May 5, 2025 • 57 mins
On this episode, Brody interviews Joseph Wainwright, one of the newest members of the SWO team! Joseph’s life took a dramatic turn—from battling addiction and nearly losing his family to finding purpose in Christ and stepping into ministry. What began as a reluctant visit to a men’s conference opened his eyes to a deeper understanding of faith and biblical masculinity.
With the support of his wife Ashley, biblical counseling, and the church, Joseph’s life and marriage were transformed. He eventually left a successful construction career to follow God’s call and join the SWO staff.
Tune in to hear how God used brokenness to build something better—and how the Wainwrights discovered that true blessing comes through surrender.
- Marriage Conference
- Men’s Be Strong Conference
- Respond Women’s Retreat
- Blair Bailey’s Interview “Addiction, Abuse, and Redemption”
Please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help improve No Sanity Required and help others grow in their faith.
Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, I just got done talking with Joseph Wainwright.
Joseph is the newest well, oneof the newest members of the SWO
team.
We've had an awesome uptick Iguess you would call it just
several new additions in thelast few months to our core team
here, our main team JosephWainwright, andy Miller, who's
(00:21):
our new food service director,and then Sam Habacker, who's our
new food service director, andthen Sam Haybecker who is
working in the maintenancedepartment.
So, uh, on the operation sideof camp when I say operations,
if you come to SWO, these arepeople that maybe you're not
going to see as as asprominently.
They're not going to be on thestage, you're not going to be
leading breakouts, they're notgoing to be necessarily working
(00:42):
hands-on with students, but theyall have the same heart and
desire to see the ministry dowhat God's called us to do, and
so they're.
They're in a lot of waysthey're more behind the scenes,
selfless, just humble folks andbut hard-working guys and gals.
And so I'm excited for fory'all to get to hear from Joseph
and meet Joseph.
Uh, he's, he's got a reallycool gospel story that that I.
(01:07):
I learned his story as I wasmeeting him, and Joseph is one
of those no sanity stories wherehe came to SWO under the urging
of a friend who got him to cometo a men's conference here.
He came to a be strong and hetold me recently that he did not
want to come to that and he hefought it and ended up here.
(01:28):
Just him and this guy and uhLord used it in a big way in his
life.
It eventually impacted hismarriage, used uh used the
respond women's conference inhis wife Ashley's life.
They came then started comingto our marriage conferences.
Joseph has an incredible skillset in terms of land development
(01:50):
.
He's worked on major highwaysystems, interstate systems as a
supervisor, superintendent,high-level foreman, and so he
brings a lot to the table.
So the thing that I'm excitedabout is we talk about expansion
, growth, development.
Joseph is a guy that's going tohave a key, he's going to play
a key role in that and so we'reexcited to have him.
(02:12):
So I know you're going to enjoylistening to our conversation.
Just very encouraging to hearthe power of the gospel in a
person's life and for us veryencouraging to see God use SWO
to impact someone's life and, infact, impact an entire family.
And now they're here servingwith us.
It's just a cool story, fullcircle story, so hope you enjoy
this.
Thanks for tuning in.
(02:33):
Welcome to no Sanity Required.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Welcome to no Sanity Required from the Ministry of
Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters.
A podcast about the Bible,culture and stories from around
the globe.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
I think the best place to start this episode is
to tell your latest snowbirdstory, which you don't have a
lot of snowbird stories.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
You only been here since november yeah, that's all
right, october, we're making upfor lost time um, joseph shot a
big turkey yesterday.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Hank and joseph had an, an impromptu.
You were working, right it'ssupposed to be.
I mean, everybody was working.
And then the text goes out yeah, everybody's working.
I didn't get to text.
Crock knew not to put me on thetext list because not because,
uh, because I would.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
He doesn't trust how I would manage that situation
well, I just I seen it comethrough on the group me that
there was turkeys on the newproperty and so I had to go look
, and when I found them Ithought I don't have no camo in
my truck.
I got my gun, so I called hank.
I said where you at and he wasin town.
(03:57):
So I said well, you hurry upand I'll watch them till you get
here and then we put a plantogether and snuck around, shot
one in the face hank shot onetoo, and it got away.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
That's well, I'll let him tell that that's that's
what the legend is.
I'm sure hank will neitherconfirm nor deny, yeah, that
allegation.
But I'll tell you this I'vebeen.
I mean that y farm, theproperty we bought.
There's always been turkeys onit and it's because there's guys
(04:30):
over there where that turkeyended up.
Those guys over there they feedand they kind of watch them all
year.
It's a couple guys.
I won't say their names BecauseI'll run into them in town and
they'll ask me y'all killingturkeys they're.
What they're doing is they'refishing for information they're
trying to figure them out yeahyeah, see any turkeys, you know,
(04:51):
or hogs or whatever, and Ialways just down and play it
down, you know, and uh, butthere you you always see.
So those, those three gobblersthat you saw came out of the
group.
Last year there were there werethree jakes, so those are
two-year-old birds and last yearthey just all summer lived out
(05:12):
there in that field.
This was the wildest thing, andme and hank would see them a lot
and uh, so that's pretty coollike it's the first time it's
been like birds are born on thepro and animals born on our
property and ends up gettingtaken yeah, once it's at
maturity, that's pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Anyway, welcome to swo yeah, best job I ever had
best job I ever had, me andjoseph, always.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Uh, I don't know if y'all have seen that movie fury.
It's uh, it's got shia labeouf,john bernthal, brad pitt, and I
forget the other guy's name, Idon't know if he was famous or
not, but it's about a world warii tank.
You seen that jb world war iitank crew and uh, I mean, it's a
(06:05):
gritty movie, it's so good, butthey're, you know, they're in
combat in the tank and they'resaying to each other is best job
ever had.
So that's me and joseph we saythat a lot best job ever had.
Um, so let's just get into, uh,what let's start with?
When did y'all get here?
Talk a little bit about yourfamily.
(06:25):
Who start with?
When did y'all get here?
Talk a little bit about yourfamily.
Who you got here?
Y'all been here since October.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Yeah, so me and my wife Ashley, we got four kids,
Levi's 11, Sawyer's 9,.
Paisley's 7, and Emmy's 5.
So they're lined up right now 5, 7, 9, 11.
One of them will have abirthday and it'll throw it out
of alignment.
But we're up right now 5, 7, 9,11.
One of them will have abirthday and it'll throw it out
of alignment, but we're goodright now.
(06:50):
So we moved here, we moved intothe barn in October, like the
end of October of last year, andthen I think we closed on our
house and moved into our housein.
November, end of November,something like that.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Okay, okay, so been here then just a few months into
our house in november, end ofnovember, something like that.
Okay, so been here then just afew months yeah, it ain't been
long.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
I mean it feels like we've been here forever.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
But yeah, snowbird years are like dog years.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Snowbird days are like dog days yeah, I mean, I
think we just hit five monthsyeah, a little over five months
we do more in a normal day orweek than most jobs.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Well, it just feels like we've been here forever.
It's just been at home.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Well, you're working with the same people.
We pack so much into a week andit's not like we're working
harder or more by volume,there's just more going on at.
Snowbird.
Life is coming, so life andwork are integrated, so that's
probably been a big adjustment.
How's that been?
Speaker 3 (07:50):
it's been an adjustment because it's it's, uh
, it's been awesome, but we'renever really been in a really
tight community.
We've always had familiesaround us and friends and people
that supported us.
But it's like, well, when wefirst moved here, everything
went wrong the front end of mytruck, pretty much the front
(08:12):
tire literally fell off in thedriveway.
The house we bought was justcovered up in mold and mildew
and everything else and I justremember the amount of people
that didn't know us that justshowed up and we're like hey,
I'm here to help, how can I help?
you know jeff went out of hisway to get my personal truck
(08:35):
towed and took care of that, sothat wasn't on my plate.
And guys just showing up at thehouse 10, 11 o'clock at night
hey, let's lay some floors justthe people that showed up when
we were really overwhelmed andthe lord really orchestrated
that to build some relationshipsreally quickly and so that's
(08:57):
been awesome.
And then I mean you go anywherein andrews and it's just
snowbird yeah, soccer practiceit's like staff meeting yeah,
you
Speaker 1 (09:05):
know, so it's pretty cool yeah, pretty big footprint
it is.
You got, you know, 70 peoplehere on a normal day in the off
season and then you throw infamilies and I mean we're we're
pushing 200 people, yeah strongin a community of 1200,200
people.
(09:25):
1,500 people, so I mean thegreater Andrews area is maybe
2,000 people, so 10% of thepopulation.
That's a pretty good footprint,yeah, which is why some people
love us and some people areannoyed by us.
You'll learn that.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
Yeah, I haven't had that part yet.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Everybody seems to have had any negative
experiences yeah except for thatlady at the dump.
She don't like me lady, shedon't like nobody no well, just
because I threw something inthere I wasn't supposed to in
the dumpsters yes, you don'tlike nobody.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
So let's, let's go into where y'all came from, what
you were doing before you gothere.
We're going to jump back andthe main reason we got you here
is kind of twofold.
I want to introduce people toyou.
We've got several new guys onstaff right now and want to
introduce the folks that listento this, watch this, that are
(10:24):
more in the snowboard community,want to introduce those people
to our newer folks so thatpeople can put a name with a
face and hear.
It's one thing to talk abouthow we're developing land or
we're building a program.
We're expanding the Elementprogram.
We're going to be highlightingelement here in a couple of
(10:45):
weeks and it's our high schooldiscipleship training program.
It's one thing to talk abouthow we're expanding in the
marketing or media department orwe're building a new dining
hall, but we talk about thepeople that are coming here as
Snowbird grows, the people thatare coming here to grow and
(11:07):
expand this thing with us.
We want our supporters, viewers, listeners, partners to meet
those people, know those people.
So, you guys, part of the goalis for folks just to see and
learn who you are so that whenthey come to an event here oh, I
, I listened to the podcast.
(11:28):
I you know I really enjoyedthat, or whatever.
And then the other reason is wehave people on here.
We have what we call no sanitystories.
You've been you were an nsrlistener before I knew you yes,
yeah, before you were.
You know, you came to swo uh,before we had ever communicated
you started listening to SR.
So you're familiar with our nosanity stories.
(11:48):
We look at the effect of thegospel in people's lives and the
way it changes people, and sowe do want to get into that,
because y'all have very much ano sanity story.
But talk a little bit aboutwhere you came from, what you
were doing before you got here,what you know, kind of what that
transition was.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Yeah, so moved here from Concord just outside of
Charlotte.
I was working for a companycalled Blass Construction.
I'd been there 11 years when Ileft and at the time I left I
was a roadway superintendent oninterstate projects.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
So I managed or helped manage interstate
construction heavy highway workfor 11 years and I think big
project that you were on wasthat, that perimeter around
Charlotte.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
Yeah Well, in 11 years I was only on three jobs
long-term.
We completed the I-485 loop inCharlotte.
We completed the circle.
That was my first job.
We did 85 northbound going fromConcord into Salisbury.
We widened those five miles andthen I got promoted in August
of 2019 to superintendent andthat's when we started widening
(13:06):
I-485 down in South Charlottelike the Ballantyne area.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
And that's what you were doing when you made the
move.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
That's what I was doing when I came here.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Cool.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
So that kind of ties into why it's exciting to have a
guy with your skill set, whyit's exciting to have a guy with
your skill set.
Which little known fact thereis an excavator.
Heavy equipment Olympics.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
In the state of North Carolina.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Well, it's called a rodeo.
A rodeo, yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
And you got robbed.
I did.
I'm still a little bitter aboutit Because you ended up taking
him he cheated, you took secondplace.
Yeah, cheaters never win.
No, he got whooped at the nextround too.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
Yeah, come back on him.
Yeah, he beat me by like threeseconds, but he plotted it out.
He watched the wholecompetition and practiced.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Yeah.
So what is a rodeo?
An excavator rodeo?
Speaker 3 (14:05):
Well, this was three pieces of equipment.
Okay, so you had a skid steerand you would put a a basketball
in the bucket and go through anobstacle course, can't?
Let the basketball come outLike over whoopty do's and and
then you come around and you candump that basketball into a 50
gallon drum for extra points.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
Oh, and then the second, make the shot.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
No, I missed If I'd have made the basketball.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
I would have whooped him.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
Yeah, yeah.
But that was the first one Idid where I didn't even realize
that I had a shot.
I was just.
I took a couple of foremans upthere and, uh, they're like man,
do it with you, yeah.
And then we did the excavator.
So you got a bunch of trafficcones out in front of you and
they had volleyballs on them andyou would scoop the volleyball
(14:51):
off the cone, spin around anddrop that in a barrel.
And then they had like a tennisball.
For extra bonus points you getthe tennis ball, put it in the
barrel and everything's timedokay, so they're recording your
time.
And then they had a loader whereyou had to move x amount of
weight like stone, scoop upstone and move it over here and
dump it out and you had to getwithin like 100 pounds.
(15:13):
I think we had to move like 2000 pounds of stone.
Track loader or rubber tirethis is rubber tire loader.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Okay, yeah oh man, that's pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
It was pretty cool you got robbed I did.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
You should be wearing them.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
It was funny cause the cat guy showed up to work a
couple of weeks later and I'vegot a Yeti cooler from cat now
that's got the excavator on itand it says Caterpillar.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
He brought it to me, I was pretty excited.
Heck, yeah, that's awesome,that's a good prize, that's a
real good prize.
So that kind of ties intobefore we get into your story.
Last thing is as SWO developsand grows and we're looking
forward you can play a vitalrole in that.
That's in your wheelhouse.
Big land development.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
Yeah, it's what I love to do.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
Yeah, that's exciting to have somebody that can kind
of bring expertise to the table.
And one of the things I alwayswant to do and be at SWO is I
want to have people that wouldbe tops in their field in the
secular world, and I feel likethat's the team we've got right
now.
Yeah, I mean I'd charge hellwith a water pistol, you know,
(16:26):
with this team spiritually, butthen when it comes to like we go
start any business we wanted, Imean we can build anything.
We can build anything.
Yeah, I love it, man, it's socool.
Um, so let's get into your story.
I'll set it up by saying thatin 2021, I received an email
from you and I believe it was inthe fall of that year, first
(16:49):
time I'd ever heard from you.
You and your wife had justattended you and Ashley had just
attended the marriage retreatthat October.
Yeah, and you reached out andjust said hey, man, just want to
touch base, let you know.
It was just, basically, it wasan encouragement to me.
Hey, you're making a difference, swo's making a difference.
(17:10):
Never knew who you guys were ayear ago, came to be strong, now
brought my wife to MarriageRetreat and that really impacted
y'all.
So let's walk through that.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Yeah, so a buddy of mine, Ryan Von Cannon, I think
it was 2009,.
He did the old school program.
And I think he worked a summerand me and Ashley had just come
through some really rough stuff.
What was that like?
What did y'all come through?
Infidelity on my part early onin our marriage and I was just.
(17:44):
I drank all the time.
I was selfish and I just didwhatever I wanted to do, and, um
, the Lord just pulled that outinto the light in 2017.
And um, that's when Ashleysurrendered her life to the Lord
is the night that I left.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
And I just kind of continued on this path of just
alcohol and poor decisions.
And then I noticed the way shetreated me, because it wasn't
the way she should have beentreating me.
The way she treated me becauseit wasn't the way she should
have been treating me, theperson who should have hated my
(18:37):
guts, who I left with threeyoung kids on her own, was
sending me text messages like,hey, I'm praying for you today.
Me and the kids prayed for youtoday.
And so I just I hit rock bottom.
Then I was sitting on a bedcontemplating suicide.
And that's when it kind of wentoff in my head and as far as
(18:57):
whatever she's got, because Iwas kind of wrestling with it in
my head in that moment becauseit was like, well, look how much
happier she is without me.
I haven't seen her this happyin forever.
And then, um, I just rememberthinking, man, it's not.
And so I was like, well, if I'mnot there, she's just going to
continue to be happy, like thatjust solves everybody's problem.
(19:20):
I don't have to face thereality of my decisions and
consequences.
And then, man, I'm not going tosay the Lord audibly spoke to
me, but the impression on myheart in that moment was so real
that I got up to look and seeif my friend was yelling at me
from down the stairs and it wastwo words quit running.
(19:43):
And December 19th 2017, 2017.
The lord broke my heart and Ijust poured it all out to him.
And, through years ofcounseling, and you know,
ultimately, not long after that,a couple months after that,
ashley's like hey, I don't feellike the Lord's going to allow
me to walk away from thisrelationship Like we need to.
(20:05):
We need to fight for this.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
So you, when you surrendered to the Lord December
19th of 2017, y'all are splitup.
You didn't immediately get backtogether.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
No, we didn't.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Where were you?
Speaker 3 (20:18):
staying.
I'd moved in with a buddy ofmine.
He's a retired helicopter pilot, he's a good bit older than me,
and so there was a.
The Lord used him in a way tojust kind of provide, I guess,
some protection from stupiddecisions I was making, and so I
had a place where I could liverent free, because I was like I
(20:41):
knew what I had done wascompletely wrong and like there
wasn't anything I could do aboutthat.
But I made sure like I'm notthere but I'm paying for
everything y'all need.
I moved out Like you can havethe house I don't, you know.
And so he called me and waslike hey, man, you're moving in
with me and this is where you'reliving.
(21:02):
And he had fixed an apartmentup above his garage.
So I was living with him at thetime, gotcha.
And so then it was like probablya few months of me really
trying to pursue the Lord andtrying to figure everything out,
and Ashley was kind of stayingback at a distance, like I don't
(21:26):
know about this, you know.
And then, like we signedseparation papers, we were done,
and then I just remember hercoming to me and she's like I
don't feel like the Lord'scalling me to leave this
relationship and the next coupleyears were pretty rough.
Just you know, I think we werenaive and and how easy it would
(21:50):
be to just come back from that.
Ultimately, I wound up gettingsome some sound biblical
counseling.
Um, it's pretty crazy becausethat's just like, hey, I think
you need counseling.
I was like, all right, well,where do you go for that?
You know, and I had neverbelieved it.
I say I didn't believe in anyof that but I was like I'm not
going to as a counselor.
But she said you needcounseling.
(22:11):
So I picked up the phone,googled Christian counseling in
Concord, called the first numberon the list it was West
counseling, and the ladyanswered the phone and I said I
need, I need to speak tosomebody and I need to speak to
them now, I don't have time towait.
And she said, well, robert hasgot an appointment tomorrow.
Perfect, I'll take Robert.
(22:32):
I didn't know anything abouthim.
I walk in his office.
He's got his divinity or hismaster's in divinity.
He specializes in alcohol abuse, sex addiction and restoring
marriages, in alcohol abuse, sexaddiction and restoring
marriages.
And it was so for like twoyears probably.
Well, a year, year and a half.
Me and Robert met twice a weekand he really helped me as far
(23:00):
as the biggest thing we workedthrough, because, even though
Ashley told me she forgave meand even though I grew up here
and all of the, you know Jesusdied for my sins, I didn't know
how to live in that.
I didn't know how to take holdin that, because I didn't, I
didn't realize that he had diedfor my shame and my guilt too,
you know and so that's really,what we worked through was being
(23:21):
able to live in thatforgiveness and not spend every
day thinking about yeah, butyou're the guy that did this,
you're the guy that did that.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Um so you're, you're, you're growing, but it seems
like the thing that's helping isthe counseling and your
commitment, each other.
What was your church situation?
Was it healthy at that point ornot quite what you?
Maybe?
You, looking back, not quite,maybe what you needed.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
It was a little bit of all, because at the start of
it, when we first separated, weweren't really going to church.
We would periodically go to thechurch I grew up in, but I
wouldn't say it was consistentUm.
And then when I left, ashley umjust went back.
(24:14):
I believe it was the church shewent to in middle school and
that's where all of this playsinto the big picture.
That's where she met Ryan vonCannon's wife, brittany, and a
group of ladies that really comealongside of her um were really
instrumental in her faith andpushing her more towards hey,
(24:35):
you need to seek biblical wisdomand counseling before you just
let this marriage go.
So we were at that church for awhile and then things kind of
went a little south church-wise.
So we all left.
Everybody kind of went to theirown churches.
We tried a couple out and thencovid hit and no churches are
(25:02):
meeting.
So we went to the only churchwe could find that was still
having services.
But ultimately the lord led usall back to west cabarrus.
So West Cabarrus Church iswhere we wound up, and that was
our whole group from theoriginal church, because when I
came here for the first time in2021, this was the first place I
(25:24):
ever sat under expositoryteaching.
This was the first time I everheard words like sanctification.
This was the first time I everheard anybody really preaching
doctrine and theology.
So I went back home and I waslike we, we've got to find an
expository church and a soundtheology like that was that was
(25:47):
driving me.
And that's when I called ryanand ashley called britney and I
was like all, let's go check outWest Camaras, and so that's
that's where we wound up.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
Man, so you came to that be strong in 2021.
Um, because Ryan invited you.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
Yeah.
He was like hey, man, you wantto go to a men's conference?
And I said, no, no, I do not.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
No, Am I going to have to hug other men?
Yeah, I said I don't want to goto a men's conference and I
said no, no, I'm going to haveto hug other men.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
I said, I don't want to sit around a fire and talk
about my feelings or none ofthat.
And, uh, he's like no man trustme this.
This, these are your people.
It was different.
These are your people.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
It was different.
Speaker 3 (26:37):
And uh, man, it was.
It was the first time that Isaw men that I could really
relate to and I'm not throwingshade on anybody else or any of
my other pastors, but it waslike I'm not a dress, slacks,
button up, t-shirt kind of guy.
I am what I am, you know.
And so it was the first timethat I sat somewhere and saw
somebody that I could identifywith, that loved the Lord and
was living what they werepreaching.
(26:57):
Not that the other guys weren't, but it's just I can't identify
with that.
Dressed slacks, and that's notme, mm-hmm.
And then I start hearing wordslike sanctification.
I start hearing Scripturepreached in a way that was new
to me but it made so much sense.
(27:19):
Then the theology that firstyear that I came.
I was looking at the notebookthis morning because I still
have all the notes from everyoneI've ever been to.
March of 21 was the life ofDavid.
I was reading back throughthose notes and man, just a
challenge.
And I think the first breakout Isat through was Zach's you're
(27:43):
the theologian of your home andso I just I came back from that
on fire and I was like, allright, we're going to figure out
what this theology thing is.
You know who's Spurgeon, whatis all this?
And started reading andstudying.
And the week I got back fromthat conference, ashley was in a
really bad car wreck and shebroke her sternum Whoa and so
(28:07):
for like three weeks shecouldn't get up out of a chair
and I was like, all right, nowit's time to put everything I
just learned into practice.
You know, serving your littlekids at home oh yeah, a baby.
Four of them so, but you know, alot of people jumped in and
helped in that situation, but itreally it's like I came home on
fire from that.
(28:28):
First, be strong, if all right,I'm gonna serve my wife well.
I've just got challenged to tolove my wife well and sacrifice
and lay down my life.
Bam, here it is.
Can you do it?
You know?
So you had to wear it.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
I had to wear it, man , it's been cool it's like you
go hear something like that andit challenges you, it encourages
you.
You're like man, I'm, I'm in,I'm ready for this.
I'm gung how you leave excitedand all of a sudden you got to
wear it.
Yeah, you know, it startswhooping your hiney and I think,
I think I came home.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
We come home sunday evening and her car wreck was
thursday, wow.
So busted her eye up, split hersternum.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
Ashley is well one.
Maybe around marriage retreattime we'll have y'all on
together.
Speaker 3 (29:22):
That'll be cool, that'll go great yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
She's a fire plug man .
She's so special because she'sthat blend of tough, gritty
fireball, but sweet, gentle,compassionate, yeah, it's uh.
Only the lord, I think, canmake that happen in one person,
(29:46):
you know, and she reflects thatso beautifully.
Yeah, I mean, she's everybodyloves her.
Oh yeah, it's rare that oneperson has everybody everybody
loves.
You know I, I was.
We were laughing me a little.
We're laughing.
The other day.
I mean she's, everybody lovesher.
Oh yeah, it's rare that oneperson has everybody Everybody
loves.
You know, I was, we werelaughing Me and Little were
laughing the other day, notabout Ashley or y'all's
situation, but we're kind ofmaking a checklist of people
that I know hate me.
(30:06):
I shouldn't probably be talkingabout this on the NSR, you know.
But you know, this was kind ofbehind and I, I and I remember
I've always felt like, and Iheard a pastor say this one time
and it just affirmed it ifeverybody likes you, there's a
problem, there's something wrong.
Yeah, you know, and and uh, butif everybody hates you, there's
(30:27):
a problem.
You know, like, and so I foundlike, a good, healthy, my life
is making a difference.
I'm impacting people.
It's going to be 90%, butthere's going to be some
conflict.
But we were making a list ofpeople that either turned on us
or used to.
You know, we thought they werefriends or maybe we messed up,
(30:47):
you know whatever.
And we were just kind oflaughing about it and like man,
a name came up and I was like Ithink that person might, would,
would want us dead.
You know we're laughing, and soit's really rare that you meet
somebody but ashley's in thatcategory where I cannot imagine
(31:09):
somebody not loving her.
You know, yeah, she's just gota gift and it sounds like that's
from, that's from the lord,like the way she's just aligned
her life with christ but it'sfunny, I told her before we even
moved here.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
I said look, within two years you're gonna be
planning and helping withresponding to mayor's conference
she's like no, no, I won'tshe's already doing.
That's all she's done all weekwith amy I love it, she was
going around the house lastnight pulling decorations off
the shelf.
She's like I need to use thisfor the coop and this for here,
and I just died laughing I loveit.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
So y'all you came back from be strong.
It really impacted you.
Uh, then it that started tohave an effect on your family
and the lord gave you a workingtrial model with her accident
and then.
So then you convinced her tocome back in october and didn't
she say she was hesitant, or wasthat to come to respond?
Speaker 3 (32:09):
um, probably a little bit of both.
I know, when I came home I wasjust just like, man, this place
is awesome, you got to go, andshe's like.
And then she found out, likewell, we didn't really know what
the room situation was for themarriage conference and I was
like, well, I had to share aroom with like five dudes, but
yeah, and so we came for themarriage conference and didn't
(32:29):
realize that you know, you getyour room.
And then that made it a loteasier.
And two, I think at that timethere was still a lot of I don't
want to say shame or guilt onher part, but it was kind of
like, okay, we're going to go toa marriage conference and our
marriage is clearly not perfect,but it turned out to be awesome
(32:54):
and I don't know that.
I think we've missed onemarriage conference since 2021.
I think we had sick kids oneyear and couldn't go.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
And then the Lord used that.
Speaker 3 (33:06):
Y'all came back and yeah she came to respond and I
came to men's conferences and,um, then in 20, 20 let's see
December of 2022 she came to meand was like, hey, I don't know
(33:26):
what's going on, but I feel likethe Lord has put on my heart
that there's we need to make abig life change.
There's something we're notdoing right.
I don't really know what it is.
I'm going to be praying aboutit, I don't know what it is.
And then she came up forRespond.
No, I take that back.
(33:47):
Before Respond, in March, shewas like I feel like the Lord's
telling us we got to gosomewhere, and so we started
praying about it.
Like, do we need to go on amission trip?
Because I've learned,especially through everything
we've been through, when shecomes to me and says the Lord's
laid something on her heart, youbetter pay attention.
You know she's really sensitiveto that.
(34:10):
And so we didn't know like is ita mission trip, is it the
mission field?
I really started praying hardlike, lord, don't send me to
africa.
I don't, I don't want to go toafrica.
There's a whole lot of places.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
Yeah, there's a.
Send me.
Send me to a really good elkunit in montana.
Yeah, I got there colorado,yeah, um.
Speaker 3 (34:29):
But so she came to me before respond and and was like
we got to go somewhere,somewhere we're going to be
going, somewhere that we need tobe that we're not there.
And then she came to RespondConference and came back from
there and was like I think it'sAndrews and so this is 2023
(34:52):
early.
And so we just started prayingabout it and I freaked out
because I was.
I was like I've always talkedabout it, like every time I'd
come home from here I'd be like,hey, we just need to sell
everything and move up there.
And I was half kid and halfserious.
Well then she called my bluffand was like let's go.
And I and panic set in becauseI was like I don't have a job, I
(35:14):
don't, I don't have any of thatup there and um, so throughout
the the timeline there, withoutmessing it all up, like, we just
really started praying likelord if this is where you want
us.
I was praying.
She was ready.
I mean, as soon as she feltlike Andrews, she went through
the house and packed up anythingthat wasn't essential.
A year before we moved, most ofour stuff was in boxes, ready
(35:39):
to go.
She was that sure we were going.
Wow.
But I was praying.
I just remember praying, lord,if you want me to walk away from
a career that I've spent 11years building, and you want me
to move away from my family thatI've never been away from, and
and at this time, like I hadeverything that I really had
(36:02):
ever wanted had a little bit ofland, had a boat, a camper, had
a job that you know I could comeand I could do what I wanted,
as long as I got my work done.
You know nobody micromanagingme.
And I just remember praying,like, if you want me to walk
away from that, I'll do it, I'lldo it.
But I needed to see a pictureof why, like I need some
(36:25):
confirmation here of I loveAndrews, but I don't see the
logic Right, and so that's whatI was wrestling with.
And then we came up in June andwe camped out for a week because
it was like, all right, ifwe're going to, if that's where
we think we're supposed to live,let's go spend a week and just
see the town.
The only thing we had seen upto that point was snowbird and,
(36:50):
uh well morning fog wasn't evenbuilt.
Then we just drove by and we'relike what's that guy building?
Um?
So we spent a week camping downon the valley river, hanging
out, driving around, lockingyour keys in your car, locking
the keys in the car, and theonly person's phone number I had
up here was you I had, I hadpriced a locksmith out of Murphy
(37:13):
before I called you and I waslike we're about to break a
window before we call alocksmith.
And that's when you were like,hey, bring the kids by camp.
And so the kids got to see campfor the first time and ride the
slide.
And then you also were like,hey, why don't y'all stay for
Red Oak?
And that was Father's DaySunday.
(37:33):
And I remember calling my dadand he'll tell the story now.
But I called my dad and I waslike, hey, we're not, we're not
gonna make it home for father'sday, we're gonna stay up here.
And he said he hung the phoneup then and cried his eyes out
because he knew right.
Then we were coming here wow, hedidn't tell me that until we
had already moved up here.
So once we left that trip Istarted putting in applications
(38:00):
everywhere.
In Andrews there's a big outfitBlaylock and Sons was doing
that big job in Robbinsville.
I called and talked to thempersonally and the guy was like
yeah, man, we're looking for itsounds like we're looking for
exactly what you are.
Put an application.
I did no callback, no text, noemail, multiple construction
companies, not even a callback.
(38:21):
And so then I was like, well, Iguess we just we missed this.
Like if this is where Godwanted us, he'd open a door.
So we just went into this seasonof praying and waiting.
I mean, I had already told myimmediate boss at Blythe this is
my last year here.
I want you to be prepared forthat, because I was the guy
nobody thought would ever leaveBlythe.
(38:42):
I've been there 11 years.
I told him I was like I thinkwe're moving and this is
probably my last season here,but no doors ever opened.
Every door actually closed thatwe thought was the door to go
through.
And so we just kept praying andand and doing what we could in
(39:03):
the time, um, talking to youknow, our pastor, and getting
some counseling.
It's like, hey, I remembertalking to charlie cole, he's
got some ties to camp here and Italking to charlie about it.
And he's like, hey, I remembertalking to charlie cole, he's
got some ties to camp here and Italking to charlie about it,
and he's like, man, you justhe's like you just gotta wait.
You gotta learn to be content inthe day and wait.
(39:25):
Um, so that's what we did anduh, I think it was.
I think it was October 23.
Yeah, October 23 is when wecame up and did the slide,
because me and Kroc were talkingabout the slide and I took some
vacation time, came up and were-graded the slide and when we
(39:48):
left then I knew I need to workat camp.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
Yeah, you came up and stayed for several days.
We were if for people that havebeen to swo, we have a, we have
a 300 and some foot slide.
It's not a water slide, it'syou ride tubes.
It's just a lot of fun.
It's one of those activitiesthat anybody can do it and have
fun with it.
But it was a major dirt movingproject for us to get it in and
(40:20):
you rolled in and went to work.
Speaker 3 (40:23):
Yeah, we cut some ditches and got it draining.
So I left here from that andwas like, all right, I feel like
I need to be at camp.
I feel like I need to be atcamp, but it wasn't until I'd
have to look and see when I sentyou the, the one email.
Cause I sent you an email andwas like, hey, you might tell me
I'm crazy and that's okay too,but I feel like I'm called to be
(40:46):
a part of the snowbird and umcause, for like a week I I just
couldn't sleep.
I'd lay in bed every night andthe only thing I could think
about was the new property atSnowbird.
Speaker 1 (41:02):
I think I've already designed that new property three
or four times in my head, and Idon't even know what the plan
is at this point.
Speaker 3 (41:05):
And that's when I sent you that email.
It's like this is what I'mfeeling.
And you emailed me back and yousaid, yeah, we got to talk.
And so that just started theball rolling.
You introduced me to Muggs andKroc, I got to know those guys,
and then still there was a widegap there where, like nothing's
(41:28):
happening I mean, ashley's readyto put the house for sale.
I've already told work likethis is my last year.
And then I have to go back inand say, hey, actually I'm gonna
, I'm gonna stay one more, um,and so we just, the lord, really
taught us how to wait patientlyin that season.
And then too I I started reading, like because I had a
(41:51):
conversation with john relo atone of the B Strongs, because I
knew he had moved before and hehad been called places.
I was like, hey, man, how doyou know when it's time to go,
like, how do you go through thatprocess of the Lord's calling
me here?
Now it's time to go?
And that's when he pointed meto Joshua 3.
And we talked about Joshua 3.
(42:12):
And so I just really tried toput that into practice of follow
at a distance, consecrateyourself.
And then there came a timewhere we had to step in the
river but and then reading aboutAbraham, like he rose early,
cut wood.
So there's always something youcan be doing, even when you're
(42:34):
waiting.
And so that's what we starteddoing.
We sold the camper, we sold theboat that one hurt the worst.
Started doing a lot of repairson the house, getting it ready
to be sold, and then croc sentme a text.
I was like hey, when this ismarch of 24 I think, yeah, he
said, when you're up here for BeStrong, we need to have a
(42:55):
conversation.
And this whole time I'mthinking well, eventually I'm
just going to go work atSnowbird when the expansion
starts.
We had talked and it's like Idon't know what that looks like.
Is that three years, five years?
I don't know.
Maybe when that happens therewill be a job open up.
But then in March, march, crockwas like hey, you want?
(43:18):
To uh there's a job opened up,or move some pieces and parts
around.
Yeah, yeah, and I was, and hewas like hvac and plumbing I
mean I ain't never done hvac orplumbing, you know.
He said, well, are you willingto learn?
I said, yeah, I'll do anything.
I'll, I'll try anything.
So then a little bit moreconversation of you.
Know, financially, how do wemake this work?
(43:38):
how do we and the lord justlined it all up to where we we
accepted and agreed to the jobin april and croc said can you
be here before summer?
Um, but we talked and I and Itold him like I need to finish
this season out at Blythe andget this project where I feel
(43:58):
like I can walk away, becausethat was one of the big hold-ups
for me.
It's 11 years with the samegroup of guys for the most part,
and I started this job.
I'm not going to be able tostay here to finish it, but I'm
going to get it to a point thatwhen I walk away I don't feel
like I've left them hanging.
Um, so that was our agreementand uh, we got close.
(44:22):
The agreement was to move herein september.
A lot of holdups selling thehouse not our house, but the
people that were buying ourhouse had a contingency to sell
theirs and it took five weeksand we had to extend the
contract about three times.
And I remember talking to theguy realtors tell you not to.
(44:44):
But like, I called him up, waslike, let's go get some coffee.
And uh, we're having aconversation.
I was like, look, man, if yourhouse doesn't go under contract
in the next two or three days.
I've got to pull out of thiscontract.
I gotta get mine back on themarket.
Like I'm leaving, I've alreadyput in my notice at work.
I've already told everybody atwork and and there's people
(45:05):
waiting on me, I'm going.
Like a day later he got a cashoffer on his house sold it, lord
, just kept lying, it was it waslike he would let us see just
enough, but never around thecorner it's like all right you
got it, you got to, you got todo this before you can see that
(45:26):
and I think it was really justteaching us patience and trust
in the lord and learning.
I think that's when we learn tobe content with just whatever
today is.
One day we're moving, the nextday we're not.
I mean, ashley quit her job ayear and a half early, pulled
the kids out of school a yearand a half early and started
(45:47):
homeschooling them because shesaid, whenever the Lord says to
go, we ain't going to havenothing holding us back.
Speaker 1 (45:53):
So here you are, here we are.
I can remember being on theother side of the the hvac and
plumbing conversation.
We're sitting in muggs's office, me, muggs and crock I think
hank was probably there and hey,if, if joseph's willing to come
do this, it'll get him here andhe'll be in position to shift
(46:14):
to land development Once we getthis thing off the ground and
then, simultaneous, what washappening is we had previously
we had hired a company that didmaster development plans where
they look at, they, they, theysort of specialize in and the
type of development that we needwhere resorts or amusement
(46:38):
parks or schools or where you'vegot a lot of people flowing on
foot and also roads that need tobe there.
And but they never could figureus out, man, that them guys
came in here and they wanted to.
They just were.
We realized they're used todealing with high-end clientele,
with, you know, reallyexpensive fancy stuff, and they
(46:59):
just couldn't wrap their headaround that we want to put osb
inside of our cabins, yeah, andthey couldn't understand that
the kind of eighth graders wehave here will put a fist or a
head through a piece of drywallI don't know the kids they're
dealing with must, but you knowI
won't last a week, no, no, andso we shifted around that same
time the company that we now areworking with.
(47:21):
They get us pretty good, prettygood, a lot better, and it's
just cool all the the way.
Everything had to come togetherand line up.
But the thing that's mostencouraging to me is I want
people coming here because god'scalled them here.
Anybody that's here could gomake more money somewhere else.
You know that's across theboard.
(47:42):
But I remember a friend of ourswhose husband was killed.
She's an upcoming no sanitystory and, lord willing, we'll
be in the book next year, the nosanity, the no sanity stories
book.
I'm not going to say her namehere because she uses a
pseudonym, because she wasserving in a country that had a
(48:05):
strong influence of al-qaeda,boka haram you know terrorist
groups and and her, her husband,was martyred, he was killed.
They were doing humanitarianwork, they were aid workers.
Because you can't be there as agospel missionary yeah and so.
(48:25):
But they were doing gospel.
He was doing gospel work.
He got killed.
And I remember her making astatement in her book and I've
referenced this fairly recentlyon an nsr episode.
She said or no, it wasn't inher book.
Maybe it was in the book, butbefore the book came out she had
said this to Little.
She said people act like it's asacrifice to give something up
(48:52):
to serve the Lord and they usethe word sacrifice.
But if you do that, for inevery other culture in history,
if you do something like thatfor the king or for king and
country, it's considered anhonor.
An honor, yeah and so taking apay cut, living with less
downsizing, choosing to work ina ministry like SWO, where a
(49:15):
whole bunch of people arelike-minded, and moving the the
work forward, yeah, you go makemoney doing something else, but
she ain't gonna have as good atime.
That's right and you're, andthere's something about being
with like-minded people.
Um, that's very empowering andand, honestly, what you realize
(49:37):
is, oh, I'm the one that's beinghonored here.
There's no sacrifice to be here.
This is an honor.
That's something I constantly,in my own mind, come back to and
that's something that comesthrough in y'all's story is like
did we technically, physicallysacrifice?
And that we gave stuff up to behere?
Yes, but the honor of the honorand joy of serving the Lord is,
(49:59):
it's just overwhelming.
Speaker 3 (50:01):
It's wild Cause.
I mean we had everything Allright.
So when Ashley came home fromthat last respond conference
when she said, hey, we need tomove to Andrews, literally that
weekend, I had just finishedbuilding an addition onto the
house to give Sawyer a bedroom,like we had completely renovated
this house the exact way wewanted it Chickens, goats,
(50:25):
rabbits, boat I'd always wantedI mean, everything you think of
it.
If we wanted it, we had it atthat point and there was just
there was no contentment, therewas no I don't know peace about
it.
Then we get here and it's likewe sold all that to get here and
(50:45):
the Lord blessed us and reallyprovided a home that allows us
to do what we wanted to do,because early on we knew as soon
as we get to, Andrews we wantto be able to have people over,
we want to be able to tointeract with people and and
just do life with people,because that's just what we
(51:08):
wanted to do as far as likeentertaining.
And so now it's like, and Ithink four nights this week I
had intern girls at the housetill 12 o'clock, you know, and
it's just awesome that we get todo that, and the Lord provided
that home for us, but all thestuff we gave up.
Speaker 1 (51:26):
I haven't missed it yet.
Speaker 3 (51:27):
Yeah, yeah, I mean, the boat was the hardest one for
me, you use.
Hank's boat.
Yeah, we're getting there.
I just go fishing a river yeah.
Speaker 1 (51:37):
You need a boat fish here, it's true, and Ashley is
so gifted at hospitality.
Having those girls over andjust loving on them and making
them feel like a little bit ofhome away from home yeah, it's
pretty cool, it is.
It is, yeah, and that girl cancook, mm-hmm.
We got to come over and eatwith y'all when kilby and greg
(52:01):
were here and that was a heck ofa meal.
That was good.
Little makes buttermilk pie andit's famous for it, and that
night we had buttermilk cake,which was me.
Speaker 3 (52:09):
It was awesome, I know I ain't had one since,
neither oh man.
Speaker 1 (52:14):
well, it's exciting thing about what we're getting
ready to do here in the nextthree to five years.
I can't wait.
It's going to be awesome, it'sgoing to be wild.
We got an excavator rodeochampion on board now.
Speaker 3 (52:27):
First loser.
Speaker 1 (52:30):
And I mean, since you got here, we got a good
excavator.
Heck, yeah, bought some goodequipment.
Speaker 3 (52:37):
Yes, it's going to be fun.
Speaker 1 (52:38):
It's going here.
We got a good excavator heckyeah, bought some good equipment
.
Yes, it'll be fun.
It's gonna be a lot of fun.
Heck yeah.
Cool man.
I really appreciate you comingon, appreciate y'all's
commitment to this, and Iappreciate I love having you on
here, because the first emailyou sent me in 2021, when nsr
was a year and a half not evenright at a year and a half old,
so we were still fairly fairlynew and you said, hey, I'm going
(53:01):
to have an NSR listener, andthat was.
That's always encouraging tohear for us, you know.
Speaker 3 (53:07):
So the first person I really met here um was Blair.
Oh gosh, and I met Blair at theold man fire.
And it was right after Ilistened to his and shannon's
episode, oh and so I was talkingto him.
I was like hey man, you know,that really impacted me.
It meant a lot.
And then I wound up telling himmy story that night.
(53:28):
He looked at me.
He said don't ever let him hearthat you'll be on there next so
blair kind of prophesied ityeah.
Speaker 1 (53:36):
Yeah, he's awesome.
Blair's a guy that hascontinued to be very connected
to this ministry, but he's neverworked technically at.
SLO or in the ministry, but man,he's an incredible asset to
this ministry and super involved.
So, all right, you're talkingabout selling that boat, yeah,
(53:57):
giving that up, being able tofish here and fish rivers, and
okay, I I don't want to make abigger deal out of this than I
should.
But you killing that big oldturkey on our property I think
that was a wink from the lord.
Oh, because nobody's everkilled a turkey on this property
(54:18):
and we've tried.
It's not because we hadn'ttried and it's not because we're
like you're not allowed to huntlike it just hadn't happened.
like I killed one just off on aneighboring piece, tucker killed
one over on collet creek butyou killed.
I mean the way that all wentdown in my mind that was the
Lord, that was just a cool giftfrom the Lord, that was awesome.
(54:40):
And I always, if I kill a buckor I kill a, you know if I kill
something, and only hunters canappreciate this, but if I have a
successful hunt, I always knowthat was the Lord gifting me
with that.
Speaker 3 (54:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (54:56):
And it was cool.
My brain went when you'retalking about you know, because
I know you had not just yourboat and your camper, you also
had hunting ground around yourhouse, across the road.
You've told me about the, theland y'all could hunt over there
to come here and, literally inthe flow of your work day, end
up in that situation turkeys.
Speaker 3 (55:16):
That's pretty cool it was yeah, because usually when
I try to do something like that,it don't work out like if I try
to sneak up on something.
Yeah, I shoot him from a longway off.
Yeah, but I had hank and hanksaid just get behind me and just
stay right behind me.
He can call a bird.
And then he said put your gunup on my shoulder, I don't care
if I go deaf.
And then he plugged his ear,put his finger right in his ear
(55:38):
and he slides.
Speaker 1 (55:39):
I've done that with him before he slides it up, if
you can shoot him cool becausefor people that know how a
turkey hunt calling is whatpeople love about turkey yes, I
could kill turkeys bybushwhacking them, where you
just hide and wait till you seeone and shoot it yeah, that
don't really count to.
To turkey hunters right to meit does, you know, but to turkey
(56:00):
hunters, that's not turkey.
You got to call them in.
Well, I'm terrible at it, I'mjust not good, but it's hard up
here.
Speaker 3 (56:07):
I mean, I didn't, it's different here I wore the
soles of these boots out alreadythis year trying to kill one.
Speaker 1 (56:13):
Yeah, I'm not very good at it and, uh, because I'm
not very good at it, I haven'tdone it a lot, because I just
kind of would not have a lot ofsuccess and then kind of lose
interest, not like I quit or Igive up, just kind of lose
interest.
It's getting burned out on it.
Yeah, I'd be like I'm going todo something else, yeah, but um,
for that happened, that'spretty cool.
(56:43):
It was pretty cool.
I was pretty excited.
Hank sent me the picture.
That's a big turkey.
It was, uh, just over 20 pounds.
Yeah, it was a good bird.
And he sent me a picture.
You holding it yesterday, yeah,and you're in your normal work.
I'm just standing over therebehind the barn and I was like
what?
Speaker 3 (56:52):
so there's one picture that's got the buses in
the background.
That's the one he sent me.
Speaker 1 (56:56):
Yeah, yeah, I, yeah.
Speaker 3 (56:57):
I can see the buses behind the road Because I was
wearing my Snowbird shirt andthen Hank was like here, put
this on, he had an extra shirt.
It was awesome, man.
Speaker 2 (57:06):
Thanks for listening to.
No Sanity Required.
Please take a moment tosubscribe and leave a rating.
It really helps.
Visit us at SWOutfitterscom tosee all of our programming.
Well, I just got done talking with Joseph Wainwright.
Joseph is the newest well, oneof the newest members of the SWO
team.
We've had an awesome uptick Iguess you would call it just
several new additions in thelast few months to our core team
here, our main team JosephWainwright, andy Miller, who's
(00:21):
our new food service director,and then Sam Habacker, who's our
new food service director, andthen Sam Haybecker who is
working in the maintenancedepartment.
So, uh, on the operation sideof camp when I say operations,
if you come to SWO, these arepeople that maybe you're not
going to see as as asprominently.
They're not going to be on thestage, you're not going to be
leading breakouts, they're notgoing to be necessarily working
(00:42):
hands-on with students, but theyall have the same heart and
desire to see the ministry dowhat God's called us to do, and
so they're.
They're in a lot of waysthey're more behind the scenes,
selfless, just humble folks andbut hard-working guys and gals.
And so I'm excited for fory'all to get to hear from Joseph
and meet Joseph.
Uh, he's, he's got a reallycool gospel story that that I.
(01:07):
I learned his story as I wasmeeting him, and Joseph is one
of those no sanity stories wherehe came to SWO under the urging
of a friend who got him to cometo a men's conference here.
He came to a be strong and hetold me recently that he did not
want to come to that and he hefought it and ended up here.
(01:28):
Just him and this guy and uhLord used it in a big way in his
life.
It eventually impacted hismarriage, used uh used the
respond women's conference inhis wife Ashley's life.
They came then started comingto our marriage conferences.
Joseph has an incredible skillset in terms of land development
(01:50):
.
He's worked on major highwaysystems, interstate systems as a
supervisor, superintendent,high-level foreman, and so he
brings a lot to the table.
So the thing that I'm excitedabout is we talk about expansion
, growth, development.
Joseph is a guy that's going tohave a key, he's going to play
a key role in that and so we'reexcited to have him.
(02:12):
So I know you're going to enjoylistening to our conversation.
Just very encouraging to hearthe power of the gospel in a
person's life and for us veryencouraging to see God use SWO
to impact someone's life and, infact, impact an entire family.
And now they're here servingwith us.
It's just a cool story, fullcircle story, so hope you enjoy
this.
Thanks for tuning in.
(02:33):
Welcome to no Sanity Required.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Welcome to no Sanity Required from the Ministry of
Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters.
A podcast about the Bible,culture and stories from around
the globe.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
I think the best place to start this episode is
to tell your latest snowbirdstory, which you don't have a
lot of snowbird stories.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
You only been here since november yeah, that's all
right, october, we're making upfor lost time um, joseph shot a
big turkey yesterday.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Hank and joseph had an, an impromptu.
You were working, right it'ssupposed to be.
I mean, everybody was working.
And then the text goes out yeah, everybody's working.
I didn't get to text.
Crock knew not to put me on thetext list because not because,
uh, because I would.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
He doesn't trust how I would manage that situation
well, I just I seen it comethrough on the group me that
there was turkeys on the newproperty and so I had to go look
, and when I found them Ithought I don't have no camo in
my truck.
I got my gun, so I called hank.
I said where you at and he wasin town.
(03:57):
So I said well, you hurry upand I'll watch them till you get
here and then we put a plantogether and snuck around, shot
one in the face hank shot onetoo, and it got away.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
That's well, I'll let him tell that that's that's
what the legend is.
I'm sure hank will neitherconfirm nor deny, yeah, that
allegation.
But I'll tell you this I'vebeen.
I mean that y farm, theproperty we bought.
There's always been turkeys onit and it's because there's guys
(04:30):
over there where that turkeyended up.
Those guys over there they feedand they kind of watch them all
year.
It's a couple guys.
I won't say their names BecauseI'll run into them in town and
they'll ask me y'all killingturkeys they're.
What they're doing is they'refishing for information they're
trying to figure them out yeahyeah, see any turkeys, you know,
(04:51):
or hogs or whatever, and Ialways just down and play it
down, you know, and uh, butthere you you always see.
So those, those three gobblersthat you saw came out of the
group.
Last year there were there werethree jakes, so those are
two-year-old birds and last yearthey just all summer lived out
(05:12):
there in that field.
This was the wildest thing, andme and hank would see them a lot
and uh, so that's pretty coollike it's the first time it's
been like birds are born on thepro and animals born on our
property and ends up gettingtaken yeah, once it's at
maturity, that's pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Anyway, welcome to swo yeah, best job I ever had
best job I ever had, me andjoseph, always.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Uh, I don't know if y'all have seen that movie fury.
It's uh, it's got shia labeouf,john bernthal, brad pitt, and I
forget the other guy's name, Idon't know if he was famous or
not, but it's about a world warii tank.
You seen that jb world war iitank crew and uh, I mean, it's a
(06:05):
gritty movie, it's so good, butthey're, you know, they're in
combat in the tank and they'resaying to each other is best job
ever had.
So that's me and joseph we saythat a lot best job ever had.
Um, so let's just get into, uh,what let's start with?
When did y'all get here?
Talk a little bit about yourfamily.
(06:25):
Who start with?
When did y'all get here?
Talk a little bit about yourfamily.
Who you got here?
Y'all been here since October.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Yeah, so me and my wife Ashley, we got four kids,
Levi's 11, Sawyer's 9,.
Paisley's 7, and Emmy's 5.
So they're lined up right now 5, 7, 9, 11.
One of them will have abirthday and it'll throw it out
of alignment.
But we're up right now 5, 7, 9,11.
One of them will have abirthday and it'll throw it out
of alignment, but we're goodright now.
(06:50):
So we moved here, we moved intothe barn in October, like the
end of October of last year, andthen I think we closed on our
house and moved into our housein.
November, end of November,something like that.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Okay, okay, so been here then just a few months into
our house in november, end ofnovember, something like that.
Okay, so been here then just afew months yeah, it ain't been
long.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
I mean it feels like we've been here forever.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
But yeah, snowbird years are like dog years.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Snowbird days are like dog days yeah, I mean, I
think we just hit five monthsyeah, a little over five months
we do more in a normal day orweek than most jobs.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Well, it just feels like we've been here forever.
It's just been at home.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Well, you're working with the same people.
We pack so much into a week andit's not like we're working
harder or more by volume,there's just more going on at.
Snowbird.
Life is coming, so life andwork are integrated, so that's
probably been a big adjustment.
How's that been?
Speaker 3 (07:50):
it's been an adjustment because it's it's, uh
, it's been awesome, but we'renever really been in a really
tight community.
We've always had familiesaround us and friends and people
that supported us.
But it's like, well, when wefirst moved here, everything
went wrong the front end of mytruck, pretty much the front
(08:12):
tire literally fell off in thedriveway.
The house we bought was justcovered up in mold and mildew
and everything else and I justremember the amount of people
that didn't know us that justshowed up and we're like hey,
I'm here to help, how can I help?
you know jeff went out of hisway to get my personal truck
(08:35):
towed and took care of that, sothat wasn't on my plate.
And guys just showing up at thehouse 10, 11 o'clock at night
hey, let's lay some floors justthe people that showed up when
we were really overwhelmed andthe lord really orchestrated
that to build some relationshipsreally quickly and so that's
(08:57):
been awesome.
And then I mean you go anywherein andrews and it's just
snowbird yeah, soccer practiceit's like staff meeting yeah,
you
Speaker 1 (09:05):
know, so it's pretty cool yeah, pretty big footprint
it is.
You got, you know, 70 peoplehere on a normal day in the off
season and then you throw infamilies and I mean we're we're
pushing 200 people, yeah strongin a community of 1200,200
people.
(09:25):
1,500 people, so I mean thegreater Andrews area is maybe
2,000 people, so 10% of thepopulation.
That's a pretty good footprint,yeah, which is why some people
love us and some people areannoyed by us.
You'll learn that.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
Yeah, I haven't had that part yet.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Everybody seems to have had any negative
experiences yeah except for thatlady at the dump.
She don't like me lady, shedon't like nobody no well, just
because I threw something inthere I wasn't supposed to in
the dumpsters yes, you don'tlike nobody.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
So let's, let's go into where y'all came from, what
you were doing before you gothere.
We're going to jump back andthe main reason we got you here
is kind of twofold.
I want to introduce people toyou.
We've got several new guys onstaff right now and want to
introduce the folks that listento this, watch this, that are
(10:24):
more in the snowboard community,want to introduce those people
to our newer folks so thatpeople can put a name with a
face and hear.
It's one thing to talk abouthow we're developing land or
we're building a program.
We're expanding the Elementprogram.
We're going to be highlightingelement here in a couple of
(10:45):
weeks and it's our high schooldiscipleship training program.
It's one thing to talk abouthow we're expanding in the
marketing or media department orwe're building a new dining
hall, but we talk about thepeople that are coming here as
Snowbird grows, the people thatare coming here to grow and
(11:07):
expand this thing with us.
We want our supporters, viewers, listeners, partners to meet
those people, know those people.
So, you guys, part of the goalis for folks just to see and
learn who you are so that whenthey come to an event here oh, I
, I listened to the podcast.
(11:28):
I you know I really enjoyedthat, or whatever.
And then the other reason is wehave people on here.
We have what we call no sanitystories.
You've been you were an nsrlistener before I knew you yes,
yeah, before you were.
You know, you came to swo uh,before we had ever communicated
you started listening to SR.
So you're familiar with our nosanity stories.
(11:48):
We look at the effect of thegospel in people's lives and the
way it changes people, and sowe do want to get into that,
because y'all have very much ano sanity story.
But talk a little bit aboutwhere you came from, what you
were doing before you got here,what you know, kind of what that
transition was.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Yeah, so moved here from Concord just outside of
Charlotte.
I was working for a companycalled Blass Construction.
I'd been there 11 years when Ileft and at the time I left I
was a roadway superintendent oninterstate projects.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
So I managed or helped manage interstate
construction heavy highway workfor 11 years and I think big
project that you were on wasthat, that perimeter around
Charlotte.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
Yeah Well, in 11 years I was only on three jobs
long-term.
We completed the I-485 loop inCharlotte.
We completed the circle.
That was my first job.
We did 85 northbound going fromConcord into Salisbury.
We widened those five miles andthen I got promoted in August
of 2019 to superintendent andthat's when we started widening
(13:06):
I-485 down in South Charlottelike the Ballantyne area.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
And that's what you were doing when you made the
move.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
That's what I was doing when I came here.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Cool.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
So that kind of ties into why it's exciting to have a
guy with your skill set, whyit's exciting to have a guy with
your skill set.
Which little known fact thereis an excavator.
Heavy equipment Olympics.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
In the state of North Carolina.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Well, it's called a rodeo.
A rodeo, yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
And you got robbed.
I did.
I'm still a little bitter aboutit Because you ended up taking
him he cheated, you took secondplace.
Yeah, cheaters never win.
No, he got whooped at the nextround too.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
Yeah, come back on him.
Yeah, he beat me by like threeseconds, but he plotted it out.
He watched the wholecompetition and practiced.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Yeah.
So what is a rodeo?
An excavator rodeo?
Speaker 3 (14:05):
Well, this was three pieces of equipment.
Okay, so you had a skid steerand you would put a a basketball
in the bucket and go through anobstacle course, can't?
Let the basketball come outLike over whoopty do's and and
then you come around and you candump that basketball into a 50
gallon drum for extra points.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
Oh, and then the second, make the shot.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
No, I missed If I'd have made the basketball.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
I would have whooped him.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
Yeah, yeah.
But that was the first one Idid where I didn't even realize
that I had a shot.
I was just.
I took a couple of foremans upthere and, uh, they're like man,
do it with you, yeah.
And then we did the excavator.
So you got a bunch of trafficcones out in front of you and
they had volleyballs on them andyou would scoop the volleyball
(14:51):
off the cone, spin around anddrop that in a barrel.
And then they had like a tennisball.
For extra bonus points you getthe tennis ball, put it in the
barrel and everything's timedokay, so they're recording your
time.
And then they had a loader whereyou had to move x amount of
weight like stone, scoop upstone and move it over here and
dump it out and you had to getwithin like 100 pounds.
(15:13):
I think we had to move like 2000 pounds of stone.
Track loader or rubber tirethis is rubber tire loader.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Okay, yeah oh man, that's pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
It was pretty cool you got robbed I did.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
You should be wearing them.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
It was funny cause the cat guy showed up to work a
couple of weeks later and I'vegot a Yeti cooler from cat now
that's got the excavator on itand it says Caterpillar.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
He brought it to me, I was pretty excited.
Heck, yeah, that's awesome,that's a good prize, that's a
real good prize.
So that kind of ties intobefore we get into your story.
Last thing is as SWO developsand grows and we're looking
forward you can play a vitalrole in that.
That's in your wheelhouse.
Big land development.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
Yeah, it's what I love to do.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
Yeah, that's exciting to have somebody that can kind
of bring expertise to the table.
And one of the things I alwayswant to do and be at SWO is I
want to have people that wouldbe tops in their field in the
secular world, and I feel likethat's the team we've got right
now.
Yeah, I mean I'd charge hellwith a water pistol, you know,
(16:26):
with this team spiritually, butthen when it comes to like we go
start any business we wanted, Imean we can build anything.
We can build anything.
Yeah, I love it, man, it's socool.
Um, so let's get into your story.
I'll set it up by saying thatin 2021, I received an email
from you and I believe it was inthe fall of that year, first
(16:49):
time I'd ever heard from you.
You and your wife had justattended you and Ashley had just
attended the marriage retreatthat October.
Yeah, and you reached out andjust said hey, man, just want to
touch base, let you know.
It was just, basically, it wasan encouragement to me.
Hey, you're making a difference, swo's making a difference.
(17:10):
Never knew who you guys were ayear ago, came to be strong, now
brought my wife to MarriageRetreat and that really impacted
y'all.
So let's walk through that.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Yeah, so a buddy of mine, Ryan Von Cannon, I think
it was 2009,.
He did the old school program.
And I think he worked a summerand me and Ashley had just come
through some really rough stuff.
What was that like?
What did y'all come through?
Infidelity on my part early onin our marriage and I was just.
(17:44):
I drank all the time.
I was selfish and I just didwhatever I wanted to do, and, um
, the Lord just pulled that outinto the light in 2017.
And um, that's when Ashleysurrendered her life to the Lord
is the night that I left.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
And I just kind of continued on this path of just
alcohol and poor decisions.
And then I noticed the way shetreated me, because it wasn't
the way she should have beentreating me.
The way she treated me becauseit wasn't the way she should
have been treating me, theperson who should have hated my
(18:37):
guts, who I left with threeyoung kids on her own, was
sending me text messages like,hey, I'm praying for you today.
Me and the kids prayed for youtoday.
And so I just I hit rock bottom.
Then I was sitting on a bedcontemplating suicide.
And that's when it kind of wentoff in my head and as far as
(18:57):
whatever she's got, because Iwas kind of wrestling with it in
my head in that moment becauseit was like, well, look how much
happier she is without me.
I haven't seen her this happyin forever.
And then, um, I just rememberthinking, man, it's not.
And so I was like, well, if I'mnot there, she's just going to
continue to be happy, like thatjust solves everybody's problem.
(19:20):
I don't have to face thereality of my decisions and
consequences.
And then, man, I'm not going tosay the Lord audibly spoke to
me, but the impression on myheart in that moment was so real
that I got up to look and seeif my friend was yelling at me
from down the stairs and it wastwo words quit running.
(19:43):
And December 19th 2017, 2017.
The lord broke my heart and Ijust poured it all out to him.
And, through years ofcounseling, and you know,
ultimately, not long after that,a couple months after that,
ashley's like hey, I don't feellike the Lord's going to allow
me to walk away from thisrelationship Like we need to.
(20:05):
We need to fight for this.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
So you, when you surrendered to the Lord December
19th of 2017, y'all are splitup.
You didn't immediately get backtogether.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
No, we didn't.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Where were you?
Speaker 3 (20:18):
staying.
I'd moved in with a buddy ofmine.
He's a retired helicopter pilot, he's a good bit older than me,
and so there was a.
The Lord used him in a way tojust kind of provide, I guess,
some protection from stupiddecisions I was making, and so I
had a place where I could liverent free, because I was like I
(20:41):
knew what I had done wascompletely wrong and like there
wasn't anything I could do aboutthat.
But I made sure like I'm notthere but I'm paying for
everything y'all need.
I moved out Like you can havethe house I don't, you know.
And so he called me and waslike hey, man, you're moving in
with me and this is where you'reliving.
(21:02):
And he had fixed an apartmentup above his garage.
So I was living with him at thetime, gotcha.
And so then it was like probablya few months of me really
trying to pursue the Lord andtrying to figure everything out,
and Ashley was kind of stayingback at a distance, like I don't
(21:26):
know about this, you know.
And then, like we signedseparation papers, we were done,
and then I just remember hercoming to me and she's like I
don't feel like the Lord'scalling me to leave this
relationship and the next coupleyears were pretty rough.
Just you know, I think we werenaive and and how easy it would
(21:50):
be to just come back from that.
Ultimately, I wound up gettingsome some sound biblical
counseling.
Um, it's pretty crazy becausethat's just like, hey, I think
you need counseling.
I was like, all right, well,where do you go for that?
You know, and I had neverbelieved it.
I say I didn't believe in anyof that but I was like I'm not
going to as a counselor.
But she said you needcounseling.
(22:11):
So I picked up the phone,googled Christian counseling in
Concord, called the first numberon the list it was West
counseling, and the ladyanswered the phone and I said I
need, I need to speak tosomebody and I need to speak to
them now, I don't have time towait.
And she said, well, robert hasgot an appointment tomorrow.
Perfect, I'll take Robert.
(22:32):
I didn't know anything abouthim.
I walk in his office.
He's got his divinity or hismaster's in divinity.
He specializes in alcohol abuse, sex addiction and restoring
marriages, in alcohol abuse, sexaddiction and restoring
marriages.
And it was so for like twoyears probably.
Well, a year, year and a half.
Me and Robert met twice a weekand he really helped me as far
(23:00):
as the biggest thing we workedthrough, because, even though
Ashley told me she forgave meand even though I grew up here
and all of the, you know Jesusdied for my sins, I didn't know
how to live in that.
I didn't know how to take holdin that, because I didn't, I
didn't realize that he had diedfor my shame and my guilt too,
you know and so that's really,what we worked through was being
(23:21):
able to live in thatforgiveness and not spend every
day thinking about yeah, butyou're the guy that did this,
you're the guy that did that.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Um so you're, you're, you're growing, but it seems
like the thing that's helping isthe counseling and your
commitment, each other.
What was your church situation?
Was it healthy at that point ornot quite what you?
Maybe?
You, looking back, not quite,maybe what you needed.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
It was a little bit of all, because at the start of
it, when we first separated, weweren't really going to church.
We would periodically go to thechurch I grew up in, but I
wouldn't say it was consistentUm.
And then when I left, ashley umjust went back.
(24:14):
I believe it was the church shewent to in middle school and
that's where all of this playsinto the big picture.
That's where she met Ryan vonCannon's wife, brittany, and a
group of ladies that really comealongside of her um were really
instrumental in her faith andpushing her more towards hey,
(24:35):
you need to seek biblical wisdomand counseling before you just
let this marriage go.
So we were at that church for awhile and then things kind of
went a little south church-wise.
So we all left.
Everybody kind of went to theirown churches.
We tried a couple out and thencovid hit and no churches are
(25:02):
meeting.
So we went to the only churchwe could find that was still
having services.
But ultimately the lord led usall back to west cabarrus.
So West Cabarrus Church iswhere we wound up, and that was
our whole group from theoriginal church, because when I
came here for the first time in2021, this was the first place I
(25:24):
ever sat under expositoryteaching.
This was the first time I everheard words like sanctification.
This was the first time I everheard anybody really preaching
doctrine and theology.
So I went back home and I waslike we, we've got to find an
expository church and a soundtheology like that was that was
(25:47):
driving me.
And that's when I called ryanand ashley called britney and I
was like all, let's go check outWest Camaras, and so that's
that's where we wound up.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
Man, so you came to that be strong in 2021.
Um, because Ryan invited you.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
Yeah.
He was like hey, man, you wantto go to a men's conference?
And I said, no, no, I do not.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
No, Am I going to have to hug other men?
Yeah, I said I don't want to goto a men's conference and I
said no, no, I'm going to haveto hug other men.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
I said, I don't want to sit around a fire and talk
about my feelings or none ofthat.
And, uh, he's like no man trustme this.
This, these are your people.
It was different.
These are your people.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
It was different.
Speaker 3 (26:37):
And uh, man, it was.
It was the first time that Isaw men that I could really
relate to and I'm not throwingshade on anybody else or any of
my other pastors, but it waslike I'm not a dress, slacks,
button up, t-shirt kind of guy.
I am what I am, you know.
And so it was the first timethat I sat somewhere and saw
somebody that I could identifywith, that loved the Lord and
was living what they werepreaching.
(26:57):
Not that the other guys weren't, but it's just I can't identify
with that.
Dressed slacks, and that's notme, mm-hmm.
And then I start hearing wordslike sanctification.
I start hearing Scripturepreached in a way that was new
to me but it made so much sense.
(27:19):
Then the theology that firstyear that I came.
I was looking at the notebookthis morning because I still
have all the notes from everyoneI've ever been to.
March of 21 was the life ofDavid.
I was reading back throughthose notes and man, just a
challenge.
And I think the first breakout Isat through was Zach's you're
(27:43):
the theologian of your home andso I just I came back from that
on fire and I was like, allright, we're going to figure out
what this theology thing is.
You know who's Spurgeon, whatis all this?
And started reading andstudying.
And the week I got back fromthat conference, ashley was in a
really bad car wreck and shebroke her sternum Whoa and so
(28:07):
for like three weeks shecouldn't get up out of a chair
and I was like, all right, nowit's time to put everything I
just learned into practice.
You know, serving your littlekids at home oh yeah, a baby.
Four of them so, but you know, alot of people jumped in and
helped in that situation, but itreally it's like I came home on
fire from that.
(28:28):
First, be strong, if all right,I'm gonna serve my wife well.
I've just got challenged to tolove my wife well and sacrifice
and lay down my life.
Bam, here it is.
Can you do it?
You know?
So you had to wear it.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
I had to wear it, man , it's been cool it's like you
go hear something like that andit challenges you, it encourages
you.
You're like man, I'm, I'm in,I'm ready for this.
I'm gung how you leave excitedand all of a sudden you got to
wear it.
Yeah, you know, it startswhooping your hiney and I think,
I think I came home.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
We come home sunday evening and her car wreck was
thursday, wow.
So busted her eye up, split hersternum.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
Ashley is well one.
Maybe around marriage retreattime we'll have y'all on
together.
Speaker 3 (29:22):
That'll be cool, that'll go great yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
She's a fire plug man .
She's so special because she'sthat blend of tough, gritty
fireball, but sweet, gentle,compassionate, yeah, it's uh.
Only the lord, I think, canmake that happen in one person,
(29:46):
you know, and she reflects thatso beautifully.
Yeah, I mean, she's everybodyloves her.
Oh yeah, it's rare that oneperson has everybody everybody
loves.
You know I, I was.
We were laughing me a little.
We're laughing.
The other day.
I mean she's, everybody lovesher.
Oh yeah, it's rare that oneperson has everybody Everybody
loves.
You know, I was, we werelaughing Me and Little were
laughing the other day, notabout Ashley or y'all's
situation, but we're kind ofmaking a checklist of people
that I know hate me.
(30:06):
I shouldn't probably be talkingabout this on the NSR, you know.
But you know, this was kind ofbehind and I, I and I remember
I've always felt like, and Iheard a pastor say this one time
and it just affirmed it ifeverybody likes you, there's a
problem, there's something wrong.
Yeah, you know, and and uh, butif everybody hates you, there's
(30:27):
a problem.
You know, like, and so I foundlike, a good, healthy, my life
is making a difference.
I'm impacting people.
It's going to be 90%, butthere's going to be some
conflict.
But we were making a list ofpeople that either turned on us
or used to.
You know, we thought they werefriends or maybe we messed up,
(30:47):
you know whatever.
And we were just kind oflaughing about it and like man,
a name came up and I was like Ithink that person might, would,
would want us dead.
You know we're laughing, and soit's really rare that you meet
somebody but ashley's in thatcategory where I cannot imagine
(31:09):
somebody not loving her.
You know, yeah, she's just gota gift and it sounds like that's
from, that's from the lord,like the way she's just aligned
her life with christ but it'sfunny, I told her before we even
moved here.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
I said look, within two years you're gonna be
planning and helping withresponding to mayor's conference
she's like no, no, I won'tshe's already doing.
That's all she's done all weekwith amy I love it, she was
going around the house lastnight pulling decorations off
the shelf.
She's like I need to use thisfor the coop and this for here,
and I just died laughing I loveit.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
So y'all you came back from be strong.
It really impacted you.
Uh, then it that started tohave an effect on your family
and the lord gave you a workingtrial model with her accident
and then.
So then you convinced her tocome back in october and didn't
she say she was hesitant, or wasthat to come to respond?
Speaker 3 (32:09):
um, probably a little bit of both.
I know, when I came home I wasjust just like, man, this place
is awesome, you got to go, andshe's like.
And then she found out, likewell, we didn't really know what
the room situation was for themarriage conference and I was
like, well, I had to share aroom with like five dudes, but
yeah, and so we came for themarriage conference and didn't
(32:29):
realize that you know, you getyour room.
And then that made it a loteasier.
And two, I think at that timethere was still a lot of I don't
want to say shame or guilt onher part, but it was kind of
like, okay, we're going to go toa marriage conference and our
marriage is clearly not perfect,but it turned out to be awesome
(32:54):
and I don't know that.
I think we've missed onemarriage conference since 2021.
I think we had sick kids oneyear and couldn't go.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
And then the Lord used that.
Speaker 3 (33:06):
Y'all came back and yeah she came to respond and I
came to men's conferences and,um, then in 20, 20 let's see
December of 2022 she came to meand was like, hey, I don't know
(33:26):
what's going on, but I feel likethe Lord has put on my heart
that there's we need to make abig life change.
There's something we're notdoing right.
I don't really know what it is.
I'm going to be praying aboutit, I don't know what it is.
And then she came up forRespond.
No, I take that back.
(33:47):
Before Respond, in March, shewas like I feel like the Lord's
telling us we got to gosomewhere, and so we started
praying about it.
Like, do we need to go on amission trip?
Because I've learned,especially through everything
we've been through, when shecomes to me and says the Lord's
laid something on her heart, youbetter pay attention.
You know she's really sensitiveto that.
(34:10):
And so we didn't know like is ita mission trip, is it the
mission field?
I really started praying hardlike, lord, don't send me to
africa.
I don't, I don't want to go toafrica.
There's a whole lot of places.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
Yeah, there's a.
Send me.
Send me to a really good elkunit in montana.
Yeah, I got there colorado,yeah, um.
Speaker 3 (34:29):
But so she came to me before respond and and was like
we got to go somewhere,somewhere we're going to be
going, somewhere that we need tobe that we're not there.
And then she came to RespondConference and came back from
there and was like I think it'sAndrews and so this is 2023
(34:52):
early.
And so we just started prayingabout it and I freaked out
because I was.
I was like I've always talkedabout it, like every time I'd
come home from here I'd be like,hey, we just need to sell
everything and move up there.
And I was half kid and halfserious.
Well then she called my bluffand was like let's go.
And I and panic set in becauseI was like I don't have a job, I
(35:14):
don't, I don't have any of thatup there and um, so throughout
the the timeline there, withoutmessing it all up, like, we just
really started praying likelord if this is where you want
us.
I was praying.
She was ready.
I mean, as soon as she feltlike Andrews, she went through
the house and packed up anythingthat wasn't essential.
A year before we moved, most ofour stuff was in boxes, ready
(35:39):
to go.
She was that sure we were going.
Wow.
But I was praying.
I just remember praying, lord,if you want me to walk away from
a career that I've spent 11years building, and you want me
to move away from my family thatI've never been away from, and
and at this time, like I hadeverything that I really had
(36:02):
ever wanted had a little bit ofland, had a boat, a camper, had
a job that you know I could comeand I could do what I wanted,
as long as I got my work done.
You know nobody micromanagingme.
And I just remember praying,like, if you want me to walk
away from that, I'll do it, I'lldo it.
But I needed to see a pictureof why, like I need some
(36:25):
confirmation here of I loveAndrews, but I don't see the
logic Right, and so that's whatI was wrestling with.
And then we came up in June andwe camped out for a week because
it was like, all right, ifwe're going to, if that's where
we think we're supposed to live,let's go spend a week and just
see the town.
The only thing we had seen upto that point was snowbird and,
(36:50):
uh well morning fog wasn't evenbuilt.
Then we just drove by and we'relike what's that guy building?
Um?
So we spent a week camping downon the valley river, hanging
out, driving around, lockingyour keys in your car, locking
the keys in the car, and theonly person's phone number I had
up here was you I had, I hadpriced a locksmith out of Murphy
(37:13):
before I called you and I waslike we're about to break a
window before we call alocksmith.
And that's when you were like,hey, bring the kids by camp.
And so the kids got to see campfor the first time and ride the
slide.
And then you also were like,hey, why don't y'all stay for
Red Oak?
And that was Father's DaySunday.
(37:33):
And I remember calling my dadand he'll tell the story now.
But I called my dad and I waslike, hey, we're not, we're not
gonna make it home for father'sday, we're gonna stay up here.
And he said he hung the phoneup then and cried his eyes out
because he knew right.
Then we were coming here wow, hedidn't tell me that until we
had already moved up here.
So once we left that trip Istarted putting in applications
(38:00):
everywhere.
In Andrews there's a big outfitBlaylock and Sons was doing
that big job in Robbinsville.
I called and talked to thempersonally and the guy was like
yeah, man, we're looking for itsounds like we're looking for
exactly what you are.
Put an application.
I did no callback, no text, noemail, multiple construction
companies, not even a callback.
(38:21):
And so then I was like, well, Iguess we just we missed this.
Like if this is where Godwanted us, he'd open a door.
So we just went into this seasonof praying and waiting.
I mean, I had already told myimmediate boss at Blythe this is
my last year here.
I want you to be prepared forthat, because I was the guy
nobody thought would ever leaveBlythe.
(38:42):
I've been there 11 years.
I told him I was like I thinkwe're moving and this is
probably my last season here,but no doors ever opened.
Every door actually closed thatwe thought was the door to go
through.
And so we just kept praying andand and doing what we could in
(39:03):
the time, um, talking to youknow, our pastor, and getting
some counseling.
It's like, hey, I remembertalking to charlie cole, he's
got some ties to camp here and Italking to charlie about it.
And he's like, hey, I remembertalking to charlie cole, he's
got some ties to camp here and Italking to charlie about it,
and he's like, man, you justhe's like you just gotta wait.
You gotta learn to be content inthe day and wait.
(39:25):
Um, so that's what we did anduh, I think it was.
I think it was October 23.
Yeah, October 23 is when wecame up and did the slide,
because me and Kroc were talkingabout the slide and I took some
vacation time, came up and were-graded the slide and when we
(39:48):
left then I knew I need to workat camp.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
Yeah, you came up and stayed for several days.
We were if for people that havebeen to swo, we have a, we have
a 300 and some foot slide.
It's not a water slide, it'syou ride tubes.
It's just a lot of fun.
It's one of those activitiesthat anybody can do it and have
fun with it.
But it was a major dirt movingproject for us to get it in and
(40:20):
you rolled in and went to work.
Speaker 3 (40:23):
Yeah, we cut some ditches and got it draining.
So I left here from that andwas like, all right, I feel like
I need to be at camp.
I feel like I need to be atcamp, but it wasn't until I'd
have to look and see when I sentyou the, the one email.
Cause I sent you an email andwas like, hey, you might tell me
I'm crazy and that's okay too,but I feel like I'm called to be
(40:46):
a part of the snowbird and umcause, for like a week I I just
couldn't sleep.
I'd lay in bed every night andthe only thing I could think
about was the new property atSnowbird.
Speaker 1 (41:02):
I think I've already designed that new property three
or four times in my head, and Idon't even know what the plan
is at this point.
Speaker 3 (41:05):
And that's when I sent you that email.
It's like this is what I'mfeeling.
And you emailed me back and yousaid, yeah, we got to talk.
And so that just started theball rolling.
You introduced me to Muggs andKroc, I got to know those guys,
and then still there was a widegap there where, like nothing's
(41:28):
happening I mean, ashley's readyto put the house for sale.
I've already told work likethis is my last year.
And then I have to go back inand say, hey, actually I'm gonna
, I'm gonna stay one more, um,and so we just, the lord, really
taught us how to wait patientlyin that season.
And then too I I started reading, like because I had a
(41:51):
conversation with john relo atone of the B Strongs, because I
knew he had moved before and hehad been called places.
I was like, hey, man, how doyou know when it's time to go,
like, how do you go through thatprocess of the Lord's calling
me here?
Now it's time to go?
And that's when he pointed meto Joshua 3.
And we talked about Joshua 3.
(42:12):
And so I just really tried toput that into practice of follow
at a distance, consecrateyourself.
And then there came a timewhere we had to step in the
river but and then reading aboutAbraham, like he rose early,
cut wood.
So there's always something youcan be doing, even when you're
(42:34):
waiting.
And so that's what we starteddoing.
We sold the camper, we sold theboat that one hurt the worst.
Started doing a lot of repairson the house, getting it ready
to be sold, and then croc sentme a text.
I was like hey, when this ismarch of 24 I think, yeah, he
said, when you're up here for BeStrong, we need to have a
(42:55):
conversation.
And this whole time I'mthinking well, eventually I'm
just going to go work atSnowbird when the expansion
starts.
We had talked and it's like Idon't know what that looks like.
Is that three years, five years?
I don't know.
Maybe when that happens therewill be a job open up.
But then in March, march, crockwas like hey, you want?
(43:18):
To uh there's a job opened up,or move some pieces and parts
around.
Yeah, yeah, and I was, and hewas like hvac and plumbing I
mean I ain't never done hvac orplumbing, you know.
He said, well, are you willingto learn?
I said, yeah, I'll do anything.
I'll, I'll try anything.
So then a little bit moreconversation of you.
Know, financially, how do wemake this work?
(43:38):
how do we and the lord justlined it all up to where we we
accepted and agreed to the jobin april and croc said can you
be here before summer?
Um, but we talked and I and Itold him like I need to finish
this season out at Blythe andget this project where I feel
(43:58):
like I can walk away, becausethat was one of the big hold-ups
for me.
It's 11 years with the samegroup of guys for the most part,
and I started this job.
I'm not going to be able tostay here to finish it, but I'm
going to get it to a point thatwhen I walk away I don't feel
like I've left them hanging.
Um, so that was our agreementand uh, we got close.
(44:22):
The agreement was to move herein september.
A lot of holdups selling thehouse not our house, but the
people that were buying ourhouse had a contingency to sell
theirs and it took five weeksand we had to extend the
contract about three times.
And I remember talking to theguy realtors tell you not to.
(44:44):
But like, I called him up, waslike, let's go get some coffee.
And uh, we're having aconversation.
I was like, look, man, if yourhouse doesn't go under contract
in the next two or three days.
I've got to pull out of thiscontract.
I gotta get mine back on themarket.
Like I'm leaving, I've alreadyput in my notice at work.
I've already told everybody atwork and and there's people
(45:05):
waiting on me, I'm going.
Like a day later he got a cashoffer on his house sold it, lord
, just kept lying, it was it waslike he would let us see just
enough, but never around thecorner it's like all right you
got it, you got to, you got todo this before you can see that
(45:26):
and I think it was really justteaching us patience and trust
in the lord and learning.
I think that's when we learn tobe content with just whatever
today is.
One day we're moving, the nextday we're not.
I mean, ashley quit her job ayear and a half early, pulled
the kids out of school a yearand a half early and started
(45:47):
homeschooling them because shesaid, whenever the Lord says to
go, we ain't going to havenothing holding us back.
Speaker 1 (45:53):
So here you are, here we are.
I can remember being on theother side of the the hvac and
plumbing conversation.
We're sitting in muggs's office, me, muggs and crock I think
hank was probably there and hey,if, if joseph's willing to come
do this, it'll get him here andhe'll be in position to shift
(46:14):
to land development Once we getthis thing off the ground and
then, simultaneous, what washappening is we had previously
we had hired a company that didmaster development plans where
they look at, they, they, theysort of specialize in and the
type of development that we needwhere resorts or amusement
(46:38):
parks or schools or where you'vegot a lot of people flowing on
foot and also roads that need tobe there.
And but they never could figureus out, man, that them guys
came in here and they wanted to.
They just were.
We realized they're used todealing with high-end clientele,
with, you know, reallyexpensive fancy stuff, and they
(46:59):
just couldn't wrap their headaround that we want to put osb
inside of our cabins, yeah, andthey couldn't understand that
the kind of eighth graders wehave here will put a fist or a
head through a piece of drywallI don't know the kids they're
dealing with must, but you knowI
won't last a week, no, no, andso we shifted around that same
time the company that we now areworking with.
(47:21):
They get us pretty good, prettygood, a lot better, and it's
just cool all the the way.
Everything had to come togetherand line up.
But the thing that's mostencouraging to me is I want
people coming here because god'scalled them here.
Anybody that's here could gomake more money somewhere else.
You know that's across theboard.
(47:42):
But I remember a friend of ourswhose husband was killed.
She's an upcoming no sanitystory and, lord willing, we'll
be in the book next year, the nosanity, the no sanity stories
book.
I'm not going to say her namehere because she uses a
pseudonym, because she wasserving in a country that had a
(48:05):
strong influence of al-qaeda,boka haram you know terrorist
groups and and her, her husband,was martyred, he was killed.
They were doing humanitarianwork, they were aid workers.
Because you can't be there as agospel missionary yeah and so.
(48:25):
But they were doing gospel.
He was doing gospel work.
He got killed.
And I remember her making astatement in her book and I've
referenced this fairly recentlyon an nsr episode.
She said or no, it wasn't inher book.
Maybe it was in the book, butbefore the book came out she had
said this to Little.
She said people act like it's asacrifice to give something up
(48:52):
to serve the Lord and they usethe word sacrifice.
But if you do that, for inevery other culture in history,
if you do something like thatfor the king or for king and
country, it's considered anhonor.
An honor, yeah and so taking apay cut, living with less
downsizing, choosing to work ina ministry like SWO, where a
(49:15):
whole bunch of people arelike-minded, and moving the the
work forward, yeah, you go makemoney doing something else, but
she ain't gonna have as good atime.
That's right and you're, andthere's something about being
with like-minded people.
Um, that's very empowering andand, honestly, what you realize
(49:37):
is, oh, I'm the one that's beinghonored here.
There's no sacrifice to be here.
This is an honor.
That's something I constantly,in my own mind, come back to and
that's something that comesthrough in y'all's story is like
did we technically, physicallysacrifice?
And that we gave stuff up to behere?
Yes, but the honor of the honorand joy of serving the Lord is,
(49:59):
it's just overwhelming.
Speaker 3 (50:01):
It's wild Cause.
I mean we had everything Allright.
So when Ashley came home fromthat last respond conference
when she said, hey, we need tomove to Andrews, literally that
weekend, I had just finishedbuilding an addition onto the
house to give Sawyer a bedroom,like we had completely renovated
this house the exact way wewanted it Chickens, goats,
(50:25):
rabbits, boat I'd always wantedI mean, everything you think of
it.
If we wanted it, we had it atthat point and there was just
there was no contentment, therewas no I don't know peace about
it.
Then we get here and it's likewe sold all that to get here and
(50:45):
the Lord blessed us and reallyprovided a home that allows us
to do what we wanted to do,because early on we knew as soon
as we get to, Andrews we wantto be able to have people over,
we want to be able to tointeract with people and and
just do life with people,because that's just what we
(51:08):
wanted to do as far as likeentertaining.
And so now it's like, and Ithink four nights this week I
had intern girls at the housetill 12 o'clock, you know, and
it's just awesome that we get todo that, and the Lord provided
that home for us, but all thestuff we gave up.
Speaker 1 (51:26):
I haven't missed it yet.
Speaker 3 (51:27):
Yeah, yeah, I mean, the boat was the hardest one for
me, you use.
Hank's boat.
Yeah, we're getting there.
I just go fishing a river yeah.
Speaker 1 (51:37):
You need a boat fish here, it's true, and Ashley is
so gifted at hospitality.
Having those girls over andjust loving on them and making
them feel like a little bit ofhome away from home yeah, it's
pretty cool, it is.
It is, yeah, and that girl cancook, mm-hmm.
We got to come over and eatwith y'all when kilby and greg
(52:01):
were here and that was a heck ofa meal.
That was good.
Little makes buttermilk pie andit's famous for it, and that
night we had buttermilk cake,which was me.
Speaker 3 (52:09):
It was awesome, I know I ain't had one since,
neither oh man.
Speaker 1 (52:14):
well, it's exciting thing about what we're getting
ready to do here in the nextthree to five years.
I can't wait.
It's going to be awesome, it'sgoing to be wild.
We got an excavator rodeochampion on board now.
Speaker 3 (52:27):
First loser.
Speaker 1 (52:30):
And I mean, since you got here, we got a good
excavator.
Heck, yeah, bought some goodequipment.
Speaker 3 (52:37):
Yes, it's going to be fun.
Speaker 1 (52:38):
It's going here.
We got a good excavator heckyeah, bought some good equipment
.
Yes, it'll be fun.
It's gonna be a lot of fun.
Heck yeah.
Cool man.
I really appreciate you comingon, appreciate y'all's
commitment to this, and Iappreciate I love having you on
here, because the first emailyou sent me in 2021, when nsr
was a year and a half not evenright at a year and a half old,
so we were still fairly fairlynew and you said, hey, I'm going
(53:01):
to have an NSR listener, andthat was.
That's always encouraging tohear for us, you know.
Speaker 3 (53:07):
So the first person I really met here um was Blair.
Oh gosh, and I met Blair at theold man fire.
And it was right after Ilistened to his and shannon's
episode, oh and so I was talkingto him.
I was like hey man, you know,that really impacted me.
It meant a lot.
And then I wound up telling himmy story that night.
(53:28):
He looked at me.
He said don't ever let him hearthat you'll be on there next so
blair kind of prophesied ityeah.
Speaker 1 (53:36):
Yeah, he's awesome.
Blair's a guy that hascontinued to be very connected
to this ministry, but he's neverworked technically at.
SLO or in the ministry, but man,he's an incredible asset to
this ministry and super involved.
So, all right, you're talkingabout selling that boat, yeah,
(53:57):
giving that up, being able tofish here and fish rivers, and
okay, I I don't want to make abigger deal out of this than I
should.
But you killing that big oldturkey on our property I think
that was a wink from the lord.
Oh, because nobody's everkilled a turkey on this property
(54:18):
and we've tried.
It's not because we hadn'ttried and it's not because we're
like you're not allowed to huntlike it just hadn't happened.
like I killed one just off on aneighboring piece, tucker killed
one over on collet creek butyou killed.
I mean the way that all wentdown in my mind that was the
Lord, that was just a cool giftfrom the Lord, that was awesome.
(54:40):
And I always, if I kill a buckor I kill a, you know if I kill
something, and only hunters canappreciate this, but if I have a
successful hunt, I always knowthat was the Lord gifting me
with that.
Speaker 3 (54:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (54:56):
And it was cool.
My brain went when you'retalking about you know, because
I know you had not just yourboat and your camper, you also
had hunting ground around yourhouse, across the road.
You've told me about the, theland y'all could hunt over there
to come here and, literally inthe flow of your work day, end
up in that situation turkeys.
Speaker 3 (55:16):
That's pretty cool it was yeah, because usually when
I try to do something like that,it don't work out like if I try
to sneak up on something.
Yeah, I shoot him from a longway off.
Yeah, but I had hank and hanksaid just get behind me and just
stay right behind me.
He can call a bird.
And then he said put your gunup on my shoulder, I don't care
if I go deaf.
And then he plugged his ear,put his finger right in his ear
(55:38):
and he slides.
Speaker 1 (55:39):
I've done that with him before he slides it up, if
you can shoot him cool becausefor people that know how a
turkey hunt calling is whatpeople love about turkey yes, I
could kill turkeys bybushwhacking them, where you
just hide and wait till you seeone and shoot it yeah, that
don't really count to.
To turkey hunters right to meit does, you know, but to turkey
(56:00):
hunters, that's not turkey.
You got to call them in.
Well, I'm terrible at it, I'mjust not good, but it's hard up
here.
Speaker 3 (56:07):
I mean, I didn't, it's different here I wore the
soles of these boots out alreadythis year trying to kill one.
Speaker 1 (56:13):
Yeah, I'm not very good at it and, uh, because I'm
not very good at it, I haven'tdone it a lot, because I just
kind of would not have a lot ofsuccess and then kind of lose
interest, not like I quit or Igive up, just kind of lose
interest.
It's getting burned out on it.
Yeah, I'd be like I'm going todo something else, yeah, but um,
for that happened, that'spretty cool.
(56:43):
It was pretty cool.
I was pretty excited.
Hank sent me the picture.
That's a big turkey.
It was, uh, just over 20 pounds.
Yeah, it was a good bird.
And he sent me a picture.
You holding it yesterday, yeah,and you're in your normal work.
I'm just standing over therebehind the barn and I was like
what?
Speaker 3 (56:52):
so there's one picture that's got the buses in
the background.
That's the one he sent me.
Speaker 1 (56:56):
Yeah, yeah, I, yeah.
Speaker 3 (56:57):
I can see the buses behind the road Because I was
wearing my Snowbird shirt andthen Hank was like here, put
this on, he had an extra shirt.
It was awesome, man.
Speaker 2 (57:06):
Thanks for listening to.
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