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| Some adults and children enjoying the meal and fellowship |
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
