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
April 4th, 2009 at 6:46 pm Final score MSU 82 UConn 73!!
April 4th, 2009 at 6:55 pm Hello All! I hope you are having a good time building! In Michigan we have something to celebrate as our Spartans advance to the finals with an 82-73 defeat of UConn! Go Green! It was a fun game to watch. Enjoy yourselves and know that you are in our thoughts and prayers! The Heppers!
April 4th, 2009 at 8:07 pm We really do appreciate the daily updates and am thankful everything is going well. Desiree, I got Mom to watch most of the MSU game tonight and we won a close and exciting game. Next game Monday night.
April 4th, 2009 at 8:30 pm Dear Claire, First of all Michigan State won their basketball game today and are in the NCAA finals on Monday(in case anyone there is a State fan). Secondly we all miss you very very much (Nobody stays up late with me!). Paulie is very lonely and anxiously awaits your return. WE are as always very proud of you and all of the Mexicali team and keep all of you in our prayers. Please stay happy, healthy and safe.
April 4th, 2009 at 8:48 pm Hi Amy, Is there a dust storm accompanying the wind like it was the year Dad and I joined you? Tell Riley, Kenzie, and Ashley “Hi” from me. Tomorrow is Holy Land Adventure. Tell the girls that Amanda, Haley, and Bailey are helping me in the music workshop after they sing in church. Elizabeth and Maddalyn are coming to Port Huron tomorrow for the Holy Land Adventure. I’ll give them a big kiss for you, Amy. Supposed to get a lot of snow Sunday evening. I pray it is enough to cancel school on Monday!!!! Be safe. I’m missing you. Mom Carrier
April 5th, 2009 at 7:10 am Hey there Everyone! We wanted to say hi and we are glad that you have made it to Mexico and are having fun. What a great opportunity to serve for and with the people of Mexicali! The weather up here has been sunny, but still pretty cold. We wouldn’t mind if you bring some warmth back with you! We are heading out to Port Huron for church today, so I gotta run. God Bless! Amy~ EEEEEEE wants to say I love you and have fun in Mexcico. Maddalyn (as always) says “hi” Love you! Becky
April 6th, 2009 at 2:44 pm Hi Everyone! Hope all is well. The weather here is crummy! I think we have more snow for spring break than we did on Christmas break! LOL. Hope all is well. Tell Kenzie I finally won her concert tickets yesterday and we miss her and love her! (Tell her “GO STATE” too!)
April 6th, 2009 at 2:48 pm Cara, I miss you, but Hamlet is keeping me company. Every time I sit down to read, he runs up to the pod to be picked up. Such a spoiled thing! I hope your tents are still standing. It’s windy here today, but at least it stopped snowing. Enjoy the warmth.
April 6th, 2009 at 3:02 pm Hey everyone!!! I really wish I was down there with you all this year- darn college. We had snowflakes the size of half dollars last night. Say hi to Lilly for all those that are at that site. May God bless you this week! ~Julie Allen
April 6th, 2009 at 3:08 pm Cassies confirmation went great yesterday. We were very proud of her as I know you are. She is taking great care of Paul Anka for you. We had a few inches of snow overnight and you know how much he likes the snow. I can just hear you now saying (I hate MICHIGAN!. We hope your ministry and building is going as planned and you all are being careful and taking care of yourselves. We love you very much and can’t wait for your return. Love Mom
April 6th, 2009 at 3:13 pm Yea! The blog is back up and running. Some of us were getting concerned…I had some phone calls from parents. I will be contacting them now to let them know it’s working again. Anyway, it sounds like everyone’s off to a great start…Praise The Lord! We continue to keep you in our thoughts and prayers, and miss you all very, very much. Tell Christina her ACT scores came in and she did better than she thought. Enjoy the warm, beautiful weather…we have a few inches of snow here in Rochester Hills…YUCK! Please bring us home some sunshine! Love to all…but special hugs and kisses for Christina…her family misses her very much!
April 6th, 2009 at 4:24 pm Hello! It’s good to have access to the comments again. All day Saturday and most of today all we could see was a blank screen. We will of course be watching MSU play N. Carlolina, and winning I hope! Anne, Russel, and Michael will be at the Breslin Center watching the game with Peter. They went to Chigago for the week end, and went to East Lansing instead of going home today. We have had snow all day. It started as rain last night, only a few inches, it’s very wet and heavy. To bad you aren’t here to clean off the driveway Joe!! The plumber was here today to fix the shower. He ended up replacing the faucets and everything with a one handle knob. The set even included a new shower head. It was pretty exciting. He had to knock out some of the tile and cut a hole in the wall of Dad’s closet. He was here, and back and forth for parts for a bout 6 hours. Luckily, the water didn’t have to be off that whole time. Aunt Pat says to say “hi” and that she loves you. Dad and I miss you and hope that you are having an awesome time serving the Lord! Love, Mom Don’t worry, I’ll let you know who wins the game!!
April 6th, 2009 at 4:35 pm Hola Norman Como estas? los abrazos y besa
April 6th, 2009 at 5:39 pm Hi there, it’s Riley’s mom! Wanted to say hello to my girl and let her know that I am so proud of her and stay strong! I can’t say enough how proud I am and everyone is praying for you as well as the others. I heard your Lamb of God song at Service yesterday….brought smiles to my face and joy to my heart! I love you bunches and enjoy your time! Bailey is cleaning her room as usual but she misses you too! God Bless you all!!!!
April 6th, 2009 at 5:40 pm Oh yea…hey Riley…Go State!!!! Wahooo!!!!
April 6th, 2009 at 7:09 pm hi claire, we are in florida now and it is very windy. maybe we are getting the wind storm you all had the first day in mexicali. I hope you are staying warm and having fun. I know if you were able to cuddle with that 8 day old baby you were in your glory. dad and I are doing great but we both suffer from bench butt due to the long rides. I love you and I am very proud of you. Keep working hard, praying often and loving always. God Bless You and all those in your company. Mom
April 6th, 2009 at 8:43 pm Half time…. North Carolina 55- MSU 34
April 7th, 2009 at 3:44 pm HEY….I am not going to write much because i still have to comment on your second day……but i am sooo glad you guys made it over saftly…. stay safe…i will be praying for you guys…..I WAS EXCITED WHEN I SEEN THE BLOG BACK UP….IT WAS DOWN FOR SEVERAL DAYS!!! Special Hi To: KENZIE ,RILEY, AND ANDREA(Kenzie’s step mom)