Timothy & Christi Chaffee Newsletter (Spring 2024)

Greetings Loved Ones!

Let’s soar through these past short months together!

Personal Involvement 

Since our last newsletter, I have joined as one of a few gentlemen to make up the Teen Missions Staff Housing Benefit Advocacy Team which assesses damage for repairs to Teen Missions housing and ensures that it is resolved promptly. We also review Maintenance Help Request Forms and work with individuals to resolve those issues, which are more minor. 

Preparation for the Tough Gator 5K Mud Run and the Lord’s Boot Camp have also been a large priority. We were able to use gas-powered pumps to pump lake water into the Mud Run obstacles to make them exceptionally muddy and while some of the other staff and students did a practice Mud Run, I was assigned to switch the water on and off which is why I was spared the mud of many of those in the included picture. 

We have also begun setting up tent pads that keep the tents off the ground during Boot Camp, which is essential due to the excessive rain in our Florida swamp.

For the past couple of months, Rebekah has had the privilege of serving at Teen Missions with some of the other staff children on Wednesday afternoons. They have been a great help in clearing brush, the trails, and tent sites. They were also able to assist in setting up chairs and Display Boards in Big Top 1 and hanging up informational signs around the property which will all be especially helpful during Boot Camp. 

Teen Testimony

Caplan from the Brazil team described, “It’s been hard, but there’s been many fruits. I’ve learned a lot about how the Lord works, and how to look for the ways that He works. I’ve learned to rely on His strength because it isn’t easy. I’ve had lots of adventure, but most of all I’ve realized how much home means to me.”

Honduras Overview

We have determined to delve into a glance of Teen Missions in Honduras for this letter. The ministry was established in 1990. Each year there are two Boot Camps, along with two Bible, Missionary, & Work (BMW) Training Bible schools. Though many of Teen Missions Sunday schools are conducted in Africa, 12 Sunday schools run through Honduras also. Teen Missions in Honduras operates a Retreat Center as well. The staff and students are actively involved in their community and have started a ministry at the local high school.  They also are looking for ways to make the base self-sufficient through gardens, fish ponds, etc. 

Honduras is a small Central American nation of around 10.5 million people. It is slightly larger than Tennessee. Its beautiful Mayan ruins attract many tourists but the wealth of the ancient empires is a stark contrast to the present poverty of Honduras. Honduras is one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere and has had many setbacks over the years, such as the devastating Hurricane Mitch in 1998. The majority of the population holds to Roman Catholic beliefs.

Family

Oliver is ten months old and very quick to learn! He crawls across the house and pulls himself to stand. He has even braved letting go for a little before plopping on his bottom. I don’t think walking is far off, especially since he has begun walking along furniture! Oliver’s newest discovery is clapping but he also will wave to others every so often too.

Along with most of the things mentioned in our last newsletter for Allister, he also enjoys sharks and is very good with animal sounds and singing along to songs he loves. Allister also enjoys riding a big-wheel tricycle he was given recently and sharing high-fives, fist bumps, and thumbs-ups.

Brielle enjoys toting around her favorite stuffed animal, Jigglypuff, throughout the day and spending quality time with family, especially when that includes one-on-one shopping with me. 

David is our creative kiddo who has a blast thinking and drawing up plans of activities he’d like to achieve from memorable family events to specialized clubhouses. He absolutely loves jokes and reading magazines.

Rebekah has relished her freedom going down the street to ride bikes and scooters with the other staff children. She also enjoys bouncing on the trampoline and playing pretend with the other kids on the street.

Christi spends her limited free time, often after the kids go to sleep or while nursing Oliver, by reading, coloring, and doing word searches. I had a blast sharing the Armor of God and presenting on medieval armor manufacturing with 420 youth at Real Life Christian Academy’s Renaissance festival on March 28th.

We appreciate every individual who has invested in our family as we serve the Lord together! We are grateful to trek through life united with you!

Praise and Prayer Requests

Praise that insurance has been covering Allister’s continuous glucose monitors (cgm’s) for his type 1 diabetes. It has been very informative for us, which allows us to do a better job of keeping his blood glucose in a healthier range more consistently. Pray we won’t have any issues getting insurance to cover the insulin pump in June. Insurance often won’t cover the insulin pump till at least 6 months after diagnosis. Pray also that development for Allister’s cgm and insulin pump will be completely synced by the time Allister starts the insulin pump so that we experience the smoothest adjustment and don’t have to do as much manually with the pump.

Praise as all of Rebekah’s finances have arrived for her to participate on Teen Missions Honduras Preteen team this summer! There were not enough youth registered for the Australia team, so those registered for Australia were switched to Costa Rica which had more registrations and as time passed Teen Missions deemed it best to switch the project site from Costa Rica to Honduras. Rebekah’s team projects will be to share the love and hope of Jesus Christ through dramas, puppets, music and games with nearby children. Their team will continue renovation on cabins at the Teen Missions Bible, Missionary & Work (BMW) Training Center and they will also have evangelism opportunities in nearby parks and schools. Thank you again to everyone who has joined her prayer and financial team! We are all very excited for this amazing opportunity of growth she has this summer!

Pray for David to exercise calming methods he’s learned during behavioral therapy—particularly when he faces difficult situations and activities, especially school.

Pray for our children to be encouraging in the way they respond toward each other.

Pray my vertigo continues decreasing, Lord-willing!

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

Pray for our children to have a growing eagerness to learn.

Pray for Christi and me to harmonize and prioritize everything we are involved in.

Pray for Christi and me to have wisdom with the essential choices we have to make.

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

Pray for our protection in each thing we do.

In Christ,

The Chaffee Family