Chai* wove in and out of the chaotic traffic on the hot, humid streets of Kulap* in Southeast Asia. He dodged a motley assortment of motorbikes, livestock, and pedestrians that, like him, were attempting to navigate the large mud puddles in the street. He hoped to return to his farm soon, but his village was still some distance away.

To help pass the time, Chai turned on his car radio. He had heard of a Christian radio station in town and was curious to listen to it for himself. He scanned through the few available channels until he found the station he wanted. As he turned the volume up, he heard a man speaking. The man’s message was captivating, and Chai continued to listen.

As he drove through the mountains near his village, the station’s signal grew faint, then disappeared. He had heard that the station could be heard in the village, so he hoped to find and listen to the station again. When he arrived at his farm, he told his wife, Kanda, about what he had heard, and they tried to find the station. They succeeded and began listening to the broadcasts every morning together as they did their daily chores.

FAITHFUL SOWERS

While new to Chai and Kanda, Harvest Radio* had been broadcasting in Kulap for years. A small team of Christians launched Harvest Radio as a community radio station in the hill country of their homeland. Their audience consisted mostly of older farmers and migrant workers tending rice patties and vegetable fields. Most young adults and young families had left town to provide their children with better educational opportunities in the cities. Many in the community felt lonely and aimless, and they turned to alcohol, drugs, or the local temple to ease their despair.

The station’s audience greatly appreciated the programming. Listeners would call in during certain programs and interact with the presenters live on the air. Whenever the station would face any kind of broadcast interruption, concerned listeners would call in and ask when Harvest would be back on the air. Soon the team began looking for someone who could help them keep the station running smoothly.

In 2015, Reach Beyond and SEA Gospel Media Network* began partnering with Harvest Radio. Through training and equipment upgrades, Reach Beyond helped them proclaim the Gospel more clearly and expand the reach of their station. Our media trainers also helped station staff learn to expand their audience and to better engage with their listeners by using elements such as traditional music and humor in their programming.

CONQUERING THE MOUNTAIN

Chai and Kanda’s success in finding Harvest Radio was a work of God. Not long before Chai first heard about the station, no one in his village could find a single radio station. The village sits in a valley with steep green mountains standing between it and the nearest radio tower. Since a radio set must directly “see” a radio tower to receive and broadcast its signal (line of sight), Chai’s village was completely cut off from all radio broadcasts. But God had a plan.

Around 2016, Kris*, a retired soldier and one of Chai’s neighbors, drove through Kulap and turned on his radio. He found Harvest Radio and enjoyed what he heard. Kris traveled often for his new job as a contractor installing repeater towers for government radio networks. Whenever his travels allowed, he would tune in to the station, and with time, he grew convinced of the truth he was hearing. In time, the truth softened the former soldier, and he chose to surrender his life to Christ and serve Him fully.

Kris wanted his neighbors to hear and receive the Good News just as he had. His village’s location made radio reception physically impossible, a fact that greatly troubled him. He heard God’s command to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth, and he accepted a new mission. Kris would bring Harvest Radio to his home in the valley.

He began leveraging his connections and expertise to set up a radio translator, similar to the repeater towers he installed for the government. He began looking for the proper location, equipment, and permissions to set up the system.

He soon found a small 10-watt transmitter and a suitable location for it. Before long, Kris had installed the new unit, and the entire village could receive Harvest Radio’s signal. With support from SEA Gospel Media Network and Reach Beyond, he eventually replaced the small transmitter with a larger 30-watt unit, increasing the translator’s signal strength. He had accomplished the mission God had given him, and now, he was committed to using his gifts to keep the new signal transmitting into the valley.

RIPE FOR HARVEST

Kris’s faithfulness proved to be a positive influence on his community. Word began to spread, and more people began to listen to Harvest Radio. Some, like Chai and Kanda, listened while they worked on their farms. The messages broadcast every day began to change hearts and minds.

As Chai worked on the farm, he thought about what he heard on a program called “Daily Bread.” He listened to the program every morning while feeding his animals, and he felt encouraged at the end of the program. He also began seeing things about his life that needed to change, and each time, the announcer seemed to have a practical way to change.

Chai realized that his insatiable thirst for alcohol was hurting his marriage and family. The pastor on the radio never said not to drink alcohol. Instead, he would say, “If you keep the money and don’t spend it on alcohol, you can have more money for your family.” Chai began to see his own selfishness and the value of changing his ways.

After listening to a pastor on another Harvest Radio program, he decided to abandon his old ways and follow Jesus instead. He says, “I didn’t even pray, but I totally trusted in God. The pastor said, ‘If you want to know God, you can go to church on Sunday.’ I talked with my wife, and we decided to go to church.”

Kanda watched the change in her husband and was moved by his transformation. Chai abandoned his alcoholism and old religious practices. Instead, he began loving his wife in a way she had never experienced before. She, too, decided to follow Jesus and began seeing Christ change her from the inside out.

GOD’S CHURCH PLANT

Chai and Kanda were excited to worship God, but they quickly ran into a problem. Chai says, “There was no church around here. The closest one was in a town 20 kilometers [approximately 12.5 miles] down the mountain, so we decided to go to that one.”

For six years, a growing number of village Christians traveled down the mountain every Sunday to worship together. As the Christians grew in their faith and numbers, the need for a local church became stronger and more urgent. They began asking for a pastor to start a church in the village.

In 2022, God provided a pastor for the village’s growing community of believers. A major denomination in the country heard of their need and sent a pastor to shepherd them. When the church opened, Chai, Kanda, and about 30 of their believing neighbors began worshiping together every Sunday in their home village.

When Reach Beyond missionaries visited the region in early 2023, a representative from SEA Gospel Media Network took them to visit the village church and to meet Chai and Kanda. Through the faithfulness of Kris, Harvest Radio, SEA Gospel Media Network, Reach Beyond, and others, God had planted a church of His own in the hills of Southeast Asia, a church that continues to grow and mature day by day.

*All names and locations changed for security reasons.