Hi There again! I am back to fulfill the promise of introducing the second half of the Alaska 2016 Go Team. I have a tendency to ramble and I know that so I am going to stop here. Enjoy meeting the rest of the team!

Back To It, Here Is Mrs. Megan Westphal

Hello All!  My name is Megan Westphal and I am one of the leaders for the 2016 Alaska Missions Trip.  I am so excited to be heading to Alaska as it has always been a dream of mine to travel there.  On top of the opportunity to see a beautiful place – I am even more excited to be working with a team of middle schoolers and building relationships with children in Alaska who will be attending our day camps.

Outside of my enthusiasm for this trip- I work as a registered nurse in Middleton Cross Plains school district and Meriter Unity Point Hospital.  I spend my free time volunteering as an alumnae volunteer with the women of the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority on UW-Madison’s campus, coaching Girls on the Run and coordinating volunteer participation for Captiol View Events.  I enjoy a challenging workout and being in the sunshine. I LOVE to read and try new things in the kitchen.  I’m thankful for my husband Christopher and our two dogs Blanco and Zeus.

I’d greatly appreciate prayers for the Alaska trip that include safety- safe travels to and from and also safety while participating in daily adventures.  I also get frequent headaches- so prayers for a migraine free trip would be wonderful.  Lastly, prayers for all of the team to love on the children coming to camp-may our love be evidence of God’s love for them.

This One Is A Bit Out Of Order But Here Is Mr. Christopher Westphal

Howdy folks!

I’m Christopher and I’ve been serving as a Middle School Ministry leader for the past two years with a great group of guys in the Middleton East bunch.  I heard about the mission trip to Alaska from Emily Albright (a leader on this trip) as we are in the same life group (along with my wife Megan who is also a trip leader).  I heard Emily was going for her third year, so I figured it must be pretty fun if she’s been doing it repeatedly!

I’m really looking forward to investing my time and energy in getting to know more people.  This includes the guys that were in my home group this past year, as well as other folks like the staff at Eaglecrest, Blackhawk students and leaders, and of course some Alaskans!

That was a bit odd for me to say as I’m content most days working alone.  I spend most of my time as a Mechanical Design Engineer at a small company where we are developing a MRI compatible device that will make breast biopsy exams as simple as one going to the dentist.  When I’m not doing that, I enjoy tinkering.  I like taking broken/free things and seeing how they work/worked (a few times I even fix them)!  I also enjoy working with my hands which allows me to refurbish some old machinery, rebuild our deck, make graphic designs and edit videos, and hopefully soon, some woodworking.

I want to thank you all for your support and am glad you’re able to follow along on our blog throughout the duration of the trip!  This is my first mission trip so it was awesome to witness God providing for our team through you.  Your prayers for safe travels and meaningful conversations with each other and with those at camp would be greatly appreciated!

Up Next Is A Student By The Name of Ms. Payton McGrath

Hi, I’m Payton, and this is my first time going to Alaska. I am going to be an incoming freshman at Edgewood High School. I love to play sports and hang out with friends. I play club volleyball for Madison Elite. I grew up in a loving Christian home, and I attend church regularly. I have 2 older sisters. One of which who has gone to Romania with Blackhawk twice. I also have one younger brother. I absolutely adore spending time with kids, and doing arts and crafts. I love school, and my favorite subject is math.

I am so excited to explore Alaska with everyone of my GO Team members. God has truly blessed me with this opportunity to make an impact in our world, and tell others about Him. I am excited to see what God has in store for my GO team and I in Alaska. During this trip, I hope to influence others, and show them God’s love through my actions and personality. Please pray for my team and I as we head to Alaska, and discover God’s world. Thank you! (Payton is on the left in the picture)

And Next, Mr. Peter Tuttle

My name is Peter Tuttle and I will be a freshman at MHS next year. My life wraps around three things… GOD, people I care about, and my favorite sport soccer. I have always cared about these things. They have definitely formed who I am today.

For the Alaska Trip I am mostly excited but a little hesitant. The reasons I am excited for the trip is because I have heard how fun it is from the great views to gaining relationships with the kids there. The only reason I am a little hesitant is since I was placed in the cooking and improv group, and I have never been great with talking in front of crowds and being an entertainer, with that never viewed myself as a cook. But overall yes I am super pumped to see what GOD has planned for us in Sutton, Alaska. (Sorry, no picture for Peter)

Check Out This Picture Of Mrs. Polly Schuster

Hi!  My name is Polly Schuster and I am Home Group leader with Middle School Ministries with Blackhawk.  I am so excited to partner with Eagle Crest Ministries in Sutton Alaska as well as with the leaders and student from Blackhawk to help spread the love of Christ!

First off I wanted to extend my sincere gratitude to everyone who is supporting our team through prayer and financial support!  Your generosity makes this trip possible for us!  I can’t wait to see what God has in store for our team and how He is choosing to use our talents and passions to make a different in the lives of the students and families in Sutton Alaska.

I have been blessed with 3 beautiful children: Lindsey, Taylor, & Charlie.

Lindsey is part of our team #one#proud#mamma!  My husband and I just celebrated our 15 year wedding anniversary.  My very first experience with serving Christ was on a mission trip to Nome Alaska in 2010.  I can’t wait to get back there!  I enjoy photography, scrapbooking, and spending time with my family.

Can’t wait to share all of our experiences with everyone throughout the trip!

Picture is from my first missions trip to Alaska – enjoying some time salmon fishing.

Next Is Mr. Quint Dahmen

Hello, my name is Quint and I am 13 years old.

I love to be outside doing some of my favorite hobbies like, lacrosse, mowing, hunting, fishing, and camping. I also love winter time because I like to, snowmobile, ski, and plow snow.

I am very excited about going on this mission trip to Alaska. I applied because I have always wanted to visit Alaska and I want to learn more about serving on mission trips. I enjoy serving in my community and I like to be with other people having fun and it will be awesome to do that in Alaska. I am looking forward to building relationships with kids from Alaska and learning more about my faith in God.

Good bye Wisconsin, hello Alaska!! (Sorry, no picture for Quint)

And Next Is Mr. Rylei Dahmen

Hello, my name is Rylei. I’m going to be a junior at Middleton High School next year. This will be my third year going to Alaska on this mission trip. I am really excited to go back to Alaska, as excited as I was the first year I went! I can’t wait to serve God’s people in many different ways.

Some things about me:

~  I am the oldest of three children

~  I love the outdoors (hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, four wheeling, camping)

~  I play lacrosse for Middleton High School

~  I enjoy welding and manufacturing things

~ My favorite food is waffles with fresh blueberries and whip cream

(Sorry, no picture for Rylei)

Now Introducing Ms. Sara Foley

Hey guys! My name is Sarah Foley, I’m thirteen years old and I will be an eighth grader at Kromrey Middle School this fall. I swim for Badger Aquatics Club year round and with Hawks Landing Swim Team in the summer. I also love competing in triathlons.  I will be doing my first sprint distance triathlon this summer.  I am an only child and have a Labrador Retriever named Bella. I have been participating in Blackhawk Church’s Middle School Ministries every Wednesday for the last two years and have enjoyed serving the community with their Madison Missions program the last two summers as well.

I am super excited to be able to participate in my first mission trip this summer. I have never been to Alaska before and I am really looking forward to it.  I wanted to go on this trip to be able to do more of God’s work as His hands and feet and to experience His beauty in Alaska.

Let’s Welcome Ms. Tessa Schoenecker

Hello, my name is Tessa, and welcome to this paragraph.

I’m a seventh grade Alaska veteran (this will be my second year). I love to write, draw and especially read obsessively. As for my activities that involve movement, I also play soccer, dance and unicycle with the 2nd biggest unicycle club in the Midwest, MadUni (shameless plug, I know). I love theater in all it’s myriad forms, so please humor me. Basically, I am an artist, fangirl, and performer.

I chose to return to Alaska this year because it was one of the coolest things I’ve done in my life. Alaska is so beautiful and wild, you just feel closer to God there.

Sidetracking again (not a rare occurrence), I have four siblings (send help) and way too many pets to list, including three dogs. I can’t wait to go to Alaska this year with our fabulous team! (Sorry, no picture for Tessa)

Also Introducing

Leader – Emily Albright – This is Emily’s third trip to Sutton. She’s what we call a veteran.

Student – Karleigha Koeshall – This is Karleigha’s second trip to Sutton. She was on the trip last year.

Student – Yaritza Garcia – This is Yaritza’s first trip to Alaska!

Okay everyone, we are done with the introductions. Now you have an idea of the team that God has woven together to serve this year in Sutton, AK. I can speak for everyone when I say that we are all excited and wait with great anticipation.

Thanks for reading! Make sure to share this with friends and family and be sure to check back daily! Signing off for now.

— Brady