A Lonely Journey Overcome Through TWR Broadcasts

Have you found language barriers can make people seem unfriendly and distant? “Making friends beyond acquaintances was hard for me,” said South African-born Ivan Bam, looking back at his time in Germany in the mid 1980s. “In those days there was no social media to make connections back home or with friends when it seemed like life there had moved on without me.”

Bam felt his biggest barrier to integration was the German language and learning it was a process. “It was really difficult at first. I was trying to fix my loneliness by looking back to my home country. The feeling is often magnified by struggles to learn a language, form deep connections, and generally integrate into a culture. The loneliness that expats experience comes generally with a sense of alienation.”

“I could not speak any German when I first arrived in Germany. I felt incredibly lonely. So, during that time I tuned to the programmes of TWR in English on my radio. This carried me through a difficult period,” Ivan recalled.  Listening to TWR programmes in English helped him to overcome loneliness. Radio listening developed a beautiful habit of connecting with God while hearing voices that brought messages of hope and relief. Ivan called this part of his story, ‘What a friend we have in Jesus’.

Ivan has since returned to his native South Africa, and currently works for the ‘Back to the Bible’ ministry located in Pretoria. He clearly shares his passion that people should receive salvation and turn back to God.