The Evangelistic voice of Haiti

Last Tuesday I had the opportunity to go to the banquet for the 60th anniversary of Radio 4VEH, a ministry of OMS. The banquet was held in the auditorium of the radio station and the room was filled with staff currently working at the station as well as people who had previously been a part of the ministry at 4VEH. There were a few former missionaries who flew in that had been a vital part in helping cultivate this ministry. The afternoon included a brief history of Radio 4VEH, recognition of all who were present for their various contributions, a slideshow, and wonderful food and time of fellowship together.

I’ll give you a little overview of this ministry and its history and how God has been and is continuing to be glorified through Radio 4VEH. Since 1950, Radio 4VEH has been broadcasting across Haiti, the ‘land of mountains’ to rural remote areas, reaching most of Haiti and some neighboring islands. It is also broadcast outside of Haiti via the internet and partner stations in the US. Each day Radio 4VEH broadcasts 24 hours of inspirational and informative programs including bible teaching, news, community announcements, farming and health advice, worship, and encouragement. Radio 4VEH is the evangelistic voice of Haiti, reaching up to one million people across Haiti with the good news of Christ’s love, hope, and truth.

Since the earthquake in January, Radio4VEH has been providing comfort, prayer, and guidance to a broken and hurting nation. Through bible meditations, preaching, and counselling they have been able to inform, encourage, and strengthen the people of Haiti. In many cases Radio 4VEH is a lifeline to its listeners who rely on the broadcasts to hear God’s word and be spiritually filled.
The broadcasting center is located about a mile from the OMS compound, just north of Cap Haitian. Before this new facility was opened in 2001, the old station was located on the OMS compound and is still there today, although it is not being used for anything at the moment. The new station has recording, production and broadcasting studios, as well as offices and an auditorium. The recording studios have been developed to allow the Christian community to have their music professionally produced, and the music produced in the studios becomes a part of the radio’s playlist. As I previously mentioned, the broadcasts reach up to one million people across Haiti. One of the ways 4VEH has helped make this possible is through the distribution of the fix-tuned radios into the remote mountains and villages throughout Haiti. In the 1960’s, some 2,000 sets took the Gospel into Haitian villages and over 40,000 little ‘’Go-Ye’’ fix-tuned radios saturated the countryside in the early 1990’s. Now, thousands of small fix-tuned solar-powered ‘’Go-Ye’’ radios have been distributed throughout Haiti to receive the daily ministry of 4VEH so that every Haitian can hear the Gospel in his or her own language. This is one of the best tools that 4VEH has used to reach homes and hearts that otherwise would have had no access to the Gospel. The week prior to the anniversary of the station, there was a big week long crusade. Radio 4VEH partnered with a local church here in Haiti and a pastor from the states. We had a team come in to help with the crusade and they brought an evangelist speaker who gave the messages. The service was held each night in a big open square in the middle of Cap Haitien. Thousands of Haitians came each night to worship, listen to God’s word, and be encouraged through the power of the Holy Spirit. The services were broadcast on 12 different radio stations across Haiti. Each night there was an alter call and many people came to know the Lord in that place, as well as in their own homes or churches where they listened via radio. On Saturday night there was a concert and a famous artist in Haiti named Ti Bob performed before the message. I went this night with some of the other missionaries and Vedane(Dr. Rodney’s wife) and it was amazing to witness and be a part of thousands of singing, dancing, worshipping brothers and sisters gathered together to celebrate the name of Jesus. The ministry of 4VEH is powerful and effective and I want to share just a couple stories of how it has transformed lives and as a result proclaimed the glory of the Lord...

This story comes out of the book ''Let The Rocks Cry Out'' by Rachel Picaza (If you would like to read more about the history of Radio 4VEH along with more accounts of how the Lord has repeatedly shown Himself faithful and powerful through this ministry, read this book!)

''One powerful testimony that 4VEH aired, told of a former voodoo priest named Mr. Ludovic who was converted 8 years ago by the witness of the woman who is now his wife. Ludovic was a well known in Haiti for his satanic activities and murder, even of his own family members. He had appeared often on Port-au-Prince television.

Now he was speaking out for Jesus Christ, telling of God’s power that freed him from the bondage of fear and evil under voodooism. Response to his testimony in the French/Creole broadcast was electrifying. Listeners requested tapes of the broadcast and requested that the series be repeated.

In the village of Port-Francais, ten miles south of Cap Haiten, a voodoo priestess heard Ludovic’s astounding testimony of God’s transforming power. ‘’If God can save Ludovic, He can save me!’’ she declared. She did an abrupt spiritual about-face and accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior, changing her allegiance from Satan to Jesus. Years earlier, a 4VEH pre-tuned radio had been used by God to plant a church in this remote area.

A voodoo priest in the village of Lory, a few miles from 4VEH studios, was challenged by questions from a group of nonbelievers who had heard Ludovic’s testimony. As a result, the priest’s Christian grandson came to 4VEH to purchase a tape for his grandfather. ‘’I know he will listen,’’ the young man assured the radio staff. As tapes of Ludovic’s testimony are rebroadcast in the future, God’s Spirit can yet transform even others. Believers are praying for God to break Satan’s stronghold on the nation of Haiti.''

Another testimony tells of a woman named Evodie. No one knew she was making plans to kill herself...except God. Feeling ashamed and humiliated by the father of her unborn child, Evodie went to the market and bought two sachets of rat poison. Back home, she ripped open the sachets, emptied the poison into a bottle of Coke and prepared to drink.

As she put the bottle to her lips, the electricity came back on after one of the frequent power cuts in Cap Haitien, and she heard the voice of Radio 4VEH presenter Louisa Destine, in her program, Time for Comfort, saying ‘’I greet you all in the name of Jesus.’’

Evodie listened as Louisa began speaking directly to her: ‘’You with a drink in front of you, you have put something in the drink to take your life. This is not God’s will for you.’’

Convicted by the Holy Spirit, Evodie says of that moment, ‘’I fell on my knees before my Lord and asked forgiveness for what I was about to do.’’ In her time of need, the Lord intervened and saved her life, and that of her unborn son. God spoke directly to Evodie in a way she would understand-through Radio 4VEH. You can check out Evodie’s testimony on YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q2c2fZhh5o&feature=player_embeddedhttp://uk.msn.com/?ocid=iehp

These are only a couple out of the countless testimonies of how God has used this ministry to transform lives through the power of Jesus Christ. If you would like to stand in the gap with us and help cover the cost of broadcasting, or if you would like to find out more about the ministry of Radio 4VEH, you can visit their website at http://www.radio4veh.org/index.html

1st mobile medical clinic-Souffriere

This past Saturday and Sunday was our first mobile medical clinic in a town called Souffriere. Our team was made up of a total of 11 people: 6 seminary students, Phil who is a doctor from Northern Ireland working here with OMS for 3 weeks, Ms. Prudence who is the head nurse at Bethesda, Wadner who translated for Phil, and Julie and I who were pharmacists for the weekend.
Our team piled into the back of the truck at 6 am Saturday morning at the OMS compound. We loaded up all our meds and supplies that we had counted and sorted out the week before. We set off on the hour long ride to where we would begin the 2 hour hike into the mountains to the church in Souffriere. Ms. Prudence had arranged for some men from Souffriere to meet us with donkeys and motorcycles that would help carry our supplies and food up the mountain.


Despite scattered showers throughout the hike, the scenery was breath- taking and it was a blessing to be outside enjoying God's beautiful creation and in the company of our Hatian brothers and sisters. Four out of the 6 seminary students were a part of the team that went with us to Diquini Port-au-prince last March. It was so great to reunite with them and once again work along side eachother as family. Ther passionate and enthusiastic love for the Lord and for His people is an encouragement to everyone they come in contact with. The Holy Spirit's presence is alive and constantly at work in and through them, and it was a priviledge to be able to serve with them again. As soon as we arrived in Souffriere, we gathered in Ms. Prudence and her husband's home to pray and have lunch together before getting to work. Ms. Prudence's Husband has been the Pastor of the church in Souffriere for 20 years. Both him and Ms. Prudence helped Julie and I with the food and sleeping arrangements for the team(most of us slept in their house) as well as drinks and food for every patient we saw. Ms. Prudence has over 20 years of nursing experience here in Haiti and has done many mobile clinics before. We basically would have been lost without her this weekend. She made sure there was order amidst the chaos of hundreds of patients, took care of the needs of the team, and on top of that consulted with patients all day Saturday. When we arrived there were already hundreds of people gathered in the church waiting to see the doctor. So after lunch Ms. Prudence began handing out tickets to the patients and trying to assemble some sort of order. Julie and I were assigend to our own room where we started unpacking and arranging all the meds and supplies. Both Ms. Prudence and Dr. Phil started seeing patients at about 10:30. After they had their consultation, the patients brought the piece of paper which had both their exam and perscription information over to us in the pharmacy. We handed out their meds with instructions on taking them. After they got their medication, we directed them over to where the seminary students were and each person had a chance to talk one on one with one of the students about Jesus, and pray with them. It was really amazing because some of the students who were with us were from Port-au-Prince and had been in the earthquake. There were many patients we saw that had been in the Earthquake as well, so it was a great opportunity for the students to personally connect with these people. They were able to empathize with their pain and loss and share ways that God has since then produced beauty and new life from terrible circumstances and proved Himself faithful, loving, and gracious in all things. The plan was to take a break at 2 and right before we did, the rain started to pour. However, this turned out to be a blessing because there were so many patients who had come for the clinic and there was no way we would have been able to see every person that came. The downpour caused the crowds to disperse a bit, and we were able to see everyone who was left. As soon as we finished our break, the rain stopped and the sun came out. As always, the Lord knows exactly what we need when we need it and is faithful to provide.

By the time we finished, we had seen about 200 people. Two people that I know of asked Jesus into their lives and were saved that day and many more were prayed over and encouraged in their faith. Everything ran quite smoothly(given the circumstances) and everyone worked extremely well together. After dinner we all spent the rest of the evening sitting in Ms. Prudence's house talking, laughing, singing, and sharing stories together. One of the songs we sang was a Kreyol song that is one of my favorites...partly because I know it, but also because the combination of the student's voices blended together in harmony and the passion and emotion with which they worship is truly beautiful. Ms. Prudence must have agreed and after she heard us singing it she decided we would sing it in church the next morning. We got up with the sun, got washed, and had breakfast of hard boiled eggs, toast, coffee, and fresh pinapple(pinapple is in season right now and is delicious!). Me, Julie, Nicole and Yolen taught children's Sunday school at 8 that morning. It was Mother's day in Haiti and our lesson was on honoring your mother and father. We helped them memorize Ephesians 6:1 and 2, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother"-which is the first commandment with a promise." Then Julie and I got up and sang some songs with them in Kreyol and taught them a song in English called "Rejoice in the Lord Alaways." We performed the song and recited the memory verse at the beginning of the church service, and the children did great! Since it was a special day, the children's choir performed a couple songs for their mom's and were so adorable in their matching uniforms and ribbons. Ms. Prudence introduced our team and one by one each of us had a chance to introduce ourselves to the congregation, and afterwards we sang our song we had practiced the night before. One of the students named Jean Marc preached on Ephesians 5:22-33 and 6:1-4. He asked the church if God was honored within their families, and he talked specifically to each person in the family, father, mother, and children. He used the passages to encourage them to love, obey, and respect one another just as Jesus loved, obeyed, and respected God. He did a fantastic job, and he preached this fitting topic with conviction and energy that engaged everyone who was present. The service lasted about 3 hours and was great, but it was really hot and by the end we were ready for some water and fresh air! We had our last meal together, packed up all of our stuff, and began the journey back down the mountain. It was a lovely walk home and I had the chance to talk more with some of the students. I practiced my Kreyol and they practiced their English :) We had a few learning opportunities that will help us improve the clinics in the future, but overall the weekend couldn't have gone much better and I praise God for His presence in all of the planning stages and throughout the entire weekend. We know that NONE of this would have been possible without the Holy Spirit's involvement in every detial, and I am humbled that the mighty, all-powerful creator of the universe chose to put His Holy Spirit in us and enable us to serve Him in this way. I am excited for how God is going to use these mobile clinics to magnify His name and increase our faith. I await with eager anticipation and expectation, knowing that He will do a mighty work beyond anything we could ever predict or imagine. Please join me in praying for this ministry and the lives that will be touched because of it.
"Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!"
-Revelation 7:12