From Listeners
Mrs. Yuan from China wrote, “The American Christian hymns you play in the program are so beautiful. Would you please send me a few?” After she received and listened, she wrote back, “I like the hymns you sent. Thank you. Could you please send more? I’ll check my mailbox.” Mr. Chang wrote, “I love your program so very much. May I sincerely ask that you send me a copy of the Bible?” Another faithful listener wrote, “I am sending you four postcards today. When you receive them, would you please give one to Mr. Short, Mrs. Shumei, and Mrs. He Yun (Salina) for me as a token of my appreciation?” Listeners’ response is like a thermometer, signaling us how touching, or how deep a level of connection our program content got to make. In other times, listeners’ response is a small but significant tool of encouragement in the hands of our Lord who knows all about us, including the needs of producers and donors. As you read samples of response from listeners this month, I simply want to say to you, thank you. Because of your love, prayers, and support, we got these notes from listeners. Please pray for each listener of ours that they would desire to know God more and that God would bless them with guidance and understanding.
Enriching Our Website
We are making efforts to enrich the daily content of our website. When listeners type into their smart phone or computer www.smzg.org, the front page of our Chinese website appears on their monitor. Besides the live streaming of Bible reading and the one-hour program of the day, they get to see individual posting from our program segment selected for that day. Website visitors get to choose a segment in which they are interested. They are given the choice either to listen or to read as well. When we were tied up by the Chinese Bible Reading project last year only one featured segment was posted on the front page. With that project completed, we increased featured segments from one to three every day since last May. Tractions were taken place quickly. In June we observed visitors increased from average 300 daily during the first quarter of this year to 1500 in seven days in June. We take that fact as God’s encouragement to us to do more. So now, we have increased featured segments on our frontpage from three to ten daily, each by a different producer and stringer, including Joni Eareckson Tata, William Chen, Dr. J.H. Bian, Dr. Berlin Fang, John Clayton, besides our regular team members. Even though daily hits on our website cools down during the third quarter. Now, an average of 600 visitors visit our website every day. Yet, we know the right attitude and focus should be on how God communicates with visitors in a variety of ways and by various servants of God. Please pray that God prepares more stringers and volunteer writers who can communicate meaningfully with our website visitors. Also, pray that visitors would want to seek God more by visiting our website, and that they would develop a habit of becoming a loyal visitor to our website in their spiritual journey.
A Sample From Our Programming
The pandemic continues to linger around the world. However, it also becomes a point of connection between people of different nations, including between listeners and us. Over the course of the past two years, prayers for patients, their families, medical professionals, public health government officials remains to be the hot spot of hits on our website. In order to provide helpful services to listeners and website visitors along the same line, we are taking every opportunity to produce programs concerning health issues involving Covid-19 medically and spiritually. For example, fear remains to be a major public concern since early 2020 due to the high infection and death rate that resulted from the Covid-19 pandemic. We interview Dr. Xu, a scientist in biochemistry and statistical analysis, on how to cope with Covid-19 so that we could go about a relatively normal life without fear. We point out in the beginning that fear is a God-given mechanism by which we could avoid danger, and it shouldn’t remain as the end result of danger. Dr. Xu suggests that we should first turn our focus from fear toward the Creator God who would help us to overcome all challenges. Secondly, we should confront the challenge by faith in God whose mighty power surpasses all danger. Thirdly, we need to focus on people in love and provide as much as we can for their needs. In his scientifically training Dr. Xu points out the importance of clear instructions. Science proves that mask, social distancing, and washing hands help stop the spread of virus. We should abide by scientific advice. In second Timothy 1:7, God instructs us to live in the God-given spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind. For example, a young man living in God’s power could easily get rid of the fear from Covid. But, because he lives in love and sound mind, he would wear a mask when he visits grandparents due to the fact that 700,000 deaths among the elderly in the U.S. had already taken place. As Dr. Xu concludes the interview, he emphasizes that science helps us understand the challenge we face and the mechanism of danger lies in the challenge, but science can’t help in changing human attitudes in reacting toward the challenge. It is God’s faith that helps us change our attitude and ways in responding to the challenge. That is why he, a biochemistry and statistics analysis scientist, would believe in Jesus and abide by God’s Bible in daily living. Thank you for taking time to read this report and thinking about us. May God bless you and keep your family in safety and good health.
