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In Their Own Words

Giving God a Chance

How quickly can God use a new station to save lives? Our resource engineer, Sammy Gregory, was startled to find out when he returned to Namibia a few weeks ago.

Gregory had crisscrossed the country to install four new transmitters earlier in the summer. Now he was back to set up studios at each location. The stations had been broadcasting pre-recorded programs in the interim, but now they were ready to go live from the central studio.

“I had just made the change to a live feed,” Gregory says, “and I heard the presenter say: ‘If you’re feeling down, if you’re feeling troubled and thinking of taking your life, please don’t do that! Pray, ask God for support, and He will help you.”

“This is the first thing that goes out through the radio?” Gregory thought.

When he had the opportunity to talk to the presenter, to his amazement Gregory found out that just after that broadcast, the presenter had received a call. The caller said, “I was about to take my life, but because of your words, I’m giving God a chance.”

“We may never know the full impact of this work until we get to heaven.”

Gregory says, “This is what radio is about! We may never know the full impact of this work until we get to heaven.”

Soon after this testimony, Gregory heard another report. This time, the radio had made a deep impression on a man named Alpheus Areab. He was the leader of a Sunday-keeping group, which had 14 branches and 350 members.

Areab had come across a program on Adventist Radio Namibia that presented the Sabbath truth. He approached a local Adventist church, went through Bible studies, and decided to get baptized.

“I am a lucky man, who just received this hidden truth,” Areab said.

He decided to introduce his newfound knowledge to his members and encouraged them to become Adventists too. Some of them were disappointed in him and decided to leave, but the majority followed Areab and started worshipping on Saturday.

Areab wanted his followers to first learn more about the Sabbath before getting baptized. So he planned a large meeting for all of them in December, and invited Pastor Ndahangwapo to be the guest speaker and teacher.

“Adventist Radio Namibia is a great blessing to the people,” Areab says. “We listened to the English programs. But if possible, could you fast-track broadcasts in the Damara Nama language?”

Gregory says, “There are very few Adventists in this language group. They believe in spirits and are very hard to evangelize. So that’s why these new members are so important.”

He adds, “Now we can see why it took more than five years to get a radio license in Namibia: Satan doesn’t want God’s message to be heard here. But we need to continue trying to find people who can produce in these languages, so even more listeners can find hope and salvation.”

We are very sad to report that just as this issue was going to press, we learned that Pastor Ndahangwapo died. As he was trying to fix his car, the vehicle fell on him, killing him instantly. Please pray for the church in Namibia, especially in the Otjiwarongo district, where this testimony took place.

by Shelley Nolan Freesland

Communication Director

 

Mother and child listening to radio in front of simple home.

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