Ron Harris

Patient Endurance

Patience is a virtue…they tell me. It is not one of my most sterling attributes. I can sometimes be found drumming my fingers on the counter while waiting “patiently” for my coffee to be reheated. On a better day you might find me multitasking while waiting for that coffee to be “nuked.”

So it is a bit humorous that my ministry work puts me on airplanes for 18 or more hours to get from home base to the ministry location. On top of that, you can add up to 10 hours of waiting in airports…even without those inevitable flight delays. I have had to learn patience in those settings, reading, writing, or…my most favorite sport…people watching.

There was a point several years ago where God prepared me for patient endurance in a very interesting way. The Lord knew I was about to face a time of great challenge, great testing, and great frustration. Just before that all transpired, His Spirit led me to memorize a verse or two from Hebrews. To this day I don’t recall how I arrived at those verses, or even why I decided to memorize them. It became obvious to me rather quickly, though, that it was the hand of God directing me in advance to His message that He knew I needed.

So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.
                                                                             Hebrews 10:35-36 (NLT)

Patient endurance. Confident trust. Not easy in our world today. Not easy…but easy-er if you have seen the amazing work of a faithful God as He provided and protected in personal and powerful ways. Confident trust.

I share those verses often, most recently with a dear friend who is working his way back from a stroke a few months ago. When I see him at church I can see the progress he is making. I’m sure that to him it seems painfully slow, but from my perspective I can see the results of his faithful rehab work and daily efforts to regain skills in the areas affected by the stroke. Patient endurance. Remember the great reward.

There are days where I don’t see progress in our ministry work. I have trouble connecting with people half way around the world. There seems to be a delay in some of the steps needed for MEDIAlliance to function effectively. Projects and funding seem slow in coming. Patient endurance. On those days, I need it, too.

Life in our fallen world has a way of frustrating us. Blocking us. Diverting us. Patient endurance…waiting on God’s promises…is a challenge. It takes daily “rehab” to get us to the point where we live our lives with confident trust in God. Not just in what we say, but in our actions…and in our patience. Ask the Lord for the patient endurance you need today in order to receive all that He has promised.

by Ron Harris

Ministry Prayer and Praise

Romania

While in Romania Judy and I took the opportunity to visit Alfa Omega Television and our dear friends Tudor and Mirela Petan. It has been our privilege to know these humble servants that God is using in mighty ways to take His message of hope through Christ to their world. This is Alfa Omega’s 20th anniversary in ministry and their 8th year on the air.

Tudor and Mirela have built this ministry from the ground up, and are continuing to build and add to their Alfa Omega Communications Center in Timisoara.  God continues to give them a big vision of reaching people throughout the region through today’s technology and creative and meaningful programming.

Pray for Alfa Omega, for the continued growth of their opportunities to impact that region with God’s Good News, and for Tudor, Mirela and the whole ministry team.

Serbia

You have been such a great encouragement to the Bogeski family, Sasko, Ira, and their daughter Abigail. For over a year Sasko has been under the cloud of a potential murder charge for defending his family and his home. Throughout the year Satan has sought to discourage Sasko and diminish his ministry work. Yet over and over Sasko and Ira have commented how they have felt the prayers of so many around the world, and have been strengthened by God’s hand through those praying and helping.

As of this writing, there is no resolution to the case. It may possibly go to trial, causing much more in the way of expenses for this humble family, not to mention the ordeal of the trial itself. I hope you will join me in praying for this case to be dismissed so that Sasko and his family can continue their ministry work without these heavy burdens.

Judy and I had the joy of spending several days with the Bogeski family, worshiping, fellowshipping, speaking to church groups and Bible students. We spent time talking through and planning ministry projects to help those in Serbia hear the truth of God’s love and grace for all who trust in God’s Son, Jesus. In addition, Sasko has headed up a team of volunteers to help people devastated by the worst flooding in history in Serbia. These Christian workers have helped clean homes and have been there to bring hope and encouragement in the midst of disaster.

Continue to pray for ELION Media Ministry in Belgrade. Pray for Sasko, Ira, and Abigail, that they will be protected physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And pray for continuing opportunities for this ministry and family to be the shining lighthouse in that country.

Albania/Kosovo

Many of you have been a part of helping Radio 7 minister throughout Albania and Kosovo. God is blessing your prayers and support. Radio stations in Tirana and Shkodra, Albania, as well as in Pristina, Kosovo, continue to proclaim God’s Truth in a mostly Muslim world. Not only are they sharing God’s hope to nonbelievers, they are providing spiritual depth to Christ-followers who are primarily first-generation Christians.

It is not without challenges, difficulties, and costs. Radio 7 (also known as Media 7) has been putting television programs on secular TV stations in Albania and Kosovo. Recently they were asked to give up their established broadcast times, so Muslim programs could be run in their place, especially during Ramadan. Radio 7 is holding to the contracts they have signed and staying with the times their programs have run for several years. Station managers are receiving a lot of pressure to move the Christian programs. Please pray for these station leaders to honor the contracts and allow the Christian programs to continue airing.

Radio 7 in Kosovo is also taking steps to secure their broadcast studios, to give the best protection they can to the Christian staff. Threats and even physical attacks continue to be a possibility.  Pray for the resources and for God’s wisdom for Radio 7 to take the proper steps to protect programming and people.

India

The teaching team is just about complete and the schedules are coming together as the Indian Christian Media Association presents the 5th Kingdom Media Conference, in association with MEDIAlliance International and other ministries. This conference will be held in Mumbai, India, September 3-5. Over 200 attendees are expected to participate in several tracks of media training…television, both intermediate and advanced, radio, church media, and social media/Internet.

The Christian broadcasters and communicators who serve as faculty provide their own travel expenses to India, and MEDIAlliance covers their expenses while in the country. It is a wonderful partnership arrangement that provides top quality training as well as outstanding spiritual insight.

Pray for the many details that still remain for the ICMA team in India, and for our teaching team that will be travelling to Mumbai for this conference. I believe God is preparing India for challenging days ahead for Christians and for the Gospel. Thanks to you who have prayed with us and provided specific financial support for this in past years. It is paying eternal dividends.

Turkey

Judy and I were delighted to host Soner Tufan in our home in late May. He heads up Radio Shema in Ankara, Turkey. This ministry is a lighthouse in a land that can identify only a few thousand evangelical Christ-followers among the almost 80 million people who are mostly Muslim.

Soner shared with some in our home of his hope to add more stations in Turkey as God opens the door. Pray for Soner and Radio Shema, a strategic ministry for Christ.

Ukraine/GCM

Scanning the headlines or most broadcast news sources, you might think things in Ukraine are OK now. However, there is still much tension in that country. Yet with the tension comes opportunity for the Gospel. Many in that country are searching for peace. What a great time to tell them of the Prince of Peace.

Our dear friend Dr. Hannu Haukka of Great Commission Media (GCM) in Finland is leading out in a major effort to share the Good News in Eastern Ukraine…Odessa, to be exact. His Mega City Campaigns mobilize the evangelical churches and utilize all types of media in a month-long blitz to offer millions the “Power to Change.”

Pray for Hannu Haukka and the GCM staff and the thousands of volunteers who will interact with those seeking hope in the midst of a volatile and often violent world.

NovaMedia in Kiev, Ukraine, has extended an invitation for me to come to speak to Christian media professionals in November. It is my hope that I will be able to go and encourage those who have access to such powerful tools like radio, TV, Internet, and print, to provide a path toward peace with God.

Ministry Partner Galcom International

What if you could put a million missionaries on the field that could share the hope of Christ with scores of people all day, every day? That is what Galcom International has accomplished through the years. This organization, based in Canada, produces solar powered radios that are set to the frequency of the local Christian radio station in ministry locations all over the world. Whole families…sometimes whole villages…are impacted by the teaching they receive from these little electronic missionaries. Glacom has just surpassed the one million mark for production and distribution of these amazing radios.

I have had the joy of helping with the distribution, most recently in Haiti, as these radios were given to villagers, even to witch doctors, in remote areas of northern Haiti.

Congratulations to our friends Tim Whitehead, Executive Director, and Allen McGuirl, one of the Galcom founders, for this God-honoring milestone.

MEDIAlliance International Team

Our MEDIAlliance ministry team continues to grow. We are blessed to have many who volunteer to teach at regional training seminars, like the one in India in September. We could not provide such outstanding training without them.

Along with the volunteers, MEDIAlliance is honored to two who serve on a part time basis to keep the ministry running smoothly. Let me introduce these folks.

D’Lynn Moxon joined MEDIAlliance about a year ago as Bookkeeper/Financial Coordinator. She has been a great help to me in making sure all our financial records are in order and that we can track God’s material blessings through those who give to the ministry. D’Lynn serves fulltime as Financial Assistant at Lake Arlington Baptist Church, where she and her family attend.

D’Lynn and her husband Ted Moxon have been married 27 years, and have two daughters, Amelia, who attends Texas Tech, and Abby, a junior in high school. D’Lynn has done accounting in both the public and private sector, and now is able to use her expertise in ministry. She says, “I love my life as a wife, mother and accountant, and know that it has all come from God's hand.  My life verse is Philippians 4:6-7.  It has never failed me, because He is faithful to keep His promises.”
Newest to the MEDIAlliance team is Heidi Mizell. Heidi joined the MEDIAlliance International team in May as the Database/Donor Coordinator.  She has over 15 years of administrative experience with 10 years of working directly with database software.

Heidi is from Jacksonville, Florida where she met and married her husband Stephen in 1999.  In August of 2000, they answered God’s call to full time vocational service and left Florida to start seminary in North Carolina.  Heidi worked in various administrative capacities, during Stephen’s studies.  In August 2008, they moved to Texas where she worked full time at Southwestern in the Institutional Advancement department while Stephen completed doctoral work.

Heidi and Stephen have three daughters, Chloe , age 5, Brooke, age 2 ½,  and Kathryn, nine months.  She enjoys singing in the Resounding Praise choir at Birchman Baptist Church, working as the Lead Coordinator/Volunteer of the Brother’s Keeper ministry at Southwestern Seminary, and cooking.

Both of these MEDIAlliance team members are a great help and a blessing for the ministry.

by Ron Harris

Never More United

Moldova Noua, Romania. Seven pastors seated around the table with us.  “We’ve never been more united since the revolution to overthrow the Communist regime.” What could unite these evangelical pastors from the communities along the Danube River and the Serbian border? A Christian radio station!

Judy and I recently returned from a 10-day trip to Romania and Serbia to be with some of the Christian broadcasters we have known and worked with for several years. We were in this small community to learn more about the Radio Voice of the Gospel (RVE) station that MEDIAlliance helped get on the air just before Easter.

This meeting with evangelical pastors was amazing. There was such a spirit of excitement and unity among all of these men. They were seeking ways to reach not only the Romanian listeners, but also other language groups. Across the Danube river is Serbia. In the area is a Czech community. These pastors wanted to be sure the Gospel reached these people in their own languages.

I felt like you were there with us at that table…with those pastors. It is your heart…your prayers, interest, encouragement, and financial support…that allows us to grow evangelical radio and television ministries through MEDIAlliance. All of us, working as a team…a mighty army…accomplishing God’s purpose for the Gospel.

MEDIAlliance is blessed to be friends and partners with many Christian broadcasters in many lands. As the Romanian pastors talked of Czech programming, I immediately contacted our friend Pavel Steiger in Prague, who is with Reach Beyond (formerly HCJB Global). We quickly learned of hundreds of hours of Czech radio programming, and we have connected Pavel with the RVE team to see what might be available and effective in touching the Czech listeners in Romania.

MEDIAlliance has a ministry partner in Serbia, Sasko Bogeski of ELION Media Ministry, who has already secured Serbian programming for the Moldova Noua station, and is working with station manager Cristina Olariu to develop specific daily programs to reach the Serbian listeners.

Another request from these Romanian pastors was for radios to give to people in the area. Our friend Tim Whitehead, head of Galcom International quickly responded to our emails and is ready to supply solar powered radios tuned only to the RVE-Moldova Noua station frequency at very affordable costs. Most of these ministry needs were in progress within just a few hours of our time with the pastors.

It is obvious that God is blessing the dedication of pastors, community leaders, radio ministry leadership, MEDIAlliance partners, and international friends to bring a strong witness for Christ to this region. Thank you for the part you have played, both in giving to MEDIAlliance and in praying for opportunities like this.

As I told the Romanian pastors in that amazing meeting, “Expect great things from God, and work to see them happen.”

by Ron Harris

A Gift for Your Financial Support

Would you like to receive the beautiful music CD we recently gave out? I want to make it available to you for a financial gift of any amount to MEDIAlliance  International. This recording, “In the Hands of the Father” includes 15 timeless hymns, such as “I Need Thee Every Hour,” “The Old Rugged Cross,” “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” “Jesus Paid It All,” “Sweet Hour of Prayer,” and many other favorites. There are two original songs written by the artist, Louis Harris. The recording was originally released to commemorate Louis’ 30th anniversary as Minister of Music at Christ Chapel Bible Church, Fort Worth, Texas.

Yes, we have the same last name. I am proud to say that Louis is my brother. And I am grateful to him and to Christ Chapel for allowing MEDIAlliance International bless you and others with this CD.

If you would like to give, click HERE, and you will be taken to a form on our website. We will need your contact information and mailing address to be able to get your CD to you.

Your financial support for MEDIAlliance will help us further the work of Christian broadcasters around the world. Pray about what you might do to assist us in this exciting and critical mission.

by Ron Harris

MEDIAlliance International

Our ministry has been blessed with the encouragement and support of many people and organizations. Recently we were asked to be with  thePremier Designs family as they held their National Rally in Fort Worth, Texas. We told the MEDIAlliance story to many of the 6,700 attendees. In addition, with the help of several of our friends we were able to give out over 2100 CD’s containing beautiful piano  arrangements of favorite hymns. Some who received them began to weep as they read the titles of hymns that were favorites of parents and relatives who are now in Heaven. It was a joy to bless so many as we gave thanks for the wonderful support and encourage provided by this great organization. We were just one of scores of ministries impacted by Premier Designs, Inc. They are a blessing.

by Ron Harris