Whew – today has been such a bittersweet day. I’ll admit – I’m very ready to get home and sleep in my own bed and maybe not talk to anyone but my husband (that cool dude Brady who’s been in charge of the blog this whole week), and at the same time these last couple days have really reinforced how much I love this team.
We had an opportunity to spend some time last night talking through the lessons we’ve learned from our week at Eaglecrest. As part of that discussion we took some time to share some of our best, funniest and sweetest moments from the week. I thought that we’d have only a few stories to share, but I ended up having to cut off the team from sharing after over 15 minutes – there was so much laughter! I loved how many stories there were showing the change in our team over the week – from pairings of friends on our bus ride to Minneapolis to a true team where all members care deeply for one another.
It was raining in Anchorage today, but we still went out to enjoy the Anchorage outdoor market, and we stopped by a number of shops to find some cool Alaska souvenirs for our family members back home. Good fun was had by all enjoying both the awesome and awesomely cheesy souvenirs J After our time in Anchorage we took the entire team to a delicious pizza restaurant called the Moose’s Tooth. They have a TON of fun and unique pizza topping combinations and we are all sufficiently full to last for days (ok – maybe not days, but I think even Jack is going to be full for a few hours, so I’m counting the mission as successful).
After our late lunch/early dinner Jim and Lynnae dropped us off at the airport. We said our “see you laters” and went to get settled to wait for our flight. This was also the time where all the students got their electronics back – a full week away from their phones and it was almost like they didn’t even care for them anymore… ok – that’s a complete lie – you can see in the picture below that everyone was pretty excited to check all the things on their phones as soon as possible. 
It was both humorous and a great reminder of how important that fast from technology is for our team building and general experience as we served throughout the week.
This team is really special, and I am so thankful to each and every one of you who lent your son, daughter, husband, wife, or friend to this team for this entire week! Thanks for following our adventures and we are looking forward to seeing you at home tomorrow morning!
— Kelsey
As I sit here at the airport waiting to head back to Michigan, I feel SO blessed to have been at Eaglecrest this past week and serve the community with all of you. I have such mixed emotions. Your students and leaders have touched so many at camp, including me! I have been brought to tears a lot this past week. When I see how you have all embraced the Sutton Kids, I see God through all of you. Thank you for your loving on all the kids who have come to mean so much to me. You have served the Lord with hands and hearts wide open and you did it SO well! Your fun and laughter have brighten my day and the rest of the staff at Eaglecrest! Praying you have a safe flight home. Also praying that you will continue to take all that you have learned this past week back home and into practice in Madison. May God continue to work in and through all of you! My love to you all (including the love that went into the chocolate chip cookies)!! Lynnae Smith