(March 2, 2012 - by Ralph Kurtenbach and Beth Patton) As Keith Clukey was pulling liquids out of his carry-on bag, getting ready to go through the x-ray machine at the airport in Freetown, Sierra Leone, a security worker noticed his Bible and asked if he were a missionary.

Keith Clukey does painting at BBN's new counseling center in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

"Yes," Clukey responded hesitantly, caught off guard by the airport worker's question. Then her face lit up and she said, "You must be one of the people who came to help Believers Broadcasting Network (BBN) and the counseling center!" She was right. Clukey had just spent nearly two weeks with a work team, helping at the partner ministry. 

Clukey has never been the man behind the microphone. Instead, he's been the man behind the person on the microphone. With 40 years of experience in engineering, machining and computers, he has served in various roles supporting the on-air personnel at Radio Station HCJB in Quito, Ecuador. Presently he works in information technology at the mission's international headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Events leading to Clukey's recent trip to West Africa began with his cousin's death in November 2011. He commemorated his cousin's life by sponsoring several SonSet^® radios. These are solar-powered, fixed-tuned radios that HCJB Global supplies to partners around the world. They in turn offer the sets to people of the community so they can hear local Christian broadcasts in their own language.

Setting out from Colorado on Jan. 26 with HCJB Global's Nate Dell and his friend, Ted Soltis, both of Kremmling, Colo., Clukey was toting luggage containing the SonSet^® radios along with 30 wooden toy cars donated by Toys for God's Kids. The men linked up with Steve Iwan of the mission's Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Office in Ghana to help BBN in Freetown.

The frequency on each radio had been set to BBN's frequency, 93 FM. "I had heard the names of HCJB Global's partners," Clukey said. "But I had never seen in person the real impact of their broadcasts or how passionate these local believers are about their ministries."

The Jan. 26-Feb. 7 trip has helped Clukey pray with better understanding for such local partners. He said the experience also means he can communicate better with friends and donors about the impact of the ministry among partners in local communities. Chatting with people, he encountered loyal BBN listeners, including many who consider it their favorite or "premier" station.

"I'm looking forward to telling my late cousin's wife about how God gave me the opportunity to deliver radios that were donate in my cousin's name," Clukey related, fondly recalling an early-morning worship time with the BBN staff.

"Hearing their voices as they sang and seeing their hearts as they prayed made me realize how much they loved Him and how much they loved the listeners," he said.

Praising Clukey as a great addition to the team, team leader Dell observed that "every time we turned around, Keith was generously giving things away … radios, toy cars, gear … you name it."

While in Freetown, Clukey helped to paint, stain and clean as the team worked alongside BBN Manager Ransford Wright and the station's staff to finish and dedicate a counseling center. The facility expands BBN's on-air outreach to include in-person counseling sessions as a way to show Christ's love to people whose country was torn apart by years of civil war.

He also found time for a live interview in the BBN studios. He and the others on the team explained why they'd come to Freetown, showing Christ's love to the people of Sierra Leone by encouraging the BBN staff and helping them to expand the ministry.

He also made time to give away a number of SonSet^® radios which enthusiastically received by the people, including a security guard at the team's temporary home. All smiles as Clukey returned that evening, the guard exclaimed, "I heard you! I listened to BBN on this little radio, and I heard you talking!"

Sources: HCJB Global, toysforgodskids.com