Feba has always worked in partnership with many other organisations in the countries to which it broadcasts. RMB in Bangladesh combines Christian teaching with input on health and social issues.

Their radio broadcasts are starting to bear fruit in a remarkable and encouraging way. Listeners can hear well put-together material on faith and practical issues in Bengali, their heart language. One of the reasons for the project’s reach is its ability to present Christian content in an easily accessible style to non-literate listeners.

Two years ago, a folk singer called Farija* came to Christ. She makes a living by travelling around the villages and entertaining people by singing traditional songs. From time to time, she writes her own lyrics about Jesus in an Islamic context and sings her own songs. Often, her listeners like her songs and chat to her about them. Once she has worked out who is sincere in their interest, she takes them quietly to one side and shares the good news about Jesus.

Without Farija and her songs, many of these baptisms would not have happened. As she continues to sing her faith around the villages, our partners are putting their trust in God for the next stage of their work.

In August, the project ran a COVID-secure Radio Listeners’ Conference. These conferences are organised periodically so that listeners to the shortwave programmes can get together, enjoy each other’s company and talk about what they have learned. Farija brought four guests along from her network and at the end of the conference, all four of them asked to be baptised. Now they are meeting in a Discovery Bible Study group and learning more. In addition to these four new believers, six further people came to the conference and asked to be baptised. This is the first time in the history of these conferences that 100% of the non-Christian delegates have been baptised. In all, eighteen listeners have been baptised in the last year.

To be baptised in an Islamic context like Bangladesh, carries risk and a great deal of personal cost. These people know that if they are found out, they could be expelled from their village and community. Like everyone else, the team in Bangladesh has been hit hard with the pandemic and restrictions related to COVID-19. A team member, Ahsan* reports that from June this year, they were able to return to a full service, taking all the suggested health precautions. “God is working through our ministry, even with the restrictions we’ve experienced. Our listeners are responding enthusiastically to our radio programmes. The follow-up team contacts them by phone and we have been able to visit many of them personally. In September, team members went to see some newly baptised listeners and gave them some much-needed supplies.”

A new follower of Jesus being baptised following RMB's outreach 

Feeding the souls and the practical needs of their listeners is something the staff at the station love to do. “We thank God that we were able to help 150 families by giving them rice, lentils, cooking oil, salt, sugar, powdered milk, soap and dried food. The COVID-19 outbreak has hit many of these people hard, but we are so happy that we can reach out to them and give them what they need.”

At the moment, 33 Bible study groups are running in a number of different locations, giving vital social contact to their members, as well as a chance to explore their new faith. The radio team in Bangladesh is working hard to maintain their follow-up activities and having regular phone conversations with their listeners. 

Without Farija and her songs, many of these baptisms would not have happened. As she continues to sing her faith around the villages, our partners are putting their trust in God for the next stage of their work.

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Please pray:

• For the new believers who were baptised at the Radio Listeners’ Conference in August. Ask God to protect them from hostility to their newfound faith in Jesus.

• For Farija that more doors will open for her to sing about her faith in the villages where people are hearing the good news of Jesus for the first time. 

• For the team at RMB as they provide the spiritual and physical needs of listeners, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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* For the sake of security, some of the real names of people, projects or programmes have been changed or omitted.