Radio & Redemption: Leda's Story

In a nation once declared the world’s first atheist state, where the word “God” was removed from the dictionary and churches were crushed under the weight of Communism, one teenager’s encounter with a single Christian radio program changed everything.

When Leda was only sixteen, growing up in Albania in the early 1990s, she had never met a Christian. Her parents were atheists. But she was hungry for truth.

“I gave my life to Jesus the first time I heard the message,” she remembers. “I prayed the prayer of salvation every Sunday for six months. It was all I had—just a radio program once a week.”

It was a time of chaos and upheaval as the country emerged from the shadows of dictatorship. There were no churches in her area. No Christian friends. No Bibles in print. But God was at work. In her prayers, she asked for a Bible. One day, she found a discarded tract in the street—a few verses of Scripture someone else had thrown away. To her, it was treasure.

Eventually, after more than a year of searching, she found a New Testament. She made a vow to read four chapters a night, and she kept her promise, even when she didn’t understand everything she read. “I promised God, and I wanted to honor that.”

Years passed before she met another believer or stepped foot in a church. But God was shaping her heart—and preparing her to be a voice of hope for others walking the same lonely road.

As a university student, she began working in public radio while also attending a Bible school. It was a time of civil unrest. Her classes were interrupted by civil war, and for three months, her only classroom was the Word of God. “I read the Bible every day and listened to programs. It was how I grew.”

Eventually, Enkelejda Shelburne’s love for media and her passion for the Gospel merged. She helped launch one Christian radio station, and when it closed, she began another—Radio 7, a network that has just celebrated over twenty years of broadcasting hope.

Today, Media 7 reaches across Albania and into the surrounding Balkan region with Bible teaching, worship, and encouragement for people who often have no other source of Christian community.

“For many people in our region, Christian media is the only spiritual meal they have,” she says. “In the U.S., Christian media is like dessert—a beautiful cheesecake. But here, it might be the only food someone gets all week.”

Even as technology has improved and churches have begun to grow, challenges remain. In some regions, believers face increasing hostility and persecution. But despite the opposition, the mission remains the same: to bring Jesus to every heart in their region.

Her personal journey has created a deep empathy for the unseen listener—the one who doesn’t yet have a church, a Bible, or a believing friend. “That was me. That’s why I care so deeply about what we put on the air. It could be the first time someone hears about Jesus.”

From a discarded Bible tract to a multi-national radio ministry, her story is a testimony to the power of Christian media to reach where churches can’t, to speak when no one else can, and to shine light into even the darkest places.

“What Satan wanted to use to destroy, God turned for good,” she says. “Grace is free, but we should never take it for granted.”

For over a decade MEDIA Alliance International has stood with Leda and the team at Media 7. Leda has attended many of the MEDIA Alliance Summits, and we continue to travel and provide training when needed.