(July 22, 2015 - by Becky King)  In the beautiful, lush jungle area of Indonesia sits a rustic wooden building. It looks a lot like the other modest houses in the remote village, but this one is different because it contains one of Reach Beyond’s 53+ partner FM radio stations in the country.

Seven years ago, members of Reach Beyond’s Asia Pacific team made several journeys to the community to install the station and provide radio training to the staff.

Getting there is no small feat as it’s a two- to three-day journey that involves flying, driving in multiple types of vehicles and ending with a 30-minute hike.

A small hydroelectric generator provides power for the station, but mobile phone coverage is essentially nonexistent. Despite these difficult circumstances, the radio station is thriving. Feedback from villagers within the station’s reach is positive. People will walk up to two hours each way to provide live, on-air content and record programs to be aired later.

The station manager often travels to surrounding villages where he has recorded more than 100 songs performed by local people in their native languages—an excellent tool to help spread the gospel via the broadcasts.

The focus of one training event held in the village in April 2008 was “How to Record Indigenous Music in the Field.” As a result, a library of local music has been written and recorded in recent years, reaching the hearts of local people who need to hear the truth of Jesus.

“It's been exciting in the last seven years to hear stories of how [listeners] are engaging with the Scripture translations in their mother tongue,” said Ty, executive regional director for the Asia Pacific Region. “The Scripture is bearing fruit in these communities, and we praise God for how Jesus brings truth and technology together to build His church.”

While mobile phone service is spotty, one house in the village manages to get a signal. A phone hangs in the house to receive dozens of text messages daily from listeners which are then read on air. Letters are also pouring into the station in response to the programming.

“So often in ministry things start off well but then fizzle after a while,” admitted a representative of Reach Beyond’s main partner radio ministry in Indonesia who recently visited the station. “But we’re now seven years down the road with this radio station, and I’m thrilled that it’s becoming more and more effective.”

Source: Reach Beyond