In the lead up to this Saturday’s presidential election in Nigeria, the terror group Boko Haram has intensified its attacks. Last week, a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a campaign rally in Northern Nigeria, just moments after President Goodluck Jonathan, who is running for re-election, left.
And just 10 days before the scheduled election, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Commissioner Amina Zachary said the election may have to be delayed because not enough registered voters would be able to cast ballots. Citizens in Nigeria must vote where they are registered, but Boko Haram terrorists hold 20 of 27 local governorships in three northeastern Nigerian states, making it impossible for voting there to take place. Additionally, the terrorist group has threatened to send suicide bombers to carry out their murderous missions across the region leading up to the election.
While elections are uncertain, one thing is not: the message of hope in Jesus Christ that The Tide® (thetide.org) global radio ministry is sharing in Nigeria.
“The people of Nigeria are facing upheavals far greater than many of us can imagine,” said The Tide Radio Ministry Director Don Shenk, “but the One who is the rock, anchor and shelter in the storm is unchanging. We are so grateful that during this time of immense persecution, The Tide ministry has been blessed with open doors to reach even more people in Nigeria with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Within just the past two months, we have launched radio programs in three new Nigerian languages—Amo, Agwagwune and Nupe—bringing to 11 the number of major languages in which we now broadcast in Nigeria. But while we celebrate this, we celebrate even more the thousands of people who will now have the chance to hear about Jesus in the language they were born to speak.”
One Muslim listener heard The Tide ministry program in the Hausa language, the official language of Islam in Nigeria. He was a believer in jihad but was challenged by the message of hope and peace that only Christ can provide. He decided to call the number at the end of the program for more information, and he is now a follower of Christ.
Another said, “I wanted to commit suicide because of the depression that had last[ed] for 4 years, but help came when this Iko Awasi [the Annang language program] was broadcast … . My depression is now gone and life is sweet. Thanks to God for not killing myself.”
And yet another listener expressed gratitude by saying, “Finally, a God who speaks my language!”
The Tide ministry programming is unique among many in that it is produced on-site, using indigenous speakers who tell people about Jesus in the language they were born to speak. And across Nigeria, in the midst of terror, violence and upheaval, listeners are finding comfort, peace and hope in Jesus Christ.
“We continue to pray for the people of Nigeria, and we ask believers to join us in prayer, particularly during the upcoming elections,” Shenk continued. “We serve a God whose power is the same today as it has always been, and we fully believe that He will continue to work in the hearts of the people of Nigeria, drawing even more people to Himself.”
Entering its 69th year of ministry, The Tide global radio ministry shares the good news of Jesus Christ across three continents through producing radio programs in heart languages—meaning programs produced on site, using indigenous speakers who tell people about Jesus in the language they were born to speak. The Tide ministry currently broadcasts in 23 heart languages, including 11 languages in Nigeria, two languages in Nepal, one language each in Zimbabwe, Bhutan and Albania/Kosovo and seven languages in India.
The mission of The Tide ministry is to creatively share the good news of Jesus Christ worldwide through media and partnerships. The Tide ministry is working diligently to expand its Christian broadcasts in more languages across the globe.
The Tide ministry invites Christians to sign up for the “Have You Heard?” Campaign (thetide.org/challenge). Millions of people live their lives every day without knowing about the hope and peace of Jesus Christ. “Have You Heard?” challenges individuals to ask just 10 people throughout the course of the next year if they have heard what Jesus did for them. If someone responds, “No,” then the door is opened to share God’s plan of salvation. If the response is, “Yes, I know Jesus,” then all can rejoice in meeting a fellow Christ follower.
The Tide ministry invites those believers to join in its mission to be “creatively sharing the good news of Jesus Christ worldwide through media and partnerships.”
Registration for the “Have You Heard?” Campaign can be found at thetide.org/challenge. The challenge is open to all believers, and The Tide ministry encourages participation by families, churches, Bible study small groups, youth groups, women’s and men’s ministries, and other Christ-focused groups.
The Tide ministry is committed to supporting and helping those who accept the “Have You Heard?” challenge. And anyone who signs up for the challenge will receive a “Have You Heard?” kit, which includes a pamphlet with suggestions on how to share their faith, brochures for distributing to others and a free “Have You Heard?” T-shirt, which is bound to be a conversation-starter with friends, family, acquaintances and even strangers.
The Tide Vision 2015 initiative builds on the momentum of more than six decades of radio ministry and strives to add several new languages to its efforts by the end of 2015. With almost a quarter of the world’s population living within the current range of The Tide radio programming, and nearly 7,000 languages spoken in the world today, the opportunities are tremendous. Several new potential languages are also being considered for strategic growth, such as those spoken in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Albania.
In addition to producing programs in heart languages, The Tide ministry gives radios to people in remote villages in Africa and Asia so they can listen to the programs. An alarmingly high number of people across the globe have never heard the message of God’s saving love, due to lack of a simple $40 radio. At the same time, Christianity is growing worldwide, partly because of programs like The Tide radio programs. Thousands of generous people across the United States have enabled The Tide radio programs to thrive and expand into even more countries through the “Sponsor a Radio” program that helps further projects like The Tide Radios for Nigeria and Radios for India. Details on The Tide”Sponsor a Radio” program can be found at thetide.org/radios.
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