SEND! magazine Third Quarter 2005: GFA Radio: Miracle in a Pocket

Miracle in a Pocket

Sanjay went to his room, poison in hand, and began planning his own death. Turning the dial of his pocket radio, searching for some soothing music, his thoughts turned to the beautiful young woman whom he loved so deeply.

Sanjay knew she loved him too. But now all their joyful plans for a life together were over. Her parents had whisked their daughter away and immediately forced her to marry another man. Sanjay knew he would never see her again.

His own family offered him no support, and the god to whom he'd been dutifully devoted for so many years was silent and absent.

Memories of a happier past now brought only emptiness-and he could see no future. It is the end of my life. I just want to finish it; I just want to die.

Suddenly a voice on the radio startled Sanjay:
"You are planning to die."

How does this person know what I'm thinking?

"Why should you die?" the speaker continued. "If you die without knowing Jesus, you will destroy your life and end up in hell. But there is a life for you. If you trust in Jesus, you will have peace and joy."

Sanjay had inadvertently tuned in to Gospel for Asia's Athmik Yathra (Spiritual Journey) radio broadcast that day, and those words stopped him in his tracks. He ignored the pesticides he'd intended to drink and instead listened to the rest of the broadcast. Later, he contacted one of GFA's field offices for spiritual direction and help—and ultimately placed his faith in Jesus Christ.

For millions in Asia like Sanjay, trapped in lives of spiritual bondage and devoid of meaning, GFA Radio may be the only means through which they will ever hear the Good News and begin their own "spiritual journey" of abundant life in Jesus. Started in 1986, GFA Radio today airs evangelistic programs in 92 languages on the Indian subcontinent, with a goal of broadcasting in 200.

A Voice of Hope

Sanjay's journey from death to life began with the voice he heard on his pocket radio. On that decisive day, it was Rajan he heard, producer of GFA's Telugu-language broadcast.

When Rajan speaks into the microphone, he pictures the individuals and families who, like Sanjay, hunger to hear the message of eternal hope.

"Even though we've never seen each other," Rajan says, "I speak to them as a friend. They consider me a friend. And I present Jesus as a personal friend. I never think about a mass of people hearing my message; rather, I consider that an individual or family is listening. I prepare my messages with this in mind."

Sanjay later had the opportunity to meet the man whom God had used to speak such words of hope into his life. Rajan gave Sanjay godly counsel and encouraged the young man to enroll in a GFA Bible college. While there, he became grounded in God's Word, learned to share his faith effectively and was called by the Lord into full-time ministry.

Who Does GFA Radio Reach?

GFA Radio broadcasts extend throughout the Indian subcontinent and beyond, with a potential listening audience of 1.5 billion people. Here are just a few examples:

Bondo: A group of 100,000 tribal people living in India's Orissa state speak this language. The Bondo broadcaster initially received Christ through GFA's Oriya-language broadcast.
Gojari: This broadcast ministers to nomadic cattle herders in far Northwest India.
Divehi: Citizens of the Maldives, some of the least evangelized people on earth, speak this language. Nearly 100 percent of Maldivians are Muslim, and practice of any religion other than Islam is prohibited and strictly enforced.
Kham Magar: This is the language spoken by Maoist insurgents, located in northern Nepal. The speaker walked seven days from his remote village for his broadcaster's training.
Yerukala: A language group of approximately half a million people in southern India speaks this language, including a notorious criminal gang. A church has already been planted among these people.
Dari and Pashto: These are two languages spoken in Afghanistan by more than 25 million people. GFA began airing these broadcasts on September 11, 2002.

From Start to Finish
From scripting to follow-up, putting together a GFA radio broadcast is an intense labor of love. Long before they were aired, the words Sanjay heard that day were carefully and prayerfully crafted. The script went through edits and adjustments for broadcast. The speaker who recorded it had received extensive training in diction, presentation and voice flow. And when Sanjay listened to the broadcast, he heard simple examples and Bible passages relevant to his life and culture.

"The words 'you are planning to die' touched me," Sanjay relates. "Only I knew that. How did this person know?"

Some 1 million listeners flood GFA's field offices each year with their responses, expressing they have received Christ after hearing a broadcast or showing a hunger to know more about Him. They also ask for help with the burdens they carry. Sanjay wrote in because he was suicidal. Others struggle with drug and alcohol addictions, relationship problems or physical ailments.

At this point the follow-up begins. Gospel workers in each office write a personal letter of response, covered in prayer, to each listener.

"When I read of the problems people write about," a correspondent shares, "my heart is filled with compassion. Nobody is there to counsel or encourage them. Many write that they had wanted to commit suicide, but when they heard God's Word shared through our radio program, they stopped. They tell us, 'Only because of your prayers am I surviving today.' "

Sanjay eagerly poured over the New Testament and booklets included with his personal response from the GFA office. Whenever possible, correspondents also refer listeners to a Believers Church pastor in their area. This gives the seeker an opportunity to embrace Christ, grow in faith and become part of a local body of believers.

But even where no church yet exists, the Holy Spirit is moving powerfully in the hearts of listeners through radio. Native missionaries have reached interior villages after days of walking narrow dirt trails, only to be greeted by the words, "What took you so long to come? We have been listening to your broadcasts for years, and we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ; we have been waiting for you!" In such a way, GFA Radio is reaching across geographical and political barriers, planting churches in isolated areas yet to be reached by missionaries.