Fizzy pop lemonade

I’m unclear as to where the whole idea of lemons to lemonade came from, but it was on full display this past weekend at our Nest summer youth camp. For those of you unfamiliar with it, the idea is that when life hands you nothing but lemons, then make the best of things, aka” Lemonade!

Well, the Nest has had a storm of in the form of torrential, non-stop rains for about three weeks straight. Needless to say there is A LOT of mud. And so, the fun theme of the youth camp was MUD. The kids were given an obstacle course where they literally were swimming in mud, mud soccer or “mud ball “, and a variety of other games, all requiring a full and complete surrender to the elements. And you know what? They had an absolute blast. In the pouring down rain, neck deep in a mud pit, nothing but big white smiles.

In the midst of all this weather, there was a planned moment of sharing the gospel of Jesus and his profound Love for us. This is usually happens gathered around a campfire on the last evening of the camp. This year it didn’t seem possible for this quiet and reflective setting to be the case. But you know what? Just after dinner, as the day was setting, the rains utterly stopped. We brought out the dry wood to our stone fire pit, and had a big, dry, crackling fire as everyone gathered in a big circle around it. As testimonies were shared, songs and prayers came forth, and through the stormy clouds appeared bright patches of stars. I couldn’t believe it! In a lost and hidden patch of jungle darkness, I believe God could and did give these kids something special to be in wonder of. I mean EVERYTHING about God is a wonder, His love, grace, presence, etc….to infinity and beyond. But what made this more than one hour break in the weather, at the spiritual invitation conclusion of another successful camp, is that once the kids were dismissed to get ready for bed, the sky opened up and the drenching, bucket-like rains totally dumped on us once again! Crazy.

Listen, that’s just a tiny slice of the kind of the “God moments" we are experiencing down here at the Nest. Those of you that are also familiar with these moments in your own life’s ( and I pray that it’s everyone reading this) well, you know the thrill and the peace of which I speak.

Ok, quickly in other news, Karina and I are back in the USA and man is it nice to be back home. Things here are just so much smoother and more efficient. I leave that there without saying anything more. Karina’s mom is in great health and our little house isn’t falling down, so we’re grateful for the many blessings we have here. Besides a few small repairs here and there, a bit of gardening and visiting with family, we haven’t planned any big tasks. We need to do some speaking and continuing fundraising for the Nest, but it feels like a burden too great at times. In previous years we came back, our schedules were jam-packed with presentations and speaking engagements, asking for support, running to and fro and getting so exhausted. This year, we do not have any less of a need for new supporters, and we know that we don’t receive unless we ask, but this year we’ll go straight to God, and ask Him directly for those things which He already knows we need. And honestly, many of the things we need are not surrounded by dollar signs. They're words like wisdom, tolerance, peace, forgiveness, patience.

I trust God in all these things, like a little child trusts his father for good things.

Okey dokey, let’s wrap this up with another FIZZY-POP confession, shall we ?!

Sileni is a young single mom who is one of our Chicken City workers. Like most of the Nest employees, she brings her daughter to work with her, which gives her the opportunity to work, while we watch over her child, who’s a lovely little girl who likes playing with our animals and making stone damns in the stream. But Sileni, is a hard worker, dedicated and a self motivated person. She is tender with the chickens and has a shy, soft demeanor. Here are her responses to my little interview, which really shows the impact the Nest is personally having in the hearts around us.

As always, these are her own unedited words…..

What is your story before coming to the nest?

... First of all, before arriving at the nest, I had asked God to arrange me with a job because I wanted one in which I could earn a little more money, since I have my daughter and be able to help my family, I had one but I didn’t earn much, I earned the minimum, then my mother-in-law arrived and gave me the news that they needed someone in the NEST and well, thank God here we continue day by day with his help to try to give the best.

2. Reflect on what it means to you to be playing a vital role for a mission of God here at the Nest ?

….It is a blessing to be able to be part of one of God’s missions, because I know that He is the one who will choose my hands, my voice, my heart and my circumstances to carry out His purpose because I know that if I am one of those chosen it is because He trusts me to be part of His work, even with my limitations and mistakes.

3. From your perspective, as it is today and into the future, how would you describe the role of the Nest inside the BriBri territory?

Today the nest is above all a space of refuge and opportunities in the middle of this hard life.

And I thank God we have the opportunity to have this refuge (Nest) in our Indigenous community, where they are giving us hope and a safe future for our girls

Sileni

With love and gratitude

James Beach