While working at a timber company, Stacy looked for a radio station to listen to while she worked. The radio wasn’t picking up the local station a few miles away, but STR came in clearly on 97.9 FM, WIHC. Staci was a skeptic at the time, and one of the first programs she heard was Bible Answers Live with Doug Batchelor and Jean Ross. She determined to pick apart all that they said and prove it false.
This desire prompted her to listen to more STR programs to nitpick more of what she heard! She listened at work, then added her commute and her listening escalated over a 3-year period. Staci went from listening to pick apart what she heard to just
listening to learn. She couldn’t get enough! The Lord blessed her with a new position at work, in an office instead of by the saws and heavy equipment, and she could better hear the broadcast.
Staci began to desire a church family where she could receive the truth instead of mixing traditions with some truth, as in her past experiences. She wanted a church
where she could hear the truth like on STR, a place where she could learn, grow, and experience joy!
One day, while working, Staci was listening to an STR program that she found intensely interesting. Not wanting to miss anything, when she stepped out of the office to inspect incoming truckloads, she opened the windows and turned up the radio.
To her surprise, as she inspected the next load, she realized the truck driver was listening to the same STR station! That driver is Rick Mercer of the Manistique church,
and Staci asked him some questions. In their conversation, she found out that the Northwoods McMillan Church was only 3 miles from her home! She went home, looked up the church’s service schedule, and drove into the parking lot that next
Sabbath.
She went to the doors; they wouldn’t open, so she went home. She had the same experience the next Sabbath and prayed, “Ok, Lord, you have three chances.” Someone heard her at the door on the third Sabbath, opened it, and invited her in. That was June 2017.
Bible studies followed during the summer, and during October 2017, Staci fully embraced the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ and signified it with baptism, joining the Northwoods McMillan Seventh-day Adventist church. She searched for words to
describe her experience then and what it continues to be for her. “It’s energizing, satisfying, like being wrapped in a warm comforter on a cold winter’s night,” came to her mind, and then she found the right words. “I feel like I’ve come home without
actually being in heaven. It’s a taste of heaven today. The welcome I’ve received here (once they opened the door!) has been amazing; after losing part of my family, God gave me a new family. It’s a miracle what God did!”
Staci continues to grow in her walk with Jesus, learning much along the way. Learning to forgive past hurts has been a great blessing, giving her the freedom to move forward. Staci spoke of surrendering pride, stating the Holy Spirit’s conviction that “I’m not right every time. Sit down, be quiet, listen, the truth is there.” (Sound familiar?)
Staci still listens to STR, though less at work with her new position. She and her family listen whenever they can. Staci enjoys all the programs, finding them an amazing source of learning and encouragement. Praise God with me, friends. The
Holy Spirit continues to change another life through the ministry of Strong Tower Radio
