Scholarship winners lay groundwork for future global outreach

International (HCJB/MNN) ―Two college students are benefiting from far-sighted thinkers.

Scholarship winners Lebo Pooe and
 Shane O'Regan

A year ago, Moody Radio partnered with Trans World Radio and HCJB Global for the Global Partners Project. The goal was to raise funds for radio equipment in Guam and West Africa, as well as money for two four-year scholarships to Moody Bible Institute.

The idea behind the Moody's Global Leaders Scholarship Program was to educate two next generation radio professionals from countries where both organizations serve. Training radio professionals creates the potential for effective radio ministry after receiving a quality Bible education from MBI.

Scholarship recipients Lebo Pooe (South Africa) and Shane O'Regan (Ireland) have just begun their studies, but both dream of returning to their home countries to share the hope of Christ using radio as a medium.

In addition to studying at MBI, each recipient will train under Moody Radio. The students will spend 15-20 hours per week during the school year at Moody Radio and work full-time during the summer break.

Pooe, a freshman communications major, was raised by a single mom in South Africa. Along the way, Pooe fell in love with radio. "I understood the power of the microphone," she said. "I had fallen in love with broadcasting. I wanted to use radio as a platform to encourage other young people in my township."

Pooe began to work for TWR in Johannesburg as the on-air personality for TWR-Africa. Attending Moody was always a dream. "Here I am ... about to start the greatest journey of my life," she said. "In my own capacity, in my own abilities, I could have never [studied at Moody]. Because Jesus is who He is, because He is the God of second chances, because His grace is more than anything else, here I am sharing what He has done and how He's protected me, and He's been so gracious toward me."

O'Regan, also a freshman communications major, grew up in Bandon, Ireland, which is predominately Catholic. He was raised in a Christian home, although his parents were Catholics who converted to Protestantism before they were married.

When he was 14, O'Regan found music and radio. He followed that passion closely and eventually found Christian music. In an effort to glean everything he could about radio, he joined HCJB Global's first summer internship program in Europe last summer. Since then, he has developed a weekly youth outreach radio program called "Rebel Rhythms" on LifeFM, the mission's partner station in Cork.

In his scholarship application, O'Regan wrote, "Radio is an extremely powerful medium influencing people of every race, status and religion. The use of media such as radio has proven to be an effective and powerful means to communicate the Gospel to those who would never otherwise come in contact with it. The prospect of being trained and equipped in such a ministry excites me greatly!"