(March 23, 2016 - by Harold Goerzen)  As a child attending a one-room schoolhouse in northwestern Iowa, Roger Stubbe never dreamed that someday he would be honored before thousands for a lifetime of missionary service.

But that’s what happened Friday, Feb. 26, in front of 2,000 people as he received one of six National Religious Broadcasters Milestone Awards for 50 years of media service.

“I’m humbled by it—that my wife, Joyce, and I could serve that long and serve usefully for so many years,” said Roger, pointing out that he recently passed the 51-year mark—all of it with Reach Beyond. He continues to help with radio ministry to such places as North Africa, Central Asia and the Asia Pacific Region.

An engineer, Roger has done a variety of media-related jobs throughout the years, whether it be installing transmitters and antennas for Radio Station HCJB in Quito, Ecuador, heading up the station’s Spanish broadcasts or directing the Sub-Saharan Africa Region.

After transferring to Colorado Springs in 1995, Roger became more involved with “World by Radio,” a cooperative effort to make Christian broadcasts available in all the world’s “mega-languages.”

He worked with local media partners to put 11 of these languages on the air in Africa and Asia. As a result, over 100 million people could turn on their radios and hear gospel broadcasts in their own languages for the first time.

“We didn’t really know what we were getting ourselves into when we went out to serve,” Roger admitted. “But I’d do it all over again. It’s an amazing journey that would not be possible without the prayer and support of hundreds of people.”

Source: Reach Beyond