The Lord's Work In Sunday School

I (Tiffany) teach the children’s Sunday school every Sunday along with another one of the missionaries we live with (Tanya). My heart is to see children’s lives transformed by the love and word of God shown during the Sunday school class.

One Sunday, I was teaching about salvation to the children. This particular week, we had about 5 children from another village. These children don’t speak any English. We’ve had as many as 3 different translators in Sunday school, depending on who shows up and what language(s) they speak. This day we had some children there who only speak Jao, the local language here in Lichinga. After teaching about the love and salvation that Jesus Christ brings to us when we accept Him as Lord and Savior of our lives, I asked the children to bow their heads so that we could pray. I told the children to begin praying in their own language while I prayed over them in English (I said all of this through 2 translators-from English to Chichewa, from Chichewa to Jao). I asked them if there was anyone present who didn’t know Jesus as Savior yet who was ready to give their life to Jesus. No one responded after a few minutes, but I decided to continue praying with the children. After a few more minutes, I began to pray that the Holy Spirit would move on anyone who hadn’t accepted Jesus but felt it in their heart that they wanted to know Him that day. I prayed in English that the Holy Spirit would begin to speak to that person and have them raise their hand to receive Jesus. Right after I finished praying that prayer in English, with no translator, one young boy who only speaks and understands Jao, raised his hand. When I asked through one of my translators what he wanted, he responded that he wanted to accept Jesus as His Savior! I said, “Praise the Lord!” and asked my Jao translator (one of the kids in Sunday school) to help me lead him to Jesus by praying for him in Jao. My translator, who doesn’t know Jao very well, wasn’t able to lead him to Christ. I was kind of stumped because I wanted to pray for him with his understanding of what he was doing, but my translator wasn’t confident that he could help with his limited Jao translation. I decided to just pray with him in English and ask the Holy Spirit to let him know what he was doing as I led him to Jesus. But during the delay and confusion over how he was to be led to the Lord, all of the children in the Sunday school class decided to lay hands on the boy and start praying for him very loudly-each in their own language. This kind of intimidated him and he pulled away while I was trying to quiet the other children down and pray with him alone. I was able to pray with him quickly before he got up and left the Sunday school class. I prayed that the Lord would deal with him and that he would really understand what had happened in Sunday school that day. I wasn’t really sure if he had given his life to the Lord or not because of the lack of translation. I asked Tyren and the other missionaries who frequent his village to try to follow up with him to find out if he had given his life to the Lord that day.

Well, it’s been probably three weeks since that Sunday now. Some of the missionaries went to his village last week and saw him. They asked him if he had ever received Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He said “Yes!” He did understand after all what happened that day in Sunday school. God is faithful! I’ve been praying that God would send someone to him to disciple him and teach Him the things of the Lord. Tyren ministers a lot to the children in his village and I’ve been praying that he would show up to hear about the Lord when Tyren and other people who are teaching the word of God are there. I’ve also been praying that the Holy Spirit Himself would teach him and speak to him as He did that Sunday when he raised his hand to receive salvation.

Please keep our Sunday school in prayer as the Lord brings us more and more children who long to know God’s love and salvation. Pray that we not only have people who can translate for us, but that God would impart the knowledge of these languages to us so that we won’t always need to look for a translator! Two of the main languages that people speak here are Portuguese and Jao. It’s my desire to be able to speak and understand both! -Tiffany

THE GLORY BEING REVEALED IN OUR TIME

Do any of you remember the blog where I wrote about literally seeing the presence of the Lord walking in the midst of the people? That has been on my heart recently. The miraculous is never done for a “good story”, but it is a testimony, that is a prophetic teaching, to open our eyes to what the Lord has established for us, and to help instruct us to take action (participate/partner) with the Lord in what He is doing). I believe the Lord showed me His presence as a sign (testimony) for you and for me of what He is longing to do in His people, the church. I believe the Lord has a deeper revelation of His person that He longs to reveal within us. The glory, Christ in us, can only be revealed as we see Him. As I saw the presence of the Lord that day, everything changed for me. Immediately His world became my world. I became conscience only of the Lord and who He was in me. The only thing I knew about myself was who Christ was in me. (That’s what being a new creation is about. It’s complete freedom). I was amazed that no one else saw Him (not even my interpreter). But, that’s why there was no transformation in them like there was in me. I remember that the people waiting in the “healing” line before me were getting healed immediately. A drunk man began following me around (thirsty for the word of life) because the Holy Spirit’s love gave Him a revelation of the cross of Jesus Christ. I remember thinking just what the Holy Spirit was thinking, and only doing what He was doing in me. I know the Lord is longing for something more for His people, all of us. He longs to live in us and become the reality of our lives here on earth. Oh Lord, open our eyes that we may see you in extraordinary measure.

Recently, the Lord led me to pray to open my eyes to see His glory. I walked into the market and saw a shower of love like rain falling onto a man’s shop. I asked the man if he knew Jesus as His personal savior. He said, “Yes.” Then the Holy Spirit gave me a specific word to encourage Him in the call of God for His life. That morning the Lord gave me several prophetic words for strangers in the market. Later, a man that interrupted our preaching by joking around with his own translations of my words gave his heart to Jesus. This is not our doing. It’s the glory of God. I walked into the market another day, looked at a woman and immediately desired to talk to her. I went right up to her (her name is Rudy), gave her a big smile and started talking. Her hands were folded across her chest and she had a bad attitude (she doesn’t like living in Lichinga). But, while talking to her the Holy Spirit showed me her heart was open to the gospel. Well, Jesus saved her and the woman working next to her. Isn’t Jesus good! I’m learning that oneness with God (John 17) doesn’t mean He will communicate with words all the time. Sometimes, I feel what He feels as He feels it, and I believe that it’s His desire or feeling. If we are not agreeing with what Jesus prayed, that we may be one with Him and the Father (John 17:21-24), what are we praying? Please pray that Rudy goes to a real Christian church and not the one (that some people attend) that displays the name of Jesus, but denies His Lordship and salvation.

The Lord is opening up a new realm of ministry for us here. And it’s ever increasing. We pray that you and we remember His first love (1 John 4:10, 19), that we may continue to experience the heart of ministry, Jesus. We believe and look forward to sharing with you greater testimonies of the glory of the Lord.

In Love,

Tyren

TIME TO BUILD !!!

TIME TO BUILD!!!

We received a call early Wednesday morning from my Mom who was in awe of God. Someone sent a $10,000 check to support the work of the ministry here. We worshipped the Lord in awe of the goodness of the Lord through the individual and to us. Needless to say, we are moving forward with the plans to build our house within the land allotted for the children’s center! Hallelujah!!! Yes, we were surprised at how soon the Lord provided finances for a house. We believe God for more because He has promised to do great things in our lives as He sends us to the ends of the earth. He will provide for all that He has called us to do. Please believe with us as we are pray that the Lord provide Holy Spirit filled, honest workers for the building of our home. The Lord gave the Wilcox’s (base leaders) a vision for the center, and those who build must have hearts to serve the Lord, and understand that they are building solely for the glorious presence of God. We’re praying that the Lord provide local people who have building skills (even if he has to save them first). The Lord is faithful to His promises, and good to all He has made (Psalm 145:13).

HARVESTING HEARTS IN THE FIELD

Shame is very big here. Many times people will not receive Jesus because of what their friends, family or by-standers might think. They are afraid of being mocked and laughed at (both the adults and children join the mocking even when praying for people). Recently, we were preaching in the market with a crowd of people laughing and mocking at 2 children and a man whom we were preaching to. The crowd was too much, and the man left. One of the little boys looked at his friend, shook his head, and left him alone. In the middle of tens of adults staring and laughing, the other little boy refused to leave. He insisted that He wanted to receive Jesus. In front of everyone, He invited Jesus into His heart! The Kingdom belongs to the children, and they are entering into it. As I turned to look at the crowd people quickly turned away. None of them wanted to be singled out and asked if they wanted to receive Jesus. But, we will continue to preach the gospel of the Kingdom without compromise. It is the power of God unto salvation.

WORSHIP EVENT AT THE CITY CHURCH

Due to Peter’s (the base leader) car problems (no headlights and it wouldn’t start) we had to cancel the worship event scheduled for Feb 2nd (the day before my birthday). But, the car was fixed this past Tuesday and we are planning to begin this Saturday at 5 P.M. (10 A.M. EST).

PRAYER NOTES: Please pray for the flooding that is still occurring in Central Mozambique. We are in the northern mountains and have not experienced flooding here. Many people have lost homes and possessions, and are in overcrowded refugee camps without enough food and clean water.

Pray for Moses (a man who helps out at our center) that He will recover quickly from malaria that he's been 'battling' for days.