Chris Hohm, along with his wife Stefanie, are heading to Tanzania on a two-year teaching mission. The two are shown here competing in the Firecracker 5K in Winona Lake on July 4. InkFreeNews photo by Mike Deak

By Mike Deak
InkFreeNews

WINONA LAKE – Walking up to their quaint abode just steps from Grace College’s campus, the Hohm Home is friendly and situated like most of its neighbors. While the house is where Chris Hohm and his crew are comfortable now, in about a month, their home is going to look a lot, lot different.

The Hohm Home sign is moving to Tanzania in eastern Africa in August. After a spring of uncertainty, it was confirmed in late June that TeachBeyond is indeed carrying on with its missions teaching opportunity for Chris. Haven of Peace Academy is in the capital city Dar Es Salaam. The new frontier has been one on his and his wife, Stefanie’s, heart, but also one that brings the understood amount of anxiety.

“There is a certain level of anxiety with moving across the world, but God has been faithful through this whole process, so we have an overwhelming peace that this is what we are supposed to do,” Hohm said. “After everything had been shut down for a while, we were a little worried that our timeline would be pushed back, but that does not look like it will happen.”

Hohm has been a teacher in the Warsaw school system for the past six years, spending the last four in the English Learners program. In a country that does speak English, but more Swahili, the adjustments add to that anticipation.

Chris Hohm, working with Carter Twombly in this file photo, served as head coach at Lakeland Christian Academy for six season. InkFreeNews file photo

“It will be an adjustment moving from small groups back into the classroom, but my training and experience from the last few years has prepared me to have a classroom that will be made up of multilingual students,” Hohm said.

Hohm made his announcement during the winter smack dab in the middle of the basketball season. Having served as the Lakeland Christian Academy boys basketball coach the past six seasons, Hohm helped turn over an LCA basketball program that was really struggling and got them into winning titles, specifically the Hoosier Plains Conference title. Hohm himself joked about the sign that was hung in the LCA gymnasium announcing fans were watching over Hohm Court, but his time with the Cougars was noteworthy to say the least.

“I have nothing but fond memories of LCA and the time I’ve spent here,” Hohm said in February. “The decision to leave is obviously a tough one, but it’s one that I can’t pass up.”

Hohm was unsure of what life would look like two years from now when the teaching tour is scheduled to expire. His aims are not committed to immediately returning to the United States, possibly taking another teaching job somewhere else abroad. His job with the Warsaw School Corp. is not being kept, but the powers that be are not eliminating him from the radar. The choice really comes down to the family and where they are in two years time.

“No promises for anything on our return, if we even return to the area,” noted Hohm. “In fact, we are signed on for a 2-3 year commitment, but we are definitely open to continuing to serve overseas longer. We will see where the Lord is directing us when that time comes. This is a move, not a trip, meaning that we don’t have plans to be gone for a bit and then return to our lives here. We know this is the next step in our lives but we don’t know for how long it will actually be. We don’t know what the future holds, whether that is returning to Warsaw, continuing to serve in Tanzania, or going somewhere else. We don’t know, but God does.”