Hello to all,

Our new journey in Jamaica has begun.  It was hard leaving our friends and family in America but we are excited to be with our new extended family here.  

First of all, we must tell everyone that the parsonage home is working out great!  It has been imperative for our family to have a place of our own, for many reasons, most of which are for the kids.  We need every day to be able to leave the Nest and decompress with our family.  We are able to get home between and 7 and 8 each night, give our children a cold bath, have a snack and family devotional time, and lights out by 8:30 or 9 p.m.  The kids have really enjoyed being able to put up their things and make a home.  We have met most of our neighbors and everyone has been very friendly and accommodating.  Once again God has delivered on making this work.  It has been a blessing that our children are adjusting so well, but continue to pray for their adjustment to some of the different foods. 

During the summer months the Nest was blessed with Michelle’s presence and guidance while we were at training and packing up.  They were also blessed with some amazing teams!  Many things were accomplished...the bamboo wall around the preschool playground, the new wall around the area of the preschool, the preschool was painted in the inside, cleaned, and organized.  It was an amazing transformation.  The storage rooms in the main house were organized and cleaned, some landscaping was done, Jake's house rooms were painted with some amazing murals and scripture, the tool shed was cleaned and organized, and there was a professional painter that painted the outside of the preschool for us.  Vacation Bible School was a huge success as well!  

Things are moving along for us to get our work permits and that should be done soon.  Pray that all goes well in this area and that it is done soon as sometimes “soon” can have a different connotation here.  God has also blessed us with a teacher for the school year for the special needs children.  A young lady from Michigan answered God's call to serve with us. 

During these times of transition and change also come growing pains. As we fully expected, there are challenges to face (engine went out on the van, etc.) and we humbly ask for God's guidance and wisdom to deal with issues as they arise. With each new day we are growing in knowledge and confidence that we can provide the leadership needed to help Robin's Nest continue to flourish and provide a safe, nurturing environment for the children to grow. We will continue to have Michelle's input on the needs of the children, the Board to help support us, and God to show us His plans. 

In Him,

Angie and Joel

P.S. Our greatest need right now is your prayers for financial support.  The financial report shows giving has dropped from 2008 and our emergency fund has been used up. 
 

A note from Joel O'Dell:

"Our House"  

This is an amazing story of faith and proof that our God is an awesome God!!! As many of you know, we have been asking for your prayers since spring that our home would sell before we moved to Jamaica.  But that was not to be. Only days before we left Iowa, we decided to take our house off the market and try renting it. This seemed the best option as we had only one low offer so far.

Almost immediately, a woman named Sandy called to see if we would be interested in renting. For starters, Sandy and her husband Steve had been to Jamaica and have a huge heart for missions. We learned how their life had been filled with challenges in recent years. A flood had destroyed their former house in 2008, and this year, Steve had missed a significant amount of work due to an illness. Just as they were about to sign a lease on a duplex, Sandy felt God telling her to look for a better solution to their housing needs. The next day we showed them our house and discovered another connection: recently, Sandy and Steve had been staying with friends just a few doors down from Angie's parents' home.

They wanted to rent from us, but could only pay half of what we wanted. I turned to God’s word for some clarity in our decision. I pulled out Angie’s study Bible and noticed a pen stuck in 2 Corinthians, chapter 8. Here, Paul is making a plea for generous giving. 8:12 says, “Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have.” In the footnote it said … "give until it hurts, but not to the point that it hurts your family. "

Still not sure of what God wanted us to do, I continued reading. 2 Corinthians 9: 6-8 reads, “Remember this: a farmer who only plants a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully. And God will generously provide all that you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”

Now, our decision was easy and made most definitely with a cheerful heart! We are so grateful that God’s plans are bigger than our plans! We are humbled by privilege to help out Sandy and Steve as they continue healing from their recent setbacks. Please join us as we ask that God’s will be done for this family.