Pursuing Love - Part 1

Pursuing love requires that one knows what love is...

 

These two little boys were hungry.  So they tried to pick up dried minnows that had fallen onto the dirty ground from the fish stand.  The man at the fish stand made them drop the minnows because they belonged to him.  The kids walked away quickly and I thought, "Oh well.  I do have to hurry up and get back to the base (center)."  But, inside I knew that these were two I needed to "stop" for.  I caught up to them, and told them to follow me (a stranger).  They followed without hesitation.  I bought some fried dough balls for them.  They didn't even say thank you.  But, this wasn't done for a thank you.  It was about giving them what the Lord gave to me for them - love.

 

 

Milcas insisted on seeing the photo I took of him.  Then, I realized why.  Surely enough, when I asked him, he told me that he hadn't seen what he looked like in a long time.  I showed him the photo on my phone.  Milcas just laughed.  Imagine not looking in the mirror or seeing what you looked like for days or even weeks.

 

I don't have to chase after this man any more.  I still don't know his name.  The Holy Spirit touches him though.  Jesus loves him and he knows it.  May God heal his wounds, heart and mind, and restore his life from (what I've been told) smoking local drugs.

Treasure hidden in the open is sometimes the hardest to spot.  These are photos of treasure.  They are right in front of our eyes...on the sidelines, outside of the normal shopping schedule, in the margins of the "have too much to do" schedule, and the "I don't want to be late schedule."  We know they are treasures because they are important to Jesus.  As we carry the Father's heart, they also become valuable in our own eyes.  People who are loved by Christ always have a high value.  Loving our neighbor just to love them with Christ's love (no hidden agenda) is what ministry is really about.  We "stop" for the One, God.  He gives us a heart for the treasures He longs for us to encounter.  We are seeing that as we truly serve others effectively, in the process a greater ministry is happening first - we are actually being loved by our Father.  We, too, are His treasures!

God's love is our timing,

Tyren and Tiffany Haynes

The Goodness of God - Again and Again!

U.S.A., here we come!
June through August, we'll be back in the U.S. Hallelujah!  The Lord has done it again.  This is amazing!  We are actually all coming.  Someone even gave us a week long vacation in Williamsburg, Virginia where we'll stay as a family in a beautiful timeshare/resort complex.  Let's praise the Lord, and say together with us - God is good indeed!

Saved from an "Army" of Over a Hundred Thousand
I had an urge to go outside and work on our car, but I wanted to finish some other things first.  I heard the Lord say, "It would be better for you if you would obey me now."  I stopped, thinking, was that really the Lord?  I went to my car and suddenly found myself standing in the middle of "formigas" (Portuguese word for army ants).  Ahhhh!!! There were tens of thousands of these flesh biting insects approaching our front and side door, and some were starting to climb our house.  There were many more hidden in underground trails.  If I hadn't listened to the Lord, none of us would have left our house without, in the least case scenario, some serious bites.  I called our guards, and together we were able to kill some of the the ants while most of them retreated in several long lines back into the tall grass over the next 10 minutes.  This is a whole different view of Psalm 91:7 which reads, "A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you." 

Blessed at the ATM
Twice, I waited in lines to withdraw money from the ATM.  On both occasions, people in front walked away informing everyone that the machine wouldn't dispense money.  Indeed, we all saw that their cards were returned without money being dispensed.  Urged by the Holy Spirit, I tried my card and was able to successfully withdraw money both times.

A Special Hand Shake
I went to talk to Atori, who wears his belongings tied to him in plastic bags and often roams about shouting crazily and digging through trash.  He began to get angry and act crazy.  Suddenly, I petitioned the Holy Spirit saying, "No.  I'm not accepting this.  No."  Atori immediately calmed down and smiled at me.  The presence of God manifested.  For the first time in years, Atori shook my hand.  He has never shaken my hand before, even though I often offered my hand to him.  I pray that one day he will submit his life to Christ and be set free.  God is amazing!  He is good, again and again.

Since God believes in His goodness, we need to start believing, too.  The goodness of God attracts our attention to who He is more than the things that we receive from Him.  Daddy is good!  There's so much He desires for us, if only we trust in who He is and ask.  We pray that through His goodness, we'll know Him intimately, and have the wisdom and courage to reveal our Saviour to a world in need of His kindness and love.

Love,  Tyren and Tiffany Haynes