Ted Miller lies on the floor to work on the mass or wires beneath the console.

(Dec. 7, 2012 - by Erica Simone) Imagine a tangle of wires protruding from an electrical box. Some are functional, but most have been dead for decades but never removed. Your job is to find the other ends, take out what isn't being used and label the ones that are.

Ted Miller from the HCJB Global Technology Center has done just this kind of work with partner ministry Radio Lumière, based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Recently completing his seventh trip, Miller has been helping the network update its studios.

Conditions in Haiti since the earthquake are not unlike the tangle of wires Miller worked through. Many logistics need to be sorted out to get the country stable again-a slow and tedious process.

Radio Lumière is dealing with struggles of its own. Although the ministry's main studios in the capital suffered only minor damage, three staff members were killed in the quake, and several others lost their homes. But the ministry's biggest challenge may be financial.

The main studio at Radio Lumière in Port-au-Prince after Ted Miller made improvements.

"The studio had been gradually deteriorating due to lack of funding even before the earthquake struck," Miller explained. "The main damage was to their finances."

Much of the support for the ministry streams in from Haitians both in Haiti and the U.S. "Extra money that was coming to Radio Lumière was redirected to help out their extended families," he added. "HCJB Global took on the project of updating the studios so Radio Lumière could continue to minister after the earthquake."

In addition to sorting out wires, Miller spent some time training a Haitian staff member, Roudoll Pierre-Louis, on how to use the music recording software. The only problem was that they didn't speak the same language.

"I speak neither French nor Creole, and he speaks no English or Spanish" Miller related. Together they used Google Translate and painstakingly worked through the training process.

Jerry Miel, a missionary with United Indian Mission who has worked with Miller in Haiti, said that while broadcast radio may be on the decline in some parts of the world, Radio Lumière continues to play a key role in Haitian society, encouraging residents, keeping them informed and contributing to the growth of Haitian churches.

"In Haiti, radio is still the most important [communications medium] and is likely to remain so for a number of years to come," he commented. "The two most significant factors in the rapid growth of the churches have been the extension seminary and Radio Lumière."

Broadcasting the hope of Christ via multiple stations, Radio Lumière is continuing to reach the people of Haiti in the midst of what may seem a tangle of overwhelming circumstances. Much work remains, and Miller anticipates making more trips in the future.

Source: HCJB Global