Saying Good-bye

December 15, 2011 By

After traveling 16 weeks, through 22 states, approximately 19,000 miles, participating in 132 events, and getting to know 6 people (probably more than any people get to know anyone over an 103-day period)… tour is OVER. However, the memories and the friends that we have made on this tour will forever IMPACT us.

As our tour has come to a close, we thought it would be nice to give you our final words of farewell.

Jenny – I am so thankful I was able to go on this tour. Since my husband had been on 2 previous fall tours, I heard so many great things about the tour experiences, and I was so excited to finally get to go on tour with him! It was so great getting to meet all different kinds of people and see different churches, but to realize we have a common bond in Christ! I think one of my favorite parts of tour was the Harvest Rallies we participated in—those memories will last a lifetime, and hopefully we can be involved in the rallies in the future. Also, traveling with my twin sister and her husband was a great experience—I’m so glad we got to share some more adventures!

Christopher – After traveling for nearly six months, I am glad to be coming to an end of a long journey. However, I would not trade the traveling experiences for anything. I feel like my wife and I have gone on our own “Amazing Race.” My favorite memories include spending time with teenagers from different backgrounds and experiences. In addition to meeting so many new faces, it was exciting to reunite with teens from previous tours. I’m sure I share this feeling with the rest of the team in that I wish we could have spent more time with many of the teens we met. It is exciting to see the Lord work in their lives. It was our privilege to rub shoulders with them, despite how brief the time spent may have been.

Erin – Who would have thought that at the end of a 16 week tour with six people and changing to smaller vehicles two times that we would all still enjoy each others’ company?  I have been so thankful throughout this tour for the attitude of the team. As we have traveled we have become like a family-especially since four of us already are- and it has been great! Probably, my favorite parts of this trip have been the great opportunity to see so many friends that Christopher and I had made this summer with the soccer team and, while on the road, the frequent, random, breaking-out into song. These two things, among others, have really made the tour great. I will miss making memories with the Impact team.

Luke—Wow! 16 weeks goes quite quickly when you enjoy what you are doing! I have enjoyed my experience with the Impact Team. Along with ministering in different churches, it has been a privilege to see so much of our country that I’ve never seen before. Visiting a variety of historical places, especially Boston, has been one of this tour’s highlights. As others have said, I also wish we could spend more time with the teens that we got to meet. It was great to see so many teens who had a desire to serve the Lord in various ways.  All these things, along with some singing and getting hit by pool noodles, combined to make a great tour experience. I will miss the family I have become a part of on this tour.

Caleb – Thank you to the hundreds of people who for the past 16 weeks have made our tour a pleasant experience. Thank you for feeding us, housing us, and welcoming us into your ministries. Thanks also to the staff, faculty, and students back at Maranatha who have allowed us to represent them for the semester and those who spent many hours coordinating everything for us. It has been our pleasure. I have enjoyed getting to know four more people whom I was not well acquainted (Except for Matt – we traveled together previously), and I am glad they all were willing to get to know me as well. My favorite part of this tour was meeting up with many alumni and old friends from Maranatha. It was great to hear their stories and memories of college experiences at Maranatha.

 

Matt – I really cannot believe that we have completed our tour! Having traveled on two other fall teams, this tour made me feel like I was back where I belong. I thoroughly enjoy traveling for Maranatha! I was able to return to many schools for the third time. What an encouragement to see many schools and churches that have stayed faithful over the years. There really isn’t one aspect of tour that I can pull out as my favorite because I love it all. There is nothing in the world like it! Thank you to everyone who took us in and encouraged us along the way. I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for us in the future.

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New England

December 15, 2011 By

Our final week in New England was a pleasant way to finish up a 16 week tour. It was our blessing to minister in many churches and schools scattered across Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rohde Island, and New York. We enjoyed the diversity of New England’s various rural and city ministries. From Dublin Christian Academy in the woods of New Hampshire to Hudson View Baptist Church of Yonkers, New York – literally along the Hudson River with views of the Empire State Building – we have experienced the wonderful fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ both young and old.

Also a benefit of being in New England, we were able to spend an entire day in Boston. It was beautiful, historic, and a wonderful experience for all of us on the team. We got lots of exercise and fresh air as we retraced the steps of the American Revolution along the Freedom Trail. We also learned the correct way to pronounce, “Harvard,” (Hah-ved) according to our city bus driver.

 

 

 

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On our way to Connecticut

December 6, 2011 By

We had a pleasant time in Salisbury, Maryland at Christopher’s home church. We spent some quality time with the Jochums and also had the privilege of visiting a Maranatha graduate and former student body president, Mark Zockoll, who is currently pursuing his Masters degree at Salisbury University. To celebrate a great time in Maryland we enjoyed local cuisine at Delmar Pizza, “The best pizza on the Eastern Shore.”

Monday afternoon we began our trip to Connecticut – a simple and scenic trip – or so we thought.  On our way up the New Jersey Turnpike we were taken by surprise when a large doe, who had cleared three lanes of traffic on the other side of the high-way, jumped over the cement median and into the front of our van. Sorry to say, the deer did not survive, and the right side of our van was badly disfigured.

Once safely off the highway, the police notified, and all insurance claims filed, we found an auto body shop that was more than willing to help. They carefully informed us that we should not drive the van any longer, and they noted that a brake line was most possibly broken. Understanding that we were stranded and trying to keep an itinerary, they helped us acquire a rental car, a GMC Yukon, while they fixed our van. We couldn’t believe we were back on the road to Connecticut in only three hours.

 

 

We safely arrived at our hotel in Connecticut and got some much needed rest. But in the morning we were shocked to find the rear of our GMC Yukon smashed. We learned that during the night a drunk driver had entered the parking lot and damaged six vehicles. Ours was one of the six. Thankfully, the rental company that provided the Yukon had an office directly across the street from our hotel. Within the hour we had a new Toyota mini-van to drive, and we were able to make our chapel that morning.

     

     

In the midst of an unbelievable scenario we are all amazed at God’s protection. Clearly He is in control of all circumstances. None of us were hurt in both incidents, and both events happened in ideal locations. Praise God.

 

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LIT Conference in Maryland

December 6, 2011 By

Our last big event of our tour was the Leaders in Training Conference at Anchor Baptist Church in Millersville, MD. About 180 teenagers from all around the area came to the conference for a day of sessions,  workshops, and a time to fellowship with other teenagers.

Evangelist Joe Mark was the main speaker for the event, and our very own Mr. Brian Trainer came to speak in two of the workshops. The Wilds of New England sent a representative– also another familiar face to us! Josh Prather, a graduate of MBBC, has been working for the Wilds for 4 years and is now the program director of the camp in New England.

We saw some familiar faces of students that we had already seen earlier on the tour. It was good to get to know some of them more throughout the day, as well as some of the other teenagers that we hadn’t met. It was wonderful to see so many teens that want to learn to serve the Lord in whatever way they can!

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Recording at Aire Born Studios: Indianapolis

December 6, 2011 By

We had the opportunity to go to Aire Born Recording Studio in Indianapolis to record our part of the new music cd of the MBBC traveling groups for 2011-2012. There we met our friend, Dr. Budahl, and realized how much we missed his cheerful and humorous spirit. He introduced us to Ben, who is the brains (or at least part of the brains) behind recording at the studio.

Although recording can be tedious sometimes, we recorded four songs in about four hours! It was a great experience for our team, and we enjoyed getting to see Dr. Budahl again. We can’t wait to hear the finished product!

Of course, after such strenuous recording, our stomachs were in need of sustenance.  So we went to the nearest Bob Evans Restaurant and chatted with the Budahls to our hearts’ content and til our stomachs were filled once again.

 

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Wisconsin–Michigan

December 6, 2011 By

It’s been a whirlwind for the Impact Team in the last month. Sorry the updates have not been coming. We just wanted to let you know some of the highlights of our time since then.

Break in WI:

We were able to go back to campus for a few days’ break, so we loaded up on supplies and repacked the beloved van. Thankfully, we got to go back to MBBC during the volleyball regional tournament to see the Lady Crusaders win the semi-final game and go on to win the championship!! Thanks, ladies, for making theonly games that we got to watch this season memorable!

On the Road Again:

We were on the road once again on Sunday for the Sunday services. For the evening service we were in Pleasant Prairie, WI, at Victory Baptist Church. At the close of the service,we were so excited to see a man come down the aisle to accept the Lord as his Savior! What an amazing blessing to see!

Luke becomes a cowboy:

All throughout our tour, we have been discussing how Luke Backhaus, who is from Montana “where all the cowboys are,” has actually NEVER ridden a horse! We wanted that to change. So, we looked up the nearest trail riding place (we were in MI by this time), and found that it wasn’t far away! Wild West Ranch, was the place of Luke’s transformation into a cowboy! He says he would even like to ride a horse again.

 

Michigan:

We spent two weeks in Michigan and had a great time. We saw former Impact team member, Tiffany (Breil) Spies, and went out to eat with her and her husband, Brad.

We went to Lighthouse Baptist Church and got to partake in their Harvest Blast, an all church activity. The activity involved a chili-making competition, games for the children, and a men and boys’ football game.

We had great chapels with the students in the schools and getting to know some of them in the short amount of time we had with them.

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Saying Good-bye to Harvest Rallies, and on to the Midwest

October 31, 2011 By

In Virginia Beach we spent several busy days at Tabernacle Baptist Academy.  Friday morning the team presented the ministry of  Maranatha in chapel, and after school finished, we participated in sports practices. The girls, who are both committed volleyball players, were able to practice and coach Tabernacle’s girls volleyball  team. The guys headed out to the soccer field, and since the soccer coach was absent, Chris Jochum became the substitute coach.

Saturday, the team was at the Virginia Teen Harvest Rally. We were able to sing for the services and interact with many prospective students. It was also the beginning of our last weekend on the East Coast. Monday, morning we packed up our van and took a beautiful drive to West Virginia. But we didn’t leave Virginia without enjoying a couple of its historical sites. A few hours at Appomattox, the location of Lee’s surrender to Grant, was a highlight for the entire team.

After a night in West Virginia and an excellent chapel at Grace Christian School, we drove off to the southern corner of Missouri. Along the way we made a special stop Lamberts Cafe – the only restaurant where talented waiters throw fresh, hot dinner rolls at you!

Faster than we could believe, the Kansas City Harvest Rally was upon us. The Jochums especially enjoyed being at Tri-City and uniting with many of their friends they made on the Soccer Tour this summer. It was also our very last rally, so we had to endure the pain of saying good-bye to our Harvest Family friends. The common faces that were there to greet us every weekend for the past five rallies around the nation. It was our blessing to serve with them.

As we traveled from Virginia to Kansas the past several weeks, we were able to meet many of our proud Maranatha Alumni. In Newport News, VA we saw Natalie Kohnert. In Kansas City we saw Lynnae Lawson and family, and Abby Call. And in Abilene, KS we were with Chip Herbert’s family. Our team also traveled to Minneapolis for the wedding of Troy Poorman at Woodcrest Baptist Church. We were encouraged to see so many good people who love Maranatha.

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Down South – Sept. 26-30

October 21, 2011 By

After the PA Harvest Rally, we enjoyed a day of rest at the George’s farm in Shelocta, Pennsylvania. Revitalized, we continued our journey in the beautiful state of Virginia. Our first stop was Keystone Christian School in Berryville, where Christopher and Erin got reacquainted with the friends they made at the soccer clinic this summer.

A highlight of our week was our visit to Evangel Christian School in Dale City. We saw some of MBBC’s finest—three of our beloved alumni, Stephen and Heather Lingle, and Keelin Nissley. Seeing them in their classrooms and with their students made us yearn to be in school again (for a brief moment)!  We were thrilled to discover that Evangel and Keystone were playing each other in volleyball and soccer on Tuesday evening.  Luke, Caleb, Chris and Erin hopped in the van and headed to the soccer field, while Matt and I made our way to the gym to watch the volleyball games. Twenty minutes later, the soccer fans, along with all the soccer players, came marching into the gym. Unfortunately, the soccer game was postponed due to inclement weather.

Wednesday, we were in the historical city of Fredericksburg. In the morning, we had chapel with the students of Faith Baptist and ate fresh Subway with the high school. Luckily for some students who had a history test the next hour, Matthew a.k.a. “History Buff,” helped them study.  One of the students was surprised to find that in 1588 the English defeated the Spanish Armada—not the Spanish Ramada.

And speaking of history, the Impact travelers got to see a little history for ourselves. We saw several historical sites such as Ferry Farm, George Washington’s boyhood home (where he supposedly cut down the legendary cherry tree), an old apothecary, and the location of the famous Civil War battle.

Early Friday morning, we arrived to help set up for the Carolina Youth Blast. Once again we got to work side by side with the Harvest Team, putting up inflatables, preparing the concession stand, and setting up the different games. I had the privilege of securing the loudspeakers on the top of the 40 foot tent.


It was so cool to hear 8-year-old Faith Olsen (daughter of the leader of the Harvest Team) pray for the rally and consecrate it to the Lord. It is only with His help that the rallies can be a spiritual success!


And the Carolina Youth Blast was a success.  Almost 400 teens came to the rally and heard God’s Word. Although it was a bit chilly and in the low 60s (while Wisconsin was in the 80s!!), thankfully it did not rain. After the rally was over, we got the whole experience of tearing down all the tents and equipment. It is quite the workout!  After all was cleaned up, we went back to our host’s home for a real home-cooked southern meal! Needless to say, we slept very well that night.

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Pennsylvania Harvest Rally

October 7, 2011 By

The thick, black, rubber tires of our 15 passenger van turned slowly over the soaked pavement. We were  cruising towards our accommodations for the night at High Point Camp in Birdsboro, PA. We were about to cross the bridge that spanned the creek between us and the camp. But With a flick of his finger Christopher Jochum flashed the high beam lights on the van and shattered the darkness with a burst of light. To our horror the bridge was gone, and in its place a river sloshed and gurgled as it trampled everything in its path. Christopher took one look at the river and considered it best to turn back. We feared that we had been separated from our beds and belongings until the river receded once again into a gentle stream.

Although the Pennsylvania Harvest Rally was interrupted by torrential rains, thanks to the flexibility of the Harvest Team and the people of High Point Baptist Chapel, the rally continued as planned only in a new location. Friday was busy with transporting the many Harvest materials from the original location to rain location at High Point Baptist Chapel. The morning of the rally several hundred teens showed up at the church.

As a team, we enjoyed the rally and especially getting to know the many PA youth pastors who team up every year to make the rally a success. It was our pleasure to work with the Harvest Family setting-up and tearing-down tents and games.  We were encouraged to learn that several souls were saved at the rally.

As far as crossing the flooded bridge Friday evening, we fortunately did not have to spend the night in our van. Brent Olson, the brains and brawn behind all Harvest rallies, rescued us in his extra large pick-up truck. The diesel engine and large tires easily plowed through the flood waters and up the hill to our accommodations.

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Sept. 19: Pennsylvania

September 30, 2011 By

Impact Team Faith Baptist Church

The Impact Team has now been on the road for three weeks!  In these three weeks, we have learned and tried many new things. The following list is a recollection of things we’ve learned on our journey so far.

  • Wabash, Indiana, is the first electrically lit city in the world.
  • Frog legs really do taste like chicken.
  • Mr. Tommy Marshall, from Baden, PA, was one of the first African Americans to work in the transportation industry. He started working for the railroad in 1957. (Caleb and Luke were able to stay with him and his wife.)
  • Skittles is not only a rainbow colored candy, but also a tremendously fun game from the Old Country.
  • Carmel Baptist Church in Saegertown, PA, when originally founded, had members that lived under George Washington’s presidency. The little country church has been preaching the gospel since 1805.
  • Hand dryers in Walmart stores are an important addition to the store.
  • Caleb Kobosh makes up a song for every other phrase we say in the van.
  • As a side note, holding Matt’s tie in my lap and then jumping out of the van into a puddle was not very intelligent.
  • Another side note: Never try to look inside a “heavy” plastic flower pot, because it might be full of rain water and you might end up with a drenched sweatshirt, shirt, and pants. And face.  (Erin figured that out.)

We are really enjoying our chapel times with the Christian schools all over the countryside. God has been blessing our hearts as we meet different families and teenagers, and get to know them a little bit before we move on to the next place. Please continue to pray for us as we will be driving many miles and sharing God’s Word with many more teenagers.  Until next time—this is the Impact Team! Over and out.

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