On May 14, 2024, Mission M25 rolls out of Ontario, California, to serve Run For the Wall (RFTW) for the 19th time and head to Washington, D.C., on Memorial Day to honor our true national heroes.
For 17 years, Mission M25 has carried hydration, crossing the USA for the riders who travel on two of the three routes and then on one route to Marseilles, Illinois. We will pick up 21 pallets of Gatorade and about ten pallets of water to be distributed to the four routes.
As chaplains, we serve in various duties, including “Missing Man Chaplain” (our duty is to be with an individual who rides in the lead pack in honor of someone who is either MIA or KIA—missing in Action or Killed in Action). We also serve as Platoon Chaplains, who ride with a group of riders for prayer and emotional support as we cross the nation.
We have three “Chase Teams” on each route, including a truck pulling a trailer that can haul four motorcycles. Each team has two Chase Chaplains on motorcycles. If there is a wreck, which unfortunately happens frequently, Chase Chaplains accompany the individual to the hospital and contact the family.
We serve under the mandate BALNAM (Be a Light, Not a Mouth). We attempt to be Jesus, serving the hurting and representing the Kingdom rather than “preaching” or evangelizing the riders. There are countless testimonies of the reception of Jesus from this outreach style of service.
When we started with RFTW, our primary motivation was to say “THANK YOU” to the veteran/soldier for our freedoms, including our Freedom of Religion, which we enjoy in this country. We hoped that by our service, we would see this freedom not taken away from us.
Our secondary motivation was to let the Vietnam veterans know we love and support them. Driven by the conviction that our Vietnam veterans felt shunned by the silence coming from the church, we felt we needed to make amends for this infraction.
Mission M25 desires to express our most profound appreciation for the support from the churches in the IPHC, the General Church, individuals, and businesses that help us continue this outreach. Mission M25 provides fuel, food, and lodging for all team members serving in this ministry.
We also thank our riders and truck drivers for serving this great mission. Some have gone every single year, and others have served for many years. Some will be gone home for up to three weeks. This year, we have nine trucks pulling trailers and 46 riders and drivers serving.
Please keep us in your prayers!
