by Dawn Overman.
As a young girl living in the Dominican Republic, Georgina Thompson loved listening to the radio. Most Sunday afternoons found her engrossed in this fascinating auditory world, and hearing the various voices over the family radio fueled her imagination: Where were the people who spoke to her? What were they like? Her mind’s eye gave physical form to the unknown voices at the other end of the radio. One day, Georgina found something she wanted to have, although it was only in a newspaper photo–a microphone! She cut it out and glued it to a piece of cardboard. While listening to one of her favorite programs, Voices of Time, she copied down phrases that she heard and read them using her “microphone.” Georgina’s passion for radio grew. Several years later in 1985, some Christians came to her school and told the students they could know more about Jesus by listening to their radio program, Words of Life. One afternoon a few days later, Georgina tuned in to this broadcast and heard the announcer talk about ambitions and expectations of the future. She recalled, “The voice flowing from the radio said that only in Christ could we guarantee that our personal desires would not be selfish, but altruistic.” At the announcer’s invitation, Georgina prayed a brief prayer to receive the Lord as her Savior and give her future to Him. Whether that future would allow her to use a real radio microphone, only God knew.
Looking for AnswersVenezuela, June 1989. Seventeen-year-old Annabel Torrealba watched as the young Americans put on puppet shows, sang songs, and played games with her and her friends. She noticed that all the songs talked about God and how He could help them. She also observed that the group of Christians seemed happy and content. She was particularly touched because her family was going through some hard times. “I was finding answers that, up until that moment, no one had been able to give me,” Annabel said. One person in particular seemed genuinely interested in them and, although he didn’t know Spanish, he tried to give them words of hope. He asked Annabel, “If you died at this moment, do you think you would go to heaven?” Until that moment, she had never thought about that; even though she went to church, she always left the same: without hope. Annabel told the young man she believed that she had done many bad things and that she didn’t think she deserved to go to heaven and see God. But, recognizing that her life could be transformed, she decided to follow Christ and repeated a prayer of faith. She recalled, “From that instant, my life changed, and I committed myself to leading a life the way God wants us to.”
Pursuing a DreamThat same month, hundreds of miles north of Venezuela on her Caribbean island home, Georgina Thompson was beginning her new receptionist job at RTM-Dominican Republic, TWR’s national partner in that country. Shortly after committing her life to Christ, Georgina had visited the radio station from which the program Words of Life was broadcast. She remembered thinking, “It seemed to require magic for something to be broadcast live from there! But this did not restrain my excitement at thinking that, from there, a voice could be heard in so many places, by so many people.” Her ambition to use a microphone became even stronger. Georgina attended a workshop course in radio announcing for six months, at the end of which she became part of the radio production team. Later, she attended university while working in the office of the superintendent. One day, a Christian radio announcer who attended her church mentioned to Georgina that he was working with Trans World Radio, in the office which had been recently established in the country’s capital, Santo Domingo. He said they needed a secretary and suggested Georgina apply. Even if you start out as secretary, you can apply later to produce programs, he told her. So, she sent in her application, was accepted, and resigned her current job. She packed her belongings and traveled the one-hour trip to Santo Domingo. One week later, the new TWR secretary was in the recording studio, participating in program production.
A Change in FocusIn the fall of 1993, Annabel was working on two university majors, studying business administration during the day, and publicity at night. However, because of Venezuela’s dire financial situation, and since her parents could no longer afford her studies, she began looking for a job. “I thought that if I was going to spend a significant amount of my time working, I wanted to do it in a place where people served the Lord,” she explained. Annabel interviewed at many places, until a friend who worked at Trans World Radio told her that they needed someone with business administration knowledge to work as an assistant. She went to the office, and they accepted her as part of the team. Little did Annabel know she would also help in the ministry’s production department. After finishing her degree in publicity, she began to study social communication, and those in charge of producing the program Despertar RTM (Waking Up TWR), broadcast from Bonaire, proposed that Annabel help them with the program since she was studying communication.
Becoming Dedicated LeadersFrom these modest beginnings, Georgina and Annabel continued to dedicate their lives to the work of TWR, and God richly blessed and faithfully led. Today, each one serves as national director of the office in her respective country. Both Georgina and Annabel oversee the ministry’s vision, liaison with other TWR directors, investigate fund-raising opportunities, and supervise their teams. In addition, they both continue to produce programs. “When I was asked to direct the Venezuela office, I said that it would be a great challenge, but that I would trust God to help me carry out this new job as He has done on other occasions,” said Annabel. “At first, I felt strange because now I had to direct my friends who were older than me and who had much more experience than me. But I was also aware of the advantages that I had because I know every detail of what happens in the office, and that helps me to plan and organize things better.” Director of Hispanic Ministries Lemuel Larrosa commended Annabel. “In the short time that she has been director of RTM-Venezuela, Annabel has demonstrated enthusiasm and dedication to the work,” he said. “She has handled face-to-face profound structural and financial changes. Nevertheless, I have not sensed her complaining, but rather viewing the problems as challenges to investigate new opportunities. She is giving a new focus to the ministry of RTM-Venezuela that was very necessary.”
TWR leaders also have given well-deserved praise to Georgina. “Georgina is a dedicated, capable young person, and above all, she loves the Lord very much,” said Eduardo Feliz, who helped found TWR’s ministry in the Dominican Republic, then directed it, and now serves at the Mission’s Miami Ministry Center. “Georgina is very respected and well received by the way in which she directs the Dominican Republic office.” Larrosa agreed. “One of Georgina’s basic characteristics is persevering in what she proposes and, even with many struggles, continuing forward.” “Radio continues to be my greatest passion,” said Georgina. “It moves me to think that God would be so gracious, to give me such great privileges without deserving them, some very much longed for, others never imagined.”
