Dario Ramerez Medina, president of the national conference, shares this story from Paraguay’s German-language MB national conference that numbers 3,165 members in 22 churches. Paraguay also has a Spanish-language conference, Convención Evangélica de Iglesias Paraguayas Hermanos Menonitas, that has 3,304 members in 56 churches.
This story begins with the vision of two young missionary couples from Canada: Peter and Hildegard Loewen and Ernst and Adina Neufeld. They had the vision that through a radio station, the work that the Mennonites in Paraguay had started could be strengthened, encouraged and extended, while also being a valuable contribution to the work of all evangelical churches in the country.
We began broadcasting experimentally June 21, 1993. Everyone agreed that the name of this great vision, the first Christian FM radio station in Paraguay, should be Obedira, “obey” in English. So, the task of announcing the gospel of salvation began, with the satisfaction of seeing testimonies of transformed lives. The stories became countless.
With coverage of 250 km and because our waves reach much of the eastern region of Paraguay and northeastern Argentina, we reach thousands of families. With our programs, we support different churches and ministries in spreading the gospel and serving the community.
Despite having little more than 30 years of ministerial life and developing multiple areas of communication, we feel that we still have much to give. Today, we face new generations with different values that change the way they receive the message. We know there is a difference between the generation of 30 years ago and the current ones, but the message remains the same. We are confident we have the message and the ability to communicate it to the new generations as well.
That is why we decided to seek resources to help us venture into the world of social networks and the production of content adapted to a generation that is constantly changing and moving but needs to know about the fullness of life in Jesus. We are not alone on this path. We have found collaborators who have made it possible to transmit the message for more than 30 years. God uses them as instruments of provision and blessings. For us, it’s not just about broadcasting music; it’s about broadcasting life!
Prayer requests
Pray for us as our media team creates content on social networks.
Pray for our efforts to extend to locations where there is still no Christian radio station.
To learn more about our efforts to reach new generations, contact us at edgarklassen@obedira.com.py or visit our web site www.obedira.com.py We invite you to be part of reaching more people.
Did you know?
- Paraguay’s geographical area totals around 157,057 square miles, making it slightly smaller than the state of California.
- Paraguay is the only country to have a flag that has two distinct sides. The front side shows the country’s coat of arms while the back has the country’s treasury seal.
- Even though it has no coastline, Paraguay is famous for being home to the world’s larges navy among landlocked nations. It also has a river defense corps, a coast guard, and naval aviation.
- The literacy rate of people above the age of 15 years is around 95 percent, whereas the same for the US is 86 percent.
- Paraguay has two official languages. Guarani is the first, and Spanish is the second language used in the country. It is one of the few South American countries that retained its native/mother tongue as the official language. An interesting fact about the Guarani language is that many of the words in the language imitate the sounds in nature.
- In Paraguay, it is legal for anyone to duel with pistols. The only prerequisite of this duel is that both participants must consent to the duel. The people involved in the duel must also be registered blood donors. A medical specialist needs to be present during the duel.
This article has been posted by Christian Leader staff. The Christian Leader is the magazine of U.S. Mennonite Brethren.
