Club Day and Prayer Requests

Here are some pictures from the club day on campus! I think I already explained the fact that we have to be a "club/organization" in order to do anything on campus which works out really well! Anyways we had a lot of people come and help us out with setting up the blow up jousting thing, that you see here in the picture where Jay is abusing me! lol. And then we also set up the church's shave ice machine and popcorn! We got to meet so many people and even some from Israel...how crazy is that! Was super excited to talk to them about Israel though...not believers though so pray for them! Two brothers and a sister who just moved here from Jerusalem! Anyways the club day went great with meeting students and faculty and other clubs and just making our face somewhat familiar to the students! Even though we left sweaty and very sticky from the shave ice syrup, we had so much fun with the students and pray that relationships would continue from the event!

I forgot to mention this in the previous blog but I created a website for Critical Mass this past week which has our events and purpose, etc. So if you want to check that out it is http://web.me.com/criticalmass3 Still working on it but has been really neat and fun to see how God has used some silly things I learned in PR for the purpose of what He has called me here to do, like making flyers and graphic designs! So neat how God works all things together for His Name's sake!

And lastly, here are some prayer requests from this week:

* Kyra - having lunch with her tomorrow

* Annina - that God would continue to open her eyes to the Beauty that is in Christ ALONE!

* Bryan - Korean guy that Jay talked to while serving with international students

* Mentors for Jay and I - we have been praying about a couple already but that God would continue to show us His will in that and what He would desire for us

* guidance in small group topics and who should lead them

* leadership in the area of worship for Critical Mass

* continue to pray for a head pastor for Valley Isle Fellowship

* that God would teach me more of discipline in my lifestyle

* that God would continue to make us break for the people of Maui and continue to have a heart of gratitude and awe of His calling upon our lives

* that the gospel would be so clearly seen through our lives and marriage...that it would be our only BOAST!

Thank you for your prayers! God has been so so faithful and as always true to His Word!!! He is so worthy of our praise!

A great week!

Hey you guys! I am so sorry for not writing on this sooner. I know I need to keep up to date cause I now have SO much to write on here and tell you all! This past week has been super busy but has been incredible all that God has done and how He has been so faithful to strengthen us through it all.

I'll start with last Saturday...we got to go into Kihei, getting ready for the Lecrae concert that night and took some pictures (which are down at the bottom). We also got the opportunity to hang out with some kids that were hanging out at a local skate park there...Jay will blog about that later though so I won't steal his thunder! Anyways I just wanted to say thank you guys so much for praying about the concert. There was an incredible turn out and more then that it, Lecrae shared the gospel throughout the entirety of the concert and many were challenged as a result! Jay now wants to be a hiphop rapper and won't stop listening to Lecrae EVERYTIME we get in the car :) Dee - you might get along with him now huh? lol.

On Monday, the college (MCC) that we do ministry on started their first day of school. Jay and I got on campus and hung up lots of flyers and prayed over the campus most of the day. We also went to the apartments and made sure that they had flyers, etc.

We did youth of course on Wednesday night, which I am getting to teach Senior High girls and I absolutely love it. They are super hungry for the Word, so continue to pray that I would accurately handle it and teach only the Word! That not a word would be of my own!

On Thursday, we did club day all day from 8-2 and it went SO well! I will leave further detail for another blog so that I can add those pictures and explain! But Thursday night we had our first ON CAMPUS ministry event of the semester in the science building! We still have 3 more weeks of a summer Bible study to finish up so we are continuing that before Jay starts teaching but the time of study and worship went really well. We had about 35 students there and were studying the book of 2 Timothy.

The next day, which you can see pictures below, we did a college beach day and took some people out to the beaches to spear dive and surf. While the boys were diving, Malisha (the other girl in the picture) and I got bored so we took some pictures. :) After the boys were done diving though, we went to another beach and I got to learn to surf! I got up twice for a bit so I was excited...haha. Jay was a good teacher. There is a local guy here, Darrel, who goes to our church that has started up a surf ministry. It is an outreach ministry, in which he allows people to use his 7 extra boards for ultimately the furtherance of the gospel. The college ministry is actually partnering up with this ministry and getting involved more and will be helping to throw a BIG surf event on September 19th, so please be in prayer for that!

And lastly yesterday, Jay and I took a group of 20 international students (yes, I drove a van...Dee is freaking out right now haha) to the beach to do beach clean up. We have a friend who helps teach and organize the international schooling program for MCC and so we got to help take them down there and then serve with them. Jay and I were actually both given the opportunity to share the gospel with some of them. I got to share with a girl from Switzerland who just moved to Maui a month ago. Her name is Annina and seemed very open to listen. I got to share with her the GLORIOUS gospel and how Christ has transformed my life and my person! Please continue to pray for her and our relationship as God would have it be! It is pretty astounding to see God set up wide open conversations that His gospel might be exalted! Incredible! That reminds me...please continue to pray for Kyra from the apartment BBQ. I am suppose to have lunch with her tomorrow! I am so desperate for God to speak through me...I don't know what to say. So please pray at 5 pm your time! You have no idea that magnitude of your prayers in Jay and I's lives!

Alright well I will leave it at that for this post. I will either write another tonight or write one in the morning I promise! But thank you all for your prayers and support! God has been so faithful and we so desire to be obedient in all things! Pray that our hearts would break for this people and that our focus would be that worship would expound as a result of Jesus Christ being exalted as LORD! You will hear again from us soon... Love you and miss you guys

Back-to school BBQ

"IT WAS FOR FREEDOM THAT CHRIST SET US FREE THEREFORE KEEP STANDING FIRM AND DO NOT BE SUBJECT AGAIN TO A YOKE OF SLAVERY! ...FOR YOU WERE CALLED TO FREEDOM, BROTHERS; ONLY DO NOT TURN YOUR FREEDOM INTO AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE FLESH, BUT THROUGH LOVE SERVE ONE ANOTHER!"  GALATIONS 5:1 & 13 

Last night we got the opportunity to co-sponsor a back-to-school BBQ with the administration of the school's apartments!  Valley Isle has this really cool "party trailer" thing so we hitched it on our car and headed out to the apartments for the BBQ.  We set up our popcorn machine (yes I got to serve it...was lots of fun :) ) and set up sound system.  We also have this huge jousting blow up that looks pretty incredible but they decided it would be best to bring out that at another BBQ..so soon you will see pictures of that as well :)  It is planned for the 11th!  Anyways the BBQ went so incredibly well...I know the pictures aren't great (mainly because I forgot my camera and Jay had to run back and get it so we were a lil late snapping them) but there were about 70 people that came through for the event.  They were only expecting 30 so it was a huge turnout for the apartments here.  

We got to meet a whole lot of people and make ourselves familiar with all of those that lived there and even got the chance to talk to some about why we were there and what we were doing.  There is a huge mixture of the type of people there (internationals, locals, mainlanders, younger, older, with children, etc.) Jay and I also got to share Truth to a young woman, named Kyra.  Please pray that she would claim Christ as her power and her freedom from the power of sin that once mastered over her.  Pray that God would give me guidance on what that relationship would look like with her in the future and how to encourage and guide her in Truth.  Thank you for all your prayers...God is certainly moving on this island and in its depths of darkness (these apartments).  We are not allowed to openly share and bring up the subject of the gospel, but if they ask we are allowed to share on this property so please pray that mere curiosity of these students would lead to them seeing Truth and gaining life through the saving work of Christ!  He is certainly at work!!!

This was our first "big" event for the college students at MCC and school starts this Monday, the 24th, so we are getting really excited about all that is about to happen!  Our first worship/teaching time on campus is this Thursday at 7 pm.  We also have a "club" day on Wednesday, where we will set up a booth and inform people what our "club" is all about and what we do.  Today, we are taking a big group of students down to a FREE Lecrae concert which we are super pumped about.  I am pretty sure that Deann has the opening rap act so Dee I plan on seeing you soon :)   Miss you and your rapping self Dee.  I'll tell Lecrae you said HEY!  Ha ha!  Anyways, Jay and I will be those that go up front for invitation so just pray for guidance on words and that the Spirit would move in a mighty way.  Please continue to pray for us and that God would be glorified in all that we do.  That we would remain so sensitive to His Spirit and that we would follow in obedience in all things.  We only get two years here (that we are certain of)...and we don't want to waste a day in disobedience so pray against all that might hinder simple obedience.  Pray that God would bind the enemy and would make us keen in dangerous situations.  May we claim Christ as the means and purpose of all things...for that is what He is!!!

Thank you all for everything and for all of the encouragement.  We are doing great and are incredibly blessed by your prayers and words!!!  Please continue in those.  We love you guys!

3 MONTHS!

Yesterday was Jay and I's THREE MONTH ANNIVERSARY!  Haha.  We will find any reason to celebrate.  But it was an incredibly great day to say the least.  

To start off...we had a pretty busy day with getting our Hawaiian driver's license and then setting up banking at a local bank here BUT we got it all done and by the grace of God I passed the test lol.  Before that we had to go get Jay a new social security card...so to say the least we were running around all day trying to get the "not fun, grown up stuff" done.  At 4 we had a meeting with all the local pastors in Maui County (which are the islands of Maui, Molokai, and Lanai).   At the end of the meeting, it was decided and agreed upon that the Maui County Baptist Association would fund us COMPLETELY for our insurance for the two years that we will be serving here!!!  If you don't know...that is a HUGE HUGE answer to prayer and God once again affirming the call He has for us here!!! What provision He has granted us.  He is so worthy of our trust and I praise Him for giving me Jay to lead me in that!!!  Just wanted to share with everyone what God has done...we are so grateful!  Thanks for your prayers in that!

After our meeting, we decided that since we had a suprisingly free night, we would go on a date down in Lahaina.  We had fun and even though Jay hates feeling or looking like a tourist, he let me get the camera out some.  :)  So here are some pictures of our sunset date at Aloha Mixed Plate....GOOD FOOD!  We had a blast and are so in awe of God's work in our marriage and our lives!!!  We are so grateful for His grace!  Please continue to pray for our marriage as we go to the next month.  We know it will be a different month for sure, but we are so excited to see all God will do!  Pray that we would reflect His beauty and His gospel!!!  We love you and count ourselves blessed to be prayed for by you!

Pictures I promised...more to come!

This is the church that God has SO graciously given us the oppurtunity to serve and work with!!! Incredible people...continue to pray for God to raise up a pastor, especially as we start planning and building on new land that has already been bought for a bigger facility.Below is Jay and I trying to take a picture of ourself with self timer...worked OK but didn't get to see the Iao Valley right behind us very well.  It is extremely beautiful and is what we get to see everytime we step out of our little annex.

That is me about to do laundry...our washer and dryer are in that little shed thing.



This below is the new car that will serve as the missionary car for the church.  So thankful for it and will enable us to do more effective ministry in the very near future. :)

And then the last picture, is a picture of the annex which we live in.  Our little apartment area is about a third of the house! It is so great!!!!

ALOHA!

2 Corinthians 4

"Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.  But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways.  We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's Word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.  And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing.  In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as LORD, and ourselves as your bond-servant for Jesus' sake.  For God, who said, 'LIGHT SHALL SHINE OUT OF DARKNESS,' is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.  For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.  So death works in us, but life in you.

But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, 'I believed, therefore I spoke,' we also believe, therefore we also speak, knowing that He who raised the LORD Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you.  For all things are for your sakes so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.  For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal!!!"

WE ARE FINALLY HERE!!!! It is amazing and very surreal that we are actually here and it is SUCH a testimony of the grace and steadfastness of our God!  Thank you all for your prayers in us getting here prepared spiritually and physically (with only four bags, we needed lots of prayer to physically be packed and ready lol).   We are so grateful for your prayers and we can tell that there are many on their knees for us...PLEASE continue in that for us, that the glory of God may abound all the more.  Jay and I are going to be updating and posting as much as we can these next two years while we are on mission in Hawai'i...our goal is to do it at least once a week so hold us to it. :)  Our purpose in this is to inform y'all of what God is doing for His very own glory and Name on the island of Maui so that you can continue to support us GREATLY in prayer!  We pray that also the work of God over here that we will be sharing, will encourage your heart to be diligent to make the gospel your one Boast and Joy!

We have only been here for about 4 days now and we have been overwhelmed by the blessings and provision of God!  We got picked up at the airport on August 10th (Monday) at around 2.  Our plane was just a little late because we had to go around the island in order to come to Maui from the north in order to miss the deadly Felicia. lol.  Not even any turbulance so that was good! All we got was like a couple inches of rain and some wind...in the South it wouldn't be considered even a storm.  Anyways after we got picked up, our "boss man", Gary, told us he had a surprise for us.  It turned out that the very old, messed up, unreliable Blazer was going to be traded in for a much, much more reliable and efficient car!  Not only will we be safer in it, but I will be able to go grocery shopping, etc. without Jay and without fear of breaking down in a dangerous part of town.  So huge praise and such a blessing that God and the church provided us with that.  After that surprise, we came back to the church to the annex (which is where we stay...it is part of the church in which Valley Isle Fellowship, the church where we are serving at, provides us to live in).  Jay had lived in this "missionary area" of the annex before and I had seen it when we came for spring breaks, but this time the entire church had come together to paint, carpet, retile, and even add an extra door and tear a wall down in order for us to have a more private and nice little home.  It almost looks like a little apartment.  It blew us away though and we are so grateful to God and the church for this huge gift!

Since our first day back, we have been setting up house, trying to get Hawai'ian I.D.'s, insurance, banking, etc. etc. and then also meeting with many people to get started on leading out the college ministry.  We have gotten to meet with Gary many times and a good friend of Jay's whose name is Lyle in order to talk about vision for the college and youth ministry and to discern where God is leading us.  Just in case anyone is confused, Jay and I are going to be completely in charge of collegiate ministry for Maui county and our secondary job is to help and support VIF's youth group.  Anyways, we have been settling in and are all unpacked and ready for school to start up!  Maui Community College does not start up until August 26th though so until then we will be calendering, meeting lots of people, helping lots with youth, and helping lead a small group Bible study for those college students that have been coming all summer.  Last night we got to spend time in small groups with the youth and it went amazing! And then tonight, we will be doing the small group Bible study with the college students! Please be in prayer for that tonight...it will be on 2 Thessalonians.  

Things specific you can lift up...

* Head Pastor for VIF - their pastor left on May 10th and they are still searching (maybe Bro Greg :) )

* Youth on Sunday and Wednesday - pray for unity and that discipleship would grow

* College on Thursday - the God's Word would penetrate hearts and transform lives

* Vision for College Ministry - Jay and I would have God's heart and eyes in leading this college ministry

* Finances - that we would be good stewards of what God has given us and that we would always trust Him to provide

* Marriage - that God would continue to grow us together as one and that we would be diligent in our study of the Word and worship together

* Island of Maui - that God would unveil the blinded eyes and that He may, perhaps even through us, make His glory known...that all may praise Him ALONE!

Lastly, many of you have asked if we have a donation fund that would be tax deductible and we have just set that up through our church here, Valley Isle Fellowship.  The way in which you would do this is to send a check addressed as...

Jay and Melissa Haynes

473 South High Street

Wailuku, HI 96793

The check inside however would be written out to "Critical Mass" (this is the name of the college ministry that we are leading) and then put in the memo line of the check "Jay and Melissa Haynes Donation Fund".

Thank you all so much for all that you do!  We are so so grateful for the role that each of you play in our lives.  Know that we are very well and we are so excited about all that God has called us to do here!!!  We will continue to cling to His steadfast promises!!!

***Will put up pictures soon I promise!!!****