While many Goshen College students were on fall break after a week of midterm exams, the GC Parables went on tour through three states to showcase their program to various schools and church congregations.

“Spread Love” has been the theme for this year’s group, and they had the chance to do just that on tour. Faculty advisor Marcia Yost shared some thoughts on the theme: “In our world, there is a real need to come back to the basics of loving ourselves and one another. The Stevie Wonder song the Parables use says it all: ‘Love’s in Need of Love Today.’ We have choices we can make every day to show love.”

“When we see each other through God’s eyes of love, compassion, and understanding, we are making our corner of the world a better place,” said Yost. “Spreading love is the gospel message.”

Traveling through Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, the group saw new places, but also the home churches of members Jonah King and Phil Witmer-Rich. 

“All of our hosts were so pleasant, and they all gave us such good food on tour,” said Fatima Rhana, a sophomore music and theater double major. 

“I was able to make so many connections with people who just came up to me in churches,” said Meredith Blossom, a sophomore English and theater double major.

The group also had the opportunity to see sites and visit local destinations during tour.

“When we stopped in Indianapolis, we had some time to go to the zoo, and it was so much fun,” said Dontaye Albert. 

“The tour was much better than our preview, and we’ve really come a long way compared to where we were,” said Albert. 

Rhana added: “We’ve improved so much, and the way that we gelled as a group just made it seem like a well-oiled Parables machine by the end.”

The trio also commented on how much fun it was to travel with Yost after having worked with her on this program since before the school year began.

This year was the first time in two years that the Parables have gotten the opportunity to tour, due to COVID-19 concerns in 2020 and 2021. Yost said that it was “a good feeling after two years of challenges for Parables.”

Albert, Blossom and Rhana expressed how excited they are to continue showcasing their talents now that they’re back in the Goshen area. They were in agreement that love is something that the world needs right now, and they hope to continue spreading love with the rest of their time together this school year.