Joy Ridderhof
Imagine what it would feel like to dedicate yourself to serving God on the mission field, only to have to go home even as people were coming to Christ through your mission. That was the situation faced by Joy Ridderhof in 1937. After becoming ill while serving in Honduras, she had to return to the United States.
During her time in Honduras, people had responded to the gospel and accepted Christ, but now, even as she had to return to the United States, she knew that they needed teaching. Many were unable to read and had to be taught through the spoken word.
Then, an idea began to take shape...from the United States, she could record Bible teaching onto record albums, and send them to Honduras! With the help of other Christians, she was able to begin making recordings and sent them to South America with a simple, hand-cranked, record player that did not need electricity to operate.
But, that wasn't the end. In 1940, she received a request for Bible recordings in the Navajo language...and, then, requests for recordings in more and more languages began to come in. Ultimately, the Gospel Recordings Network was established to make recordings in as many languages as God enabled them to, and to send them out and make them available using whatever technology was available.
Today, GRN has recorded Bible content in more than 6,000 languages enabling millions to hear the good news of Jesus Christ! And, it all began because one young missionary who had to leave her mission due to illness kept her focus on reaching people with the message of Jesus using all possible means!
May each of us have the same resolve as Joy Ridderhof when facing obstacles that might eep us from proclaiming the good news of Jesus to those who are waiting to hear!
"I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some." (I. Cor. 9:22)