After Three Years

In what way can the message of the Gospel come in contact with people every day? In Haiti, the answer is through the airwaves. Due to the introduction of low cost cell phones with internal FM radios (just like your i-pod), the medium of radio provides an excellent avenue for the Gospel message. For the past three years Back to God Ministries International has established a follow-up center in Port-au-Prince to leverage the very popular evangelical radio show produced by Pastor Paul Mpindi, entitled Perspectives Reformees (PR). The follow-up center has been an important part of our work as well, because it is a shared project between Back to God Ministries and our own sending agency, Christian Reformed World Missions. This week we are participating in a three-year evaluation of PR which is intended to celebrate the successes of the program and suggest opportunities to overcome some obstacles that are hinding it. One of the greatest successes has been the pastoral counseling program for those affected by the 2010 earthquake. PR's point person for the program, Pastor Gregory Brutus, has been entering displaced person camps (there are almost 500,000 persons living in such camps) to encourage and counsel struggling people. In one instance, Gregory met a young woman who had lost both her arm and her fiancee to the earthquake. She was ready to end her life before the encouraging Gospel message that she received from PR's radio program and Gregory's counseling helped her to see the possibilities that God was providing for her future. Thankfully, this young woman is trying to turn her life around despite her handicap. PR's radio program for earthquake survivors has been so popular that people have flocked to participating radio stations to listen to speakers erected outside the station because they had no radio to listen themselves. Please pray for PR as it must overcome some unexpected staff turnover and adapt to budget cuts and other challenges.