When Wycliffe missionaries Alan and Faye Canavan took up their ministry posting on a small island off PNG, they were issued with a special two-way radio. Among other things, they were instructed to ring in, once a week, to report that they were safe. Should HQ not hear from them, a team would be dispatched to check on their welfare – with the strict condition that if they forgot to ring, and a team was sent to no purpose, the expense would be deducted from the missionary’s stipend!

On one occasion, much to Alan’s annoyance and alarm, the radio stopped working, and nothing he could do would revive it. So they prayed that God would fix the situation. Several days later, a passing yacht pulled into their island in search of clean water. “We’ve run out of drinking water,” said the traveler, “and we saw the reflection of your iron roof, and wondered if you could help us.” “Certainly,” said Alan, “there’s plenty in the tank behind the house. Help yourself.”

The fellow did. “I wish there was something that I could do for you.” “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about Codan radios, would you?” replied Alan, “Ours has broken.” Chuckling the fellow responded, “I used to work for the Codan radio company in England.” “What did you do there?” asked Alan surprised. Grinning from ear to ear the chap replied, “I was a radio technician. Let me go and fetch my tools from the yacht.”