Our Ministry History
For 10 years (1990-2000) the Yoder Family was preparing to launch full-time music / evangelistic ministry. Our whole family completely rebuilt a 1969 Eagle coach that was to be our home, school room, and means of transportation while on the road. I (Galen) sold my machine shop and engine shop in the fall of 1999 and put finances in order to sustain our family until Straight From The Heart Ministry could be established to stand on its own.
Each member of the Yoder family worked hard these predatory years and for the next 15 years on the road. We travelled through 39 states approximately 300,000 miles for 15 years. Our goal was to tap into the music industry and have it financially sustain the prison crusades. Little did we know the shell we were attempting to crack protecting the music industry to a chosen few. Our family shared the joys and hardships as troopers. Every member of our family worked on our song selection, vocals, and our instruments so glimpses of light along the way. Mary homeschooled the children while I spend hours and hours everyday booking dates and taking care of needs on the road.
Let’s backup 11 years to a 7 month mission trip to Mexico. While living in Mexico we were introduced to a child sponsorship organization named Compassion International. Early into our life on the road, many of the conventions we participated in were sponsored by Compassion artists, We were already familiar with the operation of Compassion so we became advocates and started sponsoring children. SFTHMin sponsored several children and our daughters sponsored several children in Nicaragua. In 2004 we made the pilgrimage to Nicaragua to visit our sponsored children. Little did we know that we were launching an endeavor that is a main artery today. So we integrated prison crusades, music, child sponsorship, and Nicaragua missions trips.
As we enjoyed the scenery we soon saw that we needed to create another flow of income so FiveStar Music Production was created. We put together a complete IMAG video system and integrated the video shoots at music conventions into our already busy lifestyle. All the concert promoters were long-suffering as our family learned how to integrate into concert production. We were now seen as stage-hands and our hopes of ever performing on the large stages took a whole new approach. As long as the large concert crowds held up FiveStar Music productions was paying the bills, but in the mid 2000s something hit the concert attendance and IMAG video was the first place the promoters began to cut.
Let me back up to the 1990s and during our Families prep time for full-time road ministry I compiled a stud journal focused on the incarcerated people group. It was a family project, I wrote and the children edited and printed the journals. So from 2000 to 2015 we traveled 8 months of the year, conducted “TRUTH” seminars in prison, shot IMAG video at concerts, took teams to Nicaragua to visit sponsored children, performed concerts in churches, built our own recording studio, sponsored Compassion International children, built schools in Nicaragua, both daughters left the road and married and the list goes on.
Let me back up to 1993 for a glimpse, I will go into detail about another endeavor later but as for now let me touch on another branch of local outreach SFTHMin was involved in on the weekends during full-time ministry prep and until current. Our family had just returned from Mexico and began meeting at friends living room to worship. He was involved in a local jail ministry and they were building a new jail with a 200 bed capacity. I was green and ambitious but I took the needed training and join my friend every week going from cell to cell in the new county jail. I incredibility committed to visiting the jail every Sunday unless we were on the road or on a mission trip. I After several months Mary join me and as a team we poured our lives int the inmates in our hometown. As our road commitments increased and we launched full time in 2000 I never forgot my passion to reach for the inmate. SFTHMin came off of the road in 2015 and now after 32 years I am responsible for the chaplaincy in the local Jail. SFTHMin organizes and trains other volunteers, Mary and I do the baptismals, distribute discipleship materials, supply bibles, and do weekly cell to cell visitation. Mary still integrates her music into her ministry as she leads the ladies into worship. I have no photos of our jail and prison work as it is illegal to photograph a correctional facility in Texas.