Aero’s Week of Prayer

5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. – Deuteronomy 6:5-7

Picture this, you walk into your house for the first time during Home Leave, and as you take off your shoes (at the door because mom doesn’t want the floors to get wet), you catch a whiff of momma’s cooking. Man, it never gets old. Every time I walk into my house, I’m slightly overwhelmed by how excited I am to be home, a four-letter word that embodies comfort and safety, but can be found anywhere. Even places like Mississippi.

While most of us spent our week catching up on everything we missed while we were away at school, the Aerokhanas Gymnastics Team spent their Home Leave witnessing to people at Bass Memorial Academy in Mississippi. Although they didn’t go home, that didn’t stop them from teaching people about the home we’ll all share for eternity once we get to Heaven. Our Aeros left a huge impact on the campus there as they lead out in a Week of Prayer. Don’t get me wrong though, they did their fair share of flips and tricks too. Not only did the Aero’s witness spiritually, but they performed physically as well. When they joined the Bass Memorial Gymnastics Team, they were amazing.

As the week went on, I missed my friends. That didn’t put a wedge between us talking though. I saw countless posts about their experiences in Mississippi, and I was so filled with joy hearing about the alligators they saw, and the new moves they were learning. The friends they made along the way will have a special place in their hearts and I still hear about the memories they created . I asked some Aerokhanas what their favorite part of the trip was and here are their answers:

Chase is a senior who has been on the team for two years and said “It was inspiring to see all the people we impacted, especially the kids. Watching young people give their lives to Jesus truly motivated me to want to do more.”

Andy, a junior, says “At the beginning of the week it was hard to get the students to participate in our meetings, even just singing was kind of mellow, but by the end of the week, the whole room was loud with music and it was cool seeing them get comfortable.”

Erica is a junior and her favorite part was, “working with their team and seeing how determined they were. Every time we showed them something new, they wouldn’t give up until they perfected it. It reminded me of why I show up every day.”

Aidan who is also a junior had a really good explanation when he stated, “we all got there the first day and were strangers, I mean we have never talked to these people before, but after a few days, we all started to feel like family. I know I have people, not just in Michigan, but in Mississippi now too.”

This year’s Aerokhanas captains are Jorja and Gabe. They’re amazing at working together, and I know this, because when I asked them what their favorite thing was about the trip, they both said the same thing: the play. If you’ve never witnessed the Aero’s play, Your Great Love, you need to find a tour date and experience this for yourself. A huge focus in our gymnastics program here is the spiritual part and with the play, they’re able to go above and beyond. At the end of the week, when they showed the play to the students, emotions were everywhere. Gabe was moved and told me about an individual who even though they were having such a rough time, was one of six who accepted the baptismal call that night. It was especially impactful to Jorja and Gabe because they were able to see how their hard work paid off. Jorja said that a majority of people were crying because of the impact that they made, and it’s something that they will never forget.

This is one of the many things that the Aerokhanas are capable of, and I hope that you all will personally experience it firsthand. If you would like to see more pictures or maybe even watch the play yourself, you can find it on the Aerokhana’s Facebook page. I’m just so impressed by the team’s determination to spread the Gospel wherever they go. As all the touring groups go on the road again this weekend to witness to the Berrien Springs and Holly communities, I ask that you all pray for us and our performances. Have a fantastic week 🙂

-Stephanie