We can honor people by preaching the good news of Jesus Christ to them. We can also honor people by treating them as God sees them; by being led by the Holy Spirit to help them realize (demonstrate to them) that what God desires them to be is possible for them. As we interact with people according to the love of God, it helps them to see themselves as the word of God declares that they can be in Christ Jesus. So with a heart full of God’s love and a fresh revelation of honor, I decided to bring Christmas to about 300 prisoners in a greater way. Unlike last year, the prison didn’t send me an official request for money or help to provide food for prisoners to celebrate Christmas. Upon inquiry, I was told that the prison didn’t have the ability to provide anything out of the ordinary for the prisoners for Christmas. So with help from people who graciously donate to us (thank you, thank you, thank you), we purchased over 24 lbs of goat meat (from the outside market), soda and spices for the group that I minister to on a weekly basis. For all the prisoners, which include many unbelievers, we purchased over 335 packs of cookies and 350 small bags of chips. The Lord’s love extended to the guards with chocolate and cookies (wow!). A lady who sells fried bean patties on the street didn’t prepare the right number of patties for all the prisoners, so I asked the prison guard if they could receive these as well. I ate several to let them know they were ok to eat, and not poisoned (remember, it’s the prison). Thank you for your prayers and donations which helped about 300 prisoners and many guards understand more about what Christmas is about – the love of God that comes freely through Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, while inside the prison, I was not allowed to take a photo of all the items that were dropped off.
Again, HAPPY NEW YEAR and may 2011 be a year full of great surprises!
In the love of Christ,
Tyren and Tiffany Haynes
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