Sunday, January 31, 2010

Tanzania - Testimonies of God's Work in Tanzania



From the first day I arrived in Mwanza, the Lord gave me peace to trust in Him for everything, and serve others. Usually, I had no idea what I would have to pay for and the cost of things until the day arrived. I paid for my own lodging every day. Then for the 10 days we traveled, I had to rent an 8 seater-truck and driver, pay for gas and even some maintenance of the vehicle, pay daily expenses and lodging for our ministry team of 5, buy food for lots of people and leave provisions with churches. I was astounded by the Lord’s provision, and praise Him for the opportunity to bless very many people with the natural provisions they needed (in some cases, just to live). Thank you very much for your amazing prayers and timely support (though no one knew what I needed) this past month. God used you to boldly bring His love and kingdom to a people who were in physical need and in great expectation of a move of God. The Lord was greatly exalted in more ways than I could describe in a blog. Hallelujah!

There are many testimonies I would like to share with you, but to keep things short, I selected testimonies from some of the places we ministered in to give you an overall view of Holy Spirit’s outpouring and work at the Iris churches in Tanzania. These testimonies are just the first fruits of the revival the Lord started.

Village of Kimbumba in Matofali-Buselesele (Pastor Benedictos’ church)
As soon as we arrived in the village of Kimbumba, the Lord showed me that the village was so ripe, it was like fruit on a tree that would fall if you barely touched it with the palm of your hand (that is, the Lord prepared the people’s hearts to receive Jesus when they would hear about Him). All they needed was the right invitation. So, the next two days, I taught the pastor and his church how to harvest the village, by living in the love that God has for us. Besides the instantaneous healings and the move of God in the church, Jesus did amazing things all around the village, even in the brothel where we had to sleep for 3 nights (this was the only place in the village for us to stay in, but it was of the Lord).

Less than two hours after arriving in the village, a group of children surrendered their lives to Jesus. When we first arrived, many of them were being naughty, trying to do things to our rented car. Immediately after they gave their lives to Jesus they stopped, and we didn’t have any problem with them for the next two days. They went around singing the worship songs we taught them. A few hours later, a prostitute received Jesus. I saw the glory of the Lord come upon her like a bright beam of light. Instantly, a painful tumor was removed (she went into the restroom to check). The woman said that after she received her pay at the end of the month (pay day) she’d stop prostituting. Shortly after, the other prostitute recommitted her life to Jesus. She didn’t waste any time, but dressed with dignity in a pretty purple satin dress, told the boss she was quitting and asked for her pay, and then left for her village far away (we actually drove her part of the way back). Another woman was sick but refused to throw away her witchcraft. Because of Jesus’ love, He instantly healed her anyway. I watched her whole countenance change as she seriously began thinking about rededicating her life to Jesus. Later in the evening, after we evangelized two men came seeking Apollo at the brothel. They said, “We watched you all evangelizing. We need to know about Jesus”. Our groups didn’t preach to these men; they only heard we were telling people about Jesus. That night, they surrendered their lives to the Lord.

Geta – Mkome Village
Pastor Zecharias pastors a growing church in Mkome, right on Lake Victoria. God did an amazing thing at this church. I’ll have to explain it like this…Pastor Zecharias was being insulted by other people and pastors because of the lack of money to support his church and the other Iris churches he oversees. The (Iris) pastors encouraged him to continue with Iris. For some reason, many people who had left the church came back during the first teaching session I held (this was actually a sign from the Lord). I taught twice on Saturday. Saturday morning, the Holy Spirit gave me a new message about the Father’s heart. Unknown to me, that word so deeply touched people’s hearts that the same day they told people all over the place that they needed to hear this message (I still don’t know how they spread the word so far in such a short time). The very next day, Sunday afternoon, pastors began to show up at Pastor Zecharias’ house unannounced with their church members. Others called in advance to let him know they were coming. These pastors lived far away, and hired transport to bring them to Pastor Zecharias’ church. They all told Pastor Zecharias that people from his church were telling everyone that they needed to hear this word about the Father’s heart. These pastors canceled their Sunday night services and closed their churches. I was amazed because they didn’t come because of all the healings on Saturday, or because of the outpouring that had people weeping, wailing, falling face down in the dirt, and crying out to God as they responded to His lavishing love. They came for the word that they heard would change their lives. Surprisingly, these pastors brought a lot of money and offered it to the church. I watched as many pastors and hundreds of people came and were brought together in unity, at a pastor’s church who was presently being insulted and talked about by many people in the area. Revival had come to Mkome, and the most important thing became the things in the heart of God.

Mwanza
Pastor Deus oversees the 55 Iris churches in Tanzania, but he mainly ministers at the “mother” church in Mwanza. The glory and the Holy Spirit’s fire (love) came upon this church too, and individual members of the church were released into their divine destiny. But, I want to share with you something that was occurring in the church well before I arrived there. The way the members of this church sacrificially offered their lives for one another touched my heart very deeply. A blind man took the money he begged for on the streets (in Kenya because their money is worth more than Tanzania’s), and gave it to Pastor Deus to go on a ministry trip. A woman, who has her own family, offered to start and run the church’s school for no pay (she offered herself simply because she found out Pastor Deus wanted to start a school). Then there are others who feed and provide things for one another, and others who move into another’s home to take care of them. It was truly amazing to see the love they have for one another and the way they sacrifice their lives for one another.

Pray that the churches in Tanzania will continue to receive God’s love for them, and continue to want Him more and submit to everything He desires.

To God be the glory,

Tyren and Tiffany

Photos: Pastor Deus, his wife, Elizabeth, and Apolo (worship leader) boarding the ferry on Lake Victoria
- Stuck in the mud with 9 people in the car and 5 huge bags of charcoal on top
- Some of the children that received Jesus in Kimbumba
- Woman being healed of tumor
- Our nice, little fire tunnel (prayer tunnel) before the Holy Spirit blasted the whole church (people were falling everywhere)

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Tanzania - Testimonies of Pastor Oloise and Pastor Benedictos


Pastor Oloise in Chatu region
Pastor Oloise is over the 5 Iris churches in the region of Chatu. He and his wife have 6 children. The church he pastors cares for about 25 orphans.

Like other Iris pastors, Pastor Oloise went where the Lord sent him even without knowing how and where his family would live. One day Pastor Oloise prayed for a woman who was near death. The Lord miraculously restored the woman to life. She was so grateful that she offered the pastor a place to rent on her property for $18.75 U.S. a month. The house has two small bedrooms and a sitting area. This was a blessing, since the house provided the pastor and his family with a place to live in the area the Lord sent him. But, till this day, the pastor doesn’t have enough money to pay for the monthly rent. The Lord’s favor allows him to stay.

The pastor and his wife began a church that grew very quickly. Then, for some reason, the owner of the land chased people off the property, and refused to allow anyone to meet in the building. When anyone came, he told them that it wasn’t a church anymore. Confusion arose and many people left the church. At the same time, the pastor lost his garden (the means to provide food for his family) which was on the same property. Today, he rents a poorly constructed mud house for church meetings for about $5.25 a month. Some people help him with the church’s rent because he’s unable to pay for it. The church is full of God’s love. In the midst of having so little, the pastor continues to trust in the Lord for what He called him to do, and thanks the Lord for the opportunity he has to serve Him.

When we arrived in Chatu the pastor didn’t have any food for his family, for the visiting pastors, nor for us. I found out that two of the pastors traveled for 2 days by bicycle taxi just to reach the seminar we were holding at the church. I noticed that one of the pastors wore the same clothes for the 3 days we were there. The Lord provided, and I was able to provide food for people to eat during and after the seminar.

The Lord gave me a word for Pastor Oloise. Now, he is walking through a time where he is testifying of God’s love for him while living without many basic things his family needs. One day, he will have his own house and a lot of property. He will have to have servants tending to his house and property because he will have so much, and because the Lord wants to release him to travel around to other areas to teach people about His goodness and love.

Pastor Benedictos Sipiriani of the village of Kimbumba in Matofali-Buselesele
Pastor Benedictos was saved in 1987. He gave his life to Jesus after hearing someone preach the gospel. Formerly he was a drunkard, did drugs and went to prostitutes. He had a garden to support his family, and if possible, to sell vegetables to others. After fasting for 1 week in 1990, the Lord spoke to him in a vision appointing him to be a pastor. He began his work in Kilobelo.

He and his wife began to go house to house, preaching the gospel and praying for the sick. This is how the church started. The Lord healed a crazy person, and also delivered another from demons. People who made home-made alcohol came against him saying that he came to their village to destroy their business. These men had him thrown into jail. The church helped the pastor by writing a letter and talking to the people in the village. After 7 days, he was set free. He continued ministering in the same place for some time. He didn’t have shoes or a good house, and only had 1 shirt and 2 pairs of pants. He lived in a small grass hut with his wife and 5 children. One day, their grass hut was burned down, and they lost everything. The church helped him rebuild his house, and was able to provide him and his wife with 1 change of clothes. His children were naked and remained at home. People began to insult and mock him. “You call yourself a pastor. If you were a pastor the Lord would take care of you. But, you are poor and your children are naked,” they said. Pastor Benedictos felt a lot of pain in his heart, but he continued in the Lord’s work.

When the Lord sent Pastor Benedictos to Kimbumba village in 1997, he went without having a house or anything. They all walked by foot. They had no money, so Pastor Benedictos would ask people to let him dig in their gardens for a little pay. Today, he continues to ask people to let him work in their gardens. He uses the money to help support his family. His wife also works in their own garden to help support them. He lives out in the “bush”, because he cannot afford to live close by the church in the central area of the village. To visit his churches, he tries to borrow someone’s bicycle. Some of the churches take 2 – 4 hours to reach by bicycle on dirt paths. In the village where pastor Benedictus lives we witnessed a powerful move of God in the community. I’ll share testimonies about this in the next blog.


With love in Jesus Name,

Tyren and Tiffany Haynes

Photos: Church at Chatu (along with vistors and visiting pastors)
- Pastors, elders and Director of Iris while at the church at Chatu (left to right: Pastor Oloise's wife, Pastor Oloise, Elizabeth (Pastor Deus' wife), Pastor Deus (Director of Iris Tanzani)
- At Pastor Benedictos' house (left to right: Pastor Benedictos' wife, Pastor Benedictos, Elizabeth, Apolo (worship leader who traveled with us to all the villages), Pastor Oloise, Pastor Deus, some of P. Benedictos' children)
- Worshipping in Pastor Benedictos' church of mud brick and grass

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Tanzania - Pastor Deus Elias' Testimony


Pastor Deus Elias used to work in the gold mines in Tanzania. He was married to his wife Elizabeth, and he had a big house and money. Then, the Lord called them out from the gold mines to preach the gospel. They sold everything and began their new work for the Lord. As they continued, they soon had no money, and very little possessions. His wife only had two pieces of cloth to wear, one to wrap around the top of her body, and the second to wrap around the rest of her body. Between the two of them, the only footwear they had was a pair of house slippers. He let his wife wear them.

His wife became pregnant, but they couldn’t afford to go to the hospital. They delivered the baby themselves. The baby was born, but later died. Having no other way to bury their first child, Pastor Deus’ wife took one of the two cloths she used for clothes, wrapped the baby in it, and then they buried their baby. She used the one remaining cloth to wear during the day as clothes and at night to cover herself. (While Pastor Deus was telling me this, he said that sometimes in ministry we can lose our way and our purpose. “When I left the gold mines, things were very bad. But, all I had was the love of God, and that was everything to me. I was happy and started ministry. Today, I am remembering that that is what ministry is all about – the love of God.”

Pastor Deus heard about an area full of witchcraft. Pastors were running away from this area. He prayed and asked the Lord to send him there. The Lord granted his request, and he and his wife left for the village without any money. They found a house that no one wanted to rent because the witches used it for their conferences. The owner told them, whoever entered the house to live, died within 2 – 3 days, or went crazy within a week. Since Pastor Deus had no money for rent, the owner told him that he could pay for rent with his life (the owner figured that Pastor Deus would die like most others, so there would be no need for him to pay rent). In a short time, 60 people were saved. People burnt their witchcraft and turned to the Lord. Pastor Deus suffered two serious illnesses because of the demonic attacks initiated by the witches. Both times, he fasted without food and water (the first time for three days, the second time for 7 days) and afterwards the Lord healed him completely. After the second healing, one of the witches came to Pastor Deus saying that he must be using a stronger power (than what they were using) from evil spirits because whatever they tried to do to him was not working. They were surprised to see him perfectly well. He told him that he didn’t have demons. He is a servant of God, and that they needed to depend on Jesus. The church in that area continued to prosper. Today it’s a big church, and is going strong.

Later they moved to Mwanza with their 3 children. They lived in a very small room without windows, it only had a doorway. They didn’t have anything, so he started selling ties for food and to support his ministry. One day their 3 year old daughter, Neema, died. Pastor Deus said that he knew the Lord called them into ministry, and that this wasn’t God’s plan for his daughter. “If you want to bury her, you can come down and bury her yourself,” he told the Lord, “I don’t have any money. I’m not going to bury her.” For three days, he and his wife, Elizabeth, fasted. They didn’t eat, drink or sleep for 3 days. At times they held their daughter underneath her arms and walked around the house proclaiming that she was alive and walking (although in reality she was dead). On the third day, suddenly their daughter rose from the dead and was completely well. There was nothing wrong with her whatsoever. Their daughter told them that she saw Jesus smiling at her. Jesus came and picked her up and began to carry her. Today, Neema is 13 years old. I met her while in Mwanza. She loves the Lord and worships Him with her whole heart.

Though faced with many hardships, Pastor Deus and his wife never turned away from what the Lord was calling them to do. Because they had no money, he and his wife delivered 3 out of their 6 children themselves. One was delivered by his wife’s sister and the last 2 were able to be born in the hospital. During one of the hospital births, his wife had a C-section. She started to have a very painful infection, but couldn’t return to the hospital. She lay in the bed in great pain, unable to move or talk. People fearing the worst, sent for Pastor Deus, who was in the mountains fasting; but he refused to come back to the house because there was nothing he could do for her. He decided to continue to fast before the Lord for her healing. Suddenly, back in the house a bright light appeared. Elizabeth thought it was a robber, but had no strength to cry out for help. Instead, an angel came out of the light saying, “Do not be afraid. I’ve come to heal you. He rubbed something over her belly (like the hand tool used for ultrasounds), and said, “Now you are healed.” He then left. She wanted to test her body to see if she was healed. She immediately went down the hill to carry up a bucket of water. Then, she took all the clothes in their house outside and started washing them by hand. She found she was completely healed, and hasn’t had a problem since.

Today, Pastor Deus lives in his own small house. The house has two bedrooms. He and his wife sleep in one bedroom. In the other bedroom are his own 6 children, 3 orphans, and 1 widow and her baby (there were only a few beds in the room). He and one of his young sons made the mud bricks themselves by hand. He can’t afford electricity or city water. His family, along with many others in the community, buy water by the bucket and carry it back up the rocky hill. The water is used to drink, cook with, wash clothes, and for the bathroom. Such things like toilet paper (49 cents per roll), cookies (less than $1), juice and toys are too expensive and aren’t purchased. Tanzania is much different than the U.S. and many people struggle to find any kind of work or enough food to eat. Pastor Deus sells dirt from a termite hill to people who make bricks. He uses this little money to help buy food for his family and continue ministry in the churches. At times, his wife also works early in the morning and late at night, sewing clothes and selling them to help buy food for their family. Even so, they don’t always have enough food to eat 3 times a day. Many times, the children wake up and go to school from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. without breakfast or lunch. When they come home, they carry water up the rocky hill to their house, and do other chores. If dinner is available they will eat, but nothing like what many of us are used to in America. Then, the next day, they repeat the same routine. I watched his children, who were full of joy, help around the house, and serve the Lord in and outside the church (even the little ones around 5 years old). They are learning from their parents, that Jesus’ love is everything, and He is worth living for no matter what - even when one has very little or nothing.

Pastor Deus was commissioned to start Iris Ministries in Tanzania in 2000. Today, Iris Ministries has 55 churches throughout Tanzania. He has founded some churches himself, and other churches joined Iris as the Lord directed them. He and his wife choose to depend on the Lord. They love Jesus, and desire Him at all and any cost. He often told me and the other pastors, “We don’t have a choice. We must do whatever the Lord wants.” He and his wife remind me of a passage concerning the Apostle Paul’s ministry, “…as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way; in great endurance, in troubles, hardships and distresses; …in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity;…in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love;…known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on;...sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” (2 Corinthians 6:4-10, NIV).

He and his wife, Elizabeth, asked for prayer that God would continue to provide the means for them to take care of their family, to continue ministry, and travel to the churches to help support them. Their heart is to continue to bring the gospel to areas of Tanzania where few or no people know Jesus.

Photos: Pastor Deus and wife, Elizabeth, with their 8 children (1 baby from widow). (missing widow, newest orphan)
- Their 8 children (missing: newest orphan)
- Pastor Deus' uncompleted house
- The ant hill and the bricks people make from the dirt

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Revival: The Harvest in Tanzania


My time in Tanzania went extremely well. The Lord sent me to teach the people about revival – the very thing for which the churches were crying out. In every place we visited, revival broke out in the churches, and even in the surrounding communities. The Lord was getting what His heart desires – more of us – and this is what revival is all about, life in the intimate relationship the Lord longs to have with us. Because of His goodness, there were miracles, healings, salvations, signs and wonders present all during the time I was there in Tanzania.

I will be creating blogs to share my testimonies about my journey in Tanzania, in the 2nd largest city of Mwanza, and in villages/towns along Lake Victoria. I also have the privilege of sharing personal testimonies of pastors, as well as the work that God did in the places we visited. I met and heard these pastors firsthand and, in some cases, saw their laid-down lives for Jesus. As I watched these men and their wives, they reminded me of the “heroes” of the faith mentioned in Hebrews 11. I will be sharing testimonies of pastors who had choices not to follow Jesus (or to quit the ministry), but instead, clearly knowing what lay ahead, chose to follow Jesus into physical suffering, persecution, mistreatment, sleeplessness, homelessness, frequent hunger, nakedness (literally), and even death. At the same time they’ve witnessed extraordinary healings, experienced depths of the favor, goodness and power of God, and knew what it’s like to raise the dead. The love that Jesus has for them became their sole sufficiency. The Lord told me that this was not mere suffering, but they were suffering for His name’s sake. The Lord chose them and was giving them the privilege of laying down their lives to receive His testimony for their nation. Jesus is giving them an opportunity to live lives that show that He is everything, and He alone is worth seeking and loving above all else. Through their lives, the nation can plainly see who Jesus is and that He is the real reason for living. This is not my opinion, or “hopeful outlook” of their situation. This is the word the Lord gave me to give to these men. They were greatly encouraged by the word, and in some cases this caused them to remember the reason they were called by Jesus. Their lives are becoming a foundation on which the Lord is using to change their communities today. By faith they are receiving a good testimony (His testimony)…and are not willing to accept deliverance (Hebrews 11:2,35), which would cause them to put aside the testimony of the one they love – the whole reason why they live.

In the coming days, I will be sharing with you the testimonies of these pastors and their wives. I seldom hear of such testimonies in America, and believe they will greatly encourage you. To honor these men, please do not reprint, in any form, the personal testimonies of these men without prior consent of Iris Ministries. I am printing their testimonies with their permission.

Thank you for all of your prayers and support for our ministry to the Iris Churches in Tanzania. They continually asked me to remember to pray for them. They desperately need our support.

Because of His unending love for you and for us,

Tyren and Tiffany Haynes

Photos: Pastor Deus Elias, Director of Iris Ministries - Tanzania
Wild monkies running around people's homes
Dirt (literally) rolled up, ready to sell and eat. This is a big business for some people! Pastors discourage this practice.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Tanzania
Tyren’s been in Tanzania now for 2 full weeks and I’ve finally been able to sit down and update the blog! God is doing great things in Tanzania! Tyren started his trip ministering in the mother church in Mwanza holding a few seminars a day for 3 days for those who were hungry for revival in their hearts. They were taught the importance of loving and worshipping God and about the love of God. God touched many lives, including Tyren’s and they broke out crying, laughing, waving cloths and dancing as the Presence of God came over them. Tyren was blessed by the people’s testimonies of sacrificial love to serve God. He and a small ministry team from Mwanza left that first Saturday for Shato.
In Shato, Tyren met some new challenges as he experienced the heart of God in the people there. He was able to minister to those who had lost their first love through seemingly overwhelming situations. As we were home praying, God used Amerel to give a word to refresh one of the pastor’s there and his family. As Tyren shared the word with him, God was able to reveal how He was going to use this pastor to refresh and teach others who have lost their vision because of seemingly hopeless situations.
In another village in Shato, Pastor Deus and his wife led a woman to Jesus, then prayed for her and God removed a tumor! She went to the bathroom to confirm the healing and the tumor was completely gone! Tyren experienced his own healing in Shato as he began vomiting and having diarrhea one night. Having had no communication with him that night, I began to pray with the kids that night for protection over everything he eats and drinks. The following morning he asked me to pray for him and decided that he must teach the people, even though he couldn’t stay away from the bathroom. We all prayed for him here and the next time I heard from him, he said that the Lord had completely healed him after his first teaching that morning! Praise God! He released the church to preach, love and heal the sick in the village the next day and two men, who had seen them earlier in the village evangelizing, came to them and said they wanted to receive Jesus! Hallelujah!
They left Shato Friday for Geta where God is continuing to do new and great things in the lives of His people there. Tyren and the ministry team will be leaving Geta to return to Mwanza Monday morning and he will be back in Lichinga Thursday.

Earthquake!
I couldn’t end the blog without sharing that we experienced an earthquake here in Lichinga shortly after 1:15 a.m. in the middle of the night Tuesday (actually, Wednesday morning) that left all of us shaking in our beds! I was actually already woke and thought I heard the sound of rolling thunder in the distance; but as it came closer, the sound got louder and then the house began to shake. It felt as if a big wave was passing underneath the bed from the foot to the head and then continuing underneath the house. I could still hear and feel the house trembling for at least 1 full minute after the earthquake had passed. The shaking woke up Chayah, but my other two sleepyheads never knew what hit them until I told them in the morning! We are all safe and sound and the house is still standing! The only noticeable effect of the earthquake is that it seems to have forced dirt up through the underground filter in our borehole. Today I will be emptying out the tank completely and refilling it until the water runs clear again.

Thank you to all of you who have been praying for us!

Tyren and Tiffany Haynes

Saturday, January 2, 2010



Today, I, Tyren am off to Tanzania. Many people here have been praying, and giving me words of knowledge and prophecy about the trip. I am excited about all that the Lord has planned. If possible, I will try to contact Tiffany while I am in Tanzania, so that she can update the blog.

As of today, I only know that the first week will be spent in Mwanza. The Pastor told me that everything is taken care of. When the Pastor and I travel around to visit some of the churches, we’ll be staying in village guest houses. I don’t know what these will look like, but I did bring plenty of bug spray to protect my bedding while I sleep (smile). I was told that there is no public transport to these churches, and some are difficult to reach (because of roads). We’ll trust God to rent a car in Mwanza to reach these churches.

Please remember to continue to pray for the trip and the conferences that the Pastor and I will hold at the mother church in Mwanza, and the other churches in the districts. The Lord gave me a specific word for the churches, but someone prayed for me and told me to be ready for the words the Lord will give me for the specific moment. Here are a few of the things people have been praying and declaring over this trip: fire spreading across Mwanza, people less likely to be impacted will be impacted by the word, fresh rivers springing up in people’s hearts, people having a new start and experience that they never had before, boldness and courage…and there were many more things spoken and revealed as people prayed for me. Another person said that the Lord showed them a lion that was coming against me, but that it was fleeing. Prayer is a wonderful gift God gives us to protect ourselves as we advance His purposes on the earth.



Happy New Year to all of you. We bless you and may this year bring exciting new opportunities for us all, and open doors to experience the promises of His heart like never before.

Love,

Tiffany and Tyren Haynes