To Haiti Tomorrow

This time four years ago, I (Kate) was preparing to take the first short-term missions team from our church (Community Church of Columbus) to Haiti to serve with Radio 4VEH in sharing the Gospel and giving out solar radios. Our good friend Melissa was on that first team. This week, I lead our 8th team to do the same, and bonus, we get to visit with Melissa & Steve Gross (& kiddos) who are now missionaries in Haiti, serving as teachers at the OMS school since August. 

Four of us from Columbus - Keri, Karen, Kelly and me - are joining up with Michael, Amy, Larry & Debbie, representing Findlay E-Free Church in Ohio who gave so generously at Christmas to sponsor radios to bless more than 500 families in Haiti. We'll be in Cap-Haitien Wednesday morning, and would really value your prayers for Friday and Monday, two focused days of going door-to-door with local churches to share the Gospel and give out solar-powered radios tuned to Radio 4VEH, with the audio New Testament in Haitian Creole (read by Storly). These are always amazing days of connecting with people, encouraging our brothers and sisters in Christ, seeing people make decisions to follow Jesus, being able to pray for people, and seeing how God has prepared the people and places for us to visit. 

While I'm away, Storly's Mom will be here to help him and the girls, so no worries there  :)

And in case we haven't told you already: 

• after being in debt for as long as we remember, Radio 4VEH is now debt-free! This burden has been a major part of our lives/work over the last four years. We thank God for this amazing progress, and as leaders in this ministry, we're determined to keep working to build a more effective and efficient ministry for the sake of Haiti. 
• the radio towers project (to replace two AM towers and restore the signal to again reach across northern Haiti where four million people live) is going full steam ahead, after we received significant pledges and donations last month. New towers are being manufactured and shipped to Haiti, and Storly will be there in July (and probably August too) to help the technicians coming in to do the challenging work. 
• we'll be in the UK in June, and will be sharing about our ministry in various churches and groups in South Wales, England, and Northern Ireland. More details to come. 

Thanks so much for all you do to help and encourage us!

Award-Winning: Proud to be a Part!

Somehow I have not shared these photos with you yet...unless you've seen them on any of our (mine, Storly's or Radio 4VEH's) Facebook pages.  

The NRB (National Religious Broadcasters) annual convention in Nashville, Tennessee, (22-25 Feb) is a big deal in the calendar of anyone in Christian radio who's able to attend. For us 'little fish' from a radio station in Haiti to the biggest of big fish in Christian media, it's a time of coming together, uniting, worshiping together, learning from each other, sharing the joys and the challenges of working as communicators in different fields and places around the world. 

And this year's Convention was even more special for these reasons: 

• we got another award (did I mention that already!?)
• we grew some deeper connections with ministry partners 
• we had good company for all or part of the Convention - Witny Telfort (4VEH operations manager, on his first visit to the USA, an eye-opening experience in many ways, including how cold it was), John & Karine McLaughlin (John's been head of 4VEH advisory board for a long time), and Dave & Marilyn Shaferly (former OMS Haiti field director & 4VEH station manager)

It was my 4th Convention, Storly's 3rd, but Marilyn first went to NRB before either Storly or I were born! So us Radio 4VEH-ers are not newbies at NRB. 

An appropriate reminder as the award presented to Radio 4VEH this year was a Milestone Award, recognizing more than 50 years of faithful service in Christian broadcasting. 4VEH celebrates 64 years in ministry in June. And there should be many, many more hands holding the award for all the people who've served at Radio 4VEH over the years. 

Storly, with NRB President Dr. Jerry Johnson (l) and NRB Chairman Rich Bott (r)

4VEH delegation with NRB President Dr. Jerry Johnson (l) and NRB Chairman Rich Bott (r).
4VEH delegation: Dave & Marilyn Shaferly, me, Storly, Witny Telfort, Karine and John McLaughlin.
(Photo courtesy of the National Religious Broadcasters)

Recipients of the NRB 2014 Milestone Awards:
Guidelines International Ministries
LIFE Outreach International Association of Churches
Radio 4VEH, The Evangelistic Voice of Haiti
Jerry Rose, Total Living Network
Teen Challenge International USA

I was poised, ready to take photos of Storly going up onto the stage to receive
the award. But then I heard the announcement "Radio 4VEH, presented to
Storly & Kate Michel" and realized I needed to go up there too!

It was a wonderful dinner event to end the Convention. 

With our ministry partner Rev. Tim Whitehead, Exec Director of
Galcom International, the fabulous people who make the solar radios
we use in Haiti. 

Ministry partner Ron Harris obviously saying something funny. Ron's doing
great stuff through MEDIAlliance International in training, mentoring and
encouraging people working in Christian media around the world,
 including us. 

John McLaughlin & Storly, proud. 

Storly & Marilyn, who served in Haiti (at 4VEH) for much of the time recognized
by this long service award. 

It's fantastic to be working together in this ministry! 

Witny, 4VEH operations manager. 

Praise the Lord! 

Women of Hope

We had the pleasure of meeting with Marli Spieker, executive director of Project Hannah, a ministry of Trans World Radio, that  is reaching out with compassion and hope to suffering women across the globe living in spiritual darkness. Radio 4VEH already produces and broadcasts the Creole version of a Project Hannah program, Women of Hope, but we'd never met Marli before. 

Her passion & her vision for using radio programs, prayer & raising awareness of the plight of women around the world is contagious. And we want to see a greater impact to bring to women suffering in Haiti. Plans are coming together! 

We enjoyed hearing Mark Burnett & Roma Downey talk about their
to-be-released Son of God movie, which we also got to watch at a pre-screening.
Definitely worth seeing. 

Were blessed to hear Michael W. Smith perform. I'd had some contact with him
via his agent, inviting him to perform at 4VEH's 60th Anniversary back in 2010.
He was interested, but schedule didn't work out. Appreciated his songs live!

Joni Earreckson Tada performed her song "Alone Yet Not Alone"
from the movie by the same name. 

At the exposition, Storly & John enjoyed playing with tech toys like headphones.

...while I enjoyed hanging out and being interviewed by Billy Irvin (l) of Faith Radio (Montgomery, AL),
along with Tom Blackstone, Exec director of Galcom USA.
We talked about using solar radios in Haiti, and in prison ministry in the USA.
(We partner with Faith to broadcast their radio programming in Cap-Haitien
for English speakers and learners). 

And I enjoyed talking again with Janet Parshall,
host of "In the Market with Janet Parshall" on Moody Radio.  A great lady!

One final thing. 

Because Mum came to visit and look after the girls while Storly and I were at the Convention (thanks Mum!), we got to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary in style. And yes, with thousands of fellow Christian broadcasters.

When I posted this lovely photo on Facebook, lots of people commented how I matched the flowers. Just in case you're thinking it was planned in advance, and we're having some romantic dinner or something, I need to tell you this: I crashed a meeting that Storly & Witny were having to say, ooh, nice flowers, quick, let's get our picture taken.

That's us, grabbing sweet moments on the fly. 

As we head into Good Friday tomorrow, and then Resurrection Sunday, we hope you'll grab some sweet moments with our Saviour. We wish you and yours a very Happy Easter. 

P.S. 

This time 4 years ago, I was preparing to take the 1st short-term missions team from our church CCC to Haiti to serve with Radio 4VEH in sharing the Gospel and giving out solar radios. Melissa Gross was on that 1st team. Next week, I lead our 8th team to do the same, but WHAT A BONUS, we get to visit with Melissa & Steve (& kiddos) who are now missionaries serving as teachers at the OMS school since August. How cool is that!! 

Best Bits: Hannah's Confession

I started writing about this a while ago, more than six months after the confession, but it's definitely a Best Bit, not just of our time in Haiti last summer, but in my life as a parent.

And then, while we were enjoying a leisurely breakfast recently (girls were off school - again - because of snow) and Storly and I were discussing the good and bad points about the previous night's live Creation vs Evolution debate between Ken Ham and Bill Nye (watch it on YouTube here...), Hannah asked a corker of a question: "When did I become a Christian?"

The conversation that followed gives more meat to this 'story' and it gives just a little more (actually, a lot more) joy to this mama's heart. And I asked Hannah if she's happy with me sharing this with you, and she is.

Back to the confession. We were driving along some road around Cap-Haitien. I've forgotten the exact details of the moment, but haven't forgotten the significance. But obviously the activities we'd been involved in over the previous weeks in Haiti were having an impact on our girls, Hannah especially.

Waiting with the Dynamic Women in Missions team
(led by Kim Burdick and Sharon Mishler) for a briefing before heading out to
all four corners of Fossé Capois village. By the way, these ladies are AWESOME!
Plenty more stories to share about their time with us.

Some parts of the village were a long walk from the church. A long walk. 

Hannah and Esther were getting a much better understanding of what we 'do', especially as we were focused on working alongside local churches to go and talk with people in their communities, rural villages mostly, about Jesus, and leave them with a solar radio tuned to Radio 4VEH.

Our first day of radio distribution, in Dubout near Limonade,
and Esther learns how to peel cashew nuts. Cool! Read more about that day here

Hannah and Esther have heard us speak about it on many occasions, and they can both give their own versions of what we do and what is this ministry we're involved in (it's fascinating to see them absorbing information, understanding it, and then making it their own...).

And then as we were bouncing along the road, recounting one of these days of sharing the Gospel and giving out radios, Hannah responded with this:

"I can hardly remember a time when I didn't love Jesus."

And my heart just about burst with joy. For us as parents, this is our greatest desire for Hannah and Esther, that they would know, love and follow Jesus. That's it. Everything else I desire for them - to do well at school, be healthy and happy, to love each other, to be generous, to speak with British accents (no chance of that one) - comes way below the Jesus desire.

So when she asked the question over breakfast, I reminded her of what she'd said in Haiti. And again, at bedtime on a special day for me (25 years since I made a decision to follow Jesus, read about that here), as I told the girls why it was a special day for me, and Hannah responded by saying that she loved Jesus before she could even read or write.

So, I answered her question "When did I become a Christian?" by reminding her what she had said, "I can hardly remember a time when I didn't love Jesus" and "I loved Jesus before I could even read or write!"

And then she said this: "Yes, yes! You see, I think I was born to love Jesus."

And there's the answer to the biggest questions in life, the 'why am I here?' kinds of questions, out of the mouth of an eight-year-old. Born to love Jesus.

--

P.S. I found this article by Pastor Brian Croft on the Gospel Coalition website very helpful in answering the question 'Is her faith/confession for real or is she just saying what she thinks we want to hear?'

Our Story of 'Love, Missionary Calling & Radio Ministry'

If you missed our recent 24 Feb interview on One Mission Stories, you can listen to our "story of love, missionary calling and radio ministry" here!

SKmichelpodcast

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