Book #1 - Timotio Nia Istoria

Kindergarten children at Gleno Town with new books!

In the New Testament there is a young pastor who has been faithfully taught the Word of God by his mother and his grandmother. The young man's name is, of course, Timothy, and those two godly women in his life are still remembered today, 2000 years on.

All over the world, and throughout generations, women of God have taught their children and grandchildren the story of God's plan for our lives. It is this wonderful oral tradition that is celebrated in 'Timotio Nia Istoria'. Timotio's grandmother tells the children the story of Christmas, of the birth of a Child who becomes our Saviour. As she tells the story, young Timotio becomes increasingly aware that this story is personal - it is his story too.

For many children, this was the first book
they had ever owned.

This book, my first, was completed in a relatively short period of time. A group of men from Australia were travelling to Timor and it seemed good that they take copies of this book with them as gifts. The men were Rev Robert Benn, Rev Gary Ware and Rev Rob Duncanson. You can read all about that trip here. Gary's blog presents a richly detailed daily account of their time in Timor - certainly recommended reading!

The book was funded by the Education Committee of the GAA of the Presbyterian Church of Australia - and I thank them for that.

In an interesting cultural aside, the book features traditional Timorese motifs on some of the pages. At the time of illustrating the book, the Museum and Art gallery of the Northern Territory was holding a fantastic exhibition of traditional arts and crafts from Timor Leste. (For all you arts and crafts lovers, the exhibition was this one)