Eleven Years On Air
From the Indonesia Satellite Project
Written by Ramon and Shandy Tengkano
Greetings from Indonesia.
Eleven years ago, during the month of February, we signed the contract with the satellite company to provide our ministry with television service. We realized that the amount of work and the funding needed to get a 24/7 television station to broadcast all over Indonesia were going to be huge. Feeding a round-the-clock channel with creative, innovative, yet spiritual content would take a large operation and serious team members, which we did not have.
Some media friends told us that running a TV station is like keeping hungry cows in a dry field with little grass. Either they end up being thin and eventually dying of hunger, or you’ll break your back trying to keep the grass growing faster than the cows can eat it. Or you’ll break your finances trying to import grass from different sources. One way or another you will come to realize that buying cows was a big mistake. And with a non-profit, faith-based operation that relies on donations, the probability of that happening is 100%.
Because we were hesitant at the beginning, we were given the option to create an internet TV station instead. But the islands and mountains spread all over this archipelago were, and continue to be, lacking in infrastructure.
Poverty is vastly prevailing, and those in possession of mobile phones and computers are considered rich; internet is such a luxury. An internet TV station would exclude the majority of Indonesians outside the big cities. That would be well over 200 million people! So we decided to sign the contract and accept the satellite TV challenge. We brought in the cows.
We have been feeding them for eleven years now. We can’t say they’re well fed or in the best condition, but at least they’re not thin, and they’re definitely not dying. We have never been taken down by the satellite company for non-payment. Although more than 130 times we have experienced “monthly heart attacks,” by God’s grace we have survived every single one of them.
All the resources have been put forth to keep the television station alive. Praise the Lord; the anticipated failure has not yet happened. With God’s promise that He will sustain, we will remain on satellite until Jesus comes.
We have often been discouraged in the work we’re doing, especially when we have faced hardships. Sometimes we have asked ourselves, "is it worth the sacrifice?" Many times when things have not gone our way, we have felt abandoned by God. However, two recent calls from our viewers really encouraged us. The first one is in south-central Indonesia. A lady said she is blessed to watch our television programs and is growing in her knowledge of Christ. She offered to pay our current phone bill just because she’s glad to find friendship in us. What a blessing.
The second call was from north-central Indonesia. A husband and wife who were constantly arguing and on the verge of divorce accidentally sat in front of the television while we were discussing a chapter in the book Adventist Home, by Ellen White. The discussion was life-changing for them, and the Holy Spirit drove God’s truth into their hearts. They called in right away to thank the Lord for our channel. They made promises to start a new relationship with Jesus and renew their marriage. Praise God! For He is alive.
Thank you all for supporting us here in this mission. Please keep us all in prayer!
- Ramon Tengkano
The cost to keep this satellite ministry running is only $10 per hour of programming.
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