TWR is reaching out to a people group in China and Central Asia

China (MNN) — Trans World Radio has been broadcasting into China since 1977 in the major language of Mandarin. Now, TWR is reaching another people group who have yet to be reached with the Good News of Christ.

TWR’s Gary Whitmore says, “There’s 9-million Uyghurs (wee-gehrs) out in the far Northwest part of China, actually Sinkiang autonomous region of northwest China. The book Operation China talks about there’s only about 50 Christians in the Uyghurs in northwest China.”

TWR has been broadcasting to the Uyghurs since November from shortwave transmitters in Guam and Russia, but that’s expanded, says Whitmore. “On May 30th we started broadcasting — we now have a powerful AM transmitter in Central-East Asia, broadcasting in various language and we start broadcasting in the Uyghur language.”

According to Whitmore, we may never know the impact the broadcasts are having on the people there, this side of heaven. “It’s a very, very sensitive region. And also, only about half the Uyghurs are illiterate, so there hasn’t been much response through letters or whatever, but we know people are listening.”

There’s another reason TWR is broadcasting into this language. “Only probably half the Uyghurs in China can speak Mandarin, so we think it’s very important for them to hear the Gospel in their own language and since they’re in the part of the world where it’s very, very difficult for them to hear and especially for people on the ground to share with them.”

TWR needs prayer and other partners for this ministry. “It started out with one church in Florida who adopted the Uyghur people. And, they’re helping us financially. We’re looking for partners to pray with us, also (to help) with finances.”