Waves of Hope

Jim Hocking, from ICDI, hands the Mayor a short-wave radio

Today we went to the village of Baoli for the dedication of the first short wave radio station in the CAR granted to a private organization. Jim Hocking, the director of ICDI, and many of his colleagues have been working very hard to get a Christian radio station set up for the people of the C.A.R. and today was the opening day.

What an inspiration to see the pride in the faces of the Africans who started and are running this station. Even the Mayor of the village came to the opening ceremony and spoke some words of thanks to ICDI for the investment they have made through this radio station. Praise God that this radio station will allow the seeds of the gospel to be sown throughout the entire nation!

Before the dedication took place we had a chance to meet
with several of the villagers whose homes were close to the station. They were so excited to see us and take pictures with us. They kept wanting to pose for "family" photos and to see their pictures. Oh the joy in little things -- we seem to have forgotten it in our part of the world...

Wilfred, radio announcer for ICDI

When you hear the story of how ICDI started a mere 2.5 years ago and see how the ministry has already expanded in so many ways, there is no doubt that it is God's hand that is making all this possible. The ceremony was a small one, but many of the Americans who helped the Central Africans start the station said that the Africans commented on how blessed and honored they were that we would come all the way from Bangui just for the ceremony. (It's only an hour drive for us.)


This radio station has given this village something to take pride in. It has given Christian Central Africans a ministry of their own. This is exactly what we as a church and ICDI hope to do: empower Central Africans to bring lasting hope to their own people, through love and good work, through words spoken in one's hearing, and now through the airwaves beaming the good news of Christ to a whole country.

We counted it an honor to be among the few white people here today!

Laura Gibson



Behold, a radio station!