Timothy & Christi Chaffee Newsletter (Fall 2023)

Greetings Cherished Family!

Let’s stroll through the past few months and into the fall together.

Personal Involvement

As in previous summers, I was one of a couple individuals overseeing Special Blessings for youth. These adolescents benefit from a bit of extra mentorship while completing useful tasks such as cleaning bathrooms, among other things. I also served as one of the camera operators during evening rallies. While much of the other staff were leading teams overseas, I assisted in demolition of an old building where new staff housing will be built. This summer, I also accompanied others in renovating the chapel, as well as the classroom for our Bible school students. Teen Missions is blessed to welcome seven new students to Sojourner School of Ministry—two of whom serve in the Maintenance Department with me in the afternoons after their morning classes. For more information on Sojourners, please check out https://sojourner.teenmissions.org/.

We are excited to announce that Rebekah intends to participate with the Teen Missions Australia Preteen team this coming year, June 18th - July 26th. We are thrilled for the growing experiences she will encounter with her team and to witness how God uses her team. Below we’ve asked her to share just a bit about this new opportunity she has. “I want to help people and see happy faces. I will be painting. It will be great to see the base and get to see the staff that work there and work with them and also I will get to preach the Gospel out on the streets and help the people of Australia learn about God. It will be great to see people dedicating their lives. It will be great to be seeing things that you don’t see all the time.” For more information on her upcoming trip please check out, https://teenmissions.org/mission-trip/australia-2024.

Teen Testimony

Zoe A. from the Australia team revealed, “In the past few days of Boot Camp, I’ve learned so much and have had the opportunity to gain a closer relationship with Christ. I’ve learned how to evangelize the Gospel to people in three different ways (Romans Road, Three circles and the Wordless Book/ Bracelet). I’ve also been taught to do bucket laundry and how to use the puppets to share the Word of God with children.”

Overseas Testimony

Teen Missions in Madagascar expressed the impact our annual Mud Run had for a considerable amount of children. “Recently, children in the Sunday school circuit near Vangaindrano, Madagascar, received a special gift of clothing! With the money received from our recent Mud Run fundraiser, our TMI staff and Circuit Riders were blessed to buy and give bales of clothing to children ages 6-17 years old. 

Our Madagascar Country Coordinators, Mike and Queen, said there was a lot of excitement and the children were very happy to receive new clothes! Mike also said this, ‘The elders came to bring the grandkids to receive clothes and on bringing them some received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior! The chief of the community came and he received Jesus Christ as his personal Savior!’ Praise the Lord!”

Family

Oliver was born on June 26th and it is crazy to think he is three months old! He loves to be held, particularly by mommy and in an upright position. He’s very expressive with his eyebrows and creates a clicking sound with his mouth that seems to mimic that of giving a kiss. Allister specifically enjoys spending time in the great outdoors and playing with water, as long as he’s not submerged by it. He also has a wonderful time transferring liquid from one container to another and playing with sports balls by hurling or kicking them and chasing after them. Brielle continues to enjoy artistic hobbies and also has a blast building sandcastles with her neighborhood friends. David is our gentle-spirited boy who loves greeting people with high-fives and enormous hugs. Rebekah recently celebrated her eleventh birthday and is swiftly growing and nearly as tall as Christi. Rebekah’s enthralled in the medieval scene right alongside me.

We praise the Lord and are thankful for his goodness, provision, and faithfulness that we experience through ministry and through our devoted prayer and financial partners who make our service with Teen Missions a reality.

Praise and Prayer Requests

Praise as David seems to be completing his calm-breathing exercises more willingly and pray he will implement other helpful tools he’d been given through behavioral therapy too—especially when he finds himself in unpreferred situations or when he needs to complete unpreferred activities, such as school.

Praise for Oliver! Christi did not have preterm rupture of membranes and Oliver seems to have measured average size, not small! He seems healthy!

Praise as Allister is normally gentle around Oliver. Pray for our family as we adjust to having two boys under two years old.

Pray for Rebekah as she raises prayer and financial support to participate with Teen Missions Australia Preteen team this coming year. She has to raise around $4,890. If you are led to contribute financially, please contact us.

Pray for our children to be encouraging in their speech and actions towards each other.

Pray my vertigo continues lessening, Lord-willing!

Pray for Christi as she is homeschooling Rebekah, David, and Brielle this school year.

Pray for our children to have increasing desires to learn.

Pray for Christi and I to balance and prioritize everything we are involved with.

Pray for Christi and I to have wisdom with important decisions we have to make.

Pray for God’s peace in every area of our lives.

Pray for our safety in all we do.

In Christ,

The Chaffee Family