Once in a Lifetime trip on "Moo Force One"

My morning cup of coffee
Outside of the CfA private jet.

Flying in the cock-pit.
Dan Cathy and myself
Our first CfA stop in New Jersey.
The second CfA, in Baltimore, Maryland.
Playing in the play-place (Ranson, West Virginia).
A CfA, "It's My Pleasure" cookie (Ranson, West Virginia).
A CfA truck (I want one!) - Ranson, West Virginia
Dancing with the cow (Ranson, West Virginia). When I left, he told me to "Eat Mor Chikin."
Dan Cathy, myself, and Mark in the early am outside of the new CfA after the grand opening.
Dan Cathy playing his trumpet to awaken the first 100.
Before bed in the playhouse.
I guess someone took this while I was sleeping!
The first one to go down this slide!
Walking on the red carpet into the CfA jet.

This entry is a bit overdue, but I can still write about it. I had a special opportunity, along with three other I360 students and two staff members to take a trip with Dan Cathy and Chick-fil-A for an overnight to a grand opening. I have one word for this trip…abso-tively-posi-lutely-super-de-duper-enormously-once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity-incredibly-fun trip. I’m pretty sure that Dan Cathy needs to adopt me so that I can do this all the time. We were on the go the whole time (we were in 6 states in one day, if you count flying out of GA), traveling all over the place, talking to so many different people! It started out at 6am Wednesday March 4th. We got in the vans and drove to a small airport in Peachtree City where “Moo Force One” (the name of the Chick-fil-A plane) was taking off from. From there we took off around 10am and flew to Philadelphia,Pennsylvania. En route we flew over DC, and saw, from the plane, the Air Force Base where the President flies out of. We also flew over Baltimore and saw the smoke from the tall buildings on the horizon. We saw the Potomac River and the DC airport as well. I got to sit in the jump seat of the plane for the last half hour or so of the flight and listen to all the chatter and see how the plane is run. I kept hearing the word Wisconsin over and over again, and Dan Cathy (he flies the plane) told me that it’s the name of an airline that was in the air at the time. Special huh? (especially considering I'm from Wisconsin) Upon arriving in Philly (there was snow on the ground!) we were picked up by the operator of the Chick-fil-A that we were going to visit. The CfA was in New Jersey, so we crossed the border by car to visit it. The purpose for being at this CfA was to encourage and spur on the operator as well as his team because this CfA had only been open for about a month and a half. Driving to and from the airport, I sat in the front seat with the operator, and we had some good conversations. Throughout the whole trip I felt so privileged to be a part of the CfA family…and now I really want to work at one this summer (an application is in progress right now). Even though I had met the operator of that CfA just that day, we still talked about different things as if we had known each other for a long time. The next place we flew to was Baltimore, Maryland. The CfA we visited there had been open for about a month. After Baltimore, we stopped in Ranson, West Virginia for a grand opening there. We flew over the mountains, and I saw them out of the nose of the plane because I was in the jump seat from take-off to landing since it was only a 20 minute flight. We didn’t stay in Ranson very long because our final stop was Manassas, Virginia where we were spending the night. A CfA grand opening is such a fun event. The first one hundred people who get there by, I think, 6pm and stay there all night until 6am, they set up tents in the parking lot, get free CfA for a year (or 52 free CfA meal coupons). They had lots of games and then a time to ask Dan questions. We got to be on his radio show that night and talk a little about Impact and how the program has affected our lives. I slept inside the CfA playground, well, the little play car to be more specific. Then we woke up at 5am to get ready and dressed for the grand opening at 6am. The workers bang pots and pans as they welcome the first 100 into the store. The people receive their coupons, a shirt and then some chicken strips for breakfast. We headed back the airport around 8am that morning and were back in Atlanta by 10. I was very tired, but it was all worth it. From the plane coming back, we saw the Atlanta airport, as well as the CfA corporate offices. Throughout the whole trip, I was amazed and inspired by Dan Cathy’s servant heart, and leadership. He truly lives out the SERVE model that we’re learning at CfA corporate and he is the ultimate example of a true leader that serves. I feel so proud and honored to be a part of this great organization.

My Prayer for My Life

I encourage all of you to adopt this as your own...

"I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed. My present makes sense and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, applaud, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, lean by faith, live by prayer, and labor by power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my God remains reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the approval of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, let up, or burn up until I have preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go until He comes, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He stops me. And when He comes to get His own, He will have no trouble recognizing me. My colors will be clear."

-written by an African pastor the night before he was executed