Christmas is Coming!

Christmas is coming soon. I am so excited! Did you know we get presents? I just had a birthday so I know all about presents. Are you looking forward to Christmas? I am, but for more than just presents. At Christmas we get to celebrate Jesus’ birth. That is more exciting than presents. Jesus came to us! He  loves us enough to come to earth as a baby. 

Trust me, I know about babies! Ben is two months old now but he still cries more than I would like. He has started smiling which is fun. I love having a brother, even if he still wears stinky diapers and wakes me up at night. Can you believe that God became a baby because He loves us? How amazing, I wouldn’t want to be a baby again.

This year lets remember that there is more to Christmas than presents. We should thank Jesus for coming to us. Merry Christmas or in Swahili “Krismasi Njema.”

Love, Timbo 

Getting Ready and Being Prepared

Mom and Dad have been getting ready for Uganda. We want to be ready to go as soon as all our support is raised. Some things are fun to do; I got to go shopping this fall and buy lots of summer clothes on clearance. Mom says that it is summer all the time in Uganda, so I need summer clothes in lots of sizes. I am also learning some Swahili. It is fun to learn new words. I know how to say elephant (tembo), lion (simba), giraffe (twiga) and lots of other more useful words.

One of the things that is not as fun is getting shots. To go to Uganda I need to get six shots that I wouldn’t need here in America. I have had three and will continue to get more as we get closer to leaving. To be ready to serve Jesus we need to be prepared. What are some ways you prepare for serving Jesus? Are you reading your bible so that you can know God better? Do you pray for your friends who do not know Jesus? We need to be ready to show Jesus' love to everyone we meet. As we are getting ready to go to Uganda, we are also making sure we are ready to serve Jesus here as we are able. 

 

By the way, I am loving being a BIG brother. Benjamin is cute when he is not crying. He does sleep a lot though... I can't wait until he is big enough to play with. The Swhaili word for the month is "dawa" which is the word for medicine. I will be excited when all these shots are over. Love Timbo

Taking Care of Each Other

I want to introduce you to Benjamin Daniel. He is my brother and he was born September 23rd. I am so excited to have a brother. Mom and Dad like him too. Ben can not do much by himself yet. He needs mom to feed him and he needs his diapers changed. He can’t play yet. Mostly he just eats and sleeps.

Because Ben needs so much I try to help when I can. I give him toys if he is crying. I put his dirty diapers in the trash. Sometimes I help dad pick out Ben’s clothes. I also help mom find the pacifier when it is missing.

It is my job to help take care of my brother. Did you know that we are all brothers and sisters in Jesus? We are all God’s children and we should take care of each other. We should love and be kind to each other. We should help in any way we can. I pray that you will help those around you this week and show Jesus’ love to them.

Getting Ready

Dad and Grandma Laurie call it "nesting," and Mom calls it "organizing." No matter what you call it, Mom is very busy getting things ready for Ben. She is going through boxes of baby clothes and getting out the small diapers. Mom has been giving Dad lots to do. He has set up Benjamin's baby bed and got the boxes out of the attic for Mom. It seems like we are ready.

I have been helping too. I sorted through all the bibs and told Mom which ones I liked. I even threw a bunch on the floor. Mom made me pick them back up. Do you like to help? I love to help Mom and Dad. I can't wait for Benjamin to get here so I can help take care of him. The doctor says everything looks good. We should get to meet Ben face to face in just 4 weeks. So exciting!

Building the Kingdom

Grandma Laurie and Grambo are putting an addition onto the house to give everyone more space. There will be a new room and bathroom for Grandmom Rambo and a new small bathroom for everyone else. I have been watching the builders closely. I stand at the window and tell the builders what to do. They have done a really good job and are almost finished.

I have learned by watching the builders that for a house to be built all the different builders have to work together. The plumbers, electricians, painters, contractors, roofers, inspectors and builders can not do their job if they do not work with the others. Each person has to do the job they have. No job is more important than the others. If the plumber didn't come we wouldn't have water. If the roofers did not do a good job we would have lots of extra water. Everyone has to do the job they have been given and each one has to get along with everyone else.

It is the same in God's family. We are all working together to build the His Kingdom. We all have different jobs: pray, give, share, preach, go. But none of our roles can be truly effective if we don't work together. My family can not go to Uganda if people do not pray and give to our ministry. We would not even be planning to go if someone had not shared with us and preached to mom and dad.
Will you do your part and will you pray that I will learn to do my part? I am trying to pray every night for a missionary family. I will learn to share with others what God is doing in my life. Those are the jobs that God has for me now.

Missionary Kids Hanging Out

We went to camp for Memorial Day weekend. It was great! Who wouldn't love the sand, water and friends there? This weekend was extra special because I got to hang out with some friends we have not seen for awhile. Elsie Jayne and Lucy Coppedge were at camp because their Daddy was the speaker. Elsie was nice and shared toys with me. She is a year older than me and was quite helpful and fun to play with. I tried to play nice with Lucy. She is a year old and kept following me around. Mom really likes Lucy and kept holding her. I was not a big fan of mom holding another kid, but I decided it wasn't worth fussing over.

Sunday night my cousins, Caleb and Seth, came. I love playing with them. I am the little guy right now, but once Benjamin gets here  I won't be the littlest. We 3 boys have a lot of fun together now. We don't fight over toys as much as we used to, and we actually play together now.

I also got to hang out with Lucas and Timmy Bowen. They are missionary kids to Paraguay. Timmy is a lot like me and not just because we have the same name. He is adventurous and has no fear. He likes the water and likes to climb on things. He is three and a half and I had a lot of fun trying to follow him around and do what he was doing.

Dad took a picture of the missionary kids in the sandbox. We didn't really cooperate for the picture, but who can blame us with all the toys and sand. It's so great to have a worldwide missionary family.

Home Is Where The Tent Is

We are traveling again. I know, it seems like we are always on the road. Good news is that I am getting used to it. I am a pro at napping in the car and I don't whine too much any more. When we are traveling, instead of my old pack 'n play, I get to sleep in a tent. It is part of my growing up, at home I sleep in a "big kid bed" but when we travel I get to sleep in a tent.

I like my tent because no matter where we are staying my tent is the same. We have stayed with lots of different people so far. By different I don't mean weird or strange, they are all great. Any way, we are in Jackson, MS visiting our friends from Wesley Biblical Seminary and from Bellwether Church. Mom and Dad seem to be having a great time seeing old friends and making new friends. I am meeting people who keep saying, "oh you've gotten so big" and "I held you when you were born." I just have to believe them because I don't remember anything from our time here a year ago.

We still have a week of our trip left and lots more people to see. Mom and Dad don't want to leave without getting to see everyone again, so bug them if you don't have plans set up yet.