Four Weeks After Hurricane Matthew

It's now four weeks since Hurricane Matthew hit the southwestern peninsula of Haiti.

I've been mostly posting updates and sharing info on Facebook since then, so I hope we're friends there and you know that we (in Indiana), and the ministry we're with - Radio-TV 4VEH in Cap-Haitien, northern Haiti - were not directly affected by the storm.

The aftermath of the storm will be worse, long term, than the storm itself, so though it may not be hitting the news headlines, please keep praying and committing to stand with Haiti, for the long term.

Vulnerable

For reasons that are mostly man-made, Haiti and her people are extremely vulnerable - to a storm, a hike in food prices, to a deadly disease (cholera) brought to Haiti by foreigners (UN troops from Nepal) who contaminated water sources [read this article  and The Big Truck That Went By (excellent book) for more on that].

This article from the New York Times paints a picture of what is now happening as "Cholera Deepens Haiti's Misery After Hurricane."

Read this New York Times article for a look at the ugly face of cholera in Haiti

The latest Situation Report from OCHA (UN's Office of Humanitarian Affairs), published Monday, says:

• 894,000 of the 2.1 million people affected are children.
• 141,493 displaced people are living in 204 temporary shelters in the affected areas.
• In Grand’Anse and Sud, 69 per cent of households have inadequate food consumption and 85 per cent of households use at least one negative coping strategy.
• Nearly 3,500 suspected cholera cases reported since the time of the hurricane on 4 October.

What's next?

A Haitian journalist wrote in one of the daily newspapers of what will likely follow the devastation from the hurricane: “a rural exodus toward the capital city, the central and northern regions. Famine, suicide, mental illness, a rise in cholera and malaria, and drunkenness. Promiscuity will bring a spike in births like after the 2010 earthquake, as well as new cases of sexually transmitted diseases.”

Doesn't this sound depressing? Yet it does not have to be like this. 4VEH’s mission to reach, teach, and serve through media is to point Haitians to Jesus, the One who meets our deepest needs—as individuals, families, communities, and as a nation. This is what we are doing, will continue to do. 

4VEH doesn't usually reach the worst-hit areas of the south-west via our AM station, but we have partners there. One Mission Society Haiti with 4VEH staff has done an assessment trip and is sending supplies in to church partners. We're looking for God's leading in what may be next there.

What's your response? 

One more link for you as you're thinking and praying about how to respond to this disaster - you may have already responded within days of Hurricane Matthew hitting Haiti (and other places), but I urge you to continue thinking, praying and responding as God leads you. This is not a 'one-donation,one-prayer-fixes-the-problem' situation. (There rarely is a one-donation, one-prayer solution...).

From John Adams, 5 things not to do in How You Can Help Haiti After The Hurricane. 

The Name on Everyone's Lips (and it's not Trump)

Propped against the wall of our dining room is a large picture frame. Though we moved in months ago, we still have things we need to find the right spot for. (Can you relate?)

At the centre of this collection of photos - taken in Senegal, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Haiti, Mali, Ethiopia, Liberia, Chad - is a photo of Christ the Redeemer statue, which I took 23 years ago, on a trip that would change my life.

There's a reason why this photo in the centre of this collection, which Storly and I wanted to place in a central spot in our home to help us remember the world - not our little world, but God's big world - and with that, for me to remember the people in these photos, to remember hearing their stories, connecting with them in the middle of the bigger stories of war, hardship, poverty, violence, loss, survival, help, provision, hope, and redemption.

I took this photo of Christ The Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro on July 24th, 1993, during my first mission trip, with fellow students from Aston University. It was a month-long, God-directed, life-transforming, eye-opening, faith-stretching trip to Brazil, to work alongside local missionaries with World Horizons, a ministry working then with street kids and developing a missionary sending centre to train and send missionaries from Latin America to places and people unreached with the Gospel.

By the time I finish writing my memoir, this trip to Brazil and its impact on my life will take up a few chapters, for sure.

Obrigado, Brasil (Thank you, Brazil)

But for now, I've loved watching coverage of the Olympics from Rio this summer. There were plenty of controversies before and during the games: raw sewage in the outdoor swimming area; forced evictions of residents of the poorest slums, the favelas; the Zika virus; security concerns; doping; and then, Lochtegate, and more. And plenty of stories of athletes who have triumphed over great adversity, injury, poverty, discrimination to succeed in their chosen sports. Inspiring!

I've loved seeing reporters from our local TV station, Indy's Channel 13 and their stories from around Brazil. Loved telling our girls as we all marveled at the gorgeous views of Rio and of reports from the favelas, "did you know I've been there?" and then sharing with them some of the stories, the good, bad and the ugly, from that trip. The energy, the diversity, the rich culture, the struggles of life in Brazil, particularly for the poorest, for the kids living on the streets. I've loved being reminded of the place Brazil and its people have played in my own story. And of the lessons God taught me there.

The Name on Everyone's Lips

And I've loved hearing the words "Christ the Redeemer" coming out of the mouths of news reporters and sports commentators. Seeing the images, the inspiring photography and panoramic views of Rio that include the Cristo Redentor statue as the icon of Brazil, the central image used in TV segment intros, online banners and other media elements that branded Rio 2016.

From a distance, and up close, the statue is mind-blowing. But nothing compared to the One who is the Christ, the Redeemer. Our Redeemer.

The International Olympic Committee has predicted that half the world's population, more than 3 billion people, watched some part of this summer's Olympics, with growing numbers of people around the world now watching online and on mobile devices.

As the media has moved on to the drama (groan...) of the US Presidential elections, I wonder how many people around the world heard the words "Christ the Redeemer" for the very first time as they watched the Rio Olympics. I wonder how many people asked themselves, asked a friend, or typed into a google search "who is this Christ, the redeemer?"  The Rescuer.

If that's you, take a few minutes to watch this video below.

Now that the Rio 2016 Olympics and Paralympics are in the history books, I pray that many people who have seen the statue and heard the words Christ the Redeemer as they've watched the coverage will seek and truly find this Christ who is our Redeemer, our rescuer.

The Smokies: Reminders of Haiti's Potential

Our summer travel route took us from home base in Indiana to North Carolina, Alabama and Florida, and back to home base, about 2,121 miles over 18 days.

A few days’ vacation in a log cabin in the beautiful Smoky Mountains in Tennessee before all our meetings began was a much-needed break.

The Smoky Mountains are just breath-taking. And they reminded us of Haiti—the jaw-dropping beauty, the mountains-beyond-mountains-beyond-mountains, the potential of Haiti, if not always today’s reality for every Haitian.

We hiked.

We jumped over rocks. 

We asked strangers to take pictures of our family. 

I asked our younger one to stand here and there, turn, so I can take photos. 

We spent time thinking not of the tasks waiting on our desks, but of our dreams and 'what if's', knowing we serve Almighty God who can do the impossible.  

And I, for one, did not want to leave. 

Set Apart for Service

At the end of June, we stood before other missionaries and guests at One Mission Society's International Conference, and said these words as we were officially commissioned: 

By God’s grace and for His glory, I will live a surrendered and pure life, growing in Christ-likeness as I serve Him and others in the carrying out of the Great Commission.

It was explained to us this way by OMS Human Resources leader, Tommy: "This is a sacred moment. It is a setting apart for service as was first done in Acts 13:1-4."

Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.  Acts 13:1-4. New International Version (NIV)

Four Charges: 

In addition to our verbal commitment, One Mission Society President Bob Fetherlin gave us four charges, which he explains this way:

• To put on your oxygen mask before helping someone else put on theirs – This is about taking good care of our own souls, ministering out of healthy, Christ-centered being. I urge you and others to nurture your souls through regular intake of the Scriptures along with prayer and other spiritual disciplines.
• To be a part of the Royal Order of the Towel – This is the idea of being a servant, following the example of Jesus who washed his disciples’ feet. He did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.
•  To follow the example of John the Baptist, who is described in John 3:30 as saying, “He (Jesus) must increase, I must decrease.” We are to live to be forgotten so that Jesus can be remembered.
• To enthrone Christ as Lord in our hearts – Lordship implies full ownership. If Jesus is not Lord of all, he is not Lord at all. This involves all-out obedience and full allegiance to him.

This commitment, and these charges, are not just for those of us with OMS, but are appropriate for every follower of Jesus. If that's you, read through them again and ask yourself if this is a commitment you're making, too. 

For us, we've now made these commitments publicly during the service, and here in the blogosphere. As we strive, with God's help, to live out these commitments, we'll need grace when we fail, encouragement to keep going. The part that struck me the most (because though I know it to be true, I did not expect to hear it here) was the first charge, about taking good care of our souls. We were exhausted, overwhelmed, needing rest. (Thankfully, we had already booked a few days' vacation, something we have not done for a long time.)

Perfect Timing: 

For most people who become missionaries with One Mission Society, and for others in full-time ministry, this kind of commissioning happens earlier on in launching out into your role, almost as the final stepping stone before beginning in your ministry role. For us, it came after many years of serving the Lord and the people of Haiti through 4VEH. 

We'd been scheduled to be commissioned during a regular chapel service at OMS headquarters a few times over the last couple of years, and for various reasons, it kept getting postponed. And we got a little cranky about it. If this was an important step for us, why was it being postponed each time? 

After the second or third postponement, we stopped even mentioning it to people, not wanting to have to say it's postponed again. 

In God's great providence, being commissioned during the International Conference was better than we could have imagined. Because people who've played a key role in our journey to this point were already gathered together at the conference. We were honored, blessed and deeply moved to have this crowd of witnesses pray over us, in British, Haitian and American accents. Past and present leaders of OMS in Haiti, leaders from OMS-UK, and OMS-USA, people who have shared their wisdom, experience and friendship with us over the years. 

We're so thankful for these people, including the one who was so moved to tears that she could not pray out loud over us. She's the one who responsible for sending Storly to the U.K. to study. To the place where he and I would meet and fall in love. Talk about playing a key role in our journey!

Hannah and Esther had a fabulous time at conference, too. Here they are with the rest of the kiddos practicing one of the songs they learned about being a light in the world.

An Abnormal, Normal Summer

Woohoo!

As I write, the girls have already been in school for a week (and all is going well, though getting back into the homework routine has its challenges). Storly's been in Haiti (for too long...ok, for two and a half weeks) and should be home in a few days. And Mum's here visiting.

First day back to school for our 3rd and 5th graders!

And I'm catching up on things, including this blog. Here's more about our abnormal, normal summer...

Heading to the airport within hours of the girls finishing school for the summer has been 'normal' for us over the last few years. But this year, instead of spending June & July in Haiti, or the U.K. (or both), we had a few weeks of regular work and preparing for travel around the U.S.A. while the girls were in vacation mode. And it was lovely. 

Fun with friends on Lake Monroe in southern Indiana is good for the soul!

"What's VBS?", Hannah and Esther both asked me, when I told them I'd signed them up for our church's Vacation Bible School. Huh??? How come my kids don't know what that is??

It turns out that we've never been here (at least while the girls have been old enough to attend) in June for the girls to be part of this great summer activity. But they got to go and be a part of the Cave Quest this year, and we have the photos stuck on our fridge to prove it.

Getting Papa with the sprinkler is good for the soul, too!

Team Dream / Dream Team

Meet Brett, Jay, Julianne, Wildy, Luciano, Claudine, Max, Johnny, Milton, Rodney, Anthonio, Keson, Rochenel, Junel, Renand and Mackenson. 

These guys are my DREAM TEAM!

Last year, when I was planning, praying, preparing, training, communicating, fundraising for Resounding Hope by raising funds doing my first half-marathon, this was my thinking: this year, I'm doing this alone; next year, I'm praying for a team. Thank the Lord for these guys!

First, it was me. Then Jay (from OMS HQ) and his wife Julianne, both runners, said "We want to be a part of this!" 

Then Brett (OMS Haiti field director, also a runner) said "I'll do it here in Haiti!" 

Then our co-workers at 4VEH - Wildy, Luciano, Claudine, Max, Johnny, Milton, and Rodney - said "We're not ready to run a half-marathon, but we'll form a relay team and run alongside with Director Brett."

Then members of a local youth choir, Flamme Spirituelle (with strong connections to 4VEH - they recorded their first album here, and our Operations director Witny Telfort is their choir director) said: "We want to help. Count us in, we're running too!"

Here's the deal: we're running to raise funds for Resounding Hope solar radios tuned to Radio 4VEH to bless families in Haiti every day. On May 7, 2016, Jay, Julianne & Kate will be running a half-marathon, the Indy500 Mini in Indianapolis; Brett will be running a half-marathon around the One Mission Society compound in Cap-Haitien, Haiti; and Wildy, Luciano, Claudine, Max, Johnny, Milton, Rodney, Anthonio, Keson, Rochenel, Junel, Renand and Mackenson will be running as a relay team alongside Brett. 

Why? Because we know these radios are making a huge difference in people's lives in Haiti - reaching people with the Gospel, helping believers grow in their faith, building up the church and serving the people of Haiti in Jesus' name. 

Our goal is to raise $12,000 to sponsor 200 solar radios - and bless 200 households in Haiti. That's $60 to sponsor one radio and reach a whole family with hope every day. 

Would you help us reach our goal by making a donation of $20, $60, $100, $600 or any amount you can manage. Every little helps! Your donation is tax-deductible in the US, and you will receive a receipt from One Mission Society. Give online here on our team fundraising page: Run for Resounding Hope - May 2016

If you prefer, make your donation by check, payable to One Mission Society with "407870-16RHRUN" in the memo line, and mail it to One Mission Society, PO Box 1648, Monument, CO 80132-1648. (And be sure to let me know so I can mark it against our goal on our fundraising page.)

For donations in Haiti in US $ or HTG can be given to Miss Colleen/OMS Haiti office, and designated 407870-16RHRUN.

For donations in the UK, give online through our fundraising page, or through One Mission Society UK if you prefer. Just include a note : Run for Resounding Hope 2016 - and be sure to let me know so we can add your gift to our total. Thank you! 

This Partnership-in-Missions Thing

A few weeks ago, we headed to northern Ohio to visit our dear friends, Dave & Marilyn Shaferly. It was, as always, a joy. And it gave us the opportunity to visit with our ministry partners at Findlay E-Free church.

At the end of the worship service, a woman came over to us, eager to thank us for the work we're doing. Her passion bubbling over, she said "We can't do what you do. Thank you so much for doing what you're doing in Haiti."

My response? A big hug, and an equally eager and passionate "No, thank you! We can't do what we're doing without you!"

It reminded me of another similar conversation recently. When unexpected, urgent and expensive repairs were needed on our house, some friends (who partner with us in ministry) helped us pay the bill, saying "We can't do what you do. But we can help you with this." That had me in tears, because we really needed the help, and our friends responded with such a solid understanding of what the Bible says about community, about the church.

These connections are critical for us. We can't do what we do without people gathering around us to prayerfully, financially and encouragingly support us.

Paul hit the nail on the head in Philippians, chapter 1, when he was writing to the young church at Philippi, to people he loved, and he said:

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1 v 3-5)

This partnership in missions thing...it's real, it's essential, it's beautiful.

It's encouraging to see our family featured on the Global Missions board at Findlay E-Free. If you have our photo on your wall, would you send us a picture and let us know that you're remembering us? 

If you have this kind of board in your church/youth group room/kitchen/office/wherever, with missionaries that you support - send them a note letting them know you're remembering them, you're with them, you're praying and giving and helping and encouraging and cheering them on....

We know we're not alone in loving the Shaferly family! Eating lunch here with Marilyn, Dave, Samuel and Michael.

P.S. We're at 87% funded in raising our support. We can’t take full salaries until we are at 100% of what OMS has calculated as our missionary support, covering salaries, travel costs, insurance etc. We still need some new support, with people committing to support us on a monthly basis - 30 people/families/churches/small groups giving $50/month or 15 people/families/churches/small groups giving $100/month would get us to 100%. 

If you'd like to start or increase your support for our ministry, you can do that securely on the OMS website Give to the Michels here in the USA, or in the UK, click the donate button here (and include a note in the donation details "for Storly & Kate Michel"). Thank you! 

Quickfire Catch-Up & Happy Easter

Oh dear. I've done what no blogger should do...not written for a while. Here's a quickfire catch-up!

September: Hannah was baptized

Watching Hannah and several other kids get baptized was priceless!

October: Kate teaching communications

Our friend Steve Gross posted this photo of me, saying: "Multi-tasking: Kate Michel holds a baby while leading a seminar at Radio 4VEH this afternoon for the leaders of various OMS ministries here in Haiti."  (I didn't hold the baby for the whole time, by the way, just while they were doing a practice exercise with their teams). 

So, in October, I was in Haiti to teach a communications seminar for leaders of the medical clinic, seminary, international school, church planting ministry, radio TV station, fellowship of churches, retreat center and nursing school - all part of what OMS is doing in Haiti. And our focus: how to find, tell and share stories of lives being transformed through their ministries. 

It was fantastic to share some of the things I've learned over 20 years in nonprofit/ministry communications (am I that old?!). The first day's topic was stories of transformed lives, (the second day: photos) and after teaching, it was exciting to hear each ministry share stories of real people whose lives have changed as God has worked through the ministries of OMS. I think we were all really encouraged! 

November: Ministry among Haitian community in New York and Connecticut

We spent Thanksgiving week with our extended Haitian family in New York. Storly preached at Eglise Horeb de l’Alliance Chrétienne et Missionnaire (with Senior Pastor Rev. Jean Saintilma Seide, and Pastors Raymond and Jeanine Dorcin) on Sunday morning, and at Eglise Baptiste d’Expression Française in Bridgeport, Connecticut (with Rev. Dr. Frantz Saint-Pierre).

A few take-aways for me during the morning service: this is a church with long connections to 4VEH. Pastor Seide's father served with the ministry that began 4VEH in the late 1940s. Long connections, faithful partnerships of serving the Lord together. 

Haitians are generally surprised that I can understand and speak Creole. As the service at Horeb church progressed in a French and Creole format I'm familiar with, I was thinking of those verses in Revelation, chapter 7, that speak of people from every nation, tribe, people and language worshiping God together. When we sing songs and hear Scripture referring to that future time, I often think of the global church at this present time. Being able to, and having the joy to, worship God among people who look different to me, who speak a different language, who 'do church' in different ways, is an amazing reminder of the present day global church, and a foretaste of eternity. 

Here are Hannah and Esther in one of our favorite places in NYC, Central Park. 

December: Recording church services for new 4VEH TV

During Storly's time in Haiti in December, he worked with the new 4VEH TV production team at their first recording of a local church service (Bethany church in Fort St Michel), which they'll edit for broadcasting on 4VEH Channel 11. Recording and broadcasting church services is a well-practiced and executed task for our audio technicians. But television is a whole other ballgame. We're starting small, taking baby steps, but are excited to see the potential for this new way of reaching and ministering to people. 

December/January: We moved house

We moved home, office, Storly's studio. Not far, same city, just a different neighbourhood. We've painted a lot of walls and ceilings recently. It's been exhausting. A big thank you to everyone who helped - packing, loading, unloading, cleaning, fixing, bringing us food. We couldn't have done it without your help!

Still Running

Since I started running two years ago, I have run 716 miles - or so my fitness app tells me. Who'd have thought it!

I've been running through the cold winter again, and am building up mileage for this year's IndyMini - half marathon on May 7. When I did my first half-marathon last year to raise funds for Resounding Hope radios, I dreamed that this year I'd have a team with me. So, I'm excited to have a few friends joining me in a Run for Resounding Hope team this year - in Indy and in Haiti! If you'd like to help us get started towards our goal of $12,000 to sponsor 200 radio for Haitian families, click on this link to donate online.  Run for Resounding Hope - May 2016

Deep & Wide - Collection of listener stories published

A big highlight for me over the last year has been planning, writing and designing a publication called Deep & Wide, a 64-page collection of real-life testimonies, celebrating the Lord’s work in the lives of people touched by the ministry of Radio 4VEH. It’s been a ton of work, but even as I read through the stories (for the 100^th time), I’m amazed about what God is doing through the ministry, and we hope this book will inspire those who read it.

-- 

We're at the end of the ministry's financial year - so some analyzing, reporting and planning to do for the year ahead; and travel schedules to work out for the coming months. But for today, this day of anticipation that straddles Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, we wish you and yours a Happy Easter!