(Sept. 16, 2016)  Where except in Thailand could you find church members with names like Pyjamas or Gun? And where else could you be on the air for a mere eight months, then be forced to shut down by political unrest, only to resume broadcasting two years later?

After Thailand’s military coup in May 2014, nearly all of the country’s media outlets were forced to close down, including the 44 community radio stations operated by Reach Beyond’s partners nationwide. One by one they’ve been getting permission to go back on the air—along with a few with first-time broadcasting licenses. Twenty-five of the original partner stations are now back on air.

“The process is detailed and expensive, but we praise God for all the stations that have received permission to reinstate their outreach via the airwaves,” says Janice Reid, a radio trainer in the Asia Pacific Region.

One of these stations is in a remote, disadvantaged community of Thailand with a large population of migrant farm workers. Their children have little hope of getting meaningful jobs after finishing school. Amid this situation, Christian radio is making a difference.

For two years local believers prayed that the community station could again air a message of hope. Finally the paperwork came through, and they began making plans to reopen the station.

“The local pastor was excited to hear that I could travel from [Reach Beyond’s Asia Pacific Regional Office] earlier this summer to help train the new volunteers who would host the radio programs,” Reid explained. “He decided to link the workshop graduation with the reopening ceremony for the station.”

Twenty-two church members joined the training—a few of them from other local churches that support the radio outreach. Holding both evening and all-day Saturday classes made for a busy week, but by the final Sunday (after the morning church service) all was ready.

Many church members along with local officials—including the local military commander—attended the station’s formal relaunch and dedication ceremony. Preaching, traditional dancing and prayers to dedicate the station’s renewed ministry formed the backdrop to the resumption of broadcasts.

“Within just a few weeks, the results were being felt,” Reid noted. “The pastor recently contacted our radio partners in Thailand with the exciting news of a listener who had come to faith in Jesus through the radio programs. The pastor visited the listener and her husband, and he also decided to follow the Lord.”

Now these two believers—along with many more in the future—can claim their new hope in Christ in a country where just 0.5 percent of the 67 million residents are evangelicals, according to the Joshua Project.

Sources: Reach Beyond, Joshua Project