Highs and Lows of Day 1

Good Evening Friends,

Today was our first full day on the beautiful island!

The morning began with a traditional Puerto Rican dish, French Toast and Ham. After breakfast the team had some free time before the orientation meeting, some members played a game of Pig (basketball) while others walked along the beach looking for sea glass or sea sells. 

One member, Taylor decided to walk up early (6:30AM) and had his own work out on the beach by lifting logs and boulders and even going for a quick jog. Now that takes huge dedication!

Question, have any of you tried to move and build rebar? Trust me its not any easy task,   but through prayer and teamwork, everyone was able to get the job done and plant the foundation. Just like rebar, creating and pouring cement was another task that we did today. Knowing that our helping hands will benefit someone in the future, is much worth the pain we are enduring. 

After our fun and challenging day, the team rode to the nearest frappe stand to enjoy an authentic island treat! Frappe is served with your choice of fruit and sometimes your choice of desert topping. For example I (Cam), ordered the Strawberry Pina Colada, it was tasty!! Our camp leader, Jon Marshall ordered a Chocolate Carmel, it tasted like a rich chocolate milk and likewise his drink was also delicious!

Friends and family, thank you so much for your support state side, and your prayers as we continue this journey! I hope you enjoy the pictures taken and not to jealous of beautiful scenery!

Peace and Blessings,

Cam 

Safe, Sound, & Warm

We arrived at campamento del caribe around 7p and the cooks filled us with a delicious Puerto Rican dinner. We've had a full night hanging out with youth group kids from Puerto Rico. We are beat and goof to bed. So thankful for your prayers!

Blessings from Carrie & Anna! More stories and pictures to come! 

One flight down!

It was a close one, but we have landed safely in Charlotte, NC. Praise The Lord! It will be another close one getting on our next flight. We are taxing right now (11:38a) & departing flight leaves at 11:50a! We hope they wait for us!!!
Thanks for your prayers! Keep them coming!
Adios for now, Carrie & Anna

Leavin on a Jet Plane!

This lovely group here (missing a couple) is headed to Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico tomorrow (3/7) morning! We are praying for safe travels, smooth connections, and on time flights! We would love to arrive at camp tomorrow evening! If you read up on our history from previous trips, we have NEVER made it to PR when our flight said we would. We are supposed to arrive around 4p tomorrow! Stay tuned:)

We are thankful that our funds have come in!!!!!!!!
We are grateful. We had some truth spoken to us through a card a week ago. The card said, "God Will Be With You". We have already sensed His presence!

Be looking for more updates! Thank you for praying!

From the fearless leaders,
Carrie & Anna

One Day More

Today was our final full day here! 

(These are our wonderful cooks for the week. Louanne and Morris)

We are all sad to leave especially to go back to the cold Michigan weather. It has been such an amazing day, we have completed so much. Today we finally finished all the tables that we have been working so hard on. Being on the table team I especially felt so accomplished when we finally moved all of them into the Comedor. 

Another group went back to the Barrio to finish the concrete wall that we had worked on earlier this week. 

Then we put up a beautiful new sign that Carrie worked hard on making. We then did some odds and ends around the camp, it was just nice to get all these things done and not leave unfinished work for the people here at Camp Caribe. 

In the late afternoon we finished working for the day and ended up swimming in the ocean for one last time.

 We proceeded to get the water slide going and let me just say it was a blast! The first people down (myself included) ended up not stoping in the pool at the bottom and got some road rash from the rocks just beyond. But hey what is a missions trip without a little scratch here and there.

We then went to John and Kerry’s (Teresa’s parents) house for an authentic Puerto Rican meal. We all ate so much food and had some wonderful conversations, it was truly a time to see the kind of fellowship that these people experience in this wonderful culture. Teresa then told us a little about the Barrio and what their culture and community is like. It was wonderful to learn about the culture and see the differences, my heart truly goes out to the people of this community. It showed me how important the staff of Camp Caribe’s mission is here and they will forever be in my prayers.

(The lovely John and Kerry who cooked for us)

We are ending the day with some games at Jon and Teresa’s house. 

(this is the famous Jon and Teresa Familia. Ben, Eli, and little goofy Logan. Aren't they great?)

It has been a marvelous last day and I am so happy that I have gotten to experience this wonderful adventure with an amazing group of people. This place has changed us for the better, each one of us will walk away a different person and that’s exciting! I want to thank every one of you who have been praying for us, continue your prayers as we travel tomorrow, hopefully no delays! 

Love you all and will see you soon

Adri :^)

(Me with Carrie's sign)

For the 2012 Team:)

Dear 2012 Team,

Remember our work on this area? If you forgot what we did, check out our blog from 2012 titled "Last Day". All that hard work really makes a difference for the next steps in the camps process and it's all a part of the big picture of changing lives:) 

(The yellow section with the white doors is the back of the building, remember when we signed our names in the cement? Or remember when we accidentally sprung a leak in the piping?? It's all good now! It looks awesome inside too!)

Blessings,

CWil

P.S. Please keep praying for Puerto Rico. Love you guys!

Day 8

Alrighty. It was a pretty good day, once again, here in Puerto Rico. After running around the island sightseeing all day yesterday, we all had to get back to work today. Everyone stayed at the camp for work, which split everyone into three groups. With our time coming to a close soon here in Puerto Rico, we are able to see all of the projects that we started at the beginning of the week all come together. One group was able to finish staining all of the rafters in the Capilla (Which apparently is spanish for “Chapel”).

 Another group has pretty much finished making the tables that will be used by thousands of little Puerto Rican kids during the summer and also the other work crews that are planning to come help out around the camp after us.

(For now, we'll test them out-pretty awesome looking!)

The third group was able to finish up the electrical in the kitchen except for one small part and then went to help the other groups with their projects. 

After work had been done, we all were given some downtime and then we were off to a youth group in the Barrio, which was a great experience to see another aspect of the life that the people have down here. It has been great being down here in Puerto Rico with these people. We have a great group people with us. Everyone is hard working and are able to love God while doing so. Unfortunately tomorrow is our last full day here and then it is back to School. All of our projects that we have been working on should be finished by then. Once again, thank you everyone who helped us all get down here so that we could help out Jon Marshall in all the hard work that he does for the good people of Puerto Rico. Go Blue and peace out. 

~Landon

P.s. Don’t try to have a sea anemone stick to your face. It burns for a while afterwards and leaves a red mark on your face. Don’t ask me how I know this, I just do.