Taken from HCJB Global’s “Voice and Hands” newsletter, January 2011…

At first glance, nothing stood out about John*. An unassuming fellow, he sat quietly, soaking in new information as a student in HCJB Global’s Radio School of Mission II (RSM II) in Bali, Indonesia, last October. RSM is held each year in Asia to train indigenous radio workers in broadcasting and management skills.

One of 17 participants handpicked for the course, John had also attended the introductory classes last March, again making the grueling journey from his remote home in West Timor, the Indonesian portion of the island of Timor.

“He sat in the front, quietly, not asking a lot of questions,” said former HCJB Global President Ron Cline, one of the instructors at the week-long event along with his wife, Barb. “But when we asked our partners if there was a radio station that we should visit, they suggested his.”

At the close of the training, the Clines traveled with John to his home area. “First we flew in to the main city on the island, then we drove three to four hours across winding, narrow roads before finally arriving at his place,” Cline explained. “The first thing we noticed was that children were running to him, yelling ‘Papa!’ In less than a minute there were 22 children clustered around him. We found out that when he had started the radio station with HCJB Global’s help in 2006, he and his wife, Lucy*, took in orphaned children from both West and East Timor. The children heard someone cared, and they came.”

John and Lucy operate the orphanage with another young couple. “We knew nothing about the orphanage!” Ron exclaimed. The Clines were also surprised to discover that John also operates a Bible school with 29 students. The Clines taught a class the next day. “He’s training the leaders of the future,” Ron said. “The students live in little buildings around the back. We saw them tending open fires on the ground, cooking in big pots.”

When the Clines entered the radio building, they noticed a “Hope Center” sign above the entrance. “The station is also a counseling center,” Ron explained. “People would drop by at all hours to ask for help.” Sitting in a simple studio with “four microphones and Styrofoam soundproofing,” Ron and Barb took part in a live radio program that evening, speaking with translation.

The radio program had scarcely started when listeners began responding with text messages, commenting on the program and sending prayer requests. “We would be interrupted with operators saying they had prayer requests. All of a sudden we’re in a two-way conversation with people in this community,” Ron said.
The station illustrates how radio is changing. “It’s is not just an announcer broadcasting to listeners—it’s interactive with cell phones. We were taking questions from listeners who told of what God had done in their lives.”

While in the area, the Clines handed out some 50 SonSet® radios in two of the neighboring villages. In addition to his own radio station, John has helped plant five local stations, and the broadcasts have led to the formation of more than 32 churches. “The churches were basically just wooden benches beneath tarps,” Ron related.

“Here we thought we were dealing with a radio programmer, which is significant. But he’s also managing a radio station, feeding 22 orphans, preparing 29 young people for full-time ministry, staffing a counseling center that’s open nearly all the time, and helping 32 churches—most led by graduates from his Bible school—grow in their ministries in the community.”

The stations in West Timor are among 45 started by HCJB Global’s partners in Indonesia, some in staunchly Muslim areas. Each year tens of thousands of Indonesians are committing their lives to Christ as a result of the broadcasts.

“There are hot pockets of opposition,” Ron said. “But these stations are so popular that they’re almost untouchable. They’re community stations—making life better, contributing to their communities. People of all faiths will listen to the teaching because they’ve benefited from the stations.”

James Totton, a trainer who has helped organize the annual RSM since 2005, said this was the first year the classes were taught in Indonesia. RSM was held in Bali because of its central location and availability of transportation to the rest of the country.  “They took care of most of the organizing as well as sending out invitations to station managers.”  Totton added.

Faculty members for the course came from Indonesia, Canada, Singapore and the U.S. “All materials had to be translated into Indonesian ahead of time, and translators were used in class for sessions by non-Indonesian faculty,” Totton continued. “Working with such skilled translators was a real pleasure, but posed a few challenges—the material took twice as long to present, and questions and answers had to be translated in both directions.”

He added that it was a thrill to present a portable recording device to each graduate. “Upon receiving the gifts, the participants responded with a spontaneous session of praise and thanksgiving to God—complete with tears!”

Totton said the happy and relaxed nature of the participants belied the challenging issues they face at home. “One manager spoke about threats he received from another religious group while others spoke about the difficulty of getting broadcast licenses,” he explained.

“The reality of the difficulties these saints face was brought home to us five days after the graduation. One station manager returned home to find her island devastated by a major earthquake and ensuing tsunami with many dead and hundreds washed away, presumed lost,” Totton said. “The station was miraculously still on the air and was able to broadcast hope in the middle of terrible tragedy. The station of another RSM participant mobilized and set up a temporary FM station in a different part of the disaster zone.”

Despite the challenges, participants left with a “renewed vision and passion for their ministries back home. They were encouraged not only by the teaching, but also by hearing each others’ struggles, stories and successes.”

John agrees. “I came with not much confidence, but the training has built my self-confidence,” he said. “We may not have much money, but we have joy in what we’re doing. And what I learned has helped us to build a stronger team with our station staff.”

The next radio course, recently renamed Global Voice Institute, will be held in 2012.

* Fictitious names used for security reasons.