A Listener's Tears

Storly got back from Haiti late last night. As we looked through his photos from the 5-day trip (for the new AM towers dedication service), he told me this story from Friday's evangelism and solar radio distribution outreach in Phaeton, an old factory town of a few thousand people living with no electricity on the coast of north east Haiti. 

And the tears started rolling down my cheeks. 

Storly said:

I was walking around the village, checking on each of our teams. As I was passing by one home, a small one-roomed home, I noticed an old man sat alone inside. He was listening to 4VEH on a solar radio. One of our teams must have come by here already and given him this radio.

I asked if I could talk with him, so I went in and we started talking. I said "I see you have a radio. That's great that you're listening to 4VEH."

He told me his name is Ethius. He said, "I'm so very grateful for this new radio because my eyes are bad, I can't read anymore. But I can listen to the Bible now."

He showed me his well-worn Bible. He said, yes, he was a believer in Jesus, he used to be a deacon at church. But now his eyesight is fading and he can't read anymore, and limited in what he can do, he knows the radio will be a constant companion.

While we were talking, one of the guys we were working with from the local church came into the room and asked him, "Do you  know who you're talking to?"

He said "No, ...we were just talking."

The guy from the church told him, "That's Storly."

And he said: "Storly Michel??!?"

[This name meant so much to him - the name behind the voice of Bib la, the daily Bible reading in Haitian Creole; of Atravè Labib, the Thru The Bible study from Genesis to Revelation radio program; the voice of the director of the radio station that means so much to him...The voice of my husband who means so much to so many people. How amazing is that?!?!]

Ethius' response? 

He started crying. 

He said "Thank you God, I'm so happy. I never knew I would meet Storly Michel in my life. And now here he is, I'm talking with him. Thank you God!"

"God sent you to me today!"

It's hard to find words to sufficiently explain the connections, the relationships, the deep gratitude, the strong bonds of fellowship, the brotherly sisterly love of Christ that grows between those who speak into the microphone to minister and those who listen, who sit under their Bible teaching, worship, prayer, encouragement ministry day after day, month after month, year after year. 

And Radio 4VEH is blessed with a strong heritage of faithful-to-Christ voices who minister through the microphone - and blessed by so many faithful listeners, some who have listened to 4VEH for more than 50 years. 

The paradox of radio, a mass medium. Able to reach millions of listeners at the same time, yet intimate and personal. One person speaking to one person. One person listening to one person. 

Storly speaking to Ethius. Ethius listening to Storly.