Jamaica Adventures - Post #4

     I have now been in Jamaica for nearly one month. My time here has been full of highs and lows. Successes and failures. Joys and sorrows. Living on site at the children's home definitely forces you to really engage and bond with the people that you are daily surrounded with. That is very good for me, because I can hole up in my room and be an introvert all day if I am not made to come out of my shell. I have developed incredible relationships with most of the 28 children that are here. God is good and I see His faithfulness daily. 

     I am sure you are wondering what I have been up to since my last post. So, here goes! 

Every day I wake up at 7 (or I try to) and make sure that I have a lot of time to be alone with Jesus before venturing out my front door. I never know what I will be faced with when I leave my apartment for the day. It could be children who are excited beyond belief to see me. It could be children that are having a very rough day. It could be sweet hugs or it could be spitting, biting, and pinching. It all kind of just depends on each day. So, starting with Jesus and asking Him to move through me in every moment is vital. 

     Besides myself, there are 2 other interns currently. We are getting 2 more girls at the beginning of the month. Marah, Taylor, and I all have our own classrooms on site that we help in. Marah has the 3 year olds, Taylor the preschoolers, and I have the 5 first grade boys. Most days, I simply observe and help the students when they get stuck after I read them a Bible story in the morning. But one day...the teacher was unexpectedly sick. She would come, but she would be late. Since first grade is my area for this internship...I got to be the teacher for 2 hours before she came. Within in the first 10 minutes Dwight had thrown a jenga piece at Kemar so hard that he had an immediate welt on his head. 

God. Bless. Teachers. 

 

     We finally got the keys to get into the classroom and were able to go through our normal every day routine. Luckily for me, each morning starts out practically identical. That made my time as the "teacher" much easier. I DID teach them Phonics (dealing with the letter Z) and we did a "Language Arts" assignment which was essentially me writing a silly sentence on the board for them to copy down. They thought it was funny and most of them even did it, so I count that as a success!

     After 10:15 am, I head to the main house to work with the 2 and 3 year old girls on their swimming. I would never think of throwing an American 2 year old into the pool...but here? I do it dozens of times each day. We all love that part of the day. And after swimming, we have lunch, which is also a great part of the day! :) 

     After lunch, there is a hush that covers Robin's Nest. All the children are sleeping and so am I many afternoons! I use that time to recharge, read, rest, and recover! Shout out to Matt Proctor right there! Around 2 or 3 the children start waking up, some get home from school, and energy starts flooding back into the veins of the Nest. Depending on the day, I can find myself jumping on the trampoline with the kids, playing outside, reading stories, working on puzzles, or chasing children around the edges of the pool, taunting them or being taunted by them until most of us have been thrown into the water as much as we can take. 

     The oldest kids get back from school around 4-5:30 and when they return, I head down to Jake's House and help them get through with their homework. Jahaeim and I usually work together each day and crank the work out so we can go and have fun. He's a good, hard worker. Dinner follows shortly after and then I'm back at the main house sitting with at least 1 and up to 6 children on my lap or having a hand on me while we wind down with a show or movie. It is great cuddle time and when it is followed by tucking those sweet babies in, praying for them, giving them each a kiss, and telling them I love the, each day ends on a good note. 

     After 7:30, there is not much for us interns to do besides bond, catch up on homework or emails, and rest for the day ahead. I am blessed daily to be here, and even on the really hard days when I wonder what I am doing here, God is working. He is helping me to build strong relationships with the pod moms. He is giving me grace to know how to approach the more difficult children in a way that honors Christ. He is recharging me by the incredible women of God that I am blessed to be working alongside. Taylor. Marah. Danielle. These women have poured into me tremendously and without them, many days would seem unbearable. But God knows just what we need :) 

     He knew I would need someone who understood introvertedness. He knew I would need an extravert to balance me out ;) He knew that I would need a weekly Sabbath and time out of the Nest each week, even if it's just a couple of hours at a coffee shop in town. He knew I would need to be stretched. He knew I would need to build deep and meaningful relationships. He knew that I would need people native to Jamaica to pour into me, invest in me, and care about me. He knew I would need to have a lot of help in learning a language. 

    He has been faithful. He always has been and He always will be. My God is good. His love endures forever.