(July 8, 2014 - by Penny Hughes)  “They spoke with tears running down their faces—about being unwanted by their parents,” said Ann Marie, a leader with a European partner ministry of Reach Beyond (formerly HCJB Global), who has been gathering and recording the stories of abused women since 2006.

“Even while in their mothers’ wombs, they were the victims of attempted abortions,” she said. “Others were abused by their parents and then their husbands.”

“Correspondence with My Family” was born out of these stories about women in Central Asia and other areas. The women often spoke of “prostitution and trafficking issues—girls who are often sold by their parents,” related Ann Marie. As she heard about the hardships and desperate situations endured by Christian women and children in various countries, she wanted to do more to help than just listen.

The idea to develop a series of radio programs for women came as a result of her own family experience. “The programs take the form of a series of letters sent back and forth from a loving, wise mother to her three daughters who are either just married or about to reach womanhood,” she explained.

The programs became known as “Correspondence with My Family.” Three of the programs have been recorded in a language spoken in Central Asia, awaiting final adjustments before airing. The goal is to have these programs translated into Russian and a local ethnic language for airing later this year.

Reach Beyond has undertaken to have the programs translated into Russian and other languages, and will then make arrangements for distribution to unreached places. The programs are being distributed to “one of the most restrictive places in Central Asia where there are absolutely no believers among 1.5 million people,” commented David, Reach Beyond’s executive director for the Europe/Eurasia Region.

“The needs are so great, but Jesus has come with a significant message of hope and love that brings redemption from the pain,” added Ann Marie. “He has called us to bind up the brokenhearted, and ‘Correspondence with My Family’ is just one tool that He can use to bring that restoration to women.”

“The letters also look at the lives and situations of other women around them, their cultures and the role of men in their lives,” she related. “[My husband] will also have input into this program for, unlike many other men, he is a good, loving husband and father.”

The production team for writing the series came together between 2011 and 2012. Lydia edits the scripts and stories while Shely, who joined the partner ministry in 2012, is one of the writers.

Through the partnership with Reach Beyond, the team discovered that a language group from southern Russia was also interested in airing a women’s program. “Our team was buzzing with the news,” Ann Marie observed.

Her dreams for “Correspondence with My Family” are twofold: to put back hope into the lives of women who are bereft of hope; and to work in conjunction with what these women are already doing in Central Asia and Russia.

“The response from the regions has been very positive, so we pray that over these next months as we continue to work on scripts, God would be preparing the hearts of women to receive the message we bring,” Ann Marie concluded.

Note: The program name has been altered and surnames are omitted for security reasons.

Source: Reach Beyond