People have been emailing and phoning us
about this morning's earthquake in Tonga
It was a 7.8 magnitude earthquake and it prompted a tsunami warning for New Zealand and other Pacific countries. (The warning is now lifted.) Letio Faka-Kalisitiane (Christian Radio) 93FM is off the air in Nuku'alofa
It's taken us all morning to get through to Loni on the phone. He says there are reports of damage around Nuku'alofa but he hasn't heard of any loss of life so far. (The Islands are sparsely populated and it's rare to see a building higher that two stories. So thankfully, there is not the loss of life you might expect in a city.) | 
Loni 'Akolo is Manager of our
two Christian stations in Tonga |
The radio station is off the air because the transmitter and other equipment were shaken out of the equipment rack and onto the floor. Loni is now repairing the transmitter cables, ready to reconnect it and turn it on again. He is talking through each step of this with our technician in New Zealand by phone.Please pray that there is no internal damage to the transmitter and Loni can get the station back on air today.
Our station, Letio Faka-Kalisitiane 89FM is also off the air in Vava'u
Our station in Vava'u (northern islands of Tonga) is undamaged from the earthquake, although it has been off air since a lightening strike burned up the mixer panel last week. We haven't been able to send a new mixer to Tonga yet. As soon as we can send a replacement, Loni will take it and fly to Vava'u where he will run some tests on the transmitter in case it, or the antenna, was also damaged by the lightening. Again, he will talk through each step of this process with our technician in New Zealand.
Just staying on the air is a constant battle in the Islands
What an intense few days it's been. First the riots in Honiara. Then in Vava'u, Tonga, 89FM was struck by lightening and at the same time, the 93FM antenna (on Tongatapu, Tonga) was damaged in high winds (second time this year)!
- Praise the Lord - Gud Nius Redio is now back on air in Honiara. But we are using some borrowed equipment to replace the two mixer panels we lost from the station during the looting.
- 93FM Nuku'alofa, Tonga was back on air for just two days after repairing the wind damaged antenna. And then the earthquake struck, and we are off air again
- 89FM Vava'u, Tonga is waiting for a mixer panel so Loni can fly there to reconnect the new mixer and start up the station.
Will you please help us get these stations back on air again?
- Most of all, please pray for the two stations in Tonga to be back on air quickly.
- Pray for Loni's safety as he works with this electrical equipment (the transmitter has some very high voltages).
- And please pray for a grant application we are presently making to replace the old radio equipment in Tonga. (Very old - it was secondhand when we started the station in 1991! This is part of the reason why the antenna so easily suffers wind damage.)
- Would you also consider contributing to the cost of three replacement mixer panels?
We have run out of money needed to buy even one mixer to get 89FM back on the air. The mixers cost about USD $700.00 each (NZD $1000.00) to buy and freight. We need three of them, but the most important need is in Vava'u (89FM). If you are able to help towards this need, please email me so can I know when we have enough money to order the mixers.
Thank you for your prayer and financial help.
May God bless you
10 May 06 - Update and Thank you
We now have two of the three replacement mixer panels needed for the Island radio stations, thanks to the generosity of our Partners.
- One to get Letio Kalisitane (Christian radio) 89FM broadcasting again Vava'u, Tonga, after their lightening strike.
- One for Gud Nius Redio in Honiara, Solomon Islands, which has been broadcasting with a borrowed mixer since the looting.
Thank you for praying
And thank you for donating
When I emailed this good news to Loni ?Akolo (our manager in Tonga) he replied . . .
"It's very encouraging to see that people and giving a helping hand to keep us stand while the battle is on in the island. Graham I just want to say thank you to the donors who is donating the money to buy a mixer for Vava'u thank you very much may the Lord bless you and your family and may the instrument that you donate be an instrument to proclaim His Good News among the island especially in Vava'u. Blessings and thank you."
Loni flies to Vava'u next week when the new mixer arrives. He will test the transmitter before starting the station again. Please pray the transmitter and antenna were not damaged during the lightening storm.The other good news is that Letio Kalisitane 93FM in Nuku'alofa, Tonga is now back on air after the earthquake. However, the transmitter is damaged so the station is broadcasting on low power until our technician arrives from New Zealand next weekPlease continue to pray . . .
- for Letio Kalisitane in Vava'u and in Nuku'alofa to be back on the air again at full broadcast strength
- for all the money pledged to come in
- and for the money still needed to buy the third mixer panel - a second one for Gud Nius Redio to make their local radio programs.
Thank you again for your help.
May God bless you for your partnership
in proclaiming the Gospel in the Islands.
Because the Islands need Jesus!
Graham A Carter
Chief Executive
UCB Pacific Partners
