthquake becomes a believer in a local hospital while recuperating from a shattered right arm and leg and begins growing in his faith….

Four prostitutes in Lesotho abandon their occupation and find legitimate jobs after coming to the Lord. Then they begin helping others do the same.

What do the people in these three stories have in common? All became believers and/or grew in their faith as a result of listening to local Christian broadcasts on solar-powered, fixed-tuned radios they received as a result of HCJB Global’s “Turn the Radios On” campaign.

The program, celebrating its 10th anniversary of sending radios this month, has resulted in the distribution of more than 41,000 radios—fondly referred to as “little missionaries” by HCJB Global President Wayne Pederson—going to needy people in 27 countries on five continents. The lightweight radio sets require no expensive batteries or local power source.

The idea for the campaign dates back to 2000 when Pam Hargis, then HCJB Global’s communications director, was looking for a way to get listeners to the mission’s growing list of partner stations across the U.S. more involved in missions.

“At the time we were developing strong relationships with Christian radio stations across America through the ‘Beyond the Call’ (BTC) radio program” explained Hargis, now working as executive director of the California-based Vanir Foundation. “As we talked to station managers, we discussed launching a project that wouldn’t cost a huge amount of money, yet help listeners feel connected with the mission of BTC and be a part of the Great Commission even though they couldn’t go.”

The idea was to put radios in the hands of unbelievers who couldn’t afford to buy or operate them while giving them access to local Christian radio programs in their own languages aired by HCJB Global’s partners around the world.

“We realized that through these radios, entire families and even villages could be reached for Christ,” Hargis related. “One day I was driving and heard that song, ‘Turn Your Radio On,’ and I thought, ‘That’s what we’ll call it!’”

“HCJB Global was one of the few organizations in the world that could make this happen because of the Technology Center in Elkhart, Ind.,” she added. “The project was tangible, and people got it. The campaign also allowed us to report back to the donors through the local radio stations that aired BTC programs. It was a perfect fit!”

In November 2001 the first radios, manufactured by Galcom International in Canada, were shipped to Burundi. In places like the U.S., radio is just one of many entertainment options to choose from. In many countries, radio is the primary means of entertainment and information. Families have been known to travel miles on foot to obtain one.

In addition to the gospel messages, families hear programs discussing local healthcare issues, agricultural tips, and counsel on how to resolve conflict in their relationships and music to uplift their spirits. And because the radios are small and portable, they can go places where missionaries often can’t go or would be unwelcome.

A few years later the SonSet^® radios were developed. “We call them SonSet because they’re powered by the sun,” Pederson said. “They’re tuned to pick up only the local Christian radio station, and they proclaim God’s Son, Jesus, as Savior of the world. As we plant radio stations in some of the least-reached places of the world, we provide radios for that station to distribute to local listeners.”

Plans are now being made to send another 7,500 radios in 2012 with sets destined for Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Nepal, Indonesia and a security-sensitive country in Asia.

“We’re celebrating the anniversary by going for 50,000 radios,” Pederson said. “For $35 you can place a SonSet radio in the hands of someone who’s never had a radio and never heard about the love of Jesus.”

One listener wrote, “Believe me, I couldn’t put it down. In the day it was charging, and at night I’m sleeping and the radio is by me.” Another said, “The radio that you gave me has taught me how to keep my faith and my eyes open to the Lord. May God bless your ministry!”

Source: HCJB Global