April 2014

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Greetings in the name of our Lord.

As we move further toward the days of 24 hour daylight and warmer temperatures it is awesome to see God at work.

The month of April has brought a number of new developments. Last October we received a call from the FCC telling us that they were ready to grant to us an AM station in Fairbanks and inquired as to if we still wanted it. This came as quite a surprise following on the heels of the four new translator permits. The original application had been filed in 2004 and was denied by the FCC in 2007.

We updated some of the information on the application and on April 8th the FCC granted VFCM a construction permit for the new AM radio station.

Quite a few of the native people from the interior villages have settled in Fairbanks or travel back and forth as this is where most of the native organizations are headquartered. Our station in Nenana reaches to Fairbanks, but not very well and it is difficult to receive it inside a building. Having a station in Fairbanks will allow us to better reach the significant native population that live and visit there as well as provide sound biblical teaching over the airwaves.

We have applied for the call letters KSDG; "to God be the Glory alone!" Pray for us as we work out the details and discern God's will for this new ministry opportunity.

Another blessing is that, Lord willing, our new translator in Aniak will be on the air by the end of April. This new radio outlet will be a translator of KYKD in Bethel and will broadcast a Yupik format from Bethel. The translator is being hosted by the SEND missionaries in Aniak. It will be exciting to see how God works in Aniak through this partnership.

In this month as well, God provided a new outboard motor to replace the worn out unit for KYKD's boat. Since there are no roads and air travel is expensive, the best way to get to the villages on the Kuskokwim river is to drive on the frozen river in the winter or use a boat in the summer. This new outboard motor will provide reliable transportation for the staff in Bethel to minister in the upriver villages such as Aniak and Kalskag.

As was mentioned in previous newsletters, we have upgraded our two 10,000 watt AM transmitters with a new power saving technology. We have also replaced our two vacuum tube FM transmitters with more efficient solid state units.

Well, the first electric bills are in since this upgrade and it looks like we will be saving a minimum of $10,000 per year between all our stations. Praise God! This will enable us to put those resources toward the added costs of electricity and internet charges for the new translators we are installing. Thank you to those who made these upgrades possible.

40 year old tube type FM transmitter at KIAM. Modern solid-state FM transmitter

Thank you again for your faithful prayers and support. We are continually in awe of God's provision and blessing. Blessings in Christ,

Art Thompson
VFCM Executive Director

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