1. Epic Listener Stories
2. TWR Strikes a Chord at Urbana 
3. TWR Reaches Milestone with Radio Church Kit Project in China
4. The Lord of Life

This month’s dedicated theme on the TWR homepage is epic stories from listeners around the world. Discover how a Spanish listener named Jesús, who is a prisoner in Conroe, Texas found his freedom in Christ. Learn how a Hindu woman in South Africa began a new chapter in life, and watch an inspiring video on TWR’s leadership development initiative in Ukraine. Read several other moving testimonies from Romania, China, Portugal and Swaziland. Also, don’t forget to catch up with Carol Munger,who works in U.S. Hispanic Constituent Services at TWR’s office in Cary, N.C, through an informative Q & A.

Visit our Web site at www.twr.org to find out more.

TWR made solid inroads at Urbana ’09, one of the world’s largest missions conferences, which took place December 27-31, 2009, in St. Louis, Missouri. Among the more than 17,000 college-aged participants, numerous people expressed interest in serving with TWR, either signing up for follow-up contact or submitting preliminary questionnaires. Even more significant, TWR team members spent significant time praying with various attendees.

“Urbana is an amazing multicultural setting,” says TWR’s Chris Johnson, who spearheads TWR’s social media initiatives. “Of course, there were tons of American college students, but we also engaged with young men and women from Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America.”

Johnson says the students comprised a mixture of individuals who feel a strong call from God into missions and those who are still seeking His leading. “Many said things like, ‘I never understood how I could use my gifts, training and abilities in a global missions capacity,’’’ he explains.

Besides face-to-face interaction, TWR also leveraged various social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to spread the word about how the ministry is redefining missions. “One of the things we did was use the hashtag #Urbana09 on Twitter,” Johnson says. According to Heather Johnson, a TWR recruiting specialist and fellow representative at Urbana, the tweets TWR sent were retweeted by other organizations and even participants. “The vast majority of people we talked to did not wander in because we were the next booth in the aisle—they were seeking TWR out,” she says.

To see the pictures from Urbana ’09, check out our Facebook page at www.twr.org/facebook.

Aiming to provide spiritual resources to house church leaders in China, TWR has distributed more than 101,500 Radio Church Kits to various on-the-ground networks and provinces. TWR began the Radio Church Kits project in 1994 to supplement radio broadcasts for spiritual leaders. Each kit contains a Chinese Bible, Christian literature and a portable shortwave radio so individuals and groups can listen to solid teaching programs such as TWR’s Discipleship on the Air. The strategic distribution project is ongoing.

“When you think about equipping more than 100,000 leaders in a country, that is no small achievement,” says TWR President Lauren Libby. “People are fascinated with China because of its rich, intriguing history and its constant role in global society. We are privileged to make such significant inroads there, and the multiplying effect of touching 100,000 leaders is innumerable.” 

According to statistical data provided by TWR-Asia, 57 percent of the more than 1.3 billion people in China today live in rural areas, while 43 percent are in urban centers. TWR’s Radio Church Kit project places special emphasis on the believers in rural and mountainous areas within China who lack spiritual food and training resources. Due to the exploding growth of Chinese Christians, there is an acute shortage of full-time pastors, Bible training and discipleship materials—all of which are necessary to build a firm foundation on biblical truth. TWR-Asia has resolved to take action by providing more Radio Church Kits for Chinese believers.

Responses to the Radio Church Kit initiative have been encouraging. One beneficiary writes: “I especially thank TWR and all the brothers and sisters overseas who are supporting our churches. In recent years, our church has been growing very fast and the numbers of believers grew. However, some of the brothers and sisters cannot attend our meetings. With your Radio Church Kits, they can listen to your programs at home and receive spiritual nourishment.”

Discover more about TWR’s Radio Church Kit project for China at https://www.twr.org/projekt/178. 

Here’s a heart-stirring letter from a listener in Southeast Poland.

Dear TWR,

Thank you very much for your letter and for the Christian literature that you sent me. I wish you blessings in your great ministry. I would like to share with you about what God has done in my life. I come from a small place and a poor family. When I was 19, I was imprisoned for the first time for theft and minor offenses. After being released, I took to drinking and breaking the law, and again ended up in prison. There I began looking for something that would give meaning to my life. I turned to a former prisoner, who had tried earlier to tell me about God, but to whom I refused to listen. This time I was open for his message, advice and prayer. With his help I confessed my sins, repented, and committed my life to Jesus. He became the Lord of my life. Since then, Jesus is with me and I feel totally different. In June last year I was transferred to another place, where I began therapy for my alcoholism. I also joined a Christian group meeting regularly and there I met genuine believers who serve God and support me when things get difficult. My whole perspective on life has changed. I have stopped cursing, blaming other people, and bearing a grudge against them. I put my trust in God about my future.

For more information on TWR's outreach to prisoners in Poland, visit www.twr.org/projekt/107.

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