| God's plan for
our lives is not always evident in every single
detail on a daily basis. Yet, as time unfolds,
the pieces of the puzzle fall into place.
What once appeared to be a maze of unconnected
events, suddenly begin to make perfect sense
and the picture becomes crystal clear. We
realize that god has always been on the job
working out all things for our good and ultimately
for His glory.
This
is the backdrop against which Bro. Wesley
Grant came to Sign, Orange District with
his grandmother, Mrs. Victoria Hinds, to
visit his father in 1984. Even after his
grandmother went back home to St. Mary,
Bro. Grant remained in Montego Bay with
his father, stepmother and his siblings.
As is natural for the saints, our conversations
ultimately turn to promoting the gospel
of Jesus Christ, and brother Grant was no
exception. He began to share it with his
new family, but the gospel was not well
received. They thought him strange and very
soon he began to have problems in the home.
The solution to this problem would be to
return to his grandmother in St. Mary.
It was then that Bro. Grant remembered
that his pastor, the late Evangelist-at-large
Dennis has instructed him to communicate
with him in writing, as there was no tabernacle
in Montego Bay. Bro. Grant had failed to
do this. Realizing his mistake, he returned
to St. Mary and took a seat in the congregation
when he went to church on the Sabbath. When
he got an opportunity to speak with his
pastor, to his surprise and to the surprise
of everyone else, he was reprimanded for
failing to communicate and told to resume
his seat in the choir. After visiting for
a while, he felt the urge to return to his
father's home in Montego Bay. The reception
was cold and so Bro. Grant
began staying with some friends who were
neighbours of his family. These people were
very kind to him and every now and then
he shared little about the gospel of Jesus
Christ with them. They too thought him strange,
as they had never before heard anything
like what he told them.
God's plan for Montego bay was to have a
group of people in this part of the Island
who would worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.
So he used a series of events to open the
eyes of the people to the knowledge of His
kingdom.One such event was the storm of
1988, "Gilbert". The island of
Jamaica was devasted by this storm, Montego
Bay was no exception. People were hungry,
and as is customary, when trouble strikes,
people begin to turn o God. The people with
whom Bro. Grant lived were no exception.
They saw the storm as the judgement of God
upon the island and felt the need to begin
to draw closer to their maker, so they began
to discuss attending church. Bro. Grant
seized the opportunity to once again tell
them of God's church. From this point forward,
every time he got a chance, he shared something
else with them. It seemed like a fairy tale
to them. People who were all dressed alike;
people who looked up and prayed; what was
this man really saying. They really did
not believe him, but the Lord would not
allow them to join any other church.
The final blow came when two of the family
members met in a serious accident, which
almost cost them their lives. God laid them
flat; down on their backs, where all they
could do was look up to Him. There was no
running away now, all they could do when
Bro. Grant began to tell the gospel was
listen. The Holy Spirit, on their beds of
affliction, convicted them of sin and caused
them to vow to God, "If You will just
allow us to get off our sick beds, we will
serve you."
Six years after his last visit to St. Mary,
Bro. Grant arrives at church one Sabbath
morning in 1992 with six visitors, who are
prepared to keep the Sabbath, that they
brought their own
lunches. He is embarrassed because he had
disobeyed the instructions of his pastor
and not communicated with him in all these
years. Nonetheless, the saints are all happy
to see him and his visitors. The visitors
are in awe of the service. Everything is
exacty like Bro. Grant says, but it is like
nothing that they have ever seen. The Mercy
Seat is set, and all six moved forward to
claim their birthright. But the song continues,
the minister keeps calling and Bro. Grant
who had made up in his mind that he would
just bring the visitors to church so they
could see what he was telling them all these
years, but not really take the seat, sits
and looks on. But God was to have His way
and finally he is compelled to move into
the seat.
This was the beginning of the Montego Bay
tabernacle. St. Kenneth Osbourne, St. Charmain
Gray, St. Zephaniah Palmer, St. Joan Ricketts,
St. Angella Jackson and St. Michelle Coke
were the six who made the trip to St. Mary
on that faithful Sabbath Day in 1992. By
the next trip they were joined by St. Orlando
James, St. Sandra and Junior Boswell. These
were the first nine souls to be baptised.
Passover 1992 saw a total of 17 souls from
the parish of St. James attending the celebration.
This was truly a miracle for which God is
due great praise!
Bro. Grant has moved through the ranks
of Deacon, Elder and presently Evangelist.
The church has continued to grow in leaps
and bounds as the saints use the same methods
their pastor used to share Christ with others.
The Lord has lit a fire here in this part
of the island of Jamaica, which will never
go out. I can imagine that Bishop Chase
and Bishop Hamilton had visions of the church
in Montego Bay, the Second City in the island.
God made this possible in such a magnificent
way; using a nobody, to tell everybody,
that he knew Somebody who could save them
to the utmost! Hallelujah! What a Saviour!
|