(Aug. 25, 2014 - by Harold Goerzen)  The eyes of a Brazilian man named Adenilton filled with tears as he described the impact of Reach Beyond’s Portuguese broadcasts on his life and family after listening for 35 years.

“I gave my life to Jesus after I began listening to the programs in 1979,” he testified. “Then my wife came to the Lord, and now all the members of my family are believers, and I want to thank each one of you personally.”

Adenilton spoke these words at a special 50th anniversary dinner, Saturday Aug. 9, at the home church of Victor and Helena Arndt in Curitiba, Brazil. The Arndts were the original program producers in 1964 when a half-century of continuous Portuguese broadcasting launched on Radio Station HCJB in Quito, Ecuador.

Adenilton said it was a thrill to meet the Arndts and other program hosts such as Pastor Francisco Wiens and Ingrid Winters for the first time. They were among about 200 people attending the event, including mission supporters, board members and listeners.

Victor, officially retired, continues to produce a daily, 10-minute devotional program. He also serves on the HCJB-Brazil board and helps with counseling, visitation and leading two Bible study groups from his church. Helena ministers to seniors who are in ill health and helps with women’s meetings.

“The evangelical church is growing fast in Brazil, and there are many Christian TV and radio programs on the air, but many of them have little biblical teaching,” Arndt explained. “For this reason we continue to produce programs with a strong biblical message.”

Curt Cole, senior vice president of global ministries, traveled from the Reach Beyond Ministry Service Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., to attend the anniversary event.

“I came away with a renewed appreciation for the power and impact of the past shortwave transmissions, especially in the Portuguese language,” he said. “Sometimes we forget that in its heyday, shortwave was an extremely important tool for spreading the gospel, especially in Brazil. The transmissions targeted listeners in remote areas of the Amazon. In many cases we were their only church and constant companion. Whole families would gather around the radio to listen.”

Cole added that he was also impressed with the faithfulness of both the past and present staff members led by Marly Breus, many having served for decades.

While the staff reflected on the history and impact of the broadcasts, they also showed their enthusiasm to adopt new media technologies following the end of Portuguese shortwave broadcasting on July 31.

“It wasn’t an easy decision to terminate shortwave, but every single person on the team was excited about the new technology,” Cole explained.

Shortwave broadcasts in Portuguese originally emanated from Radio Station HCJB’s former international transmission facility in Pifo, Ecuador. When the site closed in 2009, the broadcasts moved to partner Vozandes Media in Quito, airing from shortwave station CVC La Voz in Chile. Now that too has ended as the staff looks at new ways to broadcast the programs.

“I was really impressed with the forward-looking thinking of the group and their excitement to look at the future,” Cole related. “They are now focusing on Internet broadcasting and providing programs to various FM outlets throughout Brazil, including secular stations.”

The office is also working with Reach Beyond missionary Matthew Parker in Quito to distribute digital, solar-powered Players of Hope to unreached river dwellers in remote jungle regions of Brazil.

“Most of our listeners live in Brazil,” Arndt said. “Although we get some responses from other countries, they aren’t many. It’s impossible to know how many listeners there are. Lately we’ve been getting more response by telephone and email. We also get about 2,000 visits to our website each week.”

While uninterrupted Portuguese broadcasting began in 1964, the first programs date back to 1944 when Martin and Esa Jansen produced Portuguese programs in Quito for six years.

The Arndts were accepted in 1964 for a minimum of two years to re-establish the Portuguese broadcasts with funding from Mennonite Brethren Missions. When the Arndts arrived in Quito on April 10, 1964, they were told to get the first program ready to air by May 1, and they did despite having no radio experience.

In 1970, after a plea from former Reach Beyond President Abe Van Der Puy, the Arndts left the Mennonite mission to join Reach Beyond full time. Five years later they returned to Brazil to open the World Office in Curitiba.

With minimal funding in hand, the Arndts made the grueling eight-day journey to Brazil, traveling by bus and plane. They began recording programs, sending them to Quito for airing on countless thousands of listeners via shortwave. The office in Curitiba was inaugurated in 1985.

The Portuguese Language Service received about 3,000 listener letters per month in the 1970s and 1980s. Helena produced a popular children’s program that generated 500 to 600 letters per month. The name of the program was chosen by the listeners, Crianzas para Cristo (Children for Christ), with letters addressed to Tia Helena (Aunt Helena).

Arndt says he is optimistic about the continuing role of Portuguese broadcasting in Brazil. “We still love radio, and we are sure it still has a great future.”

Source: Reach Beyond