How Rocio found hope and the gospel through radio

Rocio lived without her parents from the time she was seven years old, when they left Ecuador in search of work. Within three years of being abroad, her father died. Her mother stayed away for 11 years. Meanwhile, Rocio grew up under the care of her 15-year-old sister, the eldest of three.

During her adolescence, Rocio felt the lack of her parents a lot. She says: “In programmes at school and college, on holidays, or on my birthdays, I missed them a lot, but I had to be strong and independent. Although I tried very hard, it hurt that they were not there. Ideas started in my mind that nobody loved me or that nobody cared about me.

“I came to the conclusion that it would be better to take my life. But my worst fear was to try and fail in this, so I began hitting myself to cause myself harm and hoping that I would die someday from a trauma or disease because of this… those were the lies that entangled my mind at that time.”

Rocio recalls that one day she heard a friend say that Jesus is the only way to get to the Father and that He had died so that she could have life. This made so much sense in her mind that she began to cry out to Him. Despite this, she remembers sometimes feeling nothing and becoming discouraged.

“In the midst of all this, one of my sisters began to listen to ‘Radio Hope’. We listened together at night to ‘The Love That Matters’, the programme of Pastor Adrian Rogers. We enjoyed his programme and the music that accompanied it.

“One day my sister heard through the radio about an audio book of 40 days called ‘The Purpose Driven Life’. She downloaded it and saved it on the computer that we all used. One day, while I was doing homework, I saw it and downloaded it on my cell phone. I decided to listen to it for 40 days on my way to school.

“God used this audio book to stir my heart to seek Him more and look for like-minded people. I listened to it twice and was left with a need to seek more.

“God used this audio book to stir my heart to seek Him more and look for like-minded people. I listened to it twice and was left with a need to seek more.”

“First, I started looking for a church, but had no success and got even more discouraged. However, not long after this, I received an invitation to go to a Christian church. Without hesitation I joined and, that day, I accepted Jesus as my Lord and only Saviour!

“My life changed radically from the inside out! Jesus spoke into my life saying that He had always been with me in the midst of all the pain and loneliness I had experienced because of the lack of my parents. He said that He liked to see me smile! It was an incredible experience that filled my heart. I knew I had found what I had so long been looking for.

“From that day on, I began to attend church every Sunday. I attended alone, since my sister, with whom I listened to the radio, travelled abroad and she still kept traditions that our family had taught us. But I just wanted to know more about God! I bought a Bible and I loved to read what Jesus had done for me and for everyone.”

During all this, a big problem arose for Rocio. When her mother eventually returned to Ecuador, she figured out that Rocio had “changed religion” and a long battle began at home. Her mother was very attached to the traditional religion of her family. However, God began to work in her life too. A year later, she also began to attend church.

Radio Hope proved to be a lifeline to Rocio in a time and place where no one else could reach her. Now her whole family has been changed by what God started doing in her life through those broadcasts and downloads. With joy in her face, she explains that they all now attend a Christian church and Rocio began to serve the Lord in the Sunday school, the youth ministry, and in prison and evangelism ministries.

Rocio adds: “I have felt the call to serve the Lord as a missionary in Africa, so I joined a training with a missionary organization to take His Gospel to unreached people groups and communities. It is a great challenge, but also a privilege that God has allowed me.”