Cheyenne Koch

#LifeStory [ 13 ]  August 24-31, 2013 On our 11th anniversary Elyssa and I went on our first BMDMI mission trip to Nicaragua.  Our team went to the village of Los Zarzales, where we saw about 3000 people in the village and surrounding area.  The people in that area were not as poor as others, but they were hungry for God's Word.  I helped with the youth service all week, while Elyssa served in the pharmacy.  I was amazed at how the teens would just sit and absorb God's Word. The first night there, Frank Kirby (Chico), asked me if I wanted to preach at any of the adult services.  I said no because I was unfamiliar with how BMDMI did things and because I didn't know the people.  Chico asked me again the next day, but I turned down the opportunity again because I had no idea what to say.  What could I say to connect with the people?  What did they need to hear? As the first two days went by, I had an opportunity or two to share the Goo...

Not too long after Adalynn trusted in Jesus as her Lord and Savior, Kinley started talking about wanting to get saved.  She was five years old, but didn't seem to understand everything, so we told her to be patient and God would help her understand as she got older.  Every night we would pray with her and when she asked about it, we would explain it to her and prayed with her that God would reveal Himself to her.  Kinley has always loved babies, and she has a big heart for orphans.  One night, while praying for the orphans, Kinley added to her prayer, "Jesus, please come into my heart."  Elyssa and I looked at each other, but didn't follow-up on it because we didn't think she was ready.  As time went on, Kinley turned 6 and was promoted to the Kidz Worship age group at church.  In Kidz Worship they give the kids an opportunity every Sunday to pray at the altar during the offering, and encourage them to talk to a leader if they want to know more...

#LifeStory [ 12 ]  August 17, 2012 I am living proof that the Lord has a sense of humor!  He's calling me to full-time youth ministry!  Almost a year ago, at our church's last Global Outreach Celebration, Elyssa and I both felt that there was more to life than just teaching and serving in our church, but we didn't specifically know what.  I had never been on a mission  trip, but I found myself thinking it would be great if we could somehow plan a family mission trip.  We talked about going to Washington State for a week to help a young couple there plant a church, and started making plans and discussing travel. But in January of 2012, our church's youth pastor of 10 years announced that he was called to lead the youth ministry of a church in Tennessee.  Our hearts were heavy as we cancelled plans for Washington, and committed to help work with the youth and keep things going until our church found another youth pastor. Daniel, Micah, and I met wit...

What we experienced at Youth Camp in 2012 left us all speechless and in awe of God's love and grace!  In the Spring of 2012, the church where Elyssa and I attended, the same church in which she had grown up her whole life, was starting to think about youth camp for the summer.  For the past 20 years the church had planned and organized it's own camp each summer, but as the previous amazing leaders stepped down or were called to serve elsewhere, the youth ministry needed new leadership to make it happen. Bryan Freeman boldly volunteered to take on the responsibility of organizing and directing the plans for Youth Camp.  After weeks and weeks of planning, the time had finally arrived.  On July 22, the Sunday morning before we left, we had almost 70 teens signed-up to go, but when we left the next day, only 55 actually showed up to go.  We weren't sure why, but we took the 55, knowing God had brought the ones He wanted. On that same Sunday night of July 2...

#LifeStory [ 11 ] In July of 2012, I went with several others from our church on my first "mission trip" to Lake Providence, Louisiana.  Our team of four adults and nine students partnered with many others through Mission Serve to paint and put shingles on the roofs of 7 homes in this very poor community. Before we left, I encouraged the adults and students to write out their personal testimonies and learn the "Romans Road" verses that are often used to lead someone to Christ -- Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:23; 10:9-13.  Our goal was to serve the residents of Lake Providence by fixing up their homes and thus try to meet their physical needs as we show them the love of Christ.  I challenged our group to share the gospel, and if necessary, use words. After we arrived, our group was divided in to separate teams to work on the various homes.  Only a few from my church worked on the same house as I, but we met and worked with a lot of other great people.  Living in the...

Adalynn Brooke, my oldest daughter, has always been a deep thinker with a vivid imagination.  For about a year she has been asking a lot of questions about God, Jesus, and salvation.  I love to pray with my girls as I tuck them into bed, and on this night of her momma's birthday, Adalynn ended her prayer by asking Jesus to come into her heart.   The next morning, September 13, 2011, as Elyssa and Adalynn were pulling into Sharpe Elementary's parking lot before school, Adalynn was talking to her momma about how the devil will try to trick you.  Elyssa explained to her that though he might try to trick you, he can never have your heart if your heart belongs to Jesus.  Adalynn then told her mommy that she had asked Jesus to come into her heart last night.  So Elyssa talked to Adalynn for a minute to make sure she understood what it meant to be saved, and then they prayed together, right there in the car.  Elyssa said Adalynn was beaming as they ...

I love teaching high school, but my favorite teaching moments are when I get to sit down and share with the students REAL life lessons.  These moments are usually sparked when a student asks a question or makes a comment, and I can see in the question an opportunity to share God's Truth.  Often I'll be sitting at my desk while students work, and those who are interested will gather in a tight huddle to hear and learn more. High school students are stumbling through their teen years trying to figure out who they are and what they want to become.  They need people in their lives to show interest in them, to patiently help them walk through situations, and be there for them when they fall and need help getting back up.

#LifeStory [ 10 ]  Elyssa and I were having trouble getting our furnace to work in our little home. At times we would turn it on and it would work for a couple hours or a day, and then it would quit. There were periods of time when we couldn't get it to turn on at all. Sometimes we would wake up in the morning and the house would be down to 55 degrees. The system was very unpredictable and this continued throughout October and November of 2003. Then one night, after Elyssa and I returned home from spending the weekend in Sharpe (Elyssa's parents home), we walked into the house and noticed that it was super cold. The thermostat had bottomed out well below 50 degrees. So, before going to sleep, Elyssa and I prayed together that God would cause our furnace to work. He knew our condition and that we couldn't afford to repair or buy a new furnace. So we went to sleep trusting God to meet our needs. Later that night, I awoke around midnight, because I was hot and sweating. The ...

#LifeStory [ 9 ] The Lord led our hearts from Missouri to Kentucky, so when our first year of teaching ended, we packed our belongings and moved to Kentucky. We spent the summer with Elyssa's parents as we prayed and asked God to open doors in the direction He wanted us to go. He answered our prayers by providing us both with teaching jobs in the same school district, Murray Independent Schools, in Murray, KY. The teaching job I landed at Murray High School was part time Technology Education and part time Information Technology (IT). I had no training in IT, so the district sent me to Lexington, KY, for two weeks to be trained in how to teach IT using the Cisco Networking Academy. I had to take two, 4 hour college courses in two weeks; I basically had to take and pass in two weeks the two courses I would teach. The time in Lexington was a blur, but Elyssa went with me and the Lord helped us through it. We bought a small house in Murray, and lived there for two years, but our he...

#LifeStory [ 8 ] But it got personal when somebody stole my watch. On November 14, 2002, I was helping a student in my woodworking class when my watch became a nuisance, so I took it off, and laid it in front of the computer monitor where I was working. Seconds later, the bell rang, ending 7th period, so I had to go into the other classroom to start the next class. I totally forgot about the watch until late that evening when I cleaned out my pockets before going to bed. The watch had been given to me for my birthday by Glenda Russell, my mother-in-law, the month before. I remembered where I left it, and was determined to look for the watch in the morning, first thing, before my Friday classes started. The next morning, as soon as I arrived at school, I looked for the watch, but it wasn't there. Now I was angry. I talked to the assistant principal, who told me that based on what he recently learned at an Admin Conference, I would never get my watch back. So, for the rest of the d...

#LifeStory [ 7 ] My last two years of college were full of Bible studies, Campus Outreach meetings, weekend retreats, conferences, outreach events, and a host of fun activities with my brothers and sisters in Christ. Throughout this time, Brian Lewis continued to disciple and teach me how to follow Jesus Christ. An opportunity opened up for me to lead the youth group at a small, local church in Cape, so I did for a semester and enjoyed helping these teens grow in their relationship with Christ. Campus Outreach taught me how to love people, how to study the Bible on my own, how to share my faith and disciple others. My time with this college ministry reached a climax the summer I went to Panama City Beach, Florida, for 10 weeks of Summer Beach Project. I went with the intention of growing in my relationship with Jesus Christ (and I did), but I also met my future wife, Elyssa Russell there! Wow, she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen! I ended up working most of the su...

#LifeStory [ 6 ] As a new Christian, I still struggled with bad habits, but over time God continues to give me the grace and strength to rid my life of sin that has often tripped and tangled me up. His Holy Spirit set me free from my selfish life of sin, guilt, and condemnation. Sadly, I lost some friends along the way, but God has delivered me from my life of alcohol abuse and given me a new purpose and reason to live – to know and love Him! (John 17:3) About a year after giving my heart and life to Jesus Christ, the Lord used a situation to strengthen my faith in Him. In the Spring of 2001, while at home on the weekend from college, I left my parents house and headed across the 225 acre family farm in hopes of scouting for turkeys. I knew that a thunderstorm was headed our way, but thought I had time before it hit. I parked my truck at Grandpa and Grandma Koch's, then walked across rolling hills, woods, and pasture land to the back side, but didn't see or hear any turkeys....

#LifeStory [ 5 ] Campus Outreach (CO) was cool, and had a lot of really nice people. After going to a few meetings, I met a few guys who befriended me, and I started hanging out with them at the meetings some. But they were different. These college students claimed to be Christians (just as I did) but they were different in the sense that they genuinely loved people and loved Jesus. They also had a lot of fun without alcohol or drugs, which was unique on a college campus. Soon, they invited me to join a Bible study they were starting, led by Brian Lewis, the Campus Outreach director. This study used the CO Bluebook, which basically explored what the Bible taught about the Obedient Christian Life. God used His Word throughout the study to teach me what it meant to have a personal relationship with Jesus and submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. God used this verse to open my eyes: 2 Corinthians 5:17, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life...

#LifeStory [ 4 ] As I finished high school, I took the advice of a family friend and made plans to attend college to become a drafting and woodworking teacher. I loved technical drawing and enjoyed building things from wood. Oddly enough, I was quick to judge people, and actually didn't like being around most people. So, looking back, I'm not sure why I chose to be a teacher. In my first two years of college, I commuted to East Central Community College in Union, MO, and there I met new friends who liked to do the things I enjoyed most: fish gigging, partying and drinking. As I completed my first two years, I turned my sights on Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) in Cape Girardeau, MO, to finish my college education. It wasn't my first pick, but my options were limited, so I went with the one closest to home that offered the degree I was seeking. My first semester at SEMO was fun and as an independent (no fraternity for me!) I looked for opportunities to sneak b...

#LifeStory [ 3 ] As a child, my parents instilled in me the habit of praying before going to sleep at night.  In my teenage years I would lay in bed at night, often drunk from alcohol, and out of habit pray to God before going to sleep.  You see, I knew what the Bible taught, and would often ask God to forgive me for being drunk.  But there was no change, only an increased desire for alcohol to fill the emptiness I tried to hide.  Without any sort of purpose in life, alcohol was a version of fun that I could explore with my friends. My reckless lifestyle produced several near death experiences, and at night I would lay in bed trying to imagine what it would be like to be dead.  I knew what the Bible taught about eternity, but all I could picture was emptiness and darkness.  I was frightened by the thought of being nothing, nonexistent forever and ever. Then one night I had a dream.  I dreamed an angel of the Lord carried me to Heaven and set me dow...

#LifeStory [ 2 ] My ninth grade year was a year of change as I road the bus to attend the consolidated Sullivan Senior High School in Sullivan, Missouri.  I entered high school determined to be a good person; no cigarettes, drugs, or alcohol for me.  Unfortunately, my convictions changed toward the end of my high school years, and I began to abuse alcohol with my friends as we met for parties at creek crossings, at someone's cabin, or a house when the parents were gone.  Soon, the small lies turned into bigger lies as I tried to hide from my parents the truth of my late night activities.  Reckless driving, parties, property and mailbox destruction, poaching, alcohol abuse, wine making, and the list goes on.  But I went to church on Sunday and still thought I was a Christian. Somewhere in the middle of my high school years, my family left the little country church I grew up in and became members of Trinity Presbyterian Church, in Union, Missouri.  The c...

#LifeStory [ 1 ] The first of seven, I was born on October 5, 1978, to my wonderful parents, Stan and Sue Koch. Dad taught me how to work on the family farm (chickens, goats, pigs, sheep, horses, and cattle) and in the family business, Koch & Sons Water Well Drilling, Inc. Mom taught me how to cook, sew, and care for animals. As the oldest, I often watched my siblings and loved to aggravate and play with them. As a child I grew up in a small rural school and an even smaller rural church. For kindergarten, I enrolled at Spring Bluff Elementary school and graduated from eighth grade as salutatorian with 14 other students. My parents raised me in a small country church, Old Argo Presbyterian, in Japan, Missouri. Our church family enjoyed cooking apple butter, eating potluck meals, performing Christmas plays, and always drew a crowd with Vacation Bible School in the summers. There weren't many kids in the church and my parents were often my Sunday School teachers. One year we ...