Timothy & Christi Chaffee Newsletter (Fall 2024)

Hello from sunny Florida where alligators rest in nearly any body of water and we wear sweaters once the temperature drops below 70 degrees. We pray all is well with you! Join me as we journey through our summer.

Personal Involvement

Due to the blistering heat this year, I didn’t wear my full suit of armor for the Armor of God classes during the Lord’s Boot Camp. We were able to expound on each piece individually and then compose and display it together on an armor stand so the youth could get the full effect. I was also able to teach other classes, mostly those with our preteen program. Additionally, I was: a judge for the preteen wall Obstacle Course, cameraman, and prayer counselor during evening rallies. Outside of the Lord’s Boot Camp 10-day training, I’ve been able to use tractors and chainsaws a bunch (my favorite job), to clear hiking trails, expand our Boot Camp and Legacy Lakes on-site retreat center, and assist in maintaining our hundreds of acres of prime Florida swampland.

Preteen Testimony

Our oldest child, Rebekah, who went on the Honduras team this summer excitedly shared, “Making concrete is awesome! Learning to speak a different language is amazing!”

Honduras Summer Mission Trip

Among the ranks of 273 young people commissioning worldwide from Teen Missions headquarters to serve the Lord overseas, this summer saw Rebekah going on her first ever mission trip with Teen Missions to Honduras. Their team projects were to share the love and hope of Jesus Christ through dramas, puppets, and music with nearby children. They even learned some songs in Honduran Spanish! Their team had evangelism opportunities in nearby parks and schools and also worked on the foundation for a new kitchen on Teen Missions Honduras base.

They had the opportunity to evangelize and play with the kids at an elementary school. It was a public school and their missionary told them that it was a miracle they let them share the Gospel there because they rarely let people talk about God. Rebekah’s team also prepared the foundation for the new kitchen building—spread sand for the floor, steel tied the concrete forms, dug holes for support beams, and mixed and laid concrete. As they were mixing concrete for their work project, one of their team members noticed a snake crawling up to their gravel pile. It was identified as one of the most poisonous snakes in Honduras. We praise the Lord for His protection over their team while they worked for His glory! Since Rebekah has returned home, she has been exercising more discipline, which we’re sure is God growing her this past summer.

Family

Oliver is our ray of sunshine spreading his infectious smile and joy into our lives. Although Oliver will sometimes still crawl, he will often walk as well—sometimes on his knees. He has figured out how to climb stairs and onto the couch and loves to give kisses and observe what others are doing around him. Allister now speaks in full sentences and his two favorite songs that he could be heard singing frequently are “Jesus Loves Me” and “Baby Shark.” Not only does he love sharks, but he also loves ducks and dinosaurs and when visiting people who own dogs and cats, he absolutely loves to pet them! Brielle brings song into our home like a songbird and has taken an interest in martial arts and prancing around the house in her tutu. She enjoys playing with her siblings and is very detail oriented in her art, particularly, painting and coloring. David looks forward to interacting with others and is definitely an encouragement. He also likes to think of ways to save our Earth and reuse things!  Rebekah is becoming more involved in my sword group and floors adult opponents with how well she wields and navigates foam sword fighting. She is also very creative with her artistic eye. Christi has ironed out a functional schedule for our family to maintain the things that are most important and it has been working wonderfully! 

Recently, our family of seven packed our van and took a five-day trek out to Oregon and spent a little less than two weeks there. It was so good to visit those we saw. We are considering the logistics of flying next time to have more time to create even more memories and spare our young kiddos from the frustration of the long trip. A highlight for me though was driving through the Colorado Rockies and my imagination soared through the possibility of each ridge being crested with a magnificent castle!

We are thankful for each of you and the encouragement you have provided us with friendship and support over these past several years as we have served with Teen Missions! 

Praise and Prayer Requests

• Praise that we found out a likely cause for my vertigo, migraines, and previously unexplained tremors I’d been having. I still need to have blood work, but the prognosis seems largely positive at this time. Pray for my vertigo to continue decreasing, Lord willing!
• Pray for Christi and me to have wisdom in the choices we make for our family. David particularly struggles with mental health and has for a while. We want prayer for God’s guidance over and in David and our decisions to best help David thrive.
• Pray for David to practice calming methods he learned during behavioral therapy—particularly when he faces difficult situations, including unfavorable weather.
• Pray we won’t have any issues getting insurance to cover the insulin pump, if Allister will tolerate it. The continuous glucose monitor and insulin pump should be completely synced as of August, which was one of the other steps we had to wait on.
• Pray for our children to be encouraging in the way they treat others.
• Pray for Christi as she homeschools Rebekah, David, and Brielle this year.
• Pray for our children to be eager to learn and complete their assignments with a willing spirit.
• Pray for Christi and me to continue fine-tuning our schedules with everything we’re involved with.
• Pray for God’s peace in our lives.
• Pray for our protection in all things.

Blessings in Christ,

The Chaffee Family



Download PDF