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.

Pretending at the Museum

Hello everyone! This week I got to go to the Jersey Shore Children’s Museum with mom, Aunt Kelly and my cousins, Seth and Caleb. While we were there we got to pretend to be lots of fun things. Do you like to pretend? I had a good time. Here are a few of the different roles I played.

We were in a doctor's office. I was practicing holding a baby since we are going to have a new baby soon. Well, soon used loosely, mom and dad keep saying I will get to see the baby in September. I don't really know how far away that is.

Next we have a picture of us at the post office. Working together and having fun doing it.

Here is a picture of me and Caleb doing a news broadcast. He was doing the headlines and I was his assistant.

Seth found the construction site. Earlier we had fun building a house together (sorry no cute pictures, we were both too busy to look at the camera). But in this picture you can see we are enjoying the trucks and cranes.

Caleb found the dinosaurs and had a blast. I just enjoyed it too. Who wouldn't love playing in the sand and roaring like a dinosaur?

But my favorite, you guessed it, the basketball court. They had basketballs and hoops to shoot in. I could have played there all day. 

I had a great day and had a lot of fun pretending. 

Baking with Grandma Laurie

The other day Grandma Laurie was in the kitchen busy making rolls. Her church, Trinity United Methodist in Clayton, NJ has started a soup ministry on Saturdays. Grandma makes the rolls. She was busy and I decided I should help. I climbed right up on the stool and demanded to be involved. She gave me some dough. I didn't like it at first, it was sticky. But after mom added some flour and put some flour on the counter I had some fun.

After she made little balls she put them on a tray. I, of course, also wanted to put some on a tray. Grandma would not let me put my dough balls on her tray (something about other people eating hers or germs or something...), but she gave me a tray to put mine on.

It is fun to help. Are you a good helper? Do you offer to help when you can? It is always more fun to work together than by ourselves.

I've got some news!

Well, I figure it's my job to keep all of you up to date on what is going on in the family, especially since I know mom and dad are pretty bad about keeping their blog updated. So, I don't know if they have told their blog readers this yet or not (you know, since I can't read yet or anything), but... there's a baby joining our family! 

I know, you're shocked, right? I was when I found out too. Honestly, I'm still not quite sure what to think. Mom and dad seem pretty excited, but I'm not so sure. 

It's a good thing I got to meet Adalynn Gormong and Ella Engebretson while we were gone though. At least now I know what a baby is anyway. When I first met Adalynn I wasn't so keen on the idea of my mom and dad holding someone else, that's my spot!

But after a few days I started warming up to the idea of having other little people around.

That doesn't mean, however, that I'm ready for a little sister yet. I know mom wants to have a little girl, but I would rather have a brother I can play with and I think dad agrees with me. It's only fair though, because when we get to Arua mom and dad will be working with the Coppedges, Uncle Billy and Aunt Jo, and they have two little girls, Elsie Jayne and Lucy. I don't want to be the only little boy--who know what they would do to me!

But I digress. I guess in the end, I'm more excited than not about having a baby brother or sister. Everything's better when you have a partner in crime, right?

So there you go, that's the big news in our family. I wanted you to hear it from me, someone you trust, before you heard it on the street.

Day at the Beach

Florida was GREAT. I loved seeing some of my extended family.  It was nice to go barefoot and without a coat. Really though, I wanted to show you some pictures taken when we went to the beach.

Me and Dad ready to go. Notice how clean I am.

Chasing the seagulls. Never could catch them, even though I tried.

Playing with the sand. It feels so good between my toes, and in my ears.

How did I get so dirty! Mom says it is time for a bath. The beach was SO fun.