Tuesday - "Can we see the sticker machine?"
The boys enjoyed our reward of faith -- a grand tour of PJ Helicopters Airport.
Our reward of faith was getting to do a session at PJ Helicopters.
Riding in helicopters was our founder David's dream when we started DG. We told the boys that we thought this would be too impossible to pull-off so we never planned it into our sessions. UNTIL, God the rewarder of faith, opened an unexpected door for us through a family friend and we landed the most EPIC tour of PJ Helicopters we couldn't have dreamed of on our own. We shared the scripture from Hebrews 11:6 that says,
"And without faith living within us it would be impossible to please God. For we come to God in faith knowing that he is real and that he rewards the faith of those who passionately seek him."
On the bus-ride over to PJ's, we asked the boys to share about a time they were rewarded by God for having faith, and then we played some helicopter trivia games and fun word games.
Tour of PJ Helicopters
The fun really started when we were greeted by a big team of PJ employees, engineers, operations people, pilots and crew. It was an overwhelmingly powerful reward to be there on site with them and to learn about all of the details that go into simply getting one helicopter in the air - from fueling, to transport, to piloting. We got the full tour!
It was surprising to learnt that they use walnut shells to strip the paint off the sides of the helicopters. Then we got to see a helicopter take off right in front of us!
The boys also got to see behind the scenes at all the fun amenities available for pilots on call at the airport. They have a gym, a rec room, a dining hall, a learning room, and a ping-pong table.
We had the opportunity to talk to a pilot while on his break who inspired the boys that if he could be pilot, so could they!
Then we stepped inside a hangar to view the helicopters up close. There were big ones and small ones, and one monster chinook. The boys got to meet all kinds of helicopter experts and ask all kinds of questions. The interest of them was immense. To see the passion of the boys for every detail was an experience itself. They could have stayed at every station for hours. It was a bombardment of questions for the employees of PJ Helicopters.
In all of the explanations in the tour we could feel that God was present. We took the time to stop and bless the overseer for the modification of the Black Hawks with a prayer.
We got to see a chinook being worked on up close, and even got to go inside one in a different hangar. Some of the boys even sat in the pilot's seat!
Finally at the end we saw the sticker machine and the creativity behind the PJ Helicopter stickers. Each boy was interested in a different aspect of what it takes to fly a helicopter, which is amazing because from what the guys at PJ Helicopters said, there's a spot for every kind of person & mind at the company.
Just before leaving, the boys were gifted with hats, treats, stickers and a poster! It was an unbelievably rewarding experience for all of us. The bus-ride home was buzzing with excitement. (We even broke the 'no yelling on the bus' rule to let out a victory shout out)
What an unforgettable experience and reward of our faith. Thank you PJ Helicopters and team (and Buck Jones for the introduction!)
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Get to know this session's heroes and sponsors:
PJ Helicopters is a family-owned world class precision helicopter lift service serving all industries nationwide since 1970. In the over 53 year history, PJ Helicopters has focused heavily on customer satisfaction and safety to deliver our best product to customers nationwide. We primarily serve the utility, forestry, and construction industries and have completed a multitude of projects, work methods, and assignments in our long history. Additional industry sectors we regularly fly for and with includes: defense support, research and development, experimental flight testing, data acquisition, filmmaking, hydroelectric construction, aerospace testing and development, and much more.
https://www.pjhelicopters.com/
