The cell phone revolution is a common phenomenon among our partners, including those in Africa. Three partners have contacted us just in the last nine months requesting our help to move their radio ministries toward a mobile-friendly media ministry model. The developing world is skipping right over wired telephones, cable internet, and desktop computer technologies in favor of the smartphone, which can provide all of the communication advantages available on these previous platforms but at a much lower cost overall. These tools provide an opportunity for another way to communicate the message of salvation through Jesus Christ.
This summer, one of our missionaries will lead a team of media interns to Burkina Faso to assist Radio Evangile Développement (RED), one of our ministry partners. They will evaluate the mobile media landscape in that country and learn how young people are using their cell phones to interact with the world around them.