This is the final update for Pastor Luna’s Site……
We had amazing final days in Mexicali. Our numbers continued to grow well past 45 kids at our site. The kids really enjoyed the dramas, crafts, memory verses, and especially songs (led by Beth) We were lucky enough to be the only church with an ESL team, and were quite happy with the results despite the small numbers. On the last day we brought in a pinata (spelled wrong) and the kids adored it!!!! We were honored to see Yadira get her house as she is our pastors daughter, and couldn’t think of anyone more deserving. The family gave us a whole lot of love and we all miss them terribly.
This is a test to see if we can still update the site! I do not know if anyone is still reading it, but just in case, we would like to put one last update on here from the teams. We are all home and safe and thank you so much for all of your support and comments!!!
Hopefully, one more update coming soon!
We are back in the USA and safe.
Heading home now!!!
See you tomorrow.
I was hoping to write more today, but we have been way too busy! We are all doing awesome! God has really blessed our mission this year! I will try to write more tomorrow!
In His Grip,
Amy
Hello all!!!
Ran out of time for a blog today but wanted to check in! Will try top blog twice tomorrow, once in the am (our am) about today and once in the pm about tomorrow! Right now I haev a van load full of kids waiting for SHOWERS!!! We are trying to ge them in before worship and dinner so we must run!!!!
All is well, all worked hard at the site today and everyone is totally excited for God! BTW, GOD is ABSOLUTELY, CERTAINLY, FOR SURE accompanying us on this trip…some AWESOME things have happened…but you shall have to wait for tomorrow to hear about them! Something to look forward to!!
Adios for tonight!
Buenas noches!
Will write more tomorrow,
love all of us here in Mexicali!
Hello all! (from a nice warm 93 degrees…enjoy your snow!!…sorry, that was a bit evil for ppl on a mission trip! 
)
Sorry that the site was down, thank you to all of you who let us know! Thank you also to Jeff and Cindy who worked so hard to get it back up!!!!! We allllll appreciate it! < ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” />
First things first! Everyone is safe, happy, and healthy!
Second things second Here is the list of teams for you.
Carlos’s team: Chet, John, Jason, Chris, Sydney, Claire K, CJ, Saul, Ariel, Riley, Desiree, Arturo
Lilly: Doug, Andrea, Joan, Norman, Christina, Cara, Conner, Ashley, Amanda, Jake, Sebastian, Kelly, Melissa & Bernise.
Luna: Beth, Les, Sarah, Maddalyn, Dan, Joe, Claire H, Kathie, Ian, Catherine, Mackenzie, & Nahum.
So…Here is what has happened so far! (I don’t remember what I have already said, so please forgive repeats! ) We got to camp and set up in a crazy wind storm, built walls, and met with our pastors. I think that is where I left off!
Camp services started on Saturday evening. We had a great time of fellowship and worship along with some…great?… camp food. With no wind, life was MUCH better!!!!!! It is, however, FREEEEEEEZING at night!!! We have all made multiple trips to the market to buy blankets! Be ready for an influx of Mexican blankets for all your souvenirs! (Used AND smelly, I am sure!)
Sunday was our first official day of VBS at our sites. I have to tell you, our teams are AMAZING. Each of you would be extremely proud to see your child/neice/nephew/grandchild/sister/brother/friend/spouse/student/teacher/random acquaintance in action I assure you! The dramas were a challenge as they had to work with the Mexican teams for the first time, communicate for the first time, and figure out how to work as a team with dramas that they may or may not have known!
Ok, so, team updates. (I only have one from a team and I am writing the rest myself, so they should be more amusing tomorrow!)
Lilly’s site has been ASTOUNDINGLY awesome!!! THey have been working together as a great team. They have a ton of kids and every time I pull up, they tell me how great their VBS went, how much fun the kids are and how they can’t believe this is so wonderful! Norman is doing a great job translating and Christina and Claire are doing a great job leading. I drop off 12 kids at their site daily from our old build sites. (Including an 8 day old baby and her new mom!) It is fun
Carlos’s team has been especially challenged at their site as there have not been many kids. They faced this head on, however with TONS of prayer! They were then presented with the options of doing two sites, either one by the old build sites so that thoise 12 kids could have their own church or a church close to all our other churches that was promised a team and did not get one. They then had to make a difficult decision as to what to do. They chose to leave their site, but invite the youth from that church to their new site. They will then take on BOTH churches, doing double duty each day. Pray lots for their ENERGY!!!!! They are goig to need it!
Luna’s site: (An update from the team) has had a TON of kids. Our first day this year we had as many as the last day the year before. We can only guess how many kids will b there by the last day this year!!!! We were greeted by many familiar faces and were excited to introduce the new members of our team to our Mexican family. The dramas have been GREAT! There is a true partnership at this site between the Mexicans and Americans. Pastor Arturo has been helping with the messages and all has been going well. Bible verses and songs are a strength at this site!
Finally, the build team. WOW!!! We have 12 exra builders each day, plus Ian, Joe, and Connor and today, Ashley (members of our junior build team) The house is going up quickly and beautifully doe to all thier hard work and the leadership of Dale and Kevin. Steve is translating beautifully and Mark is an incredibly hard worker! This team is amazing.
Now, my internet time is up and I must go! Will write more soon!
Love,
The Mexicali Team 2009!
Hello all!
This has been a CRAZY BUSY day!!!!! However, we knew that you were all waiting with baited breath to hear that we did in fact make it into Mexicali safely and are having a great time!
After our youth worked as an awesome team to pack our vans and get ready to leave the hotel, we headed out for Jamba Juice…with some great smoothies…and apparently ..wheatgrass shots???…I don’t know. Ask your kids about it!
We then headed back to Mission Beach for a quick picnic lunch before embarking on our adventure to Mexicali. The ride was a bit windy yet uneventful. We should have really given that wind more respect, though, because it certainly created havoc on our tent setting up activities….It is rather hard to put down tarps and up tents when you are fighting a wind storm!!!
They all made it through, though and we now have a beautiful tent city! We also had some gigantic pizzas (yes, a repeat from last year) and added five Mexican youth to our teams. The American and Mexican youth are meshing amazingly well and are having a great time. They even seem to be communicating somehow.
Today we had no wake up call….and many of you parents would be shocked to know that every single one of them was out of bed no later than 7 am!!! We went over camp rules & expectations, as well as a few cultural items, then went straight for the buildsite. The cement has been poured and all our walls are built! The build team is thrilled with the amount of work tha was accomplished today!
Our youth then went to see their pastors and work on dramas together as a team. That is where they currently are, actually! Tomorrow, I will list the teams and the youth on them so that you know what your own peoples are up to….
However, Andrea & Doug’s team, led by Cara, Connor, and Christina, are doing GREAT on their dramas at Pastor Lily’s church. They are thrilled. and Norman is doing an AWESOME job translating.
We have yet to check in with the other two teams…so we will update you on them tomorrow!
I think that is all for today. Know that your youth are safe, having fun, and seem to be jumping right into the swing of things!
In His Grip,
Amy
First, thanks for all the comments…I am just about to read them to everyone!!! We REALLY appreciate word from home!!
All is going quite excellently well! Everyone is working as a large team and having a GREAT time! The Beach was quite chilly yesterday, but don’t you worry…many of your kids got in the water anyway!! After a chilly morning seeing the sea lions in La Jolla and then getting wet at Mission Beach, we spent time swimming in the hotel pool, playing cards and watching movies. After that, we went out to In and Out burger, had prayer partners and went to bed EARLY! (10:00 pm) Everyone was exhausted!
The vans are loaded, we are off to Jamba Joice (smoothies), then to the beach to have a bar b que, (yes, we will be picking up Mark at 11!), and then heading out to MEXICO! We have a CRAZY day ahead of us as we need to get across the border, pick up our Mexican team members, pick up our building materials at Home Deopt, set up camp, and have our evening service. Pray that all goes smoothly!
Anyway, I have everyone playing yet another game of train wreck while waiting for me to finish…so I must run! Hopefully between Jeff and I we can get pics up on the blog today!
We have a couple airport pics (including a midnight game of trainwreck in the Phoenix airport!), and some beach pics!
Ok, will write again as soon as I find internet in Mexico!!!
In His Grip,
Amy
We have arrived in San Diego!!!! It was a looooong night but everyone was awesome, helpful, and a part of the team!!! Everyone wants me to say hi to their moms, dads, grandparents, and everyone else!
We are off to spend the morning in La Jolla and the afternoon playing Ultimate Frisbee at Mission Beach!
Our team keeps growing little by little. We left Detroit with 33, Had 37 by Phoenix, will have 38 by tonight and 46 by the time we go to sleep tomorrow! We will be a full team of 46 from 4 states and 2 countries!! Yeah!
Talk to you all soon! Leave us comments!!
In His Grip,
Amy
We leave today! See you all at the airport!!!! Updates to come soon!