Barb is the new administrator for the HCJB Global Technology Center Facebook page and is learning the ins-and-outs of Facebook page management. Check out the page at: http://facebook.com/hcjbtech and click “Like” to keep informed about what’s happening at the Tech Center.
I (Dan) am looking forward to more involvement with Internet-based ministries both with the Technology Center and partner ministries because even people in poor areas of Africa are gaining access to low-cost smart phones. I can help Christian producers and content creators understand and set up the nuts-and-bolts technology that runs behind the scenes which is a foreign language to many non-technical people. Although working with technology is fun for me, what makes it worthwhile is seeing it used to communicate the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ.
One of our challenges is determining which projects we should pursue in order to further Christian ministry. We can assist others with radio station and recording studio setup, power generation for remote areas, and all kinds of digital and “new media” ministries.
Another challenge is the ongoing financial support of our ministry. This coming year we face a 10% increase in our medical insurance premiums. We praise the Lord for those who support us financially and are seeking others who will partner with us as we look forward to a new year of fruitful service.
 Our daughter, Jenny, continues to teach at an international tri-lingual school in Querétaro, Mexico. Our son-in-law, Oscar, has opened a Christian coffee house in association with a local church as both a ministry and means of financial support. We are hoping that Jenny and Oscar will be able to immigrate to the U.S. next summer, but we are learning that the process for obtaining a visa is long and costly.
Our daughter, Emily, had a great summer as an intern at HCJB Global in Quito, Ecuador. She is enjoying helping with the young children at church and volunteers at a local non-profit for handicapped children.
In September, our son, John, transferred to Indianapolis where he works with a video store chain. John does well in his position and hopes to be manager of his own store soon.
- Gifts from supporters helped make it possible for millions to hear the gospel via broadcasts from nearly 400 partner stations in about 100 countries.
- Weekly listenership to Arabic programs in the North Africa/Middle East Region (via shortwave and satellite) increased to 1.75 million.
- HCJB Global helped plant the first four of 100 community radio stations across Thailand and provided equipment for five others.
- HCJB Global accelerated the use of new media with a focus on millennials but attracting users of all ages; averaging 6,000 cell phone text messages monthly in Latin America; attracting 25,000 online listeners monthly in Quito.
Last fall, HCJB Global partnered with Moody Radio to raise funds for SonSet® radios to be distributed by staff members at five of the mission’s partner stations in Ghana, West Africa. As a result, at least 7,000 more people who receive SonSet radios will soon become listeners of local Christian stations. Because it is common in Africa for extended family and friends to gather around and listen to a single radio, that number is expected to increase dramatically.
 Pre-tuned, solar-powered, SonSet radio designed and distributed by the HCJB Global Technology Center
Each of those 7,000 radios was programmed, tested, and repackaged for shipment at the HCJB Global Technology Center. Hundreds of man-hours were needed for the task, so another partnership was forged when more than 180 volunteers from 15 of HCJB Global’s supporting churches traveled to the Technology Center to help the staff process the radios and prepare the sets for shipment. At the time of this writing, of the 5,000 designated for Ghana, 1,000 have already arrived and been released from customs. If all goes well, the remaining 4,000 will soon follow.
[Adapted from Technology Center News Network article]
We at the HCJB Global Technology Center believe that God wants us to use technology for His glory, and we want to involve young people who will continue this work. This summer, six college students are involved in several projects to harness technology for mission work. These projects include:
- A power-taming system to reduce the damage to radio and computer equipment in areas of the world with unpredictable power surges and brown-outs
- Designing a solar tower that will use heat from sunlight to power a generator in locations lacking electrical power, and where fuel is expensive
- Design of a Power Generation Potential Logger (PGPL) that missionaries in remote areas can use to determine whether there is enough sunlight, water, or wind to generate electricity for a radio station
- Refurbishment of a high-power shortwave transmitter for Christian broadcasts to unreached parts of the world
- Production of videos to show others what God is doing through various ministries throughout the world
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