How Will They Hear?

Barriers to accessing the gospel exist, but media transcends these barriers and brings the good news to those who need it most, no matter their circumstance or language. Because of your partnership, people in hard, hidden, and hostile places are experiencing hope, sometimes for the first time in their lives.

Dear friends,

“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14, ESV)

This verse poses an excellent question: How are people to hear the good news of the gospel if someone doesn’t preach it? Growing up, my father was the pastor of a church in southern Ontario. He would often invite visiting missionaries to have a meal in our home, and I had the opportunity to hear stories from the mission field directly. I learned how these missionaries were a part of enabling people to hear the gospel and believe in Jesus. In fact, this is how I first met TWR Canada missionaries, Steve and Barbara Shantz, over 40 years ago.

For more than 50 years, TWR Canada has reached the hard, hidden and hostile places of the world with the gospel, allowing people to hear the good news. And you are an important part of this work. Together, we speak hope to places where life is hard yet accessing the gospel may be relatively easy, places where believers are isolated and access to the gospel is limited, and places where believers face persecution and access to the gospel is restricted.

Barriers to accessing the gospel exist, but media transcends these barriers and brings the good news to those who need it most, no matter their circumstance or language. Because of your partnership, people in hard, hidden, and hostile places are experiencing hope, sometimes for the first time in their lives.

For example, a listener of the Discipleship Essentials radio program in Côte d’Ivoire shares, “After listening to the broadcast today, I have just one prayer to my God: may he help me to be better for him and for my neighbour. It is not easy to remain faithful in a turbulent world and to practice brotherly love. But God does not change! His grace remains always.” Your continued support means that in countries where life is challenging and turbulent, people are learning about the God who does not change and placing their trust in him.

In other places, access to the gospel is limited. This may be due to a lack of translated resources, isolated groups of believers, or a preference or need for the gospel in an audio format. This is the case for the Achi people, who make up over 85,000 people living in Guatemala. While many speak Spanish, Achi is the language that resonates with their hearts.

In partnership with local missionaries, we provided media players containing Bible stories for children, Thru the Bible sermons in Spanish, and audio Bibles in both Spanish and their heart language of Achi. One pastor said, “It has been a great blessing to have these devices for the proclamation of the gospel and to share the Word of God with adults and the elderly who are illiterate. Without a doubt, God has given us technology for his Word to be proclaimed and explained in the language of the heart.” Your continued support means that others can gain access to life-changing resources in their heart language. 

In China, the Church is growing but it is increasingly difficult for our brothers and sisters to gather and be discipled. TWR Canada equips and encourages Chinese believers and house church leaders through training events and fellowship gatherings. Attendees are trained on topics such as leading a Bible study, preaching and discipleship. One attendee shared, “What I learned from the fellowship is that we need to think of an application for each point we make in the sermon. This is something that I did not do before. I included a lot of theory, but no practical applications. Attending the fellowship helped me to understand the importance of applications in my sermons.” Your continued support means that believers in hostile locations are equipped and encouraged to stand firm in their faith and disciple others.

And the work is not done! There are many more people around the world who need to hear the hope of the gospel. For how will they believe if they have not heard? Will you partner with us again to enable the Word of God to transcend barriers and reach all people?

It is with your partnership that people are hearing the gospel, placing their faith in Jesus, and having their lives transformed by the hope of the gospel. Thank you! God is using your gifts as he speaks into the lives of people in hard, hidden and hostile places in the world.

With a grateful heart,

Dan Reese
President
TWR Canada

P.S. We appreciate the ways you have partnered and continue to partner with us so that all will hear the gospel. To give today, click here or call our office at 888-672-6510.