TWR - Trans World Radio

01/23/2025

With just a few months since its English-language debut, Mission 66 is touching the hearts of listeners across four continents — and the numbers are coming in.

23 January 2025[Estimated reading time: 8 minutes] Since its debut in late 2024, the English-language version of the 613-episode Mission 66 program has been broadcast in Africa, Asia, Europe and the United States.  Mission 66, the teaching program created by Brazilian theologian Luiz Sayão, became...

01/22/2025

It can be difficult to know how to pray for people who feel like they are a world away, but when only 1.5% of the 26 million people in North Korea know the grace and peace of Christ, prayer is imperative. Here are three ways you can be praying for these beloved peoples:
https://twr.org/story/three-ways-to-pray-for-the-people-of-north-korea

01/21/2025

In North Korea, owning a Bible is a serious crime. In Nigeria, loving Jesus is a death sentence. But TWR is reaching these spiritually-dark lands with the hope of the gospel.

21 January 2025[Estimated reading time: 4 minutes] For the third straight year, North Korea tops Open Doors' World Watch List of the countries where it is most dangerous to be a Christian.  In North Korea, owning a Bible violates “anti-reactionary thought laws” and is a serious crime, reports O...

01/17/2025

North Korea may be a difficult place to reach, but media can deliver the gospel right into the homes of believers and seekers. And despite the risks and difficulties, they are reaching back with messages like this one: "We are filled with joy and it feels as if you are close by whenever we receive these precious supports and when we listen to your voice on the radio."
Join us today as we pray for North Korean believers and the persecuted church.
twr.org/reach-the-last

01/13/2025

How do you reach people in a “closed” country? The gospel has many barriers which make ministry difficult, and when you’re known as the country where Christian’s face the most persecution, those barriers can seem insurmountable. But TWR is using media to reach the people of North Korea, and we are hearing back from them — read how below!
https://twr.org/story/how-the-gospel-reaches-north-korea

01/09/2025

Of the 26 million people living in North Korea, only 1.5% know about Jesus. Faith in Christ is so dangerous and discovery so perilous that many Christian families do not share their faith with their own children until they are old enough to keep the secret. But God is using TWR to reach them.
TWR is ministering to listeners through Bible study programs, in-depth and structured Bible instruction and seminary programming, as well as connecting with refugees through social media. By God’s grace, we will reach them all!
twr.org/reach-the-last

01/07/2025

Short on time, but not in faith. What does death look like for the indigenous people of Suriname, and how has it changed since they were introduced to Christ? The Schoens explain on this latest episode of Lifted Extras.

Lifted Extras | Episode 6More stories about the Schoen family's time as missionaries in the jungles of Suriname. Contact with the indigenous tribes of Surina...

01/01/2025

There are an estimated 400,000 believers living in the country Open Doors lists as the nation in which Christians face the most extreme persecution in the world. Believers discovered by authorities either receive life sentences to work in harsh labor camps or are killed on the spot.
This is Reach the Last, an ongoing series where we explore the world’s unreached and talk about ministry efforts to share the love of Christ. This month, we’re talking about the people of North Korea:
https://twr.org/story/reach-the-last-secret-christians-in-north-korea

12/25/2024

“The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” (Matthew 4:16)

We pray this Advent series has been a blessing to you this season and thank you for your partnership in reaching the billions of people still in the dark about Jesus Christ. By God’s grace, we will reach the last.

From all of us in the TWR family, we wish you and yours a luminous and Merry Christmas!
twr.org/advent

12/24/2024

TWR missionary Tom Schoen was raised by missionary parents in the Indigenous culture of the Suriname jungle from the time he was 2. His family brought a tribe called the Wayana to know Christ. It was a miraculous feat – and it didn’t stop there. The Wayana, alongside with the Schoens, brought the gospel to a neighboring tribe called the Trio. According to Schoen, approximately 95% of the Trios ended up professing faith in Christ.

Now, the Wayana and Trio tribes, with the support of TWR, seek to reach other indigenous groups with the construction of two transmitter sites in the jungle. The tribes will be able to listen to TWR programs in their own languages, taking the gospel to the very ends of the Suriname jungle.

Though the vast jungle separates tribes and people, radio can bridge that distance and foster an explosion of faith.

twr.org/advent

12/24/2024

TWR remains steadfast in its mission to bring the message of hope and salvation to Hassaniya speakers. Through radio broadcasts in Hassaniya Arabic, we endeavor to engage with the hearts and minds of this community, sharing the love of Christ and addressing their spiritual needs.

And the gospel is being heard:
“I am finally writing to you today to tell you that after listening to the radio several times with your messages, I have decided to follow Jesus … I am truly determined to live from now on with Christ as Lord and Savior.” — response from a listener to The Messiah in Mali

Please pray the Lord would give TWR staff the creativity and discernment as we seek to develop programming to address the ever-changing needs within this community.

twr.org/advent

12/23/2024

In all West Africa, the nation of Mauritania is least touched by the gospel, according to TWR’s international director for West and Central Africa.
“Missionaries [are] murdered or expelled from the country for proselytism,” wrote the Rev. Dr. Abdoulaye Sangho. “More recently, two of our local contacts were thrown in jail for trying to convert other Mauritanians by distributing Bibles and Christian message content.”

Hassaniya is a language spoken by 29 people groups in 11 countries. Among the Mauritanian Hassaniya speakers, only 0.1% are evangelical Christians in a country where Islam is by far the majority religion.
Despite these challenges, Hassaniya Christians demonstrate remarkable faithfulness in the face of adversity. While their numbers may be small, their impact as salt and light within their communities is profound.

twr.org/advent

12/22/2024

“Whoever abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 ESV).

Abide in, remain in, live in. How can you make sure your relationship with Jesus stays fresh and alive beyond the holiday season?

Spend time getting to know and fellowshipping with him. Enjoy Jesus’ presence by praying and reading the Bible. A few quiet minutes each day, away from noise and distractions, can make a big difference.
May we truly live in Christ, trusting him for everything we need!

twr.org/advent

12/21/2024

“This is my heart for the Farsi-speaking people – that Jesus Christ will be praised. I want to give my life to this work. I want them to know who Jesus is because he can change their lives.” — Brother F, TWR’s Farsi ministry director

TWR’s Farsi ministry team finds innovative ways to reach places where missionaries cannot physically go, reaching the Persian-speaking world with relevant content through radio, podcasts and digital media that can quietly reach people in the safety of their homes.

“We use the language and music of the people we are speaking to,” Brother F shared. “By doing this, we touch their soul because music speaks to the soul.”

Please pray that the Lord would enable listeners to tune into the radio broadcasts and TWR media. Pray God would be glorified as his Word is spread throughout this region.

twr.org/advent

12/20/2024

What is the greatest threat to missions? Dan Schoen, raised in the mission field deep in the jungle of Suriname, has a few thoughts on the matter in this latest episode of Lifted Extras.

Lifted Extras | Episode 5More stories and bonus material from Suriname and the making of Lifted. The hardest part of ministry is often within our own hearts ...

12/20/2024

The current generation in Iranian society is marked by societal change, turning from traditional forms of media in favor of Instagram, Telegram, podcasts and Clubhouse, another social media app based on audio clips. TWR’s Farsi ministry team is creating modern content to reach this generation.

When a young woman was killed for not wearing a hijab, it gave rise to a movement in protest of strict Islamic laws that fueled anger in Iran toward religion. “Around 70% of people in the Persian world are disillusioned with Islam,” said Brother F, Farsi ministry director for TWR. “Now, they don’t believe in any religion. They’re lost and need to hear God’s Word.”

Join us as we pray that the Lord would guide the Farsi team as they look for more effective ways to promote their content in Iran. May they find the broadcasts and be changed by the power of God’s Word.

twr.org/advent

12/19/2024

“The program would come on twice a week, repeatedly telling us about who God is, our purpose here on this earth, about creation and eternity.”

Shanti’s husband couldn’t sleep with these words resounding in his ear, so they decided to go to a church to learn more. They met a pastor who addressed their questions about the program and helped them understand more about God.

TWR partners with Tamang pastors, providing them with audio players, biblical resources and programs in their mother tongue, which they use to run media home groups and conduct Bible-study sessions.
“Five months later,” said Shanti, “we both decided to be Christians and accepted Jesus. Today I listen to the program regularly and learn more about God. I have more faith in him.”

twr.org/advent

12/18/2024

The Tamang people are one of the major ethnic groups of Nepal, with a population of approximately 1.8 million.
In 1854, a social hierarchy of ethnic groups was codified into Nepalese law; in it, the Tamang were grouped under a category of peoples that could legally be enslaved. While the government legally abolished this in 1963, over 100 years of discrimination has left a lasting impact. Many Tamang today are illiterate and extremely poor, and alcoholism is common.

About 82% of Tamang follow beliefs of Tibetan Buddhism combined with animism and Hinduism. Only 6.6% profess Christianity as their religion. Bibles and other study resources are not easily accessible, and most believers and church leaders are not trained and lack biblical knowledge.

Please join us as we pray for the Tamang people and for the teams which endeavor to reach them for Christ.

twr.org/advent