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Sending out an S.O.S. to the World God Opens the Airwaves in Thailand |
Sending Out an S.O.S. To The World What really defines ?cutting edge? communication technology? Blackberry?Blogs? Video Blogs?Text Messaging?My Space?You Tube? To some it might sound like a form of cryptic code or maybe even Mr. Spock speaking Vulcan. To your average American teenager, it is their ?lingo', or more importantly, their life. They have classified the current teen generation as the connected generation. They are connected, communicating at all times from anywhere and interfacing with each other. Their ?technology? is this ever-changing, rapidly moving fluid ?thing? that is hard for us Baby-buster, Baby-boomer, Gen Xers to fully comprehend. So, we ask our children and they give us the ?wikipedia googlefied' explanation that confuses us even more. In the 3rd or even 2nd world of South America that ?cutting edge? comes a little slower. Not much mind you, but enough to let us catch our breath once in a while. For communications in South America, it is partly about staying on the ?cutting edge? of technology, but also staying on the ?cultural edge? in understanding who is the audience, where do they live and how do they communicate. World Mission Broadcast is currently known for three areas of broadcast ministries: radio, television and Internet. These are all an integral part of the cultural fabric that makes up our world and is now connecting us together. But what happens to those not yet connected? The unreached?
It is that same ?old' technology that is on the ?cultural edge? in Brazil . Brazil , by many standards, is very ?cutting edge? in technology. You can surf the Internet on your laptop from the city of Manaus in the middle of the Amazon and watch the World Cup Soccer tournament on your high definition television, IF you are connected (or reached). But millions are not. So, using ?old' technology to stay on the ?cultural edge,? the Church of the Nazarene in Brazil began the S.O.S. Answering Machine ministry. Each day S.O.S. ministry teams throughout Brazil are recording new answering machine messages. However, it is not your typical??Not here, leave a name and number? kind of message, but a concise message of hope to someone reaching out for help. The telephone numbers are printed on business cards, stickers, flyers; anywhere they can get the number out in front of the public. God has used this antiquated technology to reach out those disconnected (or unreachable) offering hope in the form of Jesus Christ. Felipe's life was collapsing all around him. His marriage was at the point of divorce. His work at the office was suffering and he was looking for escape through alcohol and drugs. One morning as he was walking to his bus stop, he found a dirty business card blowing around his foot. He picked up the card and it said, ?There's hope. Call now.? Felipe called the number on the card and heard a short message about peace in the middle of chaos. He left a message where someone could contact him. A S.O.S. counselor called Felipe's cell phone and was able to share and pray with Felipe. Today, Felipe and his wife have restored their marriage and he and his family are active members of the Church of the Nazarene. Gabriella was in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend when she saw a small sticker on the wall of a convenience store. It said, ?Help is waiting. Call today.? Gabriella called and left an address asking for someone to visit her. A team of S.O.S. counselors visited with Gabriella in her parents' home. Gabriella heard for the first time in her life about true love and what a real relationship could be like. She prayed to accept Jesus sitting at the kitchen table. Today, she sings in the choir. Whether they are classified as disconnected or unreached, God calls us to reach them through any means possible. Riding the wave of ?cutting edge? technology while staying focused on the ?cultural edge? around us is what allows God to work through the ministries of World Mission Broadcast globally. Thanks for helping us send out an S.O.S. to the world. Rev. Brian Utter, South America Regional Communications Coordinator God Opens the Airwaves in Thailand
Lisa Lehman, Nazarene missionary Zuli?s Testimony
Angela Maria Caicedo, leader of WMB program La Hora Nazarena(Nazarene Hour) in Medellin, Colombia WMB Devotional Corner - A Season of Wishes Seasons are changing and changing fast! It seems like just yesterday that I found myself wishing for just one day of cooler weather and a break from the thick summer heat. In fact it seems like soon after, I wished for rain. I longed to see the deep crimson maple leaves of fall, but yet, I hated to see the leaves die and wither off the tree. Are you beginning to see a pattern? Why do we always want what we don't have? Maybe we just don't realize what we have when we have it. Isn't it possible that we are experiencing life just as God wishes us to? Every situation we find ourselves in should be looked at as a lesson from God. Whether you find yourself trying to pray yourself out of a painful time, or praying for God to lead you into your next adventure, find the lesson. God is faithful to carry us when we can't walk another step, and He loves us enough to give us strength to help others through the toughest times in our lives. Regardless what we wish for, there will always be something just out of reach that we think we need or want. Sometimes God is most faithful to us through prayers that seem unanswered. Prayers never go unheard or unanswered, but sometimes the answer is ?not yet?, maybe even ?no.? This is the time of year that we put our wishes and hopes on paper. It's a season to give thanks and it is a time to reflect on all the blessings our Creator has given us. When you find yourself wishing ? stop and find God. He undoubtedly has it all worked out before you even ask! Dee Dee Mills, Transmission writer Consider Giving a Year-end Gift to WMB |
We are called to reach the unreachable; to use any and every means possible to share Jesus Christ. So, staying on the ?cultural edge? sometimes takes us back to not so much of the ?cutting edge.? You see, in the early 1970's when we all had longer collars and wider ties, a new ?cutting edge? technology called a Phone Mate answering machine offered you the ability to record phone messages on reel-to-reel tape with a machine weighing more than 10 pounds. Then, in 1983 when a doctor from Japan figured out a way to digitally record those messages, everything changed. Our ties became thinner and looked more like a sock, and we left messages after ?the beep.'
WMB's Thai broadcast Born to Love (formerly called Friend to Friend) began airing for free as of December 1, 2006. Pastor Suphot, radio coordinator, had shared with the station manager that it was likely the program could not continue due to lack of funds. The station manager told him to please keep coming and that he would put it on the air at no cost. The manager said he had been blessed by the program's content and by 
computer help Pastor Suphot had given him. Those blessings seemed to be enough of an exchange for him to keep the program on the air by providing free airtime. We know God was at work in this situation and was the one who made the way for Born to Love to stay on the air. Praise His Holy name!
Zuli is a widow with three children and was going through a very difficult time. Her cake business was suffering and not making enough to feed her family. After listening to the radio program La Hora Nazarena, Zuli called the program's hotline. The staff prayed with her on the phone and later a group went to visit her in her home. There the WMB team shared Bible verses to help strengthen her faith and prayed with her. Afterward she said she felt at peace. Later that same day, God worked a miracle and Zuli received a contract for her cake business that covered her debts.