New Studios Needed at GRN

Global Recordings Network continues to help teams around the world tell the story of Jesus in every language. The result of this is an ever-increasing demand for sufficient studio facilities to produce the recordings.

GRN has plans to build three new studios in their Sydney facility at a cost of around $300,000 and they need your help to raise this money.

Like to help?

To donate to this project, go to: https://grn.org.au/give/ and select “Particular Project” in the “Give to” drop down box, then put “New Studios” in the Comments box.

In the meantime, to appreciate the great work GRN teams do around the world, GRN’s CEO Christine Platt shares the following information about the teams and people who work in the various GRN studios around the world.

Nigeria

Sadly, this nation is best known for its scammers and the widescale persecution and murder of Christians. We are thankful for our dedicated team who go out into dangerous areas to record God’s word in the local languages and then return to those communities to make sure they receive the finished product.

The Northwest region has been particularly affected by violent raids from bandit gangs, while conflicts between predominantly Muslim herders and Christian farming communities persist in the Northcentral region. In March 2024 alone, nearly 400 people were reportedly kidnapped in Kaduna State, highlighting the ongoing insecurity. Our Nigerian team could be forgiven for just surviving in this environment, but God has been powerfully at work through their mission in this disadvantaged nation.  

The Nigerian GRN team travelled to unfamiliar villages around the boarders of Bauchi and Plateau States for language investigation in April. Navigation to these unfamiliar villages was so difficult, our recordist waited at the market from noon until evening, as only one vehicle was willing to go towards Mbat village from Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area in Bauchi State. After this journey, GRN’s contact person in the area had gathered people from neighbouring languages for language evaluation and meaningful discussions toward possible future recordings. Due to poor internet in the area, they earlier downloaded selected languages onto a SD card which was played on an MP3 player for language representatives to listen. GRN learned more about the languages in the area, and how they are related to existing languages in the 5fish app such as Mbat, Jarawa: Gar and Hausa. They were able to share Gwak and Bankal recordings with some villagers which were listened to and well appreciated!  

In May, the team were involved in a distribution project of the Pyam language. Joshua, our centre leader, reported that “In villages such as  Mungi, Nyengu, Bwalbwang and Pumbush, the Pyam recordings were played several times and many people gathered to listen attentively. From their faces you could see how enthused they were! Those with Android Phones were able to get the 5fish app installed while some Evangelists, Pastors, and Language committee members were entrusted with MP3 Players, SD cards and Good News flip charts for onward use in their communities. These materials were received with joy!” Plans were made to use these recordings for further evangelism.  

Some Pastors testified to the great impact these heart language materials will have in their churches considering the number of members who cannot understand the trade language. “One of the Pastors went ahead and pledged to create time within his church service to play some of these recordings every Sunday. The 5fish app was so amazing to many as it avails them opportunity to access the gospel not only in their language but other languages as well, which means “Gospel unlimited!”.  

“During the outreach, the Jesus film in Pyam language was also played at the market square where both Christians and Muslims viewed en masse. We praise God for a successful distribution. Pray that God will touch the hearts of Pyam people through these simple recorded messages in their language. Their villages are predisposed to attack, pray that God will secure them.” Let’s pray too that more Pyam people hear and understand the good news and are strengthened in their trust in Jesus as a result of this work.

Studio Role: 

1) Aussie studio staff receive the Nigerian team’s finished recording. They check the technical quality of the work and send feedback to the recordist. This feedback is eagerly read and putting the suggestions into practice means their next recording will be even better.

2) The recording is ingested into our audio archive from where it is made into audio-visuals and becomes available for download over our websites (5fish).

India

We are very thankful that our Kumbhar Language Project is now fully funded. We are excited that the first recording has been done in Kumbhar – the first half of the first book – has been translated, recorded and edited by our partners in India. It is now in the hands of Brad, in our studio, for programming while our partners move onto the second half of the book.

Philippines

The project to record a remote and very sensitive language is also fully funded – praise God! Our Philippines team are working with local missionaries and people as they translate the chosen scripts. Once they are ready David will join them from Australia to help with the recording process. David will go to provide further training to the Philippines recordists and to help them develop their music recording capabilities.

Ukraine

This war torn nation has been featuring on our news for a long time now. GRN is thankful for our Belgium and Swiss teams who have been able to provide some assistance to people who have been suffering for years.

The hostilities have horribly disfigured Ukraine and caused many human tragedies with families decimated and displaced, not to mention the incredible number of widows, widowers, and orphans who have paid a heavy price in this terrifying conflict.  

Our Swiss team has been assisting the church in Ukraine to display God’s love in this needy place and proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God. In wartime, the church displays by their action, the importance of Jesus words: If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (NIV 1 John 3:17-18) 

Our Swiss team has been fundraising and sending aid, working through churches and Christian organisations in Ukraine, to provide for such needs as the purchase of generators because of recurring power outages, as well as for urgent daily needs such as the purchase of medicine, food, and clothing to needed by the many displaced people.  

Beyond the desperate material needs, God’s people understand the spiritual and eternal needs of Ukrainians too. In the midst of war, they are all the more keen to share the good news of salvation. GRN are pleased to provide tools they utilise!  

Our team has sent many SD cards and mp3 players with bible stories and evangelistic messages in various languages ​​to all the countries bordering Ukraine, allowing them to reach several peoples, such as: 

• Uyghurs, Turkmen, Afghans, Uzbeks, and Syrians in Turkey; 

• Central Asian peoples in Uzbekistan; 

• Yazidi Kurds, Assyrians, and Armenians in Armenia; 

• Persian speakers in Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, and Turkey; 

• Arabic speakers in Ukraine 

To reach the children, Tumi Tiger, the delightful soft toy that speaks messages of God’s care and love has been made widely available. The Tumi script was developed in South Africa to meet the needs of the traumatised and vulnerable children there. Tumi now speaks Ukrainian too and can minister biblical truths of God’s love and comfort and hope to Ukrainian children. The team report that the children, who are often orphans, are so grateful to be able to hold a talking tiger in their arms! 

Thanks to the generosity of donors, the work of our Swiss and Belgium teams, and the GRN materials sent, we have the joy of serving Ukrainian people and their neighbours at a time of great need and distress.

Studio role: Once again every recording distributed in the Ukraine has passed through the Australian studio and made available through our websites.

Thank you for praying with us as we developed the studio plans. They have been a long time coming. Please pray for God’s provision: wisdom and discernment to choose an able and honourable builder, resources to complete the project, and people to work in the studios into the future. Pray they may be fruitfully used to tell the story of Jesus in every language.