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Dear friends,
Hope you are all enjoying your summer and
getting some time for vacation and fun. We have so
enjoyed those of you who have traveled here for your
summer “vacation” to help with the children and
participate in the many projects we have going. Our
hearts are filled with gratitude for your gifts of
service, donations, prayers, emails, and financial help
throughout these summer months.
It was a blessing to return to my “family”
here in Jamaica in June after being home for over 2
months. The Child Development Agency was waiting for me
to get back to place 2 more children in our home so we
are full now with 30. We now have a new girl, Isha, age
11, who is older but fits just right for us. The other
is a baby boy, 2 months old now, called Molick. They
are both doing well. Check out the “Children’s
Page” for updates on all the children and some
pictures of different children from the Nest. We are
now waiting for 2 more boys from Blossom Gardens,
Romaine, who was here before and one other, both 4
years. Improvements continue as teams arrive and
repairs seem to never end. We should probably invest in
a bathroom supply place or a screen company to try to
keep toys from going down toilets and keep our screens
in good shape. As your donations have arrived with the
teams it has given us great joy to be able to share any
extra with the 9 surrounding communities. We have also
had teams work right here in our own Salter’s Hill
community painting the government school and working on
the Mennonite and Baptist churches here. The community
is working together as well to spiff up the village.
We are always looking for people of varying
talents to come down and help us. We are so blessed at
present to have a large group here who are building a
boys’ dormitory. They built down the hill outside the
gate on the flat land there. Four teams have worked on
the building and it will be for the boys. As soon as
the boys can move to that, the older girls will move
into their former room.
It is amazing how much can be done in one week with
“many hands” committed to doing Christ’s calling. They
are truly servants and we so appreciate their giving of
themselves. With this comes a need for items for the
new facility and the ongoing items we need from
America. Thus we have purchased a container to ship
down here in September. Please check out the “opportunities
page”
for a list of items that we need and how to get them to
us.
We continue to praise God for providing us
with items we need as just the right time. Recently we
received a different color towel and wash cloth for each
of the children which helps save with the laundry. We
have so enjoyed having a garden this year to help with
our food supply, what a joy. We continue to plant and
pray for a good harvest of fresh vegetables. Please
remember us in your prayers each day. The staff and I
want to continue to keep Robin’s Nest focused on Jesus
Christ and the children and bring Him glory in all that
we do here. We trust that your summer has also been one
of praise to our Lord and Savior.
God bless each of you, Michelle Robinette
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On an early June morning, 14 members of Woodbury
Lutheran Church, lugging 28 fifty pound suitcases packed
with supplies left for a mission trip to Robin’s Nest
Children’s Home in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The
orphanage sits on a beautiful, lush mountain site
overlooking the city of Montego Bay. There are
currently 26 children living there, ages ranging from 9
months to 14 years old. There are 3 large bedrooms
– one each for the boys, girls, and babies and
handicapped. Each has an attached bath and also a
spacious, open-air porch for the children to play in.
We spent many hours on those porches playing with,
reading and singing to the little ones. There is a
swimming pool, and a playground area with swings, slides
and toys. Michelle Robinette, the founder, employs
a large staff of Christian women and men - cooks,
nurses, a laundress, and kind and loving “pod-parents”,
each of whom is responsible for 4-5 children.
Our days began at
6:00 a.m. when we were awakened by the morning sounds of
babies and little children. We hurriedly dressed and went
upstairs to help with their breakfast. Picture 15 high
chairs lining the walls of the expansive dining room, each
with a beautiful, yet hungry, child, bibbed and waiting for
his breakfast! The children are fed 3 nutritious, hot meals
per day, plus fresh fruit, snacks, juice and milk as
desired. They are bathed twice daily, and clothes and
linens changed. Older children attend the associated school
or the community school, with lunches provided by the Nest.
We were free to help feed, play with and care for the
children; to hang, fold and sort the never-ending laundry;
to help with the constant dishes and floor mopping; or to
assist at whatever project deemed necessary. The children
were put to bed at 7:00 p.m. with many of us praying with
them. We then gathered to have our devotions and share our
day. Heather, our team leader, organized this trip, and led
the team in processing all we saw and did, and how it
impacted us, spiritually, mentally, and physically.
The week flew by
too fast, and we were all left with impressions of the
beautiful names, faces, and personalities of each child
swimming around in our hearts and minds. The team would like
to thank all who helped support us in our fundraising
efforts and by prayer; and would encourage anyone interested
in a mission trip to Robin’s Nest to pursue it! It’s an
experience in giving and receiving God’s love, care and
provision! - Colleen
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