the coolest kids on the block.

people always ask me, "what is it like growing up as a quadruplet?" i answer the same way every time, "it's my normal." in fact, until i was about six years old, i thought everyone was supposed to have four babies. i can't imagine not being one of four. i also couldn't imagine elizabeth, sarah, and will not being the other three fourths.

will.

i only have one brother, and i think he is pretty cool. even though will grew up with all sisters, he did not let that stop him. we had countless adventures growing up. we went mud-riding, swimming in the creek, exploring in the woods, and we climbed on top of barns...then jumped off. oh, and there was that one time he dressed me up in his catcher's equipment and practiced his fast balls. it has been truly amazing to watch God transform will from a boy into a man. will, even though we are complete opposites, i couldn't imagine having anyone else for a brother.

elizabeth.

when we were born, the doctors thought elizabeth and i were identical twins. it didn't take long for them to figure out we weren't. honestly, sometimes i wish we were because she is absolutely beautiful. besides her striking features, elizabeth has one of the biggest, most beautiful hearts of anyone i know. people are naturally drawn to her kindness and warmth. lizzy, you are the oldest and i am the youngest. even though you are only older than me by two minutes, i admire you more than you will ever know.

sarah.

sarah and i are so different. but we are more alike than either of us would ever admit. growing up, sarah marched to the beat of her own drummer. it was a beat that everyone wanted to follow, but we couldn't. because sarah is one of a kind. sarah has always been so loyal, and there is no doubt that she always has my back. it's really hard to describe, but sarah just gets me and i her. sarah, i have loved watching God grow you. i can't wait to see how he continues to use you.

anna.

anna lee, you were four months shy of three years old when your world was completely rocked. you never skipped a beat and transitioned into your role as big sister with such grace and maturity, even at such a young age. it was truly amazing to watch you take on the role of a wife and now the role of a mother.

happy 21st birthday to the coolest people i know.

now, a trip down memory lane...

when we were little, we used to hide in my mom and dad's shower. my mom would open the curtain and we would all scream. pretty. darn. cute.

popsicles on a hot summer day. elizabeth changing things up with grape.

child proof cap? nothing for elizabeth haynes. this girl opened the bottle, and the four of us ate the entire bottle. poison control and ipecac were involved.

our first birthday.

our christmas play at church. sarah and i were angles, will a wise man, and elizabeth...a donkey. making the family proud.

call alfa. fo real.

at the beach. i love everything about this picture.

grace.

amazing grace.

it is such a sweet sound, isn't it? as i was sitting in the special needs room at casitas kennedy on monday, this word kept ringing in my head and my heart. i have known and used this word for most of my life, and up until monday i thought i knew exactly what it meant. grace fellowship is my home church. it is a place filled with believers who continually pray and support me. i have been "justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" romans 3:24. as i was pondering all of the grace in my life, i realized that i was always on the receiving end. in fact i have come to expect grace. i almost demand it, as if it is something i deserve. but, that's not grace at all, is it?

"for grace you have been saved through faith. and this is not your doing; it is a gift of God." ephesians 2:8

It is only by God's grace that i am not a child at casitas kennedy or any other orphanage. while spending time with these kids, God's grace has become so tangible to me. i can show and give grace because Christ has bestowed grace upon such an unworthy sinner, myself.

God has also been so gracious in giving us his Holy Word. while here, the Bible has really come to life, and my time in the word has been so much sweeter. i am reading "the pursuit of God" by A. W. Tozer. in it he writes, "if you would follow to know the Lord, come at once to the open Bible expecting it to speak to you. do not come with the notion that it is a thing which you may push around at your convenience. it is more than a thing; it is a voice, a word, the very Word of the living God." may his Word and his grace be extended to all the nations.

"for it all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving to the glory of God." 2 corinthians 4:15

art.

first want to apologize for my major lack of blogging. thankfully, sarah and mary elizabeth have been better than me in keeping everyone updated. it is safe to say that teaching english is not what i expected to be doing. yet, the Lord saw fit to put me right smack dab in the middle of one of the poorest areas in tegucigalpa. each morning, 50 kids [ages 8-11] greet kimberly and i with "good morning teacher!!" absolutely adorable? maybe just a little. the Lord has also blessed us with the opportunity to minister to the orphans at casitas kennedy. because we usually don't know what age group we are working with or what activities we are doing until we arrive, each day is an adventure.

what has the Lord been teaching me?

right before we left for honduras, all of the interns at buckner had a sweet time of worship and prayer. during that time we sang the words, "your will above all else, my purpose remains; the art of losing myself in bringing you praise." as i stumble through teaching english, speaking spanish, and painting countless toenails the Lord continues to refine me.

"and I will put his third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested." zechariah 13:9a

the Lord has revealed sin upon sin. fear, selfishness, pride, discontentment, and anger are just a few. the reveling of this sin is painful, it hurts. i have mourned, and i have been comforted. i know that the trials will still come and sin will continue to be mourned. but i am confidant that God is refining me and all believers to be more like his son.

the one doing the refining is truly an artist. the only way he knows when the process of purifying is complete is when he sees his own image reflected in the silver. i know that the Lord has a lot more refining to do until he can see his own image when looking at me.

here's to sanctification!!

"therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. the old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2 corinthians 5:17

three of my students.

we're here!!

i first want to thank all of you for your prayers!! we arrived in dallas on wednesday (early) morning. we met up with our fourth intern, kimberly. she is too precious and has such a sweet spirit. honestly, i am hoping she can handle us haynes sisters. i think she is up to the challenge. training was wonderful. i can't speak highly enough of buckner. not only did they prepare us physically for the challenging month ahead, they made sure to prepare us spiritually, emotionally, and mentally.

we arrived in tegucigalpa with all of our luggage. woohoo!! sidenote: did you know that the tegucigalpa airport is the second most dangerous airport in the world? well, we didn't until after we landed. we were picked up by nettie, our in country missions coordinator, and louis and karla (our translators for the next month). all of them were so welcoming and even laughed at my jokes...BONUS!! we quickly checked into our "apartment" and headed off to casitas kennedy orphanage. when we arrived we were told that we would not be allowed to take pictures. at first we were all bummed, but God has a purpose. i can tell you that each individual there is absolutely beautiful!! although you won't be able to see their faces, rest in the fact that God knitted them together and he sees them.

hopefully i will be able to update every few days. thank you again for your prayers!!

rejoice in hope.

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:1-5

two weeks. fourteen days. 336 hours.

in two short weeks i will be traveling back to the beautiful country of honduras!! words cannot describe how truly humbled i am that the Lord has chosen to send me back to the country i love so much. the past two summers i have worked in san pedro sula, honduras. however, this summer the Lord saw fit to send me to honduras's capital, tegucigalpa. although my heart aches at the thought of not holding and loving on my sweet babies back at nueva esperanza and talking and praying with my precious girls at casitas, i am beyond excited to meet more of God's precious creations in tegucigalpa!! i will be serving at casitas kennedy orphanage and ctc-el eden [a community center]. did i mention i get to serve along side my two best friends? that's right, sarah, mary elizabeth, and i are all heading down to good ol' honduras together. how sweet is the Lord to allow us this opportunity?

honduras be prepared. the haynes girls don't mess.

"...that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:17-19

abide with me.

ABIDE with me! fast falls the eventide,

The darkness deepens: Lord, with me abide!

When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,

Help of the helpless, O, abide with me!

Thou on my head in early youth didst smile;

And, though rebellious and perverse meanwhile,

Thou hast not left me, oft as I left thee;

On to the close, O Lord, abide with me!

I need thy presence every passing hour:

What but thy grace can foil the tempter's power?

Who like thyself my guide and stay can be?

Through cloud and sunshine, O, abide with me!

I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless;

Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness:

Where is death's sting? Where, grave, they victory?

I triumph still if thou abide with me.

Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes,

Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies.

Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee:

In life and death, O Lord, abide with me!

Henry Lyte, 1847