Referred to as ‘the happiest country in the world’, Bhutan’s landscape and lifestyle have attracted tourists from every continent. All citizens are expected to follow the state religion of Buddhism, and anyone who converts to Christianity will be watched with suspicion and will try to be ‘reconverted’. All Christian gatherings are illegal.
Despite these severe restrictions, there is a growing network of underground churches all over Bhutan, with local travelling pastors encouraging believers and sharing the good news throughout the country.
A few months ago, a Reach Beyond worker met one of those pastors who said: “Radio could really help us accelerate the spreading of the gospel. Can you please train us on how to create radio programmes?"
“The Internet is unreliable out of the big cities,” he said. “So, radio offers a steadier way to deliver the good news of Jesus to people living in rural areas.”
After prayerful consideration, the pastor assembled a team of local believers whom our workers trained in radio production. This was a massive operation given the precautions we had to take to ensure the security of everyone involved.
Since then, this dedicated team has been working hard on writing and presenting the newest programmes that will be aired into Bhutan from Reach Beyond’s international broadcasting site in Australia.
And the name of the programme couldn’t have been more appropriate: ‘Unlimited Happiness’, a reference to the ‘happiest country’ motto.
Spoken in Dzongkha, the language used by most of the Bhutan’s population, ‘Unlimited Happiness’ offers to its listeners interesting talks, music, and short stories that point to the joy that can be found in Jesus.
Thanks to the help of these new local ministry partners, we are now able to get closer to the ears and hearts of the Bhutanese people.
This is just the beginning. We want to distribute radios there too.
Will you join us in sharing the gospel in Bhutan?
Your gift of £10 today can provide a radio for a family in Bhutan.
Thank you!
