Jamaica Adventures - Post #3

     So, I've made a couple of awesome friends here in Jamaica! The older boys, ages 8-12, live in Jake's house and they are absolutely wonderful. I forget how much I love getting to know boys that age, but they are so cool and sweet! A couple of them got to skype Adam with me after they asked to meet him. They have taught me how to speak Patios, how to play cricket, what a soursop fruit is, how to eat the jelly inside a coconut, how to catch the baby chicks and trap them so that their mother will come find them and then they can kill the grown chicken and use it for food. They've taught me how to climb onto the roof without having to use the laddar, how to climb the fences and what rocks to step on on the way down the steep descent. They have taught me that boys are similar no matter where you go. They make up girlfriends when they realize you are in a serious relationship, they need hugs and love, and they like being reminded that you care about them. They like having someone who will work on their homework with them and get them thinking. They like taking pictures with you and learning about the world. They like when I ask them for a hug, even though at first they acted embarrassed. Many times I don't have to ask anymore, because they just come and hug me. I often forget that boys this age still need love and affection. Many boys act so tough and are told that the "mushy" stuff is for girls. But when they know that you are safe, that you care, and you love them, it's crazy how much they will open up to you and reciprocate your love. 

     It's funny, it seems that wherever I go, I connect really well with the young girls  (1-6) and the older boys (7-13). The same is true here. I spend my mornings helping with the 1st grade boys and then I head to the main house to see my girls. We have 5 girls between the ages of 2-3 that stay at the Nest during the day. I swim with them every day at 10:30. They are so strong and brave and I can toss them into the water without fear that they will drown. I would never think of tossing any 2-3 year old in the States into the water. Period. These kids are fish though! And in the evenings when they are winding down with a movie, the second I step into the movie room, I am covered with little bodies all scrambling for a spot on my lap, or stomach, or shins, or pretty much any part of me that they can grab on to. 3 of them work on my hair pretty regularly, and I guarantee you that my head will be stronger after this trip because of it. 1 tries to eat my hair as often as she can. One calls me "Junna" with confidence. Every time. "Mith Jenna," says one, because she can't quite get her S's down. My heart is filled with so much love for these kids. They are wonderful and I have zero desire to leave them. They often ask me if I'm leaving, and though I can happily say that I will be here for another 6 weeks, I know that when those weeks end, it will be hard for both me and the children. I have to come back though, no matter what. All the pod moms and children want to see me back and they also want to meet Adam. So, there's that. We have to come back, and I'm sure we'll have a place to stay when we do. 

     God is good. His love endures forever. He is the Father to the fatherless.