Posts from Pastor Jonathan Grooms who was in Haiti with Steve

Day 3
What a joy it was to celebrate Resurrection Sunday in the country of Haiti. Because Jesus rose from the grave we can offer hope to the precious people of Haiti today. After breakfast this morning, Dr. Karen gave all of the orphan girls beautiful Easter bonnets to where to church. Soon after, we walked from the Christian Light School to Pastor Lenny's church. It was precious to watch all of our team members, plus Dr. Karen's team, walk down the narrow streets holding the hands of the little orphan boys and girls. They looked so beautiful all dressed up in their nicest clothes.
Pastor Lenny's church suffered damage from the earthquake so we met under two large tarps on their basketball court. The church was packed full of people. I would guess there more than 300 people in attendance. We were all very impressed with the deaf ministry they have at the church. We were told they minister to more than 200 deaf. The service began with a long time of singing praises to God. One of our team members said that they were so excited to participate in the worship service because they felt like even though they couldn't understand the words the Haitians were singing that she was still worshipping God along with them with all her heart. I will never forget the rest of my life when the invitation was given watching a deaf woman come to the altar and just pour her heart out to God. I wish I knew sign language so that I could understand what she was saying to God. She was so passionate about expressing her thoughts and feelings to God. It reminded me of how God wants us to come to Him all the time.
After the service we walked back to the school, but made a brief stop at Sherrie's home that was destroyed by the earthquake. As we were walking away from the compound Sherrie said, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord". What a testimony of God's love and grace in her life. Sherrie has taught our team so much as she has shared many things that are on her heart with us. She many times breaks down in tears as she thinks about the pain that many of these orphans have been through. She is one of the most compassionate, loving people I have ever met. Please pray for Sherrie as she continues to direct and lead this school and orphanage. It is a huge responsibility.
When we got back to the school we had a delicious lunch and then had an Easter egg hunt for the children. They absolutely loved it. The look of excitement in their eyes was precious. They ran all over the yard looking for Easter eggs filled with candy. All of the children had a wonderful time. They also shared the Resurrection story with the children by using the Resurrection eggs. It is always a great sight to see the last egg opened up and nothing is in the egg, because it shows that the women arrived at an empty tomb early that early Sunday morning nearly 2,000 years ago.
After the Easter egg hunt we went out to the city to see some of the devastation to the presidential palace and other places as well. It is unbelievable to see the destruction that the earthquake caused to this city. Tonight we enjoyed some "milky" ice cream, spending time with the children and fellowshipping with each other.
As I am writing this, I can hear a local church singing "Blessed be your name… you give and take away… you give and take away.. my heart will choose to say… Blessed be your name"! It is only through the power of God's Spirit that the Haitian people can truly sing those words after realizing that nearly 1 in 10 people in this city died, and 2 in 10 people were severely injured.
We are really looking forward to what God has in store for us the next 4 days here in Haiti. Thanks for your continued prayers!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Amazing Day 4
It is 11:30pm at night and I continue to hear a group of people singing praises to the Lord. What a beautiful sound to hear as we lay in bed tonight.
Today was an absolutely amazing day as we ministered in many different ways and in many different places. Dr. Vance, Betsey, LB and Pam worked at the clinic along with the medical team from Florida. They saw around 300 patients today! Amazing!! The team even performed a minor surgery today. They worked hard all day long, giving of themselves so that the precious Haitians could be helped. The greatest report we heard from the medical team was that 7 Haitians gave their hearts to Christ.
Britney and Patience worked with the orphan children all day long. Some may think that they have the "easy" job this week, think again! They start around 7am and go all the way up to dinner, around 6pm, with only a very few breaks. I spent time tonight talking to both of them about their day and all I can say is that I am so proud of the two of them. With the little I got to watch their interaction with the children today, I was greatly impressed. Please pray for endurance for them the remainder of the week, and also that the children will be attentive and orderly.
Shannon worked with the construction team today. They were able to accomplish a lot. I saw Shannon painting chalkboards while others were preparing the forms on a new set of stairs that will be poured tomorrow. There is so much work that has been done, but still there is so much more to do.
Verne and I had an adventurous day with Pastor Cenor. We traveled on 4 different tap-taps to reach our destination near the Dominican Republic. A tap-tap is the normal mode of transportation for the Haitian people. You would almost have to see it, before you could believe how many people they can cram in a vehicle! We went to the "Love a Child" compound to check on Erica to make sure she and her brother are ok. She was the young girl whose arm was severely damaged that we helped in January. As many of you heard, Erica's mom, Karen, passed away last week. When we arrived Erica greeted us with a huge smile, a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Her smile was so beautiful. We loved on her and told her how sorry we were that her mom passed away. Her arm that was really damaged badly by the earthquake looked great. She can move it all around, as well as her fingers and thumb! We praise God for the doctors who helped her and our God who healed her!
God sent a woman (who is missing her leg) to take care of Erica and Kenny while they are at "Love a Child", until they are both placed in an children's home. Please pray that God would provide them a home where they will be loved and cherished.
So, as you can see, God is answering your prayers and the team is doing a fantastic job of loving on the Haitian people.
Tonight I received bad news that my grandfather, J.O. Grooms, passed away around 610pm. My heart is sad to know his time on earth is over, but I rejoice in the fact that He is in heaven with his Savior with no more pain or suffering.
God provided me a flight home so I will be heading home in the morning to attend his funeral service. Please pray for my family during this time.
The team is being left in great hands! I am excited to hear all that God will do through them the remaining 4 days of this mission work. Please continue to pray for them as often as God brings them to mind!!
I will continue to try my best to keep you updated on what takes place with the team each day. Thanks for reading our blog!
Posted by RFBC Missions Ministry at 1:01 AM 0 comments
Sunday, April 4, 2010