Praying amid the turmoil

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Tuesday, April 23rd. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day. Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. Coming next on The World and Everything in It: broadcasting hope in times of chaos.

Last fall, Haiti's most powerful gang leader—a former police officer—called for the armed overthrow of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Gang violence and kidnappings became nearly routine.

EICHER: Then in February, Henry left the island for Kenya in hopes of forming an international security force to bring order. Instead, a wave of panic swept through Haiti's capital as rival gangs rioted.

REICHARD: In the months since, many have fled the nation, but a growing number of Christians—both in Haiti and around the world are praying together that God will intervene. WORLD’s Paul Butler has the story:

PAUL BUTLER: Sometimes, the only thing you can do is pray. For many people already living in incredible poverty, the gang violence and political uncertainty has driven many Haitians to their knees.

MICHEL: Every day there is a prayer program that starts the day. There's a prayer program that ends the day and there's a prayer program at midday.

Kate Michel is communications director of Christian radio and television station 4VEH. The live midday prayer program is an audience favorite.

MICHEL: And that means people can call in with prayer requests. They can leave a comment on YouTube as they're watching. And so what we see always during these times of real extra stress and hardship is that the number of people who join those programs increases.

And the program is reaching Haitians—not only on the island, but around the world.

MICHEL: They're praying for Haiti, for their country, that God will intervene, that God will do what only God can do. And that's what we're seeing at the moment. And just, we're just really thankful that we're still on the air and able to do that because it's a real need and really ministering to Haiti's people.

AUDIO: [RADIO STATION ID]

Radio station 4VEH has been on the air in Haiti since 1950. It’s seen some pretty dark days over the last 74 years.

MICHEL: If you look back at Haiti's history through all of that time, there have been lots of turbulent moments. There've been dictatorships, there've been coups and counter coups. There have been major natural disasters. And 4VEH has been on the air, reaching, teaching and serving the people of Haiti every day through all of those events.

But Michel says that things are noticeably different this time. The gangs are better armed, more powerful, and well connected to drug operations.

MICHEL: We are sharing the good news of Jesus in spite of and in the midst of the circumstances that people are living through.

Kate is the only staff member that isn’t Haitian. She and her family currently live stateside about an hour south of Indianapolis.

AUDIO: [FACEBOOK VIDEO]

Her husband Storly is the station director. He was born and raised on the island. He grew up listening to the station. In fact, he always knew when it was time to go to school when one particular program ended and another began.

Today the Michels have a studio in their U.S. office and continue their daily work from there, at least for now. But 4VEH has more than 50 staff members who are still on the island. Michel calls them a lifeline to Haiti’s people.

MICHEL: They are speaking and preaching and praying and doing devotions and sharing sports updates and family counseling, all within the context of what's going on in Haiti right now.

Most of the unrest is centered in Port-au-Prince. 4VEH broadcasts from Cap-Haitian, a city about a 4 hour drive inland. But their broadcasts and prayer services reach the whole nation. While many of their staff are safe, they all have been touched in some way by the violence. The station is not currently at risk, but gangs in the capital make getting diesel for their generators challenging. The staff also make regular evangelistic trips into the surrounding villages and towns. Just a few more things to pray about.

AUDIO: [PRAYER BROADCAST]

Michel says only God knows how this particular season of immense difficulty will end. But three times a day, the station staff, its audience, and friends around the world stop what they’re doing and pray for the nation, something anyone can do no matter where they are:

MICHEL: Now is the time for the global body of Christ to press in, in praying for Haiti, praying for brothers and sisters there, for God to protect and provide and help people persevere. This is a challenge for Haiti's believers like they have not seen before.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Paul Butler.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.