(mellow music)
- Come with me to an undisclosed country
where despite all odds Adventist World Radio
is bringing hope to the hopeless
and setting the captives free.
- I'm Cami, and this is AWR360.
(upbeat music)
(gentle music)
- [Cami] Reyna grew up in a small rural village,
helping her mother cook for their family
and caring for her younger siblings.
It was a simple and often hard existence.
And Reyna has started to feel discontent.
There must be a better,
more exciting life for her elsewhere?
She had heard stories of people going to the big city
to find jobs and making lots of money.
They would come back with glowing stories that only
left Reyna wanting to experience the big city for herself.
Maybe she would find happiness there.
Maybe she could earn enough money
to help her family back home.
Reyna knew what she had to do.
She packed a small bag with all her belongings
and set off for the big city.
(foreign language)
- [Reyna] I had never been to a city before
and rarely ventured outside my tiny village.
So the thrilling newness of this adventure
filled me with excitement.
When I finally arrived and stepped down from the bus,
my heart froze, as the reality of what lay before me
started to sink in.
- [Cami] She had no contacts here,
no place to stay, no job, and no friends.
Part of her wanted to jump right back on that bus,
but she had spent her last coins for that ride.
(foreign language)
- [Reyna] I had to be brave and with renewed confidence,
walk down the street.
If I could just find a job,
I would soon be able to help my family back home.
(gentle music)
- [Cami] One afternoon, a man approached Reyna.
He had a kind demeanor and offered Reyna a job.
He promised she would make lots of money
and would have plenty to send back to her family.
This sounded like a dream come true
and Reyna was anxious to begin.
(thunder roaring)
She followed the man down streets that narrowed
and got darker.
Unbeknownst to her she was selling her freedom and her body.
- [Reyna] What followed, would bring my worst fears
and nightmares to reality.
I was betrayed by a kind man who is now my cruel boss.
I was trapped and as the dark days past,
hopelessness filled me.
(foreign language)
- [Reyna] My boss did not fulfill even one of his promises.
And I was paid so little that I often went hungry
and lacked the basic necessities of life.
- [Cami] One day when her boss arrived
with her meager weekly earning,
he coldly informed her that he had no money to pay her
and tossed a small short wave radio onto her bed.
"This is your payment today", he said gruffly.
Reyna wasn't happy with this arrangement, she was hungry
and the radio wasn't going to fill her empty stomach,
but she knew there was no point in arguing.
Reyna had never used a radio before and out of curiosity,
started pushing buttons and turning the knobs.
Soon, the sound of sweet music filled her dark room.
(opera music)
Then a man started talking about Jesus,
his great love for us, how we can call on him
in our darkest times of life
and his promise to be by our side.
She stopped to listen to these words,
feeling like they were directed straight to her heart.
(foreign language)
- [Reyna] Up until this point in my life,
I had never heard the name of Jesus,
but a longing was born in my soul to know more.
I felt like a dirty, worthless human, but in that moment,
a glimmer of hope appeared.
I wanted to experience this unconditional love,
the man talked about.
- [Cami] Reyna didn't realize it then,
but what she was listening to,
was broadcast from Adventist World Radio.
She eagerly turned the little radio on, every day,
as the words of truth began to set her imprisoned soul free.
With every broadcast, there was an offer
given for free Bible studies
and Reyna of finally mustered up the courage to call in.
- [Man] 0917-597-567
- [Cami] The kind lady at the AWR office
not only signed her up for the studies,
but gave her the address of the nearest
Seventh Day Adventist church.
(foreign language)
- [Reyna] I desperately wanted to leave this lifestyle
I had been forced into,
but when my boss caught wind of my religious activities,
he was very angry and threatened to kill me if I left.
I now I had Jesus by my side though, and I wasn't afraid.
- [Cami] One day Reyna escaped her dark little room,
never to return again.
(mellow music)
She timidly made her way to the only safe place she knew,
the local Seventh Day Adventist church.
The members welcomed her so warmly.
They didn't shun her, but offered to help
and open their arms to her in protection.
Just a few short months later,
Reyna was baptized into the Seventh Day Adventist church.
(foreign language)
- [Reyna] I now live a life of freedom and joy in Jesus,
thanks to the unlikely gift and Adventist world radio.
- This is AWR mission to set the captives free.
Will you join us in spreading the message of salvation
and the unconditional love of Jesus to others like Reyna?
Your prayers and donations are changing lives.
From broadcast to baptism, this is AWR360