How Do You Know If You're in God's Will?

     I have asked that question many times over the years. I have asked it while passing through the darkest days in our ministry when everyone was looking to me to lead them through the emptiness and I had no idea where we were going. I have asked it when things seemed to be moving forward so fast that we couldn't keep up with what God was doing.

     Making the decision to move back to the states has been a long time in coming. I think we first started thinking about it 6 or 7 years ago. We were fighting to keep the ministry alive, our family was at the height of some very difficult struggles, and I was exhausted. We prayed about it long and hard.... I wanted to go home... but somehow I just didn't feel like the Lord was releasing us from overseas service yet. Oh, I could think of all kinds of reasons why returning would be better for me personally and for the family as a whole. But I couldn't shake the feeling that it was not time yet.

     Then about 6 months ago, with a very rosy future for ministry on the horizon, the Lord said "Its time...". Where does that come from?? I wasn't ready... I wanted to stay... We prayed about it again. This time I was convinced that we needed to go even though we were creating some amazing new ministry opportunities and needed more people to help us make it a reality.  My head was full of questions about the future.

     Confirmation of God's leading often comes after we start obeying His call. One of the biggest concerns we had was how we were going to get rid of all the "stuff" we had collected over that last 20 years? Well, the first day we posted our "For Sale"list, a young Ecuadorian man, and long time family friend, ran up to Ruth's office and asked if he could buy most of our big furniture and appliances. He was planning to ask a young lady to marry him and needed to equip their apartment. People then started asking us if they could buy our vehicles. Our house is another amazing story... We now have the signature authority that we need to clear the title and we have a couple of people interested in buying it... and we have not advertised the house or the vehicles.

     We are "hangin' on for the ride" as the Lord runs ahead of us. We don't have the future all figured out. But seeing the Lord orchestrate things for us now, gives us the confidence to trust Him with the things we don't have figured out yet. Thanks for your prayers for us. You are all a great blessing to us and we value your friendship and support immensely... Keep praying... There's lots to do still and only 2 short months to do them in...

Doug

New Media? What's New Media?

One of the things that I am working on with my new media team is the design of new web pages for the mission. Some of these sites are aimed at listeners or recipients of our ministries. Others are aimed at people who might support, serve (volunteer), or just want more information about our ministry.

We have a number of web sites that are on our list for upgrades this year. The first one was launched a couple of weeks ago. You can see it by clicking on www.hospitalvozandes.org. This page is for our hospital in Quito. It is in Spanish but you will get a feel for the page anyway. The page was created for people seeking hospital services.

My team did not create the page. That was done mostly by the marketing department at the hospital, but we were asked to review the page just before it was launched and see if there were any improvements that we could suggest. So we did and sure enough, there were a number of things that we could suggest that makes the page easier to use. Some of our suggestions will make the page accessible from smart phones. Others make it easier to find key information. Still others make it easier to update the information so that the page does not become out-dated so quickly.

We are helping our ministries take full advantage of the web.

Doug

They're Coming... Are You?

They're coming! Some are old... others are young... some are merely children. They're coming from all walks of life... from all socio-economic classes. Some will travel for several hours. Some will be there via internet. Some will listen on their radios. Some 6,000 will physically walk through our gates during the 3-day event. Why are they coming? What do they seek? They want to be part of the Mision Compartida 2011 (the Shared Mission) celebration.

Activities for Children Give Something for Everyone

Each year we open our doors, our phones and our hearts to give our listeners the opportunity to share how God has used radio HCJB in their lives. Many come to meet one of our radio producers whom God used to say "just the right thing, at just the right time". Others come to see the station they have only heard about on their radio. Others come personally to leave their donation with us because it means more to them if they give it in person. Others call in with their pledge and tell us how the station has helped them grow through the previous year.

Live Christian Music on Stage and on the Radio

For 3 days, HCJB hosts this big celebration. Christian musical groups perform live on stage. Tents go up on the grounds, offering  activities for children, opportunities to meet local missionaries, games, etc. The live studio audience is a hallmark of the event. But the story behind the story are the encounters our producers have with their listeners. It's the story of how God is working in individual lives. It is seeing the child that we prayed for on the air. This is the most important "touch" we have with our audience all year.

People Come to the Station to Give Their Donation

It is also impressive to see how people open their pocketbooks and how God pours out His blessing upon us financially. Last year we raised a quarter of a million dollars from our listeners, and the blessing grows every year. Even in these tough economic times we have seen consistent 20% growth in our donations year-over-year. We have a saying in the USA... "Put your money where your mouth is". Well the people of Ecuador certainly seem to be taking that to heart. It is humbling to see so many of our donors come. Some give as little as dollar, but they come anyway. They want to be part of the Shared Mission. That mission is to reach Latin America and the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. They have seen God work in their own lives and they want to share it with others. The station helps them do that by giving 10% of every dollar received to support native Latin Americans who are serving on the mission field, some in very difficult situations.

Doing Radio in Front of a Live Studio Audience

If you want to be a part of this celebration, you can be. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter. We'll be posting photos, videos and even doing some "live streaming" on Facebook during the event. Of course a little knowledge of Spanish will help you know what is going on, but you'll get a feel for the event even if you don't. If you feel moved to be a financial partner with Mision Compartida you can visit our web page. Most of all, you can pray for us. What a privilege it is to serve our Lord and Savior and see Him move through His people.

Thanks,

Doug Weber
HCJB Voz Global

Evangelism Right Out in the Open...

Every year about this time, the staff at radio station HCJB begin to move into high gear. The excitement level raises. Staff members are seen running around the station. Decorations begin to fill the conference rooms. E-mail activity begins to increase.

Quito Day Concert Choir and Orchestra

It's not the Christmas season that does it. It isn't Black Friday or even Cyber Monday. It's a sign that two of HCJB's biggest events of the year are coming. The first of those is a concert called The Quito Day Concerts and it is happening this weekend.

Radio station HCJB has been presenting this annual event since the 1960s. It is a celebration that the city of Quito hosts in honor of their founding by the Spanish in 1534. The leaders of HCJB saw this time as an opportunity to show our host city what we are all about... the gospel message... and what better time to do that than right before Christmas?

Quito Day Concert Orchestra

In recent years we have mixed drama, video, humor and dance into the concerts, which all help to point the concert goers toward our Lord and Savior. The choir consists of some 80 volunteers from the community. A live volunteer orchestra also accompanies the choir. One of those volunteers is our son Daniel. Daniel was invited to play in the orchestra by the conductor of the choir who also happens to be his band teacher at school.

Please remember to pray for all those who will be attending the concerts. Pray that they will see a clear presentation of the gospel and decide to put their faith in Jesus Christ. Pray for Daniel as he plays  his saxophone alongside other volunteers from the National Philharmonic Orchestra. Pray that Daniel will play well and also be able to keep up with his school work this weekend.

Thanks,

Doug & Ruth

The New Media Moves Fast!

Well, it has only been a few weeks since our return from Home Ministry Assignment in the USA last summer. And boy did we hit the ground running. Seems everyone is getting the "new media bug" and my little department and I are getting inundated with requests for help. That is good news... but it also caused my managers to realize that I needed more time to dedicate to new media. So, about a week ago I was relieved of my responsibilities over ALAS (satellite network) and SERVIR (radio agency). I will still be involved with partner relations for both, but I am greatly relieved to be able to concentrate on just new media initiatives.

Web page www.radiohcjb.org

So what kinds of opportunities are coming our way? We currently have four web pages that are in various states of re-design. We act as consultants for other HCJB Global ministries who are launching these pages, giving them suggestions for how to make their pages better, web page navigation tips, ideas on how to present their information, tips on how to make them interactive, etc.

About two weeks ago, I was also asked to take the leadership of a new internet initiative to reach Latin American youth who are on the fringes of the church. These are kids who have grown up in church but have been disheartened by what they have seen and are moving away from the church as an institution. We are still forming the approach that we will use to reach these kids, but this is completely new ground for HCJB Global in Latin America.

Facebook page for "HCJB La Voz De Los Andes"

We are still involved in Facebook initiatives. Last week we tested a live video stream that we were able to add as a tab on one of our Facebook pages. I even did a "remote" shoot of the "Open House for the Bible" event HCJB hosted last Friday and Saturday. We hope to eventually connect the live video from my iPhone to the stream that our fans can see on the Facebook page.

Then just this week, another missionary stopped by to "chat".  Together we shared our respective dreams to start producing video content for the use on the internet. Although he will do most of the video production, this effort falls squarely under new media because we will use the internet for distribution.

So you can be praying for my team and I as we try to keep all of these balls in the air. Currently I have three half-time people working with me on new media. Pray that we can prioritize our efforts well and get the most out of each opportunity for God's glory...

Thanks,

Doug