Small Radio, Big Blessings

Patar, 41, a rubber farmer in North Sumatera, Indonesia, admitted, “My wife says I am a hard-tempered man.”

The last time Patar stepped foot in a church was eight years ago on his wedding day. Patar recalls, “That day we were given a Bible, and the pastor asked us to read it together, but I never did.” Since then, his wife kept urging him to come back to church with her, but he refused.

A year ago, Patar’s wife joined the Apostolik Radio Listeners’ Community, a group led by the Back to God Ministries Indonesian outreach team. She received a small radio to take home so she could listen to Christian programming during her free time. Knowing they were not wealthy enough to purchase a radio, Patar confessed, “I snapped at her, saying, ‘Where did you steal this radio from?’”

Patar’s wife revealed that the pastor who married them leads the listeners’ group and he gave every participant a radio.

“My wife always listens to the radio, from morning to evening. She always listens to sermons and spiritual songs,” says Patar.

At first he was turned off by her listening, but he became increasingly interested. “Sometimes when I go to the farm to tap rubber, I carry the radio with me. Initially, I only listened to folk songs, but I gradually liked the Christian songs and later the sermons, too. And now, I feel something is missing if I don’t listen to sermons for a day,” Patar testifies.

In the past months, Patar has begun to attend Sunday services at church. The Lord is softening his heart. On his journey towards faith he says, “I am grateful to my wife, my pastor, my community, and of course to the Lord, for His blessings through this small radio.”