Be the Difference

In this week's episode you’ll hear from 20 children and teens who regularly spend time with the Back2Back Cincinnati team. Hear their thoughts on what’s great about the world, what problems they see that need to be solved, and how they hope to be the difference in the world. — Learn more about Back2Back Ministries Follow Back2Back Ministries Instagram | Facebook

Rick and Lisa Bursey are husband and wife, mom and dad to two boys, and officially the new Site Directors for Back2Back’s ninth global site in Linares, Mexico! Originally from Ontario, Canada, the Burseys have long served children and said yes to every big and small moment God has extended an invitation. In 2008, they quit their jobs, sold their belongings, and moved two hours south of Monterrey,...

Dynette Clark is a wife, a mother to three, and sees the best in everyone she meets. She is also the Executive Director of Building Blocks for Kids (BB4K), a Cincinnati-based organization with a vision to create community for all children, regardless of challenges, through support, resources, and scholarships. As a child, Dynette always wanted to babysit and long considered being a teacher before...

Welcome to Be the Difference: Clips from the Cutting Room Floor! In these bonus episodes, we turn the reins over to our amazing producer Mikeyy, to share with you some of his favorite conversations from previous episodes that didn't quite make the final cut. In this episode, Mikeyy shares a clip from Episode 30 with Kevin Schwieger. In this clip, Kevin shares a story about two brothers who found c...

Kevin Schwieger was born on the mission field and has served within ministry for over 30 years, from serving as a missionary to Marketplace Pastor at Grace Chapel. Two and a half years ago, Kevin discovered a new hiking trail and in his excitement to share about it, the vision for of Luke5Adventures was born. Luke5Adventures makes the impossible possible by gathering dedicated volunteers and speci...

Welcome to Be the Difference: Clips from the Cutting Room Floor! In these bonus episodes, we turn the reins over to our amazing producer Mikeyy, to share with you some of his favorite conversations from previous episodes that didn't quite make the final cut. In this episode, Mikeyy shares a clip from Episode 29 with Troy Culbreth . Troy shares about the power of music, the connection point that wo...

Troy Culbreth is husband to Sharmaine, father to Troy Jr, Kaleb, Riley, and Austin, and founder of Cross Worship Music. Cross Worship is a collective of worship leaders and musicians based out of Cincinnati, Ohio with a heart to reconcile the body of Christ across denominational and racial divides. They believe there is something special when we all come together, and the musicians capture that di...

LaMarqué Ward, Sr. is a husband, father, author, pastor, and former professional basketball player. In 2015, LaMarqué founded Dream Builders University (DBU) to educate young men and women about leadership skills. Since then, DBU has been a leader in providing professional development services for schools. In this episode, LaMarqué shares about who inspired him as a young man, and why their combin...

Hope and Cheque Garcia have served with Back2Back Ministries for 13 years. They met on Monterrey’s campus, fell in love, and have been faithfully serving ever since. From co-captaining partnering children’s homes to now co-directing a brand new site, Hope and Cheque have a lot of experience when it comes to saying yes, even when they don’t know the where or how. In this episode, Hope and Cheque sh...

Andrea Holtman serves as the Director of Weightless Anchor, a hospitality home for women on the streets, often victims of sex trafficking and struggling with substance abuse. Adopted at birth in Liberty Township, Ohio, Andrea graduated college, got married, and had three children all in a 14-month span. Now in her 40’s, she is figuring out what she wants to be when she grows up. In this episode, A...

Welcome to Be the Difference: Clips from the Cutting Room Floor! In these bonus episodes, we turn the reins over to our amazing producer Mikeyy, to share with you some of his favorite conversations from previous episodes that didn't quite make the final cut. In this episode, Mikeyy shares two clips from Episode 25 with Sammy Mathews . We get to hear about about our role in someone else's story, gr...

Sammy Mathews is a fluently Spanish speaking Trauma Competent Care trainer, podcast host, loyal friend, and Assistant to Back2Back’s Executive Director. In 2007, she went on her first trip with Back2Back ministries, and it was a trip that forever changed the course of her life. From trip participant, to intern, to full-time caregiver, Sammy has long been in pursuit of what it means to exhaust ones...

As a Volunteer YoungLife Leader at Mariemont High School, Garrett Dexter maintains a full time job and spends the rest of his time connecting with students at basketball games, coffee shops, and summer camps. Garrett and thousands of other YoungLife leaders around the world have the same goal -  to introduce adolescents to Jesus Christ and help them grow in their faith. In this episode, Garre...

Welcome to Be the Difference: Clips from the Cutting Room Floor! In these bonus episodes, we turn the reins over to our amazing producer Mikeyy, to share with you some of his favorite conversations from previous episodes that didn't quite make the final cut. In this episode, Mikeyy shares a clip from Episode 23 with Beth Guckenberger about three important voices in her life, how they have shaped h...

From church stages and children’s homes to checkout lines and airplane rides, Beth Guckenberger makes the most of every minute as Co-Executive Director of Back2Back Ministries. She speaks, teaches, and has authored 11 books. Her latest book, Throw the First Punch: Defeating the Enemy Hell-Bent on Your Destruction, is an honest conversation about spiritual warfare and how to play spiritual offense....

In this episode, Chris and Sammy share some of their favorite moments from 2021. Hear what they’ve learned about themselves, God, and others after 21 stories of everyday people being the difference in the lives of others. Links to learn more: Nominate someone you know who is being the difference in the lives of others. Special thanks to COhatch Mason for providing podcast studio space. Learn more...

14 years in Kyiv, Ukraine was not something Karen Springs would have predicted for her own life. A story of advocating for orphaned and at-risk children, working with hundreds of adoptive families, and managing humanitarian projects throughout the world can only make sense when seen in the rearview mirror. In this episode, Karen shares lessons learned while writing her book, Adoption Through the R...

Today Jason Johnston is the Executive Director of Bogg Ministries. Nine years ago, he was just one of two guys named Jason who both saw a need in Dayton that wasn’t being met in a big enough way. Since 2010, Because of God’s Grace Ministries has moved from feeding four families a week, to over 2,000 people a month throughout the Dayton area. In this episode, Jason shares his journey from Madison,...

As the Executive Director of The Healing Center, Adrienne Wiley leads a team of staff and volunteers united in one goal - to be a Christ-centered community where people receive unconditional love, healing, and the power to change. What began as a volunteer role for Adrienne has grown into not only a career, but also a calling to offer practical, social, and spiritual support to individuals and fam...

For 13 years, Chuck has served as a teaching pastor at Crossroads Church. Prior to being a pastor, Chuck spent nine years in the corporate world at Procter & Gamble. Today, he is the founder of Courageous Love, a nonprofit organization built to unite and ignite people for racial justice through programming and intensives that take participants through life-changing moments of racial healing. I...

Grit, determination, and relentless hope define the life of Daniel Asama. His story began as a boy determined to survive and today he uses that same determination to help others to survive and thrive. As the Director of Back2Back Nigeria, Daniel leads a team of over 50 staff working together to ensure 160 children in Nigeria are known and loved. In this episode, Daniel shares why he walked away fr...

From an unexpected encounter in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, to bringing light to communities all over the world, Kevin and Jenny Sasson are living a life they never could have predicted. Kevin serves as the Executive Director of SonLight Power, a Christian non-profit that equips people living in energy poverty with faith-based love and solar power for transformational, lasting impact. Jenny is the Dire...

After one life-altering moment, Brian Berman sold everything he owned and walked away from a successful career in business to move to the Dominican Republic. He has spent over a decade of his life since then investing in people. In 2010, Brian and his wife, Nebraska, co-founded Project Mañana International. They are dedicated to helping to break the cycle of poverty through nutrition, education,...

Once a dream scribbled on a napkin, Tried and True Parenting is now an organization whose sole mission is to bring hope to families. Jen Powers, Executive Director of Tried and True Parenting, draws on her 20 years experience as an elementary school teacher, children's pastor, and parent educator to lead families to a place of hope and healing. In this week’s episode, Jen shares the story of those...

After intentionally asking God to “disrupt them,” Jeff and Christi Zurcher packed up their lives and moved from Cincinnati, Ohio to Selma, Alabama. The plan was to spend one year working with SCORE International - six months in Selma, then on to the Dominican Republic. Then, unexpectedly, plans changed. After asking for disruption, their lives were disrupted once again. In this week’s episode, Jef...