Our Story
Since 1997, TWR Women of Hope has been harnessing the power of prayer and media to reach women with the gospel. But, how did it all begin? What led...
[Estimated reading time: 4 minutes]
It began in darkness.
One day, our founder, Marli Spieker, saw a woman covered head to toe in a black burqa. Unsure of why she felt such sadness, the Lord spoke to her heart, “This woman’s veil covers her entire life - she is shrouded in darkness.”
From that day on, the Lord continued to reveal to Spieker the plight of women around the world: suffering at the hands of war, natural disasters, diseases, and poverty, while facing a lack of education, healthcare and other resources. But their suffering wasn’t just a gender, social or economic problem - this was a deeply rooted spiritual issue.
Then, there was light.
“But Lord, how can I bring light to these women?” Marli earnestly asked.
Well acquainted with TWR, she knew the far-reaching impact of radio - and the immense power of prayer – and how they both transcended any man-made barrier. It became clear to her that the Lord was calling her to bring light to women globally through these two vehicles, setting the foundation for the ministry of what would soon be named Project Hannah.
Radio would spread the hope of the gospel to even the least-reached woman, while prayer would be the propelling force to see women encounter lasting change and hope in Jesus Christ.
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All it takes is one woman.
Upon seeing the woman veiled head to toe, Marli knew the Lord was calling her to more, but she knew she couldn’t do it alone — or without prayer. She gathered a faithful group of twelve friends to intercede on behalf of women lost in darkness. It’s amazing what God does with our humble offerings… he has since raised up intercessors in more than 125 countries!
“Prayer is the most important work we can do for women!” Marli believed with full conviction, and we still believe it today. Through a simple prayer calendar, a span of over 110,000 Christian men and women join hearts together daily in praying for the different requests our teams gather from all over the globe.
We also partner superpower prayer with high-power radio by broadcasting our signature radio program, Women of Hope. Using radio, we educate women on various life topics and point them to the light of Jesus Christ. Today, our program is broadcasted in 73 languages.
We’ve seen God do miraculous things over the last 26 years of ministry! He’s restored women rendered hopeless and given them hope again. He’s protected the persecuted and provided for their every need. He’s changed laws that dehumanized women, the very laws that our intercessors specifically prayed against. He’s brought salvation to entire households through just one woman listening to our radio program and sharing the gospel with her family.
We have tasted and seen his goodness.
It all began with one woman, but in faith, one woman’s yes can bear fruit to millions of lives impacted.
Project Hannah Meeting in Cambodia
Under the direction of Marli Spieker, Project Hannah sought to offer compassion, encouragement and hope to suffering women worldwide through prayer, awareness and radio programming.
After almost 20 years, the baton of global director was passed to Dr. Peggy Banks who carried a new vision of where to take the ministry. Building upon the foundations of prayer and media, Banks also saw the importance of equipping ministry leaders around the world and reaching the next generation.
Towards the end of 2016, TWR Women of Hope was born - honoring both the heart of Trans World Radio and the life-changing radio program that the ministry was built upon.
Former Global Directors Marli Spieker and Peggy Banks
For several years, TWR Women of Hope expanded to new countries, and for the first time, we were hearing stories of women believing they could make a difference. Our heart grew to educate, encourage and equip women of all backgrounds and ages to bring the gospel message to their communities.
Some things may have changed over the years, but one thing remains the same: TWR Women of Hope firmly believes that God has a beautiful story for each woman as a unique expression of his grace and love. No matter how daunting the challenges appear for women around the world, God has not forgotten any of them and has a good plan for each of us.
Global Director Susie Pek
We’ve now welcomed a new global director, and yet an old friend, Susie Pek, in early 2023. Having served several years with TWR Brazil, her familiarity with TWR Women of Hope has strengthened our mission to continue bringing hope and healing to women in Jesus Christ as we build upon the foundations of prayer and media.
Our teams around the world are continuing to seek the heart of God to see his will carried out here on earth.
We are women on mission, submissive to our God, fully dependent on the Holy Spirit living within us to carry out the call of making disciples everywhere.
We are wives, mothers, daughters, mentors, sisters, aunts, friends, agents of change, prayer warriors, faithful supporters, joyful advocates, cheering on and championing women and men alike.
We believe that Christ alone has the power to bring true healing and spiritual freedom to transform lives and bring lasting change.
Together, we are bringing hope in Jesus to women around the world and across generations. We hope you’ll join us, too.
P.O. Box 8700, Cary, NC 27512, USA
Phone: 919-460-3700 | 800-456-7897 (7TWR)
Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Phone: 919-460-3700 | 800-456-7897 (7TWR)
Privacy Policy and Terms of Use