a HEART for HAITI

I am waiting for an update from Jim this evening about today's events. In the interim, I hope you will enjoy reading a message sent last night by a team member, Pastor Jonathan Grooms. (Thank you Melissa for allowing me to share this!) It brought tears to my eyes as I listened to the words from his heart. What a privilege it is to be a prayer warrior for this anointed team. Thank you God.

An Update from Pastor Jonathan
Praise the Lord!! We have arrived safely in Haiti! Thank you so very much for your prayers for our team. We could sense them from the time we woke up this morning and continue to feel them tonight as we lay beneath the beautiful stars that God has created.

We arrived at the MFI hangar a little after 6AM this morning. At the airport we met a lot of great people who are coming to Haiti to serve those who are hurting. Yesterday we waited for a long time to get IV fluids, but they never came. This morning another team that was heading to Haiti had extra IV fluids that they could not take on the plane, so they kindly offered them to us! God always provides!!! The check-in process went smoothly.

Soon after this, we received word that there was a 6.1 aftershock in Haiti, so we were not sure if we would be able to take off. About 2 hours later, we boarded a Hendrick Motorsports plane (they donated 2 planes to do relief work for a few weeks) for Haiti, with a brief fuel stop in the Bahamas.

We arrived in Haiti with heavy hearts, but also with hearts eager and ready to serve. It took a while to get our passports stamped and to get all of our luggage together. Some of our luggage came on a later flight that arrived after we left the airport and more than half of our medical supplies will be arriving on a plane tomorrow.
At the airport we continued to watch God work. We were able to get 3 free wheelchairs and also about 35 boxes filled with individually wrapped meals of rice and other nutritional items, all at no charge. The majority of this food has already been handed out on the streets in Port-Au-Prince! Praise the Lord.

As we drove down the streets from the airport to get to Karen's home, we saw many places that looked normal, some homes and business with little damage, and then places that were completely destroyed. You can understand why so many people died as a result, because there were just piles of concrete on top of each other. Some sections of town were a lot worse than others. There was one street where all the walls were pretty much destroyed and many of the homes had collapsed. We were told that some bodies were most likely still beneath the rubble. From the smell in the air and the looks of the buildings, it was probably true.

We arrived at Karen's home a few minutes later. Her yard was filled with people and lots of children. This is the place, most likely, where the medical clinic will be set up. There were a lot of tarps that were put up for people to sleep under because their homes were destroyed. I was able to spend a lot of time with the children in this compound. I met two brothers, Samuel and Jonathan. Samuel spoke very good English. He shared with me that his father was killed in the earthquake and his mother's arm was injured. He was in his home when the earthquake hit. My heart broke for these two boys who lost their father. I am sure this is the story of countless children all across this city. I was able to wrap my arms around both of these boys and let them know that people were praying for them and that they are very, very loved.

We arrived at Sherrie's home just a little before dark. Her yard had lots of children in it. I was taken captive by one small boy, 3 years old, who looked like he had a few scratches on his body, not sure if they were from the earthquake or not. I noticed that his belly was sticking out really far and it was very tight. I asked the nurse what was wrong with him. She said that he has worms. I believe they are going to get him some medication to help him get rid of them. I can't imagine how many children across this city will go to bed sick tonight because they do not have access to simple medicines to take care of the needs that they have.

Tonight as I was getting ready to write this note, I heard what sounded like little "angels" off in the distance. Somewhere down the road there were little children signing praises to the Lord. The song that grabbed a hold of my heart was, "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, Because He Lives, all fear is gone, Because I know, He holds my future.... And life is worth the living, Just Because He Lives!" Wow... I can't imagine what these children went through last week, but "Because He Lives" they are able to make it through today! It is "Because He Lives" that people in this city can have hope tonight amidst the pain and devastation. It is "Because He Lives" that we can share the message of salvation!

We desperately ask for your continued prayers. We heard word that there is a 24 hour prayer chain going on for our team. How humbling! I cannot thank you enough for praying for us. We have already seen God do so much over the last 48 hours, and we are eagerly anticipating what He will do in this country in the days ahead.
As I close this letter I can hear two different groups of people signing praises to God in the distance. God delights in the praises of His people. He delights in the worship of His creation. It brings tears to my eyes and joy to my heart to watch a hurting people be so desperate for God.
As I lie on my mattress on the roof of Sherrie's school and look up at the stars above me, I am reminded of the fact that just as God knows the names of each star, he knows the name of each person in Haiti. He not only knows their name, He knows and understands their hurt, and He desperately loves them. It is my prayer that our team would be able to make God's love known to many, many Haitians tomorrow and throughout the week. Your continued prayers will make a difference!!!!
Partners in His Harvest,
Jonathan Grooms and Team