There are certain areas of the world where FEBC never considers establishing a radio station, mostly due to religious or political strongholds opposed to the Christian faith. One of these areas is Sumatra in western Indonesia. We knew that getting approval from the government and a radio license seemed unattainable... impossible, in fact. Fortunately, impossible is not a word in God’s vocabulary!

Following the 7.6-magnitude earthquake that killed over a thousand people in western Sumatra on September 30, 2009, FEBC‘s First Response Radio Team arrived on the scene. By God’s divine timing, the team was meeting in nearby Jakarta to discuss the role of radio in a disaster when the quake hit.

When the team arrived, they met with Indonesia’s national disaster response agency who directed them to set up an emergency station in an area that had lost most of its radio stations during the earthquake.

The following day the team was on the air, providing critically important information and comfort. The ability to set up a radio station overnight was accomplished through FEBC’s specially developed “suitcase studio” that is equipped with a transmitter, antenna, and generator.

The next day a second team arrived with 100 radios, and a week later friends like you helped FEBC USA provide an additional 500 radios to distribute to survivors. The emergency station remained on the air for two weeks.

Gaining the Trust of People

FEBC’s quick humanitarian response was recognized by the local government, resulting in an invitation to offer long-term recovery broadcasting for another six months. FEBC has since been granted a permanent radio station in the region, where it will continue its role as a community development station, later segueing into regular FEBC programming.

This recent outreach to the people of Indonesia reminds us that relationships built in times of distress can gain the trust of people previously unobtainable, because we helped them during their darkest days. And by God’s grace, the same people who turned to FEBC in their time of tragedy will one day hear the message of hope found in Jesus Christ!