Radio reaches past resistance

Tibet being ruled by communist China means the Gospel is often met with persecution. Radio signals can still reach the lost.


Tibet (MNN) ― The history of mission work to spread the Gospel in Tibet has often been met with fierce political resistance. Often there is only one channel that can reach through closed lines: radio broadcast.

Words of Hope helps put on the Gaweylon (Good News) Tibetan program through radio broadcast every evening. Thirty-minute segments include Bible teachings with wonderful responses from listeners who have made the eternal decision to follow Christ.

But as is the trend in this communist country, their program has met resistance. Governmental authorities in Tibet imposed restrictions on their broadcast and are making the situation very difficult for their mission.

Opposition to religion is frequent in Tibet. In the nineteenth century there were common cases of persecution such as sewing missionaries up in a wet yak's skin and then setting them out in the sun to be crushed to death as the drying tomb of skin constricted.

Later in the 1960's, the Cultural Revolution took place and a communist-ruled Tibet suppressed any form of religion with beatings and arrests. During this time in Tibet, going to prison was practically a death sentence. Figures compiled by the Tibetan Administration showed that nearly 70% of those imprisoned died there.

These days, missionary works seem to ebb and flow. Cases of persecution remain, but the people are interested in learning more. Words of Hope developed a method that they have been using for two decades to reach beyond the closed sections of the community with the Gospel message: radio broadcast.

Also, the Gaweylon Tibetan program is in desperate need of a Tibetan Christian who can help them with thorough translation of the gospel messages into their language. Pinning down the correct dialect useful for Tibetans is difficult since certain words and ideas are hard to translate.

Words of Hope writes for the Tibet radio program in their prayer letter, "Pray that God will enable the programming to continue with clear reception in spite of difficult conditions and restrictions imposed by authorities."

Pray also that the Lord would bring a Tibetan Christian out of the woodwork for translation on the program.
 If you would like to consider donating to their Gospel broadcast mission, you can click here.