Nov. 6, 2009

Source: HCJB Global (written by Ralph Kurtenbach)
On a steep and narrow street in Oruro, Bolivia, Dr. Carlos Pinto wasn't too sure he'd found the radio station he was looking for.

"I checked the address and it was correct," said Pinto, a trained psychologist serving with HCJB Global, "but found no sign indicating it was a radio station. I tapped the bell on the door of what looked like a garage, and quickly a person's very friendly face appeared."

Intermingled joy and pride at receiving a visit from an HCJB Global staff member bubbled forth as Radio JHV's general manager, Fernando Valdivia, greeted Pinto.

"And what does JHV stand for?"asked Pinto as the pair became acquainted. "Jehovah" was Valdivia's reply.

At 13,000 feet above sea level, the mining town of Oruro is inhabited by about 200,000 people mostly of Quechua origin. Several years ago, Fernando's wife sensed a leading from God that He would provide Christian radio in the community.

"I started buying Christian music CDs," Fernando recounted. "My wife told me that we'd wind up having the station, so little by little I began buying the necessary equipment. God has been faithful."

Radio JHV's affiliation with the satellite network, ALAS-HCJB, began when Fernando met Dairo Rubio who directs programming for the network from Quito. As Fernando showed Pinto the receiving dish, his telephone rang.

"You can imagine how wide his eyes opened as Hola Familia (Hello Family) hosts chatted with him on the telephone and the conversation was going out live on the air," said Pinto, who appears regularly on the show.

During the visit, Fernando shared further dreams: a bigger antenna for better coverage and training for the communications students who volunteer at Radio JHV.

About to leave, Pinto mentioned HCJB Global's October launch of Corrientes, an initiative to train bi-vocational, cross-cultural Latin American missionaries. He recently began leading the new inter-agency initiative in Latin America.

"To my surprise, he told me his church had sent five missionaries, now serving in Japan, Spain, Russia, India and Burkina Faso," Pinto declared. "A bit doubtful, I went immediately to talk to his pastor, Julio Aramayo, who then detailed how active in missions the church is."

"I discovered that among its missionaries there's a couple serving as physicians, and that they'd love to learn how HCJB Global Hands and Voice, along with Corrientes, trains and mobilizes missionaries," said Pinto.

The church in Oruro exemplifies churches in the new Global South-those lesser developed countries that are home to 61 percent of the world's evangelicals, according to Pinto. "These Christians continue changing their self-perception from being a mission field to being a force that is sending missionaries," he said.

Editor's Note: The radio station that didn't look like a radio station. And the very friendly face of Fernando Valdivia who greeted Dr. Pinto. See them now by visiting