Atlanta Tour - Day 1 (Wednesday, April 8, 2015)

We began our journey in the most fitting of ways: with hands joined, as seniors Maddie Boerste and Logan Belcher led us in a send-off prayer. We then boarded a school bus and headed to the airport where we were met by Ms Kauffman, Mr. Vineyard, Mr. and Mrs. Kempton, and "Mama Bennett". We breezed through security and gathered at the gate for a group mixer game, in which students interviewed one another. Then, each student wrote a list of the ten students on the tour that they know the least. Their individual tasks have now become to intentionally seek out time to build relationships with those ten students.

After dinner at the terminal, we boarded our plane. We snagged the entire back third of the plane for our group, much to our delight (and to the delight of the other passengers, I'm sure!). Midway through the flight, we were treated to a lofty proposal when senior Luke Borchelt came on the loud speaker to ask senior Whitney Vandenheuvel to prom. He even had a dozen roses and boxes of her favorite candies to sweeten the offer. (She said yes!) As we made our final approach, we received a request from the passengers at the front of the plane to have our students sing for them; so, the students had the opportunity to perform "Hark! I Hear the Harps Eternal" more than five miles up in the sky.

After arriving in Georgia, we fetched our bags, hopped on a bus, and traveled to our comfy hotel in downtown Atlanta. The students are now safely in their rooms, resting up for our first full day of singing and adventure.

Please pray that God would continue to keep us safe, that our students can bravely forge new relationships with the students they've committed to know more deeply, and that their performances would bring glory to God.

Lining up to check in for our flight at BWI

Juniors Amanda Fusting and Hannah Thiessen ready to head to the gate

The students playing the mixer game at the gate

The AACS choirs at taking up the back third of the plane

Mrs. Joseph conducting as the students sing for the rest of the passengers

Seniors Luke Borchelt, Amanda Densmoor, and Hannah Holden (plus sophomore Kyle Carey, who is photobombing in the background) are smiling big because we've finally arrived in Atlanta!