The Work of the Lord in Assumane Church

Some adults and children enjoying the meal and fellowship

A Love Feast

This year, the Lord has been directing me to teach on various things to establish foundations for the church in Assumane. We recently ended several weeks of teaching on communion. This month, we decided to set apart one Sunday to have a different kind of service. Everyone brought food, the normal food they eat every day. No one brought chicken or other kinds of meat, cheese, soda or anything like that. It was a time to share the love of God with one another by simply sharing what we had in our homes, whatever that might be. So, right after a time of worshipping God through song, we ate and ate and spent time with one another. Tiffany and I cooked rice, and contributed a special, non-traditional food – a cake with frosting.

Testimonies from the Assumane Church

Jordão has been making bricks out of the red dirt that is everywhere around us here in Lichinga. He always prays when he is making his bricks. This past Sunday, he said that people were coming to him asking why his bricks weren’t cracking. They said, “You are using the same dirt we are using. All of our bricks are breaking (before we even get to burn them), but yours are not.” He testified of how God answers prayer, and how the Lord helps us do what He has called us to do.

Have you ever had an idea that seemed so simple you wondered why you didn’t think of it sooner? I recently had a God idea like that. Since last year, my heart has been aching to see some of the gifted people in church take initiative in various areas. Instead of doing things just to get them done, my wife and I have been trusting in God to stir up the hearts of people to use what God has given to them. This past Sunday, the Lord gave me the idea to ask a specific person to take care of the project to rebuild the church outhouse. I thought, “Why didn’t I think of this sooner? Thank you, Jesus”. Before I could mention it to the individual, the same day the Lord told me, Jordão gave an announcement in church and started organizing things to fix the outhouse. Being a missionary and the one who is leading the church, I was excited that no one is waiting for the “missionary” or “Pastor” (as some call me) to do things. Another individual organized people to clear the tall grass from around the church. This kind of initiative is exciting to see, and both an answer to prayer and the fruit of labor that has gone on this year. To us these things are great. They testify that people are realizing their value in Christ, seeing the need to accept the privilege of responsibility in the kingdom of God, and more people are “taking ownership” of the physical building of the church. Thank you so much for your prayers for Assumane.

Although you do not get to see the answers to your prayers firsthand, know that the Lord is bringing forth a great abundance through your prayers. Not only are lives being changed, but the people you impact are impacting others. Floorball, the prison, village ministries and street ministries are areas where people who are being touched through your service are reaching out and touching others. We thank God for your partnership and the open doors that He presents to us through your gifts of prayer, donations and other forms of love.

In the goodness of the Lord. Love,

Tyren and Tiffany Haynes

A New Start from the Prison House

 
Recently, one of the leaders of the Tuesday meetings in the prison was released after spending 7 months in prison (he was found innocent and then released). I’ve always wanted to be able to help some of the prisoners re-integrate into the community. We’ve given Mr. Daylight (changed his name for this blog), who is a builder, some work to do at our house. For a few weeks this is helping him to have a fresh start and provide for his family of 9 (including his wife and 7 children).

People who work at our house are told that they are here to serve the Lord and not just have a job. The real work is what the Lord will be doing in their hearts while they offer themselves to the Lord through their labors (Romans 12:1, Colossians 3:23).

The first few weeks it took about 1 ½ hours for Mr. Daylight to walk from his house to our house, then another 1 ½ hours to return back to his house after working. (We decided to give him an advance to buy a bike. Now it takes him about 45 minutes one-way.) I told Mr. Daylight that the presence of the Lord is over our center and as he works the Lord will be speaking to him. Well, after the first few days, Mr. Daylight came to me and told me, “The Lord asked me why I was here.” “What did you reply?” I asked. He said, “I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know what to say.” Then another day, Mr. Daylight came to me and said that the Lord asked him the same thing again, but he didn’t answer. I prayed that the Lord would help him to respond. The next day after I petitioned the Lord, Mr. Daylight was very excited. He told me that the Lord responded to him during a dream explaining that He sent him to work at my house to bless him. Mr. Daylight woke up from the dream, and because he was so excited, he woke up his wife while she was sleeping just to tell her.

During the day, I often teach Mr. Daylight things from the Word of God – whatever specific words the Lord gives for him. He’s so joyful about what the Lord is revealing to him that he goes home, sits with his family, and shares with them the scriptures and things that I often teach him during the day. Tiffany and I were amazed to see that just out of shear joy, this man is sharing the word of God with his household. Jesus is also using his life as a testimony of His love and faithfulness to others who are in awe at the blessings of God that are on his life now-even though he was in prison and lost his previous job, some friendships and a lot of other things he had previously owned.

In the midst of the various ministry activities the Lord has us do here in Mozambique, our focus is still the same. We have been called to prepare people’s hearts for His presence and open the way for people to walk in their divine destiny. As you pray for Mozambique, boldly seek the Lord and ask Him to reveal His glory in this city and raise up people to be carriers of His presence.

 

Mr. Daylight and Jordao are working together to build our new storage shed.
This project is a result of a prophetic word, from Leviticus 26:10, that has been burning in our hearts this year.

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Dancing Hill (our gazebo) has finally had it's walls cemented and smoothed, and the cement floor laid down.
Once the tin roof is nailed on it'll be ready to use. 



Blessings from on high,

Tyren and Tiffany Haynes