Hello NIck:

 

Thank you for your work with my kids – Sam, Olivia, Annie and Koby – as a West Bowles Youth Group Leader and for taking time last weekend to go on the trip to Pagosa.

 

In a nutshell, Koby looks like he did rounds with Mike Tyson and his ankle is rolled and swollen, Olivia thinks she has strep., and Sam is exhausted from sitting on a bus for nine hours and in a van that spun off the highway and nearly crashed. And if you told me that the Youth Group was going on another trip right now, we’d pull them from school and send them again; and we’d be giddy about it. The youth trips are that big a deal.

 

You and the other leaders are such an incredible blessing to my family. Thank you so much.

 

All night last night, we heard endless stories about this trip. My kids didn’t start doing their homework until after 10, just because they were so busy telling us how much fun they had.

 

    ·   We saw pictures of the incredible sled hill that looks practically 90-degree vertical. 

    ·   We heard about singing songs from “Frozen.”

    ·   We heard about girls Indian leg wrestling and full contact wrestling.

    ·   We heard about everyone’s various injuries from the fun they had.

    ·   We heard about sleeping on a tile floor with a floor mat as a bed.

    ·   We heard about the various conversations our kids had with the leaders.

    ·   We heard how David and Stephanie drove the van Friday night in the dark while our kids slept the
        whole way, except for when Ethan was grumpy because of his peanut allergy.

    ·   We heard about Scott Gregory’s wrestling ability.

    ·   We heard repeatedly that the Gregorys are the coolest family on the planet.

    ·   We saw how annihilated the leaders looked after bearing the responsibility – for nine hours – of
        driving a busload of kids through a snowstorm in the Colorado mountains.

    ·   We heard about the amazing food they had. I can only imagine how much work this took.

    ·   We heard that the cabin where you stayed was amazing.

    ·   We heard about the awesome hot springs and getting in river water in the mountains in February.
        Frankly, we always hear that all of the leaders are incredibly cool.

    ·   We heard about the magical mechanical skills of the leader and student who kept the bus running
        through the snow.

    ·   We heard Olivia’s regrets that she waited until her senior year to go on this trip.

    ·   We heard how thankful Koby is that he found out about this trip during his freshman year.

 

I cannot imagine how exhausted you must be as you return to your normal life today. I do know, however, that the work you have done over the past three days has eternal significance. I absolutely believe that. I know that you reach and impact the kids in ways that parents never will. I also know that my wife and I are incredibly, incredibly grateful to you, the other youth leaders and to our church for the work you have done. Thank you so much for loving my family so well.

 

Thanks again for being such an incredible blessing to my three miracles this weekend. We are so grateful for you.

 

Sincerely,

Bryan

2/17/15