I hope you are all doing well!! Life here at the Nest has been far from ordinary the past several days. Starting on Thursday, I was hit with the flu. I did not think it was the flu...because the flu in Jamaica is apparently much different than the flu in America. My head felt like it was filled with water, when I swallowed anything it felt like I was swallowing knives, and moving too quickly made me feel like I was going to pass out. So, overall I'd say it was a very pleasant experience. Not.
God is good though. He gave me two wonderful roommates who took great lengths to care for me! A field coordinator who brought me boatloads of medicine and food. And a wonderful mother and fiance who offered incredible amounts of emotional support from a distance when all I wanted to do was lay in bed, cry, and pass out.
My life has been organized chaos since December. I finished my last week at Ozark Christian College as an on-campus student, officially moved out of my parents house since I will be moving to Tennesse when I return to the States, got engaged to the most wonderful man ever, did some wedding planning, and left the country. I can tell you that trying to be present in a country not your own is incredibly difficult all on its own, but when you have so much to look forward to when you return home, it is more difficult.
While I have been here, I have made it a point to get to know as many of the children as I can, deeply. I'm not about just loving people on a surface level and never getting to know who they truly are. I think God calls us to relationships like that. I want these kids to know that they are safe to talk to me. i need them to know that they can trust me with their questions, hurts, concerns, fears, and secret longings.
But I can tell you that hearing a sweet 9 year old boy whisper, "I wish I was adopted..." will break your heart no matter who you are. I can tell you that hearing a 3 year old girl who can barely speak say YOUR name will change you and make every moment worth it. I can tell you that loving that difficult kid who is really a pain in your backside in spite of the way they treat you will work wonders in your life and in theirs.
I have to be honest and say that I have seriously considered adopting any and all of these children. I am getting married in a few short months and everything in me wanted to start talking to Adam about starting the process of adopting now. I know it's impossible since we aren't even old enough for the Jamaican system to consider us. But when you see these Beautiful children without a true family, it takes everything in you to not want to make them a part of your own.
I cannot explain to you how much this place, these children, these past 5 weeks have impacted me. There is nothing like being sick for 5 straight days and coming back to a houseful of children rushing to hug you. "Jenna!" "Junna!" All of my babies heard my name and rushed to hug me. Little ones are asking, "You feeling betta?" God is good. He is so clearly seen in these children.
I'm not going to tell you that it is easy to leave home, go to a place that you don't know well, and live there. But if you get the chance to do something like this, you should. I know we are all busy. Trust me, I'm attempting to plan a wedding from another country, ya'll. I know we don't have time. I'm not asking you to stay for 2 months, but God is doing work in the people around us. We are called to help our brothers and sisters.
The Jamaican's are our family too.
For anyone that might be interested, Robin's Nest has a sponsorship program. It costs you $20 a month to sponsor a child here. You get a picture of them, information about them, and updates on what is going on at the Nest regularly. It's worth it. I've been partnering with Robin's Nest in their sponsoring program since 2010. If you would like to join me in this, feel free to email me at jen.reynolds@sbcglobal.net and I can give you more information about how to get involved.
Also, here at the Nest, we do not have a consistent source of water. We are in the process of raising money to build a well here so that we can have that security. If you are interested in donating to that fund, you can follow this link -> https://givemn.org/project/drill-a-well54b533c582a9a.
God has been revealing Himself to me more and more each day. He is good. He is faithful. Without Him, we are nothing. 
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