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A small group of missionaries is underway to a village. Once there, they will meet with the church elders, conduct a seminar, and share the Gospel with the 500 families who make up the village. The final leg of the journey takes almost a full day by car, but the missionaries are grateful – last time, it took them five days on foot.

This is FEBA’s ELSEA (Ethnic Languages of Southeast Asia) team, who proclaims the Gospel to ethnic minorities across Southeast Asia in more than 20 languages. The ministry originally formed part of FEBA Thailand, but grew so much that FEBA decided to establish a dedicated ELSEA ministry field in 2024. Now, each language has its own team who produces content for shortwave radio and online broadcasts, and travels to far-flung villages to visit listeners.

“Whom shall I fear?”
The work can be dangerous. Many of the roads are rough, snaking through jungles and into the mountains, and must be travelled by motorcycle or on foot. Last January, the team members experienced God’s protection in a moment of danger when their truck’s brakes failed while driving through a mountainous region. “Praise the Lord! He answered our prayers and saved us.” Even when they reach a destination safely, the team must be cautious. The Gospel is not welcome in the countries where they work, so they must take care to avoid unwanted attention. In 2024, the ELSEA director was heading into the mountains to host a gathering for 2600 young people. Despite travelling at night, the police found him and his companions, and escorted them back to the city, where they spent the night in police custody. The authorities forbade the team from going to the mountains, but the young people were waiting. After some consideration, the director decided to stream the event on Facebook Live – one of FEBA ELSEA’s most popular platforms. More than 30 000 people joined! This is a powerful example of God’s ability to make all things work together for the good to achieve His purpose.

Hardened hearts
The authorities are not the only ones who resist the Gospel. Many others refuse to accept it, because they are scared that the spirits will punish them for it.
In one village lived a young man and his widowed mother. He often lost consciousness and harmed others, until the local authorities decided to chain him up in a wooden cage outside the village. They considered it pointless to seek medical help, because they believed he was possessed by a demon. His mother faithfully brought him food and water, but the cage became filthier, because no one dared to clean it.

One day, a FEBA team visited the village. When they heard about the young man, they visited him, and even though he was incoherent, they spoke to him and prayed for him. On the second visit, they brought a mobile phone loaded with Bible stories, as well as access to ELSEA’s content on YouTube and Facebook. The young man began listening to sermons. Weeks later, when the team visited a third and a fourth time, his speech was better and his mind clearer. The young man finally chose to believe in Christ. While his appearance was still filthy, he was in his right mind, able to communicate and control himself. The villagers and authorities acknowledged the transformation but remained too scared to release him. The young man’s mother was so moved by her son’s miraculous change that she, too, came to faith. The villagers’ hearts, however, remained closed to the Gospel.

Blessed are those who hear and obey
When the people in FEBA ELSEA’s ministry accept the Gospel, they embrace it with their whole heart. One of the teams visited a village in a country where sharing the Gospel carries great risk. There they held two training sessions to teach people the parables of Jesus. The focus was on teaching them how to tell the parables to others. The teachers told each story two or three times and then everyone practised until they could tell it fluently. The attendees even learnt from the parables as they memorised them: one couple reconciled after hearing about forgiveness! Despite the risk, around 100 people attended each training session.

FEBA’s Hmong broadcaster, who received formal seminary training, regularly conducts Bible studies on Zoom, teaching the Bible verse by verse to hundreds of people at a time. The ministry has exploded thanks to social media. Although people were listening on shortwave radio, social media gave the chance for more interaction between the broadcasters and the audience. As a staff member explains it, social media brought “a transition from ‘broadcasting to’ to ‘interacting with’ people”. “For ethnic people, it’s easier to come to social media,” says FEBA ELSEA’s director. In 2024, the ministry received about 27 million views on Facebook and 3,5 million on YouTube. Broadcasts focus on Bible teaching, children and family life, and youth.

How can you pray for FEBA ELSEA?
Bible training is crucial and more broadcasting time is needed. Their need springs from limited broadcasting time. “We don’t have a 24/7 radio station, and many listeners are in remote places. They don’t have any pastors there, so Bible teaching is the focus.”

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Date published: 15/03/2026
Feature images from original article

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