Tears & Joyous Laughter
Our hearts were in our throats more than once today. And we laughed so hard that we cried too.
That’s what Thursday in Alaska does to you. You cry and you laugh because you’ve spent your time loving wildly, speaking boldly, leaning into relationships and sharing more of yourself than you ever planned to.
Thursday. Hawaiian day (nailed it). The last day of camp. The day we said goodbye to the kids that stole our hearts...
We’ve settled into a routine in Alaska, and today was no different. Kendall led this morning’s devotional and soon after we piled into our vans for a short drive past some caribou to the school. The day was less about instruction and even more about relationship. Every time you turned your head you saw meaningful conversations happening in the most unlikely places. That’s part of what makes Thursday so beautiful.
We ate lunch outside today - it was a gorgeous Alaskan summer day. Lunch went long because we couldn’t bring ourselves to end our free time with our new friends. Before we knew it, though, we were handing out shirts and certificates and old jerseys to kids in front of a swarm of beaming parents. How sweet the ending was...
Clean up is a breeze now - everyone sees the work and everyone steps into it. The hearts are willing and the attitudes are selfless. Service isn’t even a thought anymore. So after countless rounds of tear-filled goodbyes, and after a fast-yet-thorough cleaning of the school, we left for the last time. The ice cream on the way home made things better.
After dinner the entire group went down to the beach where the chill and the wind nagged. Still, this is a group that won’t leave Alaska with regrets.
So they jumped in the water. Of course they did.
Beach day didn’t last long.
Almost as quick as we arrived we shivered our way back to the vans to head home for debrief, worship and stories. What a sweet time this is - every night. We talk about where we saw Jesus. We talk about what we see in each other. We talk about our lives. It’s a memorable part of each day, and tonight it was made more special as students read letters from their parents.
We are learning so much. We’re seeing so much. We’re loving and sharing so very much. This group is giving everything they’ve got to each other. And the intentional and bold ways they’re speaking about Jesus - to people they didn’t know just last week...well that’s just overwhelming. Just like last night’s mud, just like tonight’s swim in the ocean...this group is taking my breath away.
God is here. I see him in the voices and faces and hearts of 20 Colorado kids in Alaska changing lives.
That’s what Thursday in Alaska does to you. You cry and you laugh because you’ve spent your time loving wildly, speaking boldly, leaning into relationships and sharing more of yourself than you ever planned to.
Thursday. Hawaiian day (nailed it). The last day of camp. The day we said goodbye to the kids that stole our hearts...
We’ve settled into a routine in Alaska, and today was no different. Kendall led this morning’s devotional and soon after we piled into our vans for a short drive past some caribou to the school. The day was less about instruction and even more about relationship. Every time you turned your head you saw meaningful conversations happening in the most unlikely places. That’s part of what makes Thursday so beautiful.
We ate lunch outside today - it was a gorgeous Alaskan summer day. Lunch went long because we couldn’t bring ourselves to end our free time with our new friends. Before we knew it, though, we were handing out shirts and certificates and old jerseys to kids in front of a swarm of beaming parents. How sweet the ending was...
Clean up is a breeze now - everyone sees the work and everyone steps into it. The hearts are willing and the attitudes are selfless. Service isn’t even a thought anymore. So after countless rounds of tear-filled goodbyes, and after a fast-yet-thorough cleaning of the school, we left for the last time. The ice cream on the way home made things better.
After dinner the entire group went down to the beach where the chill and the wind nagged. Still, this is a group that won’t leave Alaska with regrets.
So they jumped in the water. Of course they did.
Beach day didn’t last long.
Almost as quick as we arrived we shivered our way back to the vans to head home for debrief, worship and stories. What a sweet time this is - every night. We talk about where we saw Jesus. We talk about what we see in each other. We talk about our lives. It’s a memorable part of each day, and tonight it was made more special as students read letters from their parents.
We are learning so much. We’re seeing so much. We’re loving and sharing so very much. This group is giving everything they’ve got to each other. And the intentional and bold ways they’re speaking about Jesus - to people they didn’t know just last week...well that’s just overwhelming. Just like last night’s mud, just like tonight’s swim in the ocean...this group is taking my breath away.
God is here. I see him in the voices and faces and hearts of 20 Colorado kids in Alaska changing lives.
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