Crazy Days...

Well it has been a few days since I have posted anything. It has been crazy around here. We survived Hurricane/Tropical Storm Tomas without a scratch! We lost power on Friday, the day the storm hit, for about 10 hours and that was it!! We were so thankful! We kept looking at the path of the storm in amazement at how God spared us from so much! The kids were thankful that they didn't have school on Friday, but everyone was back to normal on Monday.

This last weekend was supposed to be our "Team" weekend off. We ended up taking Saturday to drive to Negril. We were hoping to do some cliff jumping at Rick's Cafe. We got to Negril and the waves from the storm were incredible! They were 15-20 feet high! They were crashing against the cliffs and shooting water into the air sometimes as high as 75 feet! Clearly, we didn't do any jumping, but we did sit and just watch for hours! We also went to the West End Lighthouse. It is on the western most post of Jamaica. It was awesome to see the power of the sea from the safety of the shore. The old hymn "I Sing the Mighty Power of God" kept playing in my mind. It was amazing! Sunday we went to Baylife again. I so enjoy going there. Because of the waves, we didn't get to go to the beach after church. I was kind of relieved. I was not feeling great and in a terrible mood. I needed some alone time to get my attitude straightened out. I was able to come back and take a much needed nap. I woke up feeling much better.

In the last 3 months, I have really fallen in love with the staff here at Robin's Nest. They are amazing! I love hearing them sing in the kitchen or with the kids on the porches. They are some of the most tenderhearted people I have ever met. However, there are several that cause me a lot of trouble! One of our night time nurses, Nurse Hedram, loves to trouble me and I love to trouble her right back. The other night I kicked her in the butt when she walked passed me. She gave me a dirty look and kept on walking. Well, she got me back! She came into my room at 5 am on Wednesday morning and told me she needed me for something. I was sound asleep and didn't really know what was going on. She keep yelling for me to get up so I finally found my glasses and my slippers and walked into the bathroom to see what she needed. As I walked in, I noticed that she had one of our dust pans with the long handles. I looked down to see a massive dead rat in the dust pan. She brought it so I could see it! She woke me up at 5 am to show me a stupid dead rat! She is big time trouble! Matt Wiley got her back though! As she was leaving in the truck at 6:30 am, he took the dust pan with the rat and pretended to put it in the back seat of the truck with her. You should have heard her scream! That made my day!

There is a bug going around The Nest right now. Angie is very sick and many others have been feeling under the weather. I haven't been truly healthy since I have been back. I am feeling okay right now, but earlier it was not so good. I think I am reaching the point of exhaustion! I am just so stinkin' tired! Tomorrow should be a pretty low key day though. We have a team of 20 coming and they will play with the kids all day. I think I am going to have the boys play outside most of the day. I am going to spend some one on one time with Abby tomorrow. (Abby has Downs Syndrom) I am excited to spend some time with her to see some of the things she can do. She is a smart little girl! I'm excited to put on my "early childhood special ed." hat. I miss that!

Well I am off to bed! Looking forward to what tomorrow has in store!!

Can't believe it's November!

Well, we are officially into November. I can't believe it has come so fast! Today was a great day! We had a team from Indiana that came and served for a few hours. The best part was that their leader was Gary Crawford! It was soooo good to see him! I was able to sit and talk to him for quite a while. I also got to meet his son, Ben, who is living down here and attending Fairview Baptist Bible College. We got to reminisce about our trip last June. He was telling me about the schools and different places that he was taking this team and so many of them were places that we went. He said that tomorrow morning they are doing devotions down at Catherine Hall Primary school. That was the first school that we went to last June. We laughed because that was also the morning that Gary locked Morgan in the big house at Chattam Cottages. SO many good memories from that trip! I am hoping to go on another trip with Gary soon!! It may be sooner than I think! We shall see!!

We have a couple girls staying at the Nest for a while. One is from Tennessee and she is staying for 3 weeks. The other is from Michigan and is just staying for a week. She looked so familiar to me when she first got here. I asked her where in Michigan she was from but wouldn't have known her from that, but we found out that we had gone to Cornerstone for year together. We probably took some of the same classes. It was crazy.

So I had another first down here tonight. I had to be "dewormed". Thankfully, it is just precautionary, but the medicine was nasty! Nurse Gordon was going around giving it to all the kids and the O'Dells and I had to take it as well. Since we have been here for a long time, we needed to have this medicine. YUCK!

Well, we are watching "Veggie Tales" again tonight! Anna is hooked! It's fun to see the old videos. I haven't seen them in so long. It's fun to see Anna glued to them! Tonight we are watching "Larry Boy and the Fib from Outer Space". Good times!

Movin' & Shakin'

Wow! What a crazy few days! I don't know where to start! God has been moving and shaking things up down here. He is proving that he is sovereign and his timing is perfect! He has allowed some amazing things to happen and I am anxious to see what is next! I would love to be able to give you all the details, but that will have to wait! Please continue to pray for direction and discernment.

Like I said, it has been crazy down here! We had a team from Lutheran Church of Hope (Joel & Angie's home church) here this last week! What a blessing they were! It was amazing to see how God used them in each of our lives in different ways. We got to go spend a few days with them at a resort. It was nice because it was over my birthday! I had a fabulous start to my 27th year. Sitting with the O'Dell's by the pool, being spoiled by my new friends and having a real day off! God is good!

Well, I am worn out! What an emotional roller coaster this last week has been! I need a good night's sleep! Going to bed at 8 pm is never too early here!! I know I have gotten behind at this blog and I am going to try my best to get back into the habit of writing on a regular basis!

Jhanelle's Funeral

October 16, 2010

What a day! We had Jhanelle's funeral today. This was my first experience at a Jamaican funeral. I wanted to go because of Jhanelle, but I also felt like I needed to go for Quest as well. I did not get to be at his funeral so it was good for me to be able to go and grieve for him as well. It was a beautiful service. Joel, Angie, Chad, and myself took Damille, Chavar, Shaquille, Lungpheng, and Dean with us. We were all surprised when we walked in and saw the size of

the casket. It was about 3 feet long and a beautiful pink. There were lots of people there to say goodbye to Jhanelle. People sang, read scripture and remembered Jhanelle's beautiful smile.

Our kids sang Jhanelle's favorite song, Jesus Loves Me. They did such a good job. Joel was asked to give a remembrance. Talk about emotional! I know that Angie and I were both losing it. He loved that little girl!! When the service was done, the pal bearers (Joel was one of them) carried her little tiny casket out of the church to the back where her grave was. It was a cement box partially in the ground. Jhanelle's aunt had painted the inside beautifully. It was pink and had some amazing pictures on the walls. Once they put the casketdown in, they covered the top with a sheet of plywood and began cementing the top. We stoodthere singing as they did it. Once they were done, we walked across the road to Jhanelle's moms house. They had a feast of food for everyone that had attended the funeral. We stayed and talked to Jhanelle's mom, Joy, for a while then headed back up to the Nest. Something pretty amazing happened during the service. The pastor presented the gospel and invited people to give their lives to Jesus. About 15 people stood wanted to accept Christ as their Savior, including Jhanelle's mom! It was amazing! So neat to see how God uses difficult circumstances in our lives to bring glory to himself! Because of one little girls death, 15 people now have eternal life! He is so good!

When we came back up to the Nest after the service, we came back to no power. So frustrating! We were going to have the kids watch a movie and eat popcorn for their incentive, but the TV doesn't work when we are running on the generator. So they played a few quiet games and then headed to bed. I went down to O'Dell's for a bit to hang out in the dark. I called Becky and talked to her for a while. It was so good to talk to her! I miss her so much! I also got totalk to Laura for a while. We are trying to make plans for Thanksgiving so we can see each other. I haven't seen her since last Christmas! I miss her!! Well, that's enough for now. In the morning we are heading to Bay Life again! I am excited! Then we are off to the beach! Hopefully it is a great beach day! We haven't had a Sunday beach day in too many weeks!

Another day...

October 12, 2010

Well, we went a full day with power on Monday (10/11). It was the first day since September 28th that we had a full 24 hour period with electricity. We were praying for 2 days in a row, but it didn't happen! The power flickered around 9:30 this morning and went out completely at about 7:45pm. It is still extremely disappointing when the power goes out, but I was very upset tonight because I had a load of laundry in the wash machine! The washer doesn't work when the power is out, even on the generator! Thankfully, I had put it in early enough that it was on the last rinse cycle so at least they were clean! I got to take my sopping wet clothes out of the machine and wring them out by hand into the bathtub. I know most Jamaican's do their laundry by hand because they do not have the luxury of a wash machine. I am learning to be thankful for the "little" things that we take so for granted at home.
Yesterday I stayed in bed almost all day. I have been fighting this sinus/upper respiratory junk for about 3 weeks. Joel gave me some antibiotics on Sunday night and after 2 full days on them, I am feeling much better. I had the strength, energy and patience (almost) to have school today with Dean and Ian. They were very well behaved! I bribed them today with a movie! They got all their work done and were on their best behavior for the majority of the day! It is getting better!! Then this afternoon while they were watching the movie, I got to spend some time planning for the rest of the week. It was a productive day. However, while they were watching the movie, I also got my calendar out to start looking at possible return dates and started having an anxiety attack. It was a rough one that lasted for several hours. Thankfully school was over and I could get away for a little bit. I came back to my room and hid out on my porch with my computer. I got to talk to a couple very good friends who encouraged me and helped me calm down. I have not had this high of anxiety in almost 2 years! Hopefully in these next couple weeks with Chad and Dina coming, I will be able to get some fresh perspective. Speaking of Chad and Dina, Grandpa Chad comes tomorrow! We are all pretty excited that he is coming. We won't tell him that though! :)

Sunday

October 10, 2010

Today we went to a new church. We attended Bay Life Baptist Church. It is a sister church of Hillview Baptist Chuch. I was able to attend a Sunday evening service at Hillview when I was here with our youth group in June 2009. It is pastored by a guy from the states. It was almost like being at church in the states. It was so nice! We took a pretty big group of kids and they were very prepared for us with a great "Junior Church" program. It was nice to be able to sit through a service without worrying about what the kids were doing. It was also nice having a pastor that I could understand the whole time. All of the other churches I have been to here have had Jamaican pastors and I have a hard time following them because they go back and forth between English and Patois and I end up missing most of it. Another nice thing was that it was only and hour and a half long service! Worship and everything! Other places it is closer to 3 hours and that is too long! I hope we can attend BLBC more often!
We came home right after church today because it was raining. No beach today. It was kinda nice though. I have not been feeling well at all so it was nice to come back and sleep for a few hours. Please continue to pray that whatever this is that I have will go away. It just keeps hanging on and I can't kick it! I am sick and tired of being sick and tired! We have power again at the Nest. Hopefully it lasts for a while. It has been such an emotional roller coaster with the power. I feel like every time it goes out I just want to cry! In fact, during church today right before the message, we were singing "Shout to the Lord" and all of the sudden the power went out. I lost it! I couldn't sing because of the tears. I know that their power had nothing to do with our power, but I was just overwhelmed by it. Thankfully it didn't effect the rest of the service and when we got back up to the Nest, we had power! God is good!! Even when we don't understand his ways or what he is doing, he is good! Sometimes we have to deliberately choose to believe that he is GOOD and have faith when we don't understand. Oswald Chambers said, "Faith is the deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time." I can honestly say that I have not understood God's ways very often in the last month, but I am choosing to have faith in his character and who he says he is. He says he will never leave me or forsake me. He has my steps planned and is guiding and leading me through them. He walks with me in the valleys. He is my help. He makes all things work together for my good. For HIS glory, not mine!

A new day...

October 9, 2010

It has been an emotional couple of days. I haven't had the energy physically or emotionally to write in a while. Things are looking better. This last week went pretty fast. The boys did okay in school, but I was very glad for Friday to come. I spent a lot of time talking with Angie this week. There were a couple days that were really REALLY tough! I don't remember what day it was, but Monday or Tuesday, I was ready to pack my bags and go home. I can't tell you exactly what was going on but I was done. I was exhausted from the previous week and didn't think I could do it any more. I began to question if this is where God really wanted me. I have received many emails and encouraging words from so many people that knew I was struggling. They have been such a blessing. I have decided to not make any major decisions until I have had time to rest and talk to some pretty important people in my life. I know that I will be in Jamaica until November 23 and I am praying for God to give me clean directions for the days, weeks and months beyond that.
After the rough week, I needed some time away from the Nest. I didn't get to go "away", but I did get to spend the afternoon and evening with the O'Dells. I am beyond blessed to have them and be included in their family. We had family night, made pizza, chocolate chip cookies and watched a movie. It was such a fun night. We laughed until our stomachs hurt and tears were running down our faces. I so needed that time with them. Sometimes when I am down at their house, I seriously forget that I am in Jamaica. It is our little "America" in Jamaica. I came back up to the Nest about 10 pm and spent a few minutes with Nurse Hedrem and Bornell. They are my 2 very favorite staffers here. They are double trouble and they know it! I love spending time with them. They think it is funny to talk to me in patois because I don't understand them. I try to listen but usually end up just standing there with a blank look on my face. Bornell will laugh at me because she knows I have no clue what she said. She will say to me, "Katy, you have lived here long enough. You should know!" I am catching more, but I still struggle to understand what they are saying most of the time! Well it is a beautiful Saturday here. I don't know what is going to happen today but I am going to enjoy the day and all that God has in store for me here in Jamaica!!

Feeling overwhelmed...

October 5, 2010

Well, we were without power for 7 days or 168 hours or 10,080 minutes take your pick. What ever one you choose, it was a LONG time! We were so thankful to get power back yesterday afternoon around 3 pm. We all jumped for joy! There were a few tears shed out of shear relief that we could return to "normal". We all pulled out our computers and tried to catch up on what had happened during the last week. We did laundry and anything else that we couldn't do this last week because of not having power. We all went to bed exhausted but very excited that the power had returned. I woke up around 2:30 am to the sound of the generator kicking on. I almost cried… NO POWER AGAIN!!! So we had 11 1/2 hours of power before it went out again. Not sure we can go another 7 days without power. I am not sure we can go 1 more day! We are all so worn out. As I am writing this, I am about ready to cry. I am so overwhelmed by everything right now. I read Romans 5:3-5 this morning knowing that I needed a good "rejoice in your sufferings" reminder. I know that suffering produces endurance, but I am not sure how much more we can endure. Lord, I know that your grace is sufficient and your power is made perfect in our weakness. We are weak and unable to stand unless you give us strength. Please give us strength to endure until we get power back.

Day 6 without power... We are exhausted!!

October 3, 2010

We are back at the Nest and STILL without power! We are on day 6 and getting pretty weary of being without it. The O'Dell's, Wiley's and I left the Nest yesterday afternoon and went to spend the day and night at Sunset Beach Resort. We were mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted! We needed a day to regroup and rest. They have "fixed" the John's Hall bridge enough that it is crossable. The roads are pretty bad. There were several pretty major landslides along the road down the mountain. The further down the mountain we went, the more flood damage we saw. Because of our place on the mountain, we had more wind damage and down in the Bay there was more damage from the amount of water from the storm. The city seems to be recovering pretty fast and most places have power back. It was very hard to come back up to the Nest today. Knowing that we would come to a house that still didn't have power was very tough! Back to school tomorrow. The kids have not had school since Tuesday so it will be interesting going back tomorrow! I feel like this is a ver disjointed update, but that is how my brain feels right now. Fried! Please continue to pray that we get power very soon! We need it to survive! PLEASE PRAY!!

Tropical Storm Nicole has put me a little behind

September 28, 2010 part 2

I am experiencing my first tropical storm! It is something else! I am not sure if it is actually a tropical storm or if it is still just a depression. It rained all day today but after dinner the wind started to really pick up! I don't know what the gusts are at, but I would guess around 50 mph. When we were getting ready to put the kids down tonight the girls came out and their room was soaked! The rain was coming down sideways and going right into their room! We had to move beds and Joel and Matt had to go find some sheets of plywood to cover up some windows. It is kinda crazy! Nurse Hedram was laughing at me because I was out trying to get some pictures. She said that is why tourists get hurt during storms because they don't know when to stay inside. She reminded me that I wasn't a tourist and I needed to stay inside. Thankfully we still have power. It has gone off a few times but has come right back on. Hopefully the worst of it will be over my morning! The kids are all hoping that school will be cancelled. It's kinda like being at home the night of a big snow storm. Hoping that it will be bad enough or the roads will be slick enough for them to cancel school. Kids are these same just about everywhere. They love having school cancelled! Well, I took some good cough medicine so hopefully I will sleep soundly and not be up coughing all night! I will try to keep everyone posted on the storm if we have internet.

September 29, 2010

So we are officially in the middle of Tropical Storm Nicole. We have been without power all day. Thankfully we have a generator. We had a very limited staff today. We all pitched in and got things done. We are all exhausted! I told Angie that Nurse Hedrem gets the "Trooper of the Week" award. She has been on for over 24 hours with 3 hours of sleep and has not complained one time. We truly do have an amazing staff here. It has been raining almost constantly since yesterday morning. The Island is under flood and mudslide warnings. The small bridge down at John's Hall, our only way into town, is completely gone. That could make things interesting for us. We cannot get staff, groceries, or anything else up or down the mountain.

September 30, 2010

Today was a crazy busy day! Yesterday was such an overwhelming day emotionally and physically. We were overwhelmed by the storm and all that came with that. Power outage, no staff, flooding, keeping kids busy and out of trouble, making sure that people were safe, keeping up with dishes, making dinner, putting kids to bed, etc. Somehow we made it through the day. We were emotionally drained as well. We found out yesterday morning that Jhanelle had passed away on Tuesday evening. Praise the Lord she was in the hospital and not here at The Nest when she entered eternity. With all the unknown about the storm and Jhanelle's passing, we were just done! I lost it and had to take some time away from everyone. I think that Jhanelle's passing is going to be what make's Quest's death real for me. I tear up just thinking about having to go through the whole funeral/burial process. I know it is good to process and it needs to be done, but with so many other things going on down here I feel like I can only handle one thing at a time! The storm caused all sorts of emotions as well. Feeling "stuck" and claustrophobic not being able to leave and just so many unknowns.
We woke up today to almost clear skies. Still a bit windy, but the ground looked as if it hadn't rained in several hours. It was still wet, but there was no standing water. The sun even appeared for a little bit! We found out that the Ministry of Education has cancelled school until further notice. So who knows when that will be. We have heard that Kingston has been just hammered by this storm even worse that we were. We were able to get some staff up for the day so it was nice to have it almost be "normal". We decided to do the big room switch today. Joel went down to identify Jhanelle's body and we wanted to have all her stuff moved and cleaned up before he got back. We didn't want him to have to deal with that after going to do the hospital stuff. We put the 4 younger girls, Yvonne, Zoe, Abby & Brittanya in the middle room, all the boys in the girls old room and Sue, Damille, Jodi and Shana Kay in the boys old room. It took us ALL DAY to clean out the rooms, move furniture and reset the rooms. I was completely exhausted! The girls did pretty well helping most of the day. I have been so impressed with Shana Kay lately. She has had a great attitude and has been working so hard. You ask her to do something and the is little to no complaining and most of the time she does it with a smile on her face! 180 degree turn around from last year at this time. Jodi, on the other hand, has been pretty hard to deal with lately. She is rude and mean to me almost constantly. I don't know what her deal is, but I have just about had it. I was very upset with her today. She had a horrible attitude while we were cleaning and getting ready to switch rooms. She wasn't doing anything and was just sitting watching. I looked at her and she gave me a nasty look. I saw that she had the necklace my mom gave her for her birthday on. I wanted to go rip it off of her. I feel like my mom has gone above and beyond to give stuff to Jodi. Sometimes I think my mom forgets that I am her kid that is living thousands of miles away from home and would like to be sent something every once and a while. So it really makes me mad when my mom has done all of that and Jodi treats me like crap. Well anyway, that's enough of that.
I am completely wiped out. I can hardly keep my eyes open. It has been an extremely long day. Hopefully tomorrow will be better, the storm will keep moving on and we can get back to normal around here. Whatever normals is.

October 1, 2010

HAPPY 33rd ANNIVERSARY MOM & DAD!!!!

Things are starting to return to "normal" around here. We had our regular staff back and even though things are still a little crazy i feel like the worst is behind us. We have an unbelievable about of laundry to get done, but other than that the storm seems to have blown over. I think we finally got everything switched around for the kids bedrooms. We were labeling and putting away the boys clothes today. It is so fun to see them loving their new room. Not much else happened today. I took a "nap" today I actually went and laid down in my bed for a couple hours, but I didn't sleep. Carly had one of her Christy Miller books and I read that the whole time. Those are my absolute favorite books!! Even though I know they are about a 15 year old girl, I get sucked in and I become Christy Miller. Probably not the best choice for me today. After I finished reading the book, I definitely entered the "Land of If Only". If only I had a boyfriend…. If only I knew what was going to happen in the next couple years… If only… If only… I kind of got into a funk for a little bit. Then I gave it all to God. I prayed that I would be able to focus on what he has for me here and now. I know that God has me here at this time and in this location for a very specific purpose. I also prayed for my "Todd" whoever that may be. I prayed that God would protect his heart, eyes and mind and that I would wait patiently for the day that we would meet. Easier said than done, but I know that, in God's timing, it will happen.
We ended the day the same way we have since Nicole started on Tuesday, with popcorn! It has been fun to just hang out in the evenings with the O'Dell and Wiley families. We all decided that on Sunday we are not taking any kids to church with us. I think we are going to try out a new church and then go to Margaritaville or something to have a break from the kids and the chaos! I am so looking forward to a break. I am ending my day watching "Nacho Libre"!! I honestly laugh so hard every time I watch this movie. I can still picture Mr. Brewer cracking himself up the first time I watched it in Oklahoma 3 years ago. Well, I am off to watch my movie! Good night all!

Sick day and a tropical depression...

September 28, 2010

Well, I am still sick. I only taught in the morning yesterday and slept all afternoon. I woke up feeling a little bit better. We have started eating dinner as a family. The older girls, O'Dells, Wiley's and I all eat together in the dining room. It has been nice sitting and all talking together. After dinner, Carly, Shana Kay, Damille, Sue and I watched Dancing with the Stars. It was fun to just hang out with the girls for a few hours. Last night after dinner, we ended up bringing Jhanelle to the hospital. She is not doing well. He O2 level was under 72 and she had a very irregular heart beat. It doesn't look good. Please continue to pray for her, her mom and her family here at the Nest. Joel has been with her all day and she is still in the ER and not moved up to a bed. We have a ton of sick sick kids here today. I spent the morning with Abby, Kishmar, Brittanya and Asia. We turned the dining room into the sick bay. We put a couple mattresses on the floor and watched movies all day. We are currently in the middle of a tropical depression that will likely turn into a tropical storm. It has rained hard all day! They are calling for it to rain until at least Friday. They are letting all the kids out of school early today and school is cancelled for tomorrow because of the storm. So far it has only been rainy without much wind, but I'm sure that will change. So lots going on here in Jamaica. Please continue to pray!

Pray for:
- Jhanelle as she is close to eternity.
- Tropical Depression 16 to fizzle out and be nothing more than a rain storm.
- All of us who are sick at The Nest. Brittanya, Kishmar, Asia, Abby, Shana Kay, and others. Pray for healing and that no one else will get sick!!

Another weekend

September 25, 2010

Great day today! Tried to sleep in but that didn't work. I was awake at 5:45 and got out of bed around 6:20. On days that I don't get to sleep in I could and day when I can, I can't! Anyway, I got up and spent some time out on the porch off my room. I took my computer and my Bible. Got to listen to some good music while I had my quiet time. I spent about 2 hours just being "away" from everyone and focusing on my God and I time. It was a great way to start my morning. At noon, Angie and I headed down town to get some of the school kids pictures taken. We had 2 truck loads of kids. Benji drove "Old Blue" and Angie was in "Bad Boy" and we were off to Fontana. After that was done, which took a lot less time than we thought, Angie, Carly, Sam and I headed to Mega-Mart to go grocery shopping. We came back up to the Nest for dinner and then Carly and I went down to the O'Dell's house to make cookies. Carly had a recipe for Mocha Brownie Cookies. They were as good as they sound! We spent a few hours making cookies, dancing and laughing! So much fun! I love spending time with my O'Dell family. We are going to church at Teamworks tomorrow. It's the school that Sam, Carly, Taylor, Jacob, Chavar, Damille and Shaq go to. I am excited to see what their school looks like! Then it's off to the beach! Ken and Keri Eberline are here this week visiting Kishmar and Asia. They are going to meet up with us at the beach tomorrow. Should be a good time! We will see if the ocean is stirred up because of the tropical storm that went through. Should be interesting. I got to talk to Yogi today!!! FINALLY!! We are trying to make plans to see each other. So far it hasn't worked out. When she is in town, I am up the mountain and without the bus it's hard to make "special" trips into town. I will make it down to see her soon though! I can't wait to see her and her baby boy!! Well, I am off to bed. It has been long day, and tomorrow will be the same!! I should stop by and see Lucky tomorrow! Haven't seen him since I've been back either. So many people to see and no enough time to do it!

September 26, 2010




Busy day today! We left early for church today. Sid drove like a crazy man down the mountain on our way to church. By the time we made it into the Bay, poor Anna was puking because she was so car sick. Thankfully when we made it to Teamworks she was feeling better. The church service today was interesting. The music was good! I t was a nice change from the other churches we have been to. The piano player actually played the right music that went along with the songs we were singing. That doesn't always happen! I know at Riverside the guy just plays whatever and sometimes doesn't even come close to what the song should sound like. The service was over 3 hours long. We started at 9:30 and it wasn't over yet when we left at 12:30. Our poor kids could hardly sit any more. I was struggling to sit. The guy that preached was all over the place with his points and at one point his teeth fell out of his mouth! Now that got everyone's attention! We headed to the beach after church. The weather didn't look to promising. Huge dark clouds on either side of the beach. Thankfully we didn't get rain until we were leaving. The water was so warm today. There wasn't much difference between air temperature and water temperature. When the storm rolled in it got down right chilly! Angie and I were wrapped up in our towels. Thankfully it only lasted a few minutes and it was over. We headed back up the mountain and Sid took it nice and slow so no one got sick! After dinner tonight I got to hold Asia for a while. She has gotten so big! She is such a sweetie! I remember when she was just a tiny, little, ornery thing. She is just precious. I got to sit and rock her to sleep. Probably my favorite thing to do. I love sleeping babies!
I haven't been feeling well the last few days. I have been fighting the "flu". Down here they call a cold the flu. I haven't been sleeping well because I have been so stuffy and have been coughing throughout the night. Hopefully I am over the worst of it! It is not fun being sick down here. Not that being sick anywhere is fun. Well, I am off to bed. I will want to sleep in tomorrow and I need to be up and at 'em at 5:45 am. Back to school tomorrow!! Week 3 here we come!!

It's Friday!!!

September 24, 2010

Well, it has been a few days since I have taken time to update this. It has been a crazy week! School is going well. Dean and Ian are both ADD off the charts! It makes for an interesting day. Ian is quieter when he is off task. He gets distracted easily but sits quietly (sometimes). Dean on the other hand is just the opposite. He is always LOUD!!! Dean has a severe sight loss and currently does not have glasses with the correct prescription which means he is always right up in your face because he cannot see. I am wondering if the eyes and the ears are connected somehow, because he has a hard time listening as well. He also doesn't have an "inside" voice. I couldn't tell you how many times I've had to say, "Dean, you need to quiet down." He is always singing, talking to himself or just making noise while working. They are quiet the kids. They will do just about anything for a "sweetie". I am not above bribing them to get them to sit and work. :) I find it extremely effect as a management tool. Today we are taking a bit of a break. The boys are playing trains and cars right now. They love having time to play inside with the toys. They don't get to do that a lot, so I like to give them time during the week in the classroom.
This morning, Angie and I spent about a half hour out by the pool having quiet time. We have talked about needing to be in the word more and it was so nice to start the day like that. I have been studying the book of Esther. Today I read chapters 5-6 where Esther is preparing the feast for Haman and the King. I have read the story of Esther many times and have heard the story since I was a little kid. I very specifically remember Melissa Styes teaching junior church and telling the story of Esther. I almost laughed out loud today reading part of chapter 6. The king hadn't been able to sleep and asked for the record books to be brought to him. He was reminded that one time Mordecai had saved his life from people that were plotting against him. Haman came in later that day and the king asked him what he should do to show a person honor. Self-centered Haman thought the king was talking about himself and came up with this elaborate plan with royal robes and a royal horse. When the king told him to do everything he had said to Mordecai, Haman was not happy. He was planning on killing Mordecai and instead he is parading him around the city on a royal horse dressed in royal robes! I love how God works! His sense of humor is something else!
The weather has been really weird here the last few days. Tropical Storm Matthew is just south of us and is effecting our weather a bit. It has cooled things off a bit and yesterday I thought we were going to get blown off the mountain top! Praying that Matthew stays to our south! We really don't need to get hit by this!
I'm ready for the weekend! I want to sleep past 5:45 tomorrow morning! We will see if that happens. I am excited to spend some time with the O'Dell kids. I really miss them being here during the day now that they are in school. I'm glad that they are enjoying school and doing well, but I do miss them during the days! Well, I must be back to school. I'm not used to updating this during the day. It's usually my night time activity. Praying for all of you as you pray for me! I am beyond blessed to have each one of you behind me supporting me! I couldn't do it without you!





Dean and Ian playing trains

Jodi's Birthday weekend

September 19, 2010

Busy weekend here. Yesterday we celebrated Jodi's birthday. We went and had lunch at Wendy's then spent a few hours at the beach. It was such a fun day! Shana Kay and I laughed so hard playing in the water. She has had a major attitude change lately. Keep praying for her. While we were at the beach yesterday, Jodi was talking to Joyel, Angie and I about what it means to take communion and to be baptized. She is very interested in being baptized. So neat to hear her asking questions about her faith. Last night when we got home, we went and watched a movie at Joel and Angies. It was such a full and fun day!
Today we went to Riverside Open Bible Church. Sid came and picked us up since we are still without a bus. It was nice to have AC on the way to church today. While we were on our way I saw many Jamaican's out heading to church. Little girls in pristine white dresses, shoes and tights. Little boys in pressed pants, shirt and tie. Old men in 3 piece suits and women in their dresses and nylons wearing sandals carrying their high heals because they have to walk a couple miles or more to church. Going to church is a big deal in Jamaica. Although to many people, "church" is nothing more than the building they go to on Sunday mornings for a few hours, I am awed by the people who walk miles to and from church. Going to church is not easy. How many in America would walk 2 or more miles to attend church on a weekly basis? Makes me wonder what my response would be if going to church was more "work"? How far am I willing to walk? How far are you willing to walk?
Anyway- during church today, I got to snuggle a little boy for a while. He was with his mom a couple rows behind me and came right up to me and crawled in my lap. His name was DJ. He snuggled right in a sat with me for about 20 minutes. He was so cute! After church we all hopped back on Sid's bus and headed to the beach. I got FRIED!!! Two days in the sun like that is not a great choice for me, but I love the sun so much I can't seem to stay out of it! I am going to be a wrinkled old lady! On our way back up the mountain, by Orange River Ranch, the boys asked Sid if they could get out and pick guava. The kids have Sid wrapped around their little finger. He loves them and will do just about anything for them. We stopped for a few minutes while the kids were picking plums and guava. It was funny to see them climbing the trees in their swimming suits and their church shoes. After 2 busy days I am exhausted! I am determined to get to sleep early tonight! Morning comes so soon!!

September 20, 2010

Back to school today!! Dean and Ian both had pretty good mornings today. The afternoon was a whole different story! Ian had an horrible afternoon. Had to send him to his bed a couple times and wanted to pull my hair out by the end of the day. Had a good talk with him tonight so hopefully tomorrow will be better! Not much else happened today. Helped with homework after school and played with Anna for a little bit. After dinner the kids were playing outside and I was out watching them and almost wanted to get a sweatshirt. It has cooled off big time tonight. It's probably in the low 70's! Down right chilly!! Tonight is the season premier of Dancing with the Stars!! Carly and I have "date" night whenever it's on. I LOVE watching Dancing!! I am going to bed right after because I have been struggling to get up in the morning! They come so early!

A few more crazy days!

September 15, 2010

Another crazy day that didn't go as planned. No surprises there! Joel and Angie both had to be at meetings in the Bay today so I got to watch Anna all day! I love spending time with her so it is never a problem! She came to school with me for the morning and played with Dean. There was a bit of a misunderstanding about Ian so he wasn't in school today. Anna and Dean played so well together. They played out on the playground for a while. At one point they had 4 chairs lined up on the playground and they were pretending it was a bus. Dean was the driver (he said he was Audley) and Anna got on the bus and paid her bus fare, in rocks, and asked to go to Mega-Mart and the beach. It was so funny. I just sat back and laughed. After lunch I went down to the O'Dell's house and put Anna down for a nap. When she was asleep, I went back up and got to work one-on-one with Dean. He is a smart kid and he loves to work! If you can keep him focused long enough to do the work. I have been playing Steve Green's "Hide 'em in your heart" for the kids. A great way to learn bible verses! We don't necessarily listen to learn them, but Dean has already caught on to many of them and sings right along. So fun to see him pick up on that without me having to do anything but listen and sing along with him. Joyel started 2 bible studies tonight. One with the younger kids at Jake's House and one with the older kids up at the big house. Seemed to go well. I got to hold Dwight again tonight while he fell asleep. He is such a stinker when Nurse Smith is here. She is his "Mom" that is looking at fostering or adopting him. He doesn't go to bed when she is here. So while I was rocking him in the babies room, I went over and stood at Jhanelle's bed. I really struggled seeing her tonight. I was questioning God on his plans. Why doesn't he take her? She is miserable laying in that bed. She barely weighs anything and everything about life is a struggle. Then i thought about Quest. I know that I didn't see him when he was so sick, but I questioned why did he take Quest? I miss him so much. I can't even begin to describe what I'm feeling. I feel like I'm questioning everything right now. I am continuing to trust that God has a plan and a purpose for me in every situation that I am going through. Lord, continue to do your work in my life. Help me to remember to praise you in all things. You are worthy of my praise no matter what my circumstances are! Blessed be YOUR NAME!!

September 17, 2010

Wow! What a couple crazy days! Yesterday was Jodi-Ann's 16th birthday! We were hoping to celebrate last night but she came home very upset. On her way up the mountain someone flagged Benji, our driver, down because a boy had fallen 40 feet out of a coconut tree. Jodi saw him and thought it was her cousin. It turned out that it wasn't her cousin, but she was very shaken by this. Joel and Matt were on their way to a Community Development Committee meeting when Benji flagged them down to help. Thankfully with Joel's background he was able to some tests to see if there were major injuries. They ended up strapping him to a piece of lumber that Joel had in the back of the truck and drove him down to the emergency room. Riding in the back of the truck down the mountain roads with a possible spinal cord injury is not the best, but he made it. No word today how he is doing.
It was HOT today! I have acclimated to the weather so I didn't really sweat too much, but it was very warm. I am thankful for the little fan my mom sent down with me. It sits right on my desk giving me a nice breeze. The boys were crazy today. Yesterday it was Dean that was driving me crazy and Ian was doing his work pretty well. Today it was the opposite! Dean was doing his work and Ian was all over the place. Not sure what is going on with that kid. His behavior has gone down the tubes big time. I think he is struggling to process Quest's death. They were pretty close and I don't think Ian has the understanding or ability to communicate what he is thinking and feeling. We are hoping to get him in to see a counselor. Pray for Ian. Today ended on a great note! The O'Dell's, Wiley's and I had a "nacho" night down at the O'Dell's house. We had all the fixing for good old nachos! It tasted so good to eat something besides rice! Joyel also bought 2 pies (apple & cherry) and ice cream! It was great! It was nice to have the time away from the kids and be able to spend time together as a team. It was a great time of fellowship. Now I am exhausted! It's past my bedtime, but at least I get to sleep in tomorrow!! Tomorrow is Jodi-Ann's birthday party. Not sure what we are doing. GOing downtown to eat I think, but not sure! I'm sure it will be fun!




Emmaunel, Dontae & Matthew being monsters!











Ian & Dean in school











My classroom ready for the first day of school

School has started!!

September 13, 2010

So today didn't go quite as planned, but that is pretty normal here at Robin's Nest. I had planned to start school today, but Angie and I got working in my classroom and we spent all day getting things done. My classroom is finally set up how I want it. It looks good! I will have to try to post pictures as soon as I figure out how to on this thing. Ian was a beast today! I'm not sure what is going on with him. I am excited to start working with them tomorrow. Other than working in my classroom and playing with my little Anna my day was pretty uneventful. It was a rainy, cool day today which is a nice change. I found out the other day that Bornell, who is one of my very favorite staff members here, was having testing done to see if she had uterine cancer. We found out today that it is not cancer, but still not sure what is going on. Please keep her in your prayers! Pray for Jhanelle too! She is very sick, but hanging on. She is such a fighter.

September 14, 2010

First day of school today! It actually happened!! Dean and Ian did really well, for the most part. We got through a little bit of math, reading and some hooked on phonics. It took all day to get those 3 things done, but I felt good about it at the end of the day. Both the boys are extremely ADHD and struggle to sit still for any amount of time. To get them to sit for a 15 minute math lesson today was quite the accomplishment! And they had fun! It rained again today. There are several hurricanes in the Caribbean and we are getting rain almost daily from them. It is nice because it cools it down in the afternoon. Spent an hour or so with Anna today. She has been singing "Trading My Sorrows" almost constantly the last few days. She is so cute! Got to have a good "boy talk" with Carly tonight. It was good to be able to process a few things that she is going through with some of my own thoughts. The last few days have been a struggle emotionally for me. Satan has been feeding me lies and sometimes it's easier to believe than that God has a sovereign and GOOD plan for my life. It's easier to see the bad or the hard than it is the good. Tonight we all pitched in and cleaned up the kitchen. Angie, Carly, Sueming, Shana Kay, and a few others were jammin' and dancing in the kitchen. We laughed and had a great time working together! Now at the end of the day I get to snuggle with Asia for a while. SHe is always wide awake when it's time to go to bed. I can't believe how big she is getting. She is going to be walking before too long. She is sitting on my lap playing with her bottle watching the computer screen. She is too cute! Well, calling it a night. I love going to bed and having a few hours until I actually have to go to sleep. I love reading at bed time or taking a baby to snuggle in bed until they fall asleep. I am so blessed to have a "job" that allows me to do what I love!! Thank you Jesus for allowing me the great privilege of serving you and your children in Jamaica!



Me & Asia

A day at the beach and a special project

September 12, 2010

Great day today. Got to sleep in a little again today! Got up and got to have some great quiet time. I am studying the book of Esther right now. I know that God put Esther in the right place at the right time. I know that God has put me in Jamaica again because he isn't finished with me. I know that God is going to use this time in my life to grow me into the person he wants me to be. Ken Rudolph preached this summer out of Esther and said that if Esther hadn't stepped up and done what God wanted her to do, another would have been raised up to do the work. God will get his work done but I don't want to be replaced in the work that God has for me!
The Wiley's, O'Dells, and I went to the beach today. I got to eat lunch with the WIley family. It was nice to spend time with them and be able to get to know them better. Joel, Angie and the kids met up with us a little later and we all hung out at the beach for the afternoon. It was nice to be at the beach without having to watch 15 kids run around! I got to sit and talk with Angie for a long time. God has blessed me abundantly with Angie's friendship. I honestly don't think I could be here without her. We came back up the mountain at dinner time and everyone is so exhausted that we are all calling it an early night. I need to get up tomorrow and figure out what I'm going to do with Dean and Ian tomorrow. I am excited to start school with them! THe first few days will be hectic, I know, but I am so looking forward to teaching this year.
Side note: On our way up the mountain tonight I said something to Joel about wanting to go and see Quest's grave site. Angie hasn't been there yet and wants to go see it too. Joel asked me if I would be willing to make a little grave stone to put on Quest's grave. We are thinking about doing a mosaic tile type plaque to place on his grave. Please pray for me as I take on this very important project. Quest meant the world to me and I miss him so much. I know that this will be a hard project, but I think it will also help me bring closure on Quest's home-going. I covet all your prayers!!
Well, it has been a long day and I am ready for bed! I love you all! I think of you often and pray for you as you pray for me!! You're prayers do not go unnoticed. Thank you to all who are making my time here in Jamaica possible! May God bless you abundantly! Amen and amen!

September 10, 2010

Got up early today. Spent the majority of the day working in my classroom. Got to talk to Angie a little about what it is going to look like with Dean and Ian. I am excited about this year! I think that I am going to be able to get things done and get the boys learning things! I am excited! So much more than last year! Angie and I took the preschool teachers downtown tonight. It was crazy! The streets were packed! We went into the heart of downtown Montego Bay. Down by Sam Sharpe Square. It was unbelievable how many people were just out and about in the streets. Everyone celebrating the first week of school being over. We went to Mega Mart and Fontana and both places were packed! On our way back up the mountain we ran into Benjamin in the blue truck and Sid was behind him in the bus! We had to back down the road a ways. We thought we were at the drop off and got laughing so hard we could barely breathe! We always have so much fun together! Got back up to the Nest and Jodi-Ann, Shana Kay and Damille were doing impressions of all of us. They did me, Angie, Joel, Matt, Joyel, other staff members and other kids. They were hilarious! They had us all spot on. It's amazing what they pick up on. Then Joel did impressions of Jodi, Shana Kay and Damille. We were rolling on the floor (literally) laughing. It was too funny. Then I went and spent some time with the O'Dells at their house. It's nice to be able to spend that time with them. They are my family. Now it's off to bed. Not sure what tomorrow is going to look like. Whatever happens I'm sure it will be a great day!

September 11, 2010

Got to sleep in a little today. DIdn't get out of bed until 8! I finally unpacked all my stuff! It has been bugging me living out of a suitcase the last few days, but I haven't really had the time energy to unpack. I have tried to convince Tameika that she should unpack for me, but she didn't think that was a good idea. Joel, Angie and the kids went to the Bay today. I miss them so much when they are gone. We had a pretty good day up here though. The Jake's House boys did a garbage clean up and then went in the pool. After that Matt, Taylor and I went to Jake's to watch the Michigan/Notre Dame football game. I watched the U of M game and got the play-by-play for the Iowa/ISU game. Good dose of football and 2 wins!! The little kids watched a movie tonight before they went to bed. They were all laying on the floor watching Veggie Tales. Snuggled Abby, our downs syndrome toddler, for a while. She is too stinkin' sweet. We put the kids to bed and now the house is quiet. Got to have a little bowl of ice cream left over from Tameika's birthday. I am looking forward to going to the beach tomorrow!!

First couple days back at The Nest

September 8, 2010

I made it to Jamaica safe and sound! It is so good to be back! I missed just about everything! I missed the smells, the traffic, the roads, the people, my kids, the staff, the O'Dells, all the craziness that is Jamaica and Robin's Nest! All of it! I almost cried when I saw Angie for the first time! She has truly become one of my very closest friends and I thank God for her daily! I don't think I could do this without her and the rest of the O'Dell family. I got to spend some time with Anna today! I love watching her play and interact with the kids. She is such an MK. She doesn't know anything but Jamaica and loves it. It was fun to see Carly & Sam. Sam was so excited he ran out of his room in his underwear to see me! Now that's true love from an 8 year old boy! We had a birthday party for Tameika tonight. She turned 18 on Monday. I got mad at her today because she told me I had gotten fat. Even though it's not an insult in Jamaica, I was not very happy! I told her she better sleep with one eye open! That gives me the motivation I need to get "un-fat" Well, I am completely exhausted! I have been up for way too long! Looking forward to getting things done in my classroom tomorrow and spending more time with the kids!! I love my job!!


September 9, 2010

Today I got to spend some much needed time with Angie. I love her so much and love spending time with her. I went and spent the morning in the Preschool observing. It was neat to see how they run school. I got some good ideas of some new things that I want to do with my kids. I have not felt great since I got here yesterday. I know the combination of traveling, heat, and getting used to the food again got to me. Thankfully, I got to spend the afternoon napping at the O'Dells house. Angie let me sleep on their couch for a few hours. It was nice and cool and quiet! I woke up feeling much better! Spent the evening working on homework with Jodi-Ann and playing with Anna and Asia. She Asia has gotten so big I can hardly believe it! Anna and I had fun killing a cockroach tonight. I saw it in the kitchen and told Anna to squish it. She started running right after it. She was a little too slow to actually get it, so I had to step on it. I went to get some tissue to pick it up and she grabbed it from me and got it herself to flush it. Such a funny kid. I think Joel and Angie and the kids are going away on Saturday for the day/night. I hate when they are gone. I feel so completely lost without them. I know I have a ton of stuff to do to keep me busy, but I would much rather be with them! Looking forward to Sunday. I think we decided that just the Wiley's, O'Dells and myself are going to the beach. I can't wait to sit and soak up some sun!!!

The time has come again...

I am moving back to Jamaica in less than 2 weeks! I cannot wait to get back. I miss the O'Dells, the kids, the weather, the pool, the traffic, the food (sometimes), the staff... I miss everything!! I know that this year is going to be different than last year, but I am so anxious to see what God has in store.

I am going to try to keep this more up to date this year. Hopefully our internet at The Nest will be reliable this year and I can let you know what's going on more frequently. Thanks for your love and support through out this last year! I am looking forward to telling stories about what God is doing in Jamaica!