In Luke 12:7, Jesus tells his disciples how much we are loved by God, that we are never forgotten, to not be afraid and how He counts every hair on our head. How glorious that a Radio Liangyou listener from Shanxi Province has taken this quite literally. She now plays her favourite Radio Liangyou programs in the hair salon she runs!

Originally introduced to the radio programs of ‘Manna in the Wilderness’ and ‘Bible Exposition’ that are broadcast of from 8 to 9am every morning, she could not listen to the whole program as she needed to go to work, “but I knew they were good. Recently, I found the programs in a WeChat group so now I listen to the programs anywhere and anytime and am no longer restricted by broadcast time slots.

“Radio Liangyou has been a great help to me. I need God to lead my life in all matters regardless of their importance and so pray to Him every day. Bible verses are always quoted in “Manna in the Wilderness”, and they are just like God’s messages to help me respond to life’s circumstances

with extra wisdom. I like both “Throne of Grace” and “Embrace Each Day” that cover a wide range of subjects and inspire me a lot.”

Running a hair salon at a university campus, she realised it was not easy for the teachers and students to accept a religious belief. “I had an idea of allowing them to listen ‘unintentionally’ to the programs to arouse their curiosity, so now my favourite programs are broadcast in my hair salon.

“I share my belief with them when they seek to know more. Now many people keep asking me questions about it. I can only briefly explain what I have known to them as I am a new believer myself. I try listening to various kinds of programs, and then share the touching episodes with others and introduce the programs to them.”

Praise God for this new Christian who is listening to God’s call on her heart to introduce Him to others. Give thanks for how she is using FEBC radio in her hair salon to open up discussions. Pray that many more will come to know and love Jesus through her special hair salon radio ministry!

FEBC Australia - PO Box 183, Caringbah, NSW, 1495 | Phone: 1300 720 017

skywavesFEBC AUSTRALIANovember December

2017

IssueIN THISRadio, technology and hope for the unreached

Words and acts of hope in Mindanao

FEBC Responds to India Flood Disaster

For more listener response stories, visit febc.org.au Every Hair On Our Head

FEBC Philippines has been following the ongoing crisis in Marawi City closely. Since the end of May, local Maute insurgents took control of the city. The worsening conflict urged President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to declare Martial Law and total military control over Mindanao. As thousands of people fled to Iligan, Cagayan de Oro and other nearby places, Philippine army troops have been doing everything to try to end the conflict.

We earnestly pray for peace and order to be restored once more in war torn Marawi City. But we also rejoice for what the Lord is doing in other parts of Mindanao, along with

the opportunity to broadcast hope despite this ongoing crisis.

With the conflict dragging on, in Davao City, our FEBC station 1197 DXFE “The Good News Radio” felt the call of the Lord to bless and encourage those at the battlefront. They launched the “Because I Care” relief drive, challenging listeners to donate thick socks, towels, food, chocolates, energy bars and clean water to soldiers. Praise God for the heart of those who responded to the call. In the span of one week, men, women and even children went to the station carrying heaps of packed goods and supplies. They also attached small notes of encouragement and the Word of God to inspire the recipients of the care packages.

Days after the relief drive, a phone call was made to DXFE. One soldier called to thank the station and all of its volunteers for the relief goods. During the phone conversation, gun shots could be heard in the background. According to him, his team was on a rescue mission when DXFE went to the outskirts of Marawi to distribute the packages. In his phone interview with DXFE Station Manager Magnolia Yrasuegui, he shared:

“Hello Ma’am, we would just want to tell you, in behalf of our team, thank you very much for the bottled water that you provided, because we only rely on rain water for drinking. This

is our great problem here, ma’am. If it doesn’t rain, we have no water to drink. We also thank you for the chocolates because when we have nothing to eat, the chocolates tide us over and with the drinking water we can surely survive. We just want to express our sentiments. Even if we are going through suffering, there are those that show their love for us - because we have no idea with what’s going on outside our area. So when we found out from our colleagues that there were relief packages, that there are those with truly pure concerns for our situation, we were filled with great joy!”

That’s why we praise God for His work in the hearts of people in Mindanao. Despite the conflict, His mercy shines through the collective compassion of people: a proof that even war and conflict cannot separate us from God’s love. Nor can it stop us from showing Christ’s love to others.

Words and acts of hope in Mindanao

Radio, technology and hope for the unreached According to a recent report from the Centre for the Study of Global Christianity, the number of unreached stands at 2.1 billion. This report also shows the sad news that in the next 32 years this will increase by 600 million to 2.7 billion.

What can be done? Here are some interesting stats* of how media and technology (that’s FEBC!) is reaching the unreached.

1. Every day 17,000 Muslims leave Islam for Jesus. 80% of them are finding Christ through technology - radio, TV, Internet, satellite, mobile apps, films, etc. More Muslims have come to Christ in the last 20 years than in the entire 1,500 years of Islam combined. Continued next page.

Don’t be surprised by a ‘gift-wrapped’ radio arriving in your postbox soon – it’s FEBC’s new gift catalogue with a difference. Unlike previous years where we have showcased projects on offer as well as asking supporters to give radios as Christmas gifts, this year we are making it all about the humble radio and the friendly voice it delivers to those in need.

Please consider giving a $30 radio to someone in need of a friendly voice – either for yourself or on behalf of a friend or family member. You can also order new gift cards that explain, with an infographic (pictured), how the gift of a radio delivers joy to the world this Christmas time.

Give a gift of a radio this Christmas at febc.org.au or call 1300 720 017.

Sneak Peak:

THERE IS AN EXTENSIVE FOLLOW-UP MINISTRY

ON THE GROUND: LISTENER GROUPS MEET TOGETHER

9 MILLION PEOPLE EACH YEAR TELL US THEIR

LIVES ARE CHANGED BY WHAT THEY HEAR

AND SEE FROM FEBC.

FEBC GIVES A GIFT OF A RADIO

TO A PERSON OVERSEAS ON YOUR BEHALF

UNREACHED, PERSECUTED AND

SUFFERING PEOPLE HEAR ABOUT THE HOPE OF JESUS

FEBC’S RADIO PROGRAMS EDUCATE LISTENERS: SOCIAL ISSUES ARE

ADDRESSED TO CHANGE LIVES.

2. The fastest growing Christian church in the world (by percentage) is in Iran. The best estimate is 3 million Muslim background believers (MBBs). Missions researchers earlier this year predicted this figure would triple to 10 million by 2020. The reason for this growth? Satellite broadcasts and the Internet. Yet anecdotal feedback from an ‘on the ground’ PH.d surveyor of the growth of MBB’s in Iran in the last several months due to Christian media indicated Iran is up to 7 million MBB’s.

3. In the last decade 1 billion people have visited a digital evangelistic website; 100 million have indicated that they had just prayed to receive Christ; 45 million have been

followed up; and 33 million are growing disciple believers.

4. Dr. Pat Robertson of the US Christian Broadcasting Network recently announced that all the audience research for 2016 has been compiled and that 87 million people world-wide had come to Christ last year through CBN programming.

What does all this tell us about the use of media to reach the world for Christ? It works! FEBC is on the right track; please pray for more people to hear the Good News via our global media ministry.

* Supplied by Cru. https://www.cru.org/

Give a gift that reaches further

Do not be afraid. I bring you good

news that will cause great joy

for all the people. – Luke 2:10

FEBA/FEBC India deployed an emergency response radio team after severe flooding devastated communities and destroyed crops in India, with warnings of food shortages and the risk of disease remaining high.

More than 800 people have been killed and 24 million affected following widespread floods across South Asia.

FEBC India deployed its First Response Radio team so those impacted by floods:• can make authorities and NGOs aware of their location

and receive help

• are given up-to-date information and health advice; to take precautions to observe good hygiene and prevent disease despite flood waters

• are advised how to preserve important belongings and paperwork to minimise long term effects of flood damage to homes and property

• receive counselling and support that aids in recovery and restoration of livelihoods

The stories we are hearing from our teams in India are filled with sorrow.

“I have listened your program. We don’t have any media (platform) to communicate to anybody except Radio. We appreciate the love and concern you have shown for us through your radio programme during this situation.

FEBC Responds to India Flood Disaster

Please pray for: + Dilip Kumar from Mujjapharpur, who has lost

his livelihood. “I lost my all wealth, cattle, grains and even home, my thatched home damaged and broken now. Where I have to go I do not know, we have made temporary tent..there is no food, no shelter, no candles, no lamp for our livelihood.”

+ Anil Kumar, from East Champaran, 29 years old, who had travelled to Patna to purchase medicines for his ailing father. As the floods set in, he was unable to carry the medicines back home. His father waited for him and since there was no news, his father ended his life by hanging himself. Pray for comfort for this family.

+ Our teams who are now visiting affected areas and producing content locally for broadcast.

+ For all who have witnessed death and destruction through the floods. These are communities of people crying out for hope and help.

First Response Radio India had the opportunity to broadcast 15 minute daily programmes for the people affected by floods at three different stations at Dharbanga, Purnia and Bhagalpur.

Your people have taken an initiative to help us. People in our area are suffering from malaria and high grade fever, due to lot of mosquitoes. Please guide us what we do as precaution. At present our house is totally destroyed and there is no pure water to drink."

MADHU BALA, a listener living in Sitamarhi Bihar

Zand* sat opposite me in Indonesia, a refugee who had fled Iran, twice surviving the capsizing of the overcrowded boat in terrible seas, a man who had witnessed the horrors of young children drowning – yet there he sat, cross-legged, thankful for all the trials and pain he had experienced because, “without it, I would not have met Jesus.”

This man from a strong Muslim family, devout and resilient, began to open up and share his story with me. Betrayed by those he thought he could trust, abandoned and left alone, one night he heard a message of hope from FEBC radio - a friendly voice that seems to be speaking directly to him, breaking through barriers of heritage, culture and religion and speaking directly into his heart.

Zand shared his testimony how through many trails and in the largest Muslim land in all the world he found Jesus, the one who now gives him peace, purpose and the desire to help others.

A friendly voice, a word in season; this is how God uses the ministry of FEBC to reach into dark places, hard situations, and touch the hearts of many lives.

FEBC speaks words of life – and by partnering together in God’s mission with us, you make this possible.

‘Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.’ Prov.16:24

In this edition of Skywaves, you will read of the many FEBC friendly voices that are speaking gracious words into the hardest places. Such as into the conflict in Mindanao, in the Philippines, where our stations are sending words of support and care packages to the soldiers.

Or speaking into the flood disaster in North India, offering much-needed information and health advice, where listeners respond to the love and concern shown to them.

Give thanks for the listener in China who recognises the words shared via FEBC Radio Liangyou are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb (Ps.19:10) and chooses to stream Radio Liangyou via digital radio into her hair salon business. Her patrons hear the words, hear the friendly voices, and begin to ask her questions about Jesus.

For all the latest FEBC Australia news go to www.febc.org.au

Kevin Keegan, National Director, FEBC Australia

WelcomeThe Power of the Friendly Voice

Kevin Keegan

National Director, FEBC Australia

*name changed for security purposes

Shortly, you will also receive FEBC’s Christmas Gift catalogue. As you’ll read in the story on page 3, expect a gift-wrapped radio in your postbox soon. Please pray over the radio gifts you choose to give this Christmas time.

It was a pleasure to connect with Amos from FEBC/ FEBA Malawi during our fourth Frequency Partners webinar in October. Thank you to all the Frequency Partners who joined live, and for everyone else who has since listened to the replay. Amos shared news including the important impact radio is having in Malawi:

Paul – former prisoner and muslim now broadcasting for

christ: paul is Part of the Malawi production team, once

imprisoned at ChiChiri, a muslim who converted to Christianity

and now produces radio programs to reaCh more Yao muslims

in the region he Comes from. ten listener clubs have been

established in one village that began listening to his waY of

life radio program. when two radio sets were delivered to the

village, amos rePorts how they were reCeived with Cheering!

UPDATE

More than listener clubs, church growth too: “Apart from establishing listener clubs Paul has also established a Church where several villagers gather and worship through his radio programs and listener groups,” said Amos.

FEBC Australia - PO Box 183, Caringbah, NSW, 1495 | Phone: 1300 720 017

For more listener response stories, visit febc.org.au

China“I became a Christian since 1993 and I listened to your program with shortwave radio in the past. Thanks to the Lord that we can listen to it through online app nowadays.”

Thailand“If I tried to tell about all the blessings from God, there’s not enough paper. From the time I started studying your Bible lessons, I’ve experienced much joy. I also share them with others who are not yet believers and they, too, have turned to Christ. This is the greatness of our God! He will use us if we say ‘Please use me’. May all the glory be to God! Thank you to the FEBC team. May the Lord give you strength”.

India“I had many bitter experiences in my life and some people in my life were responsible for that. I was bitter towards them all these years. Last week your program on bitterness and anger helped me to realize that my bitterness was contributing to my ill health and depression. Thanks for opening my eyes.”

Vietnam“My life has changed because I listened to your programs and trusted God. Please continue broadcasting to my people. All of your programs are like a good meal that I want to eat every day”.