No Sanity Required
No Sanity Required is a weekly podcast hosted by Brody Holloway and Snowbird Outfitters. Each week, we engage culture and personal stories with a Gospel-driven perspective. Our mission is to equip the Church to pierce the darkness with the light of Christ by sharing the vision, ideas, and passions God has used to carry us through 26 years of student ministry. Find more content at swoutfitters.com.
No Sanity Required
New Faces of NSR | Interview with Isa and JB
Tune in as Brody sits down with Snowbird staff members Isa and JB! Get a behind-the-scenes look at their stories—how they got involved with SWO and what they’re doing now. They share powerful stories of campers coming to faith, fun moments from camp, and talk about the importance of staying faithful and obedient, even when we don’t see immediate results.
Isa and JB also answer some of your questions on how to live out faithfulness in school, sports, and camp ministry. Don't miss this inspiring and fun conversation!
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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 2:Y'all rolling, okay, and we're at the Supercoop and we're getting ready to get a new screen. How big is that screen going to be, isa? Do you know? One of y'all know I'm unaware, it's the same size, but it's an led screen. So this is going to be the new for now. For the foreseeable future, this is where we're going to be recording nsr and, uh. We got a lot of good feedback on the video episodes that we did, so we need some more equipment. I need a headset so I don't have to stand here and hold this microphone, so hopefully that's not too distracting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it looks less professional but plenty functional. So we'd love to hear feedback from NSR listeners, the NSR community, what y'all think about being able to actually view this so video to go along with the episodes, the feedback on the interview that Joy Beth did, that JB did with Little, and I was really good you were there for that, weren't you Isa? No, I wasn't. You weren't there. Sam was there.
Speaker 3:Sam and Austin.
Speaker 2:And Austin was there Really good feedback on that. So, um, yeah, we're gonna, we're gonna do it, uh, today, and probably at least some of the episodes going forward, when we get that new led screen, then we'll be able to logo that. We'll probably, uh, we'll probably use that screen in these episodes to promote stuff that's going on at SWO, whether it's Winter SWO or I was about to say Winter Extreme, your name. Well, we promote that's an event in Gatlinburg that we promote SWO at and I've spoken at it before. So, anyway, winter SWO and Summer Camp which, by the way, people that talk about how good our social media stuff is, which I get a ton of feedback on nsr and on social media, this, this gal right here, this team right here they're phenomenal. Um, you're not seeing the guys that aren't on camera right now, but we've got an incredible team right now.
Speaker 4:We switched the camera. We're like Chris Sam Andrew.
Speaker 2:But Issa does the majority of our social media stuff and that was so cool yesterday for next summer.
Speaker 4:Yes, a little sneak peek yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, did you get a lot of comments and conversation.
Speaker 4:Yeah, a few people texted and they're like that's exciting yeah, the colors are great. I think it's different yeah, we've done.
Speaker 2:We've done narrative type stuff for the last three summers. We did david, joseph, joseph, and then stuff in the gospels life of christ. I don, what did we do? Were any of y'all here? What?
Speaker 3:was it.
Speaker 2:Oh, the attributes of God. That's right. That was in this building. What was the 2020 first year? The sovereignty, okay, yes, yeah. So we're kind of back to that type of material, which I'm excited about. I think it's easier to teach narratives with students. It's a little bit harder to do doctrinal stuff. I've been really spending a lot of time in that Romans 8 passage. It's going to be a little harder for the teaching team. I think it'll be good and practical and helpful, but it is going to be a little bit tougher, but I'm excited about it. I think it is going to be a little bit tougher, but I'm excited about it.
Speaker 3:People, I think people are going to love it so it's romans 8 is like one of my favorite, like go-to passages, especially for like encouragement or like I'm short on time in the morning.
Speaker 4:I'm like romans 8 or 12 yeah, romans 12.
Speaker 2:So good for christian living. Like how you're going to come to work, what kind of person you're going to be when you get to work, how you're going to interact with people.
Speaker 4:I think you prayed that this morning. I did, you did.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm at 8 o'clock.
Speaker 4:Prefer one another.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm. Outdo one another and show an honor. Yeah, be fervent in zeal. Hate what is evil. Hold fast to what is good. Hold fast to what is good. Outdo one another in showing honor, Brotherly affection. I love that. Yeah, I think my prayer this morning was that we would love each other well today as a team. So it is unique what we have here, and I don't know how many people that listen will know who y'all are. So, jb, quick introduction Just name where you're from background, swell background.
Speaker 3:I'm JB. Real name, joy Beth or Joy Elizabeth JB for short. I'm from Marietta, georgia, and I started coming to camp when I was in sixth grade with my youth pastor. I came with like a winter swell and technically I was like in fifth grade so I thought I was really cool that I got to come and then we got a new youth pastor around like my junior year so we unfortunately switched to a different camp, um, and then finished out high school. I knew in college that I wanted to like help out and serve my summer at a camp so I applied to like wind shape, central kid snowbird and um was just kind of praying through that. And then, as soon as I got the call and serve my summer at a camp, so I applied to like Windshape Centric Kid Snowbird and was just kind of praying through that. And then as soon as I got the call that I got accepted, it was just kind of like, oh, I'm going to Snowbird, really cool, but yeah.
Speaker 2:And from there you rolled straight into. You did an intern year.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so my first summer was summer of 21. And then straight after that I did institute interning and then did 22. Then I had to go back to school and finish up some loosens, did my junior and senior year in college at Carson Newman, and then now I came back this past summer worked with element. That was awesome, and then now I'm um in media department, do NSR and stuff.
Speaker 2:Yes, joy Beth is. These ladies are probably well, not probably. They are the two people that I work closest with on the NSR content, even more so than our teaching staff, even more so than John Rouleau, I would say Joy Beth. A lot of y'all are familiar with the transition. You know about the transition from Maddie and Joy Beth taking over that job. So now you get to meet Joy Beth, actually meet her JB JB around here. She's cool. I'm so glad you're here. Jb is real close friends with one of my daughters lately. So we're going to do an episode on Element soon. We've thrown the idea around and so we want to do an episode kind of unpacking what Element is, what that program is. It's our high school program, discipleship program. So awesome, issa.
Speaker 2:Hey First time you came was college retreat college retreat, uh, 2022, yeah, um.
Speaker 4:I'd never been to camp till I stepped foot, like that afternoon when we did check-in, and it was my first time like leaving florida and coming this far north. I think the furthest is Vidalia, georgia.
Speaker 2:Really, because you have family there.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I have family there. I came up with some friends that started going to my home church and they had like a Bible ministry and they're like we're going up to the college retreat you should come with and I said that sounds exciting. They showed me the promo video and I was like dang, that is so cool. And the promo video. And I was like dang, that is so cool. And I said sign me up, here's my money. And I came and instantly setting foot on campus, you can just feel there's something different about being here. It feels good to be here. And we sat over there, those chairs, and like the skit that weekend and the music and the teaching, I I was just like blown away. And then they were talking about hey, we have like our recruiting team out in the back by the snack shack. Go talk to them if you're interested in working on staff. And I said you know what.
Speaker 4:I'm going to stay back and go to the panel that they had and listen in and see what they're about a little bit more.
Speaker 4:And then one of those nights I went over there and I talked to Maddie who used to do the NSR editing, and I said I want to work here, but like I'm not like just saying that to throw that around, like I want to work here, and she said okay, have you started the application? Now, this is my first day here. She said okay, have you started the application? Now, this is my first day here. She said okay, well, we can do an in-person interview if you're free this weekend. I said I'm free, just let me know. I got her number and she texted me and, funny enough, I had my interview in the media office where I work now and she interviewed me that weekend and I had never looked at the application on the website or anything.
Speaker 4:She just started asking me all these questions and I was like, ok, we're, we're diving in, I'm sharing my testimony, we're talking about the virgin birth. You know, it was crazy like right from the start, and I remember leaving the media office and feeling like, wow, that's exciting. I went home which home is Plant City Florida for me and I applied, submitted my application and I came and worked that summer and I transitioned into the Institute that after that first summer of 22. And then I stayed. I've been here ever since Then. I transitioned into FT3 position with media after my first intern year and now I'm in my second year of that and I love it here.
Speaker 2:Uh, one of the things we talked about just before we dive into the, the talking points um, there's uh going forward, there's going to be y'all going to see more and more of these two, partly because, um, we, we want the girls and ladies that come to SWO to feel connected with the team that they hear from and see from the stage and on social media. Um, and so isa is is stepping into an even more integral, vital role, more involved role with the production team, which is uh run by john rouleau. Um, and those of you that have been at swo over the last year, you've, you've seen they should have seen you already um, girls night on wednesday nights, you kind of ran. That didn't you? I did, yeah, so a lot of people are going to be familiar with isa and um, but, jb, also, we're going to start pulling these girls into a more um visible role, and I think it's cool to have a couple ladies in that role.
Speaker 2:But also there's a huge generation gap. They're the age of my daughters and so, you know, I, I don't, I don't feel like an old man because I live in a world of young people. So I really, I really don't feel that way. Um, you know when you spend. When you spend 90 of your time with people a third your age, um, it, you know, it's, it's really cool, I mean it. It kind of keeps you thinking more along those lines. But at the same time, I want students to feel connected, um to what we're doing and and I love the idea of a multi-generational approach, um, and just some diversity in in terms of gender and age. So we're hoping to broaden, um the nsr impact. These gals won't be on every single episode, but you're gonna see a lot of them and if you come to swole, you're really going to see a lot of them.
Speaker 2:So, um, asa, I at the ball game. Would you please tell folks at the ball game the other night. We're in middle school basketball game. He's in our sitting together sit with my family, and I said if you could have your dream job, like I think, think I don't know when you're growing up or when you're going into adulthood, what would it be? And what did you say? A talk show host, yes, and I was like that's it, we're doing it, we're doing it, you're in. So we'll start with some questions.
Speaker 4:Let's start with some questions, okay. Okay, let's see Testimonies of their campers giving their life to Christ, so I thought that was a really good question.
Speaker 2:So they're asking each of y'all to share a testimony of when a student you were working with came to faith while they were at SWO. That's cool. I'd love to hear that too.
Speaker 3:Yeah, do you want to go? Yeah, I think one that comes to mind, which was just super crazy and kind of random, but I was running late. I had to do something at camp. I was running late and so I was coming into service. I think worship had already started of like lingering outside of the super coop, wasn't my camper, but like I kind of walked past her and then took a few steps back and was like hey, what's going on?
Speaker 3:I didn't really know, like if she was like trying to get out of service, I don't know, but I just um talked to her and literally within me just being like, hey, what's going on? Immediately like broke down crying and um, she just shared with me some things that have been going on, and to me it was evident like she was saying like I need help, like the things that have been said this weekend are resonating with me, like like Jesus, I want to know him, I want a relationship with him, and so this is my first summer and it was like pretty early on, like week one or two, and so I remember being like, oh my gosh, like a little bit of panic of like, is this really happening? Like am I really qualified to do this. Um, but then, like just words just kind of started flowing out of my mouth and we had really cool conversation and, um, then one of my good friends, emma, who was also on staff, walked up and we both just kind of walked her through and led her to Christ. And then it was also cool, like the timing was just so random, but one of her female leaders also came out to check on her and so we were able to have this conversation just with her leader, with another snowbird staff, and we just walked her through that.
Speaker 3:I couldn't tell you her name, I couldn't tell you what church she's from, but I remember that's just like the first thing that comes to mind. It was just really random and you know, in my head I envisioned like, okay, this is how it's going to go down and share group, a kid's going to come up to me and like this is how it's going to be played out. Um, but I just feel like I have so many stories where it's like everything did not go how I thought or like how I planned it out, but the Lord still, you know, just provided me with like the words to say and the wisdom and the confidence and everything like that, to just, you know, walk her through that the thing about working here, I think, is that's different from everyday life, which in everyday life, you never know when you might have a gospel conversation.
Speaker 2:As believers, we should constantly be looking for those conversations and those opportunities. When you're at SWO or like when you're working at camp, the opportunity can come to you, I think, more easily where you know. If you're out in the public square and you're looking for gospel opportunities, usually you're going to initiate, you're going to engage, and it really is amazing when the Lord brings that to you. And is that? Was that, emma Jones?
Speaker 3:Emma Jones yeah, that's cool.
Speaker 2:Do y'all remember the story? I think I should tell folks the story about when I first got into student ministry. I tell this at staff training every year and that kid, andrew Robarge, who, who I prayed with the first kid I ever counseled, so jb was saying you, you've kind of got an idea, you've played out in your mind like what this is going to be like. I'm going to say this and this and this and you kind of picture how the conversation is going to go. There's a scene, uh, there's a moment scripture where jesus tells his disciples. When you get in a moment where I think he's talking about persecution, he's like you're going to go in front of judges You're going to be in front of. You're going to have to give an account for your faith or give an answer for your faith. Don't worry about what to say, don't plan it out. I'm going to speak through you. For believers, it's important that we're saturated with the spirit, with the word of God. So my mind is being saturated every day when people ask me uh, what do you do for? How do you study the Bible? Well, mostly I just try to saturate my brain with scripture in the morning. I'm a hydrate my body and I hydrate my brain. You know, and if you're saturated with scripture, then when those opportunities come, the spirit of God's going to use the word of God in you and but, uh, you. But I can remember I was working the first camp that Little and I worked at before we started SWO. I was trying to. We didn't work directly with students and I think y'all will remember this story when I start telling it. We didn't work directly with students, but there wasn't. The staff was very small. I think we had six summer staff counselors for a camp that ran about 150 kids Very small compared to SWO, but still a terrible ratio Three guys, three girls and 150 students. So they asked us if we would come and help be counselors. So Little and I go and it's like week two of camp, the first week they had such an overflow and they would do at that camp they would do what they called impact night. So on the second night or third night of camp it was like we're going to do a big invitation and really challenge kids to come and make a decision. I think it was the third night of camp. So an impact night. There's always an overflow of people coming forward to make decisions.
Speaker 2:So I remember sitting down and thinking through what am I going to say. So I know maybe I'll ask him if he uses drugs or if he drinks or if he's disrespectful to his parents. I come up with like this list of sins, you know, the youth group blacklist. I was like I'm going to ask him. You know, the kid comes out and I'm like freaked out, I'm the last person to go out with a kid and and I'm picturing that I'm going to end up with a 17 year old dude and we're going to talk about sports and then this little nerdy 11, 12 year old homeschool kid comes walking out and I'm like, hey, buddy, and I was a pretty.
Speaker 2:I think I was probably a scary dude in those days in my early 20s, with an intensity that had not been reigned in, and I think I overwhelmed him by just kind of getting in his face and the first time I've ever talked to a kid about the gospel, we sit down and I'm like, all right, man, what's going on in your life? And I think I asked him if he looked at porn you know, like you struggling with porn and he's like what's that? And I was like, uh, ask your mom, um, what about? Uh, you know, have you tried drugs? You know, have you tried alcohol?
Speaker 2:And this kid's, I think he was 12. I think he just turned 12 and he's like no, and and I'm like, well, why did you come back here? Why did you come forward? He said my grandma's got cancer and you know, and he's just torn up about his grandma and my grandmother had passed away when I was 12 years old from this, from cancer, and I said, oh, it'll be fine. When I was your age, my grandmother died from cancer. My grandmother had cancer. And he said what happened? I said she died. You know, this kid just breaks down, he just melts down. He's weeping, bawling, squalling, crying. Oh my word, complete train wreck.
Speaker 2:And so I came away from that conversation. I was like, oh my gosh, oh, I just ruined that kid's week. I ruined this whole summer. But the Lord reconnected me with that kid at the end of the week. We exchanged addresses. He had the camp address, I, I got his mail address and I sent him a handwritten note. I'm praying for you, praying for your grandma started a relationship and all the way through that kid's high school we wrote letters. That's cool, wow, yeah, and it changed. It really impacted my life, probably far more than it impacted his life. I mean that that would have happened in 1997. The kid probably graduated high school 22, 23 years ago, and I don't know whatever happened to him, but we stayed connected and so, yeah, I love that aspect of you don't know when you're going to have that conversation. You're walking in and there that kid is Pretty cool, issa, you got a story that sticks out, even if it's not a kid coming to faith, but just a particular situation.
Speaker 4:There's one conversation it wasn't during summer, it was during a winter swill and I asked to be paired up with this church because it was from an area in Georgia that I knew. I was like, oh, that's so cool. And there's this one girl and she was very like quiet. Funny story actually, I thought she was the youth pastor's wife at first because she did not want to like talk to anyone and she looked older than she actually was. And then come to find out she's actually my camper for the weekend and she doesn't want to talk during share groups. So she's just walking away and I'm like, hey, like, do you want to go walk? She said, sure, I don't have anything else to do.
Speaker 4:And that's when you really can connect with a camper. Is in that between time, like the Snack Shack's not open yet, we don't have rec at night and they're just like like figuring out what to do while their other friends get out of share group. And I was just like tell me about yourself. And like JB was saying, um, I think it's easier for campers to talk to a stranger sometimes and just to open up because they're like well, I won't see them after this weekend. But it's truly when you can really help a student out. She's like well, life at home just isn't that good right now and she just started sharing some stuff and it wasn't heavy. But I could feel for her of like yeah, those things are hard and those things do sound horrible. Um, and then asking her, like are you a believer? And she's like I don't, I don't think so. And I love when campers are honest, because some campers will come through here and they're like oh yeah, I, I, I love the Lord, and you can see that there's no fruit.
Speaker 4:And you try to like push through and like try to break the ice of like you know. Let's actually, you know, have a serious conversation, but they're like no, I love the Lord, I read my Bible, but I love the honesty of a camper. That's like no. I don't know, I don't. I'm not like like following the Lord and she was just like I just don't know, like if I am or not. Like I go to church, but I just don't know. Like my family doesn't really go to church.
Speaker 4:I go with my grandparents, but my grandma's so strict and mean and like I feel forced to go and just kind of sharing some like personal things with her, of like hey, like this is how I can in a way relate to you and like the Lord, you know he redeems us, and like sometimes we don't understand why, like family members are the way that they are, but like we know that the lord is good and, despite whatever family we're placed in, like we can always know like the lord is good and he's constant and he loves us, and that can be our source of joy when our family is not providing us with love and it's not providing us with affection, and like you know advice or wisdom, like we can seek that outside of them with the lord, who gives it like freely to us.
Speaker 4:And like I know that nothing like returns empty, like the word of the lord doesn't return void and she did not give her life to the Lord and you know that weekend you could just see her wanting, but there's something there that was keeping her away and you know I think of her often. I was going through my notes and I saw her account for like she sells like key chains and stuff and was like, wow, I hope she's doing great and just praying for her.
Speaker 4:There's times like that where a camper will come in.
Speaker 1:You'll see them probably once and they don't give their life over to the Lord.
Speaker 4:We can plant a seed and somewhere along the road someone else will water it. The Lord's still good in those moments you know the Lord's still good in those moments.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I've had a few like encounters similar to where it's like I don't really know like how far my words went with that camper, like really, what was the outcome, and then, like a few months later, I'll get a text that's like hey, jb, I don't know if you remember me, but I just got baptized at my church and it's like whoa, like that's awesome. Like you know, I think that's very humbling and I don't know it's just a really cool feeling to like you're saying like plant a seed that you don't know who else is going to water that. And I think that's the beauty of like Snowbird. It's like we're not meant to do life with them, like we're meant to, you know, kind of spur them on and then send them home. You know, equip the church, help their youth pastors, stuff like that just being faithful in that moment.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, in that moment?
Speaker 2:do y'all know, how do y'all remember me talking different times and staff training about when people say, well, if one kid's life has changed, it's worth, and always.
Speaker 4:That's really stuck out to me, ever since you've said that, yeah, good and the rest of that is no.
Speaker 2:If no one's life is impacted no one responds it's still worth it because we're being obedient to God's call in our lives and there are biblical examples of men and women who God called to minister in a context that no one responded. You know and praise the Lord, we get to see a lot of fruit, and so when you do have those, that what that does is that helps you. When you have a situation like that to go, no, it's, I'm being faithful yeah that's true, and and it's so, it's worth it.
Speaker 2:It's always worth it to be obedient to jesus. Um, thank y'all for sharing those. What about, uh? Before we go to the next question, I think we only have a few, right? Yeah, um, before we go that, what about is there? If you don't have one, it's fine. Can you think of funny story? A funny, a funny kid? You worked with anything funny?
Speaker 3:let's see. Oh, my goodness, this is just kind of funny and like an awkward story. So, um, I was a river guide for both summers and so you know, you just get random kids in your boat. Sometimes it's your campers, sometimes it's like a group of middle school boys, whatever. And this particular day I had this little middle school boy and it was like all my campers and then I think it was like one of their little brothers or something, and so obviously, the whole time on the river, like I'm messing with him, I'm splashing him with water, like you know he's in middle school, like he's shaking, and then that night I'm walking through the basketball court and I see him and I'm like, oh, what's up? You know, going for the fist bump, he grabs my hand, brings it in for a hug and hugs me, but he's like he's like you're my dog and I, literally I'm just standing there.
Speaker 3:You know, as a middle school boy I'm like oh, so good to see you like trying to push him away, but like, so be funny. But me and all my friends always joke about that. Like some of like me, emma Reagan will like greet each other. Like that we'll be like oh, what's up? And then like each other, so many like little awkward instances where I'm like oh, the kids get, kids get.
Speaker 2:We go through this a lot in staff training. Kids get so affectionate towards and enamored with the staff, and so we're always talking about parameters and safety measures for a kid not to hug you frontal hug, you know. So he reeled it right in I was like oh, that's funny.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You got one.
Speaker 4:A funny story.
Speaker 2:I'll tell you a funny one.
Speaker 4:Okay, you go.
Speaker 2:This kid named. It was an initial O, something O-, OJ, OT, O, whatever. I can't remember now and I think it was Okay.
Speaker 2:Okay, it's funny because if it's OT, we have an OT. Orrin Jones goes by OT. Anyway, this kid came with, remember that group, renegade Wrestlers, that comes, yes, yeah, so we have a group that comes to camp and it's not it's not a youth group, and they come in the summer and all the kids are. The whole crew is uh, their high school wrestling club used to be the actual high school team and then coach quit coaching at that high school. Anyway, it's a group of wrestlers, like a usa wrestling club, and they always have some really good wrestlers.
Speaker 2:And this kid was rough and from the hood, like from the inner city. I think they're from winston-salem and if you know winston-salem, there's an inner urban part of that city. That's, you know, just very urban, very rough, and most of these wrestlers came out of that community and they're really fun, but they were completely unchurched, unhinged. They had, no, they didn't have like christian manners, you know, I mean, and so we're going. And then, if you know wrestlers, wrestlers are pretty crude, I mean, it's rough. Um, they're interesting characters, they're just very interesting. There's almost like a personality that goes with wrestling.
Speaker 2:And this kid was we're going down the river and he had to go to the restroom, oh no. And somebody said, just go in the water. And two things he did not have to go. Number one oh no, and he did not get into the water, he went over the side of the boat. And so one, and he did not get into the water, he went over the side of the boat. And so we're floating along, and y'all know this story. We're floating along, I mean what were 12, 14 boats, and about boat number four in the line and his kids drop trow and he's over the edge of the boat doing his thing, and I mean I'm talking about girls, girl, staff, guy, you know. And then there he goes to the bathroom in the room. So, um, I remember the coach was just like screwing. The coach was so rough with him.
Speaker 2:Y'all know the coach yeah y'all know him it's madison's day I was about to say yeah, it's hooks and he comes over there and just pile drops that kid but he's laughing. You know, um, yes, that there's one. I can tell stories like that for just funny camp stories for days. You know, okay, yes, that there's one. I can tell stories like that for just funny camp stories for days. You know, okay, that might be a fun episode to do sometime, like top 10 favorite funny stories, that one always stands out. What else we got?
Speaker 4:um, I think all of my funny stories are on the river too the rivers, it just pulls it out. It's a slam dunk for funny stories honestly um, we were.
Speaker 4:It was after, uh, intern river training, so we had just got trained on the river and south side is our biggest like you know retreat like like the first retreat is just so big because it's just all south side and you just don't know who you're going to get on your boat. Ever really. And I just got a random like group of kids that were just like random, like oh, I didn't find like a boat to be in, so let's just pile them all in. But they knew each other. And there was this one kid and he was a little bit on the bigger side and he had never done anything like high adventure recreation whatsoever. So usually you hold the paddle like this, but he was holding it like this and he was like I don't know what I'm doing the whole river.
Speaker 4:I'm explaining to him like hey, look at me, hold it like this and he would be like, and he would just move his hand back backwards under the paddle and just like would struggle to paddle. And I'm like you're hand back backwards under the paddle and just like would struggle to paddle and I'm like you're doing it wrong the whole time. And then the other, the other kids, they were like we should throw him in and I'm like, let, let's be kind. And they're like I don't care and they like they. They threw him in into the water and we're like at like a really shallow part where there's a lot of rocks and it's so funny, he like falls in and he is struggling because he doesn't have good balance and he's a little bit on the heavier side and he doesn't know how to swim. He has a life jacket, obviously, but he's like freaking out, get me back in the boat.
Speaker 4:And he like falls over butt crack out showing everyone and he's just like can't get up. And then I obviously have to get him in and I'm struggling and I'm like trying to yank him but I'm like, hey, dude, you gotta help me out. You got to like move and he's like moving his legs. But the more he moves his legs up and down like, the more his shorts start squiggling down so.
Speaker 4:I'm just like, oh my gosh, I just yanked him and everyone else is just laughing and I'm laughing so hard I can't paddle. These kids aren't paddling because we're just dying. And he, he just sits down and he's like um we, we would hit rocks, buffalo rock, and he's like I'm having the best time. But you could tell he was being so sarcastic. This is the most fun I've ever had and he gets in the boat and he's like it was so fun. Please push me back in again and he's just being so sarcastic he did not enjoy it.
Speaker 4:And then we hit like the falls and he is like holding the paddle like this wrong the whole time and that was one of my like best trips down and he was just so funny funny butt cracks. You see them a lot, oh yeah oh, yeah, you do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you get a lot of indecent exposure um Any more questions? Did anybody send any more questions?
Speaker 4:Let's check, okay. Someone asked how do you know, or how did you know, that the Lord called you to work at SWO?
Speaker 2:I think you both kind of already answered that in your intro story, which was really cool to. For me it was really cool to hear it again.
Speaker 3:I think for me too, like I kind of went from early high school to where, like I didn't struggle with much, and then later on in high school I kind of got like mixed up I don't want to say with the wrong crowd, like good kids, but I just, you know, wasn't really living for the Lord, wasn't living a very fruitful life. And I remember my old youth pastor sent me either like the at the time servant team application or the staff application, and it was like my senior year of high school. I remember it kind of in my head being like I'm not doing that, like it's my senior summer, I've beach trips planned and all this stuff. I always think I'm like dang, what could have been if I had just like gone then, um, and then it's crazy, just like a year later of like I went to college and was just kind of hit with like reality, of like I think I was kind of living in the shadow of my parents faith, um, and I went to the same church my whole life. So like church was just more of like a social thing.
Speaker 3:You know, I I never really had to make faith my own until I went to a college town where I know, I knew nobody and nobody was holding me accountable to go to church, um. And then then that's when I was like, okay, I need to, I need to get my eyes together, I need to do something. And then I applied for Snowbird and I was honestly scared. I was like I don't know if I'm going to get in, and then just like prayed through that and like, like I kind of said before, I think beforehand, I was like, yeah, I don't know where I'll work maybe wind shape, maybe other camps but like as soon as I got the call or like the email, whatever it was, I was like, oh, I'm going there. I think it just did hold a very like special place in my heart because I came as a camper, um, I don't know, I think that's just really cool, just being like man, I was a camper and I work here like I would have have never thought I don't know crazy.
Speaker 2:But that's kind of more detailed With your story. I would say I hope parents would be encouraged by this that you went off to college. You were a kid who was a Christian. You were raised in a Christian home. I know your folks. They're people who love the Lord. They love their girls. They're not perfect, little, and aren't perfect. No, there's no perfect parents. God himself is the only perfect father.
Speaker 2:And let me say to parents it's a scary thing to turn your kid loose to go to school or to the military or off to the mission field, whatever. And we see a lot of parents hang up or hold up their kids from coming and faithfully serving the Lord here. We especially see it with element kids, high school kids. The thought of turning your kid loose for a summer when they're in high school and you feel like that biological family clock is ticking and this is maybe the last summer you're going to have them at home. I will tell you that if you will entrust your kid to the Lord, um, the way Hannah did with Samuel, the most gratifying thing is is to watch your kid walk in in obedience to God's call on their life and, um, and I'm thankful for um jb's story that, uh, when she got to school she wasn't exactly walking where she needed to be walking, but god was faithful to the salvation he had given her and if, if a kid has put their faith in jesus, they're gonna be just fine. I would just tell you that don't, don't worry about it, don't I? That as parents, we tend to hang up on things. Everyone y'all don't see, there's three dudes sitting in the room right now, all whose parents have supported them being here, and they're all young men now and they're in adulthood, but in that transitional. So there's five people in the room besides me all who I would attribute their success in coming here partly to their parents being willing to let them follow God's call on their lives.
Speaker 2:Sure, and I would just I would encourage parents that if you feel like you've got a kid that is in the least bit inclined to go serve the Lord, even if they're in high school, do it Um, inclined to go serve the Lord, even if they're in high school, do it Um, and you will never I've never talked to a parent of a, of an adult child, who looks back and says, man, I wish I hadn't let my kids serve at SWO or go to the mission field or spend a year in the Institute. It'll, it'll, it'll change their lives and um and. But then, on that, on the other side of that token, when they go off to school, just trust them, trust the Holy Spirit in them to guide them the way he did in JB's story. You don't have to worry. I think parents worry and freak out and try to control so much and you don't have to do that. Just trust the Lord. So it's a good word.
Speaker 2:What else? What else? We got Any more questions? Yes, it's a good word. What else? What else we got Any more questions?
Speaker 4:Yes, someone asked about how it looks like to share or be a Christian in the athletic area of life. So I think, like in sports, this person is in high school and just asking how it looks like to follow the Lord in that area.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 4:So yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, does one of y'all want to tackle that?
Speaker 4:I wasn't a believer until I was 18 and out of high school.
Speaker 2:So you swam.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I was about to say I would always, um, I was a captain my junior and senior year of high school swim and, like I mentioned previously, it was like I was, I was a believer, and I said that I was a believer, but at times, like I said, I just wasn't living like really fruitfully or really faithfully. But, um, I, I've always just felt like very passionate, like if I'm put in a position of leadership, like I'm gonna, I guess, like capitalize on it, I just really, I don't know, I like that feeling of like being able to just, you know, lead people well. And so I was a captain and so we would have like a chant. It's like a thing I don't know if it's a thing in like all swim teams, but in my town each swim team had like a chant right before the meet started whatever so the whole team's together and after we would do the chant.
Speaker 3:I would just like pray really quickly in between, like right after the chant, and then everyone would disperse. And I grew up in a pretty conservative town but I remember there was a boy who like really pushed back on. That was like I don't understand why we all have to pray before the meet. And I mean I had a good conversation with him. I was like by all means, you don't have to stay, it's not mandatory. And I know things with like school and religion can get weird, but I think like the most important thing, just in school or friend groups or sports or whatever it is, it's like just living faithfully and like a lot of times you don't have to say a prayer or have to have a Bible study Granted, those things are good. A prayer or have to have a Bible study Granted, those things are good. You know that quote. That's like sometimes you don't have to use words when sharing the gospel. I don't fully agree with that because I think-.
Speaker 2:But there's a principle there, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:But anyways. So I've had some people reach out to me post high school. I've been out of high school like five years and people have reached out to me and just been like hey, I just really appreciated what a true friend you were. Or like even my parents anytime. People would spend the night with us on Friday or Saturday night, that next Sunday we're going to church, you're more than welcome to come with us. So just stuff like that of just being faithful and being true and genuine and a lot of times like that will just kind of open doors to gospel conversations, just because your life, you're living your life differently. You're not gossiping, you're not being rude, you're not cussing, you know I mean, if you're in high school you know everyone's going one way and it's not the best way, you know. So it's like I think a lot of times people are like I'm scared to stand up or do something different. Um, but that's kind of like what I've thought about and that's good.
Speaker 2:I like that. Uh, the little intro and outro logo on that show, the chosen, where it's like a circle of fish, a school of fish and then there's a few fish swimming the other way. I thought of that when you said that, and I appreciate what you said about. If you're an athlete, first off, that's not your identity, that's not who you are. If it's your identity, you're going to have an identity crisis when that sport stops, and so it's not who you are. It's something you do, and I would encourage you to do it to the best and fullest of your ability.
Speaker 2:The Bible says uh, paul, paul, and, and right into the Corinthians, I think it's. I remember it was first, second Corinthians, 10, 31,. Whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God. Whether you eat or you sleep, whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God. And what that means is because that needs some definition what does it mean to play basketball to the glory of God? It means to give 100%. It means to not let it define your joy. Okay, listen close. Doing that sport fully to the glory of God doesn't mean you win a championship, get in front of the camera and give praise and glory to God. That may be something that happens and that's awesome. But what if you're on a team that only wins three games? What if you never get the camera in front of you? What if you never have the opportunity to speak that way? Back to what JB was saying about that. I think it's Aquinas that said that. Either a Beckett or Aquinas, it's the.
Speaker 2:The saying goes preach the gospel always, when, when necessary, use words. We, what we do, is we tweak that a little bit and we say well, you always use words to preach the gospel, but then let your nonverbal action be consistent with the message you're preaching. And so, when you're on the when, consistent with the message you're preaching. And so when you're on the, when you're on the court or you're on the field, you should play with a reckless, savage abandon. I mean, you should be the most intense, hardworking athlete on the, on the court or the field, or in the pool or on the mat, but then, as soon as that event's over, it's done, you give it to the lord, you leave it on the mat, and that doesn't define who you are.
Speaker 2:You may go home frustrated from a loss, but it doesn't define your joy, your happiness, and then you be the best teammate. You can be your person who encourages others, who picks them up. If they're on your team, you help them, you encourage them, you strengthen them. If they're on the other team, you help them, you encourage them, you strengthen them. If they're on the other team, you do everything you can to defeat them, but then you express gratitude for competition and you don't see them as an enemy. You see them as an opponent in a game, and so it's about attitude and work ethic and doing everything you do for God's glory.
Speaker 3:I also think another thing, kind of going back in that is like having respect for your teammates and for your coaches. I feel like that's a huge thing that I saw people talking behind their back around and I know that there's some rotten coaches who stink, but it's still like they're placed in authority over you and you need to respect them and respect their authority. I think that's also a huge like even moments when I swam in high school or whenever, like there would be times I'd be ticked off at my coach and like other people would just have respect and it would convict me of like I need to have respect for them and show them honor and gratitude, and I think that's also a good way that you can just, you know, kind of go against the the groove of other people.
Speaker 2:What was the? What event? Were you swimming when you smashed your face into the wall?
Speaker 3:Oh gosh.
Speaker 2:Y'all should see this picture. The picture no.
Speaker 3:I'll try to see if I can like link it in the description. But when I was in high school I broke my nose, literally right here on the bridge of my nose, perfectly even, like raccoon black eyes, and it was just during practice and my event was backstroke. So like two days a week we would have like our stroke days where we would focus on our specialized stroke and I'm doing underwater breakout kicks so we have fins on, so you're going a little bit faster. And if you've ever been to a pool you know those flags. Those are there for backstrokers. Underwater breakout kicks, so we have fins on, so you're going a little bit faster.
Speaker 3:And if you've ever been to a pool, you know those flags. Those are there for backstrokers, so you can tell, okay, I'm X amount of strokes from the wall, so I know when to you know finish or whatever. And so we're doing breakouts, underwater breakouts, and I'm trying to go the whole length of the pool without coming up for air and I see the flag so I like start to come up and then I'm like not like just finish strong, so I kind of dive back under, but I literally dove right into the wall face first yeah, face first nose first nose first and my goggles like snapped I think my goggles is like what really did it?
Speaker 3:but smashed into my eyes, broke my nose just like a perfect crack.
Speaker 2:Um, but the picture is hilarious so anybody that doesn't think swim is a violent yeah brutal sport. Where do you see these pictures?
Speaker 3:yeah, I remember my coach being like this is a no contact sport. How did you break your face?
Speaker 4:but yeah, leave it to jb I'll leave it to j JB.
Speaker 4:It's stupid, I think on the flip side of you know, being a believer in sports, like I did sports in high school and in middle school, but I wasn't a believer. But they, like the coaches or other teammates, were like similar to JB, very conservative town, they very high views of Christianity in Plant City, and before every game someone was praying. And looking back now I appreciate it and even then, like there was something different about that prayer, like even though I, like, grew up in a household where we believed in God but we tried everything, every single church possible, and it was just really encouraging to know like, oh, we're praying before a game or we're praying, you know, to encourage each other. Even though I wasn't a believer, I was still like we all love the Lord, not a believer, and you know, and even running, I can remember just being like Lord, give me strength as I'm running a football field, suicide for soccer, and like I do appreciate those teammates who would go out of their way to pray or just encourage us and like an encouragement to other athletes, like keep being that person that doesn't compromise their faith just because you're in sports, just because you want to be cool with your teammates, like, like you said, like being an athlete is not your identity. Your identity is in Christ. So be a light in your sport. And it does encourage nonbelievers. Oh, they're constantly joyful, oh, we lost. But it doesn't seem to phase them Because at the end of the day, win or lose, it's not for our glory like it's for the lord, and you know that's not where identity lies in.
Speaker 4:And I remember losing games and being like I suck, you know, and I was not like a good athlete. Well, like I think I gave 100 every time I was playing, but I don't think I was like any good, but I still would feel like dang, I need to be the best. For why? You know, like I wasn't going to go to college, why do I want to be the best? And it was just for like self. You know, self-glory, you know, just to have some praise from other people and it wasn't worth it. Self-glory, you know, just to have some praise from other people and it wasn't worth it, but thankful for those teammates.
Speaker 2:When you're playing 100% for the glory of the Lord, just to reflect on his character, you end up being better at the sport really because you take the pressure off of performing so you get the approval of people. I like the idea of just gather teammates Anybody that wants to. We're going to pray before the game. If it's not a team where the coach encourages that, I'm going to have prayer before the game. Lately used to do a Bible study before all of our games, but it was early enough before the game that people didn't have to come, so maybe some of those opportunities. All right, we got any more questions?
Speaker 4:I think those well some of the questions is basically what we talked about. Somebody asked what was an embarrassing story. Okay, we have any of those. I have plenty, me too oh gosh I could tell embarrassing stories about both of you.
Speaker 3:Don't go ahead brady, have you ever heard the story of? Do you remember when brandon entry used to have that like motorized bicycle?
Speaker 3:oh yes, okay, so I was there, yes, yes, three men. So I came in. It wasn't. It was during like the year or two years that I took off, but I would still come in work retreats, you know, and I I think it was a marriage conference and I came in to watch, I think, the Garner kids and um, during rec they'd come home to hang out with their kids, so they're like you can go hang out, whatever. So I go to camp to hang out. See my friends.
Speaker 3:This is so funny, it's so funny and so Brandon is over there at the three-man swing with this motorized bike and I'm like, like Brandon, can I ride that thing? Keep in mind, it's like an adult conference. So I'm, you know, we try to be a little bit more mature, we're not as like ah.
Speaker 3:And so I'm like, can I ride that thing? And it's in that big field by the three-man swing and you know, there's like cornhole and spike ball and like different yard games set up. And so he's like, yeah, sure, come over here, hop on. But it it didn't work like a normal bike, like the brake and stuff was like a gear that you turned. But he didn't tell me any of this, he just like was holding it and then as soon as I got on he let go of it. I didn't know how to brake, I didn't know how to stop, I don't know how to accelerate. My legs are straight, I couldn't even put them brake. I didn't know how to stop, I didn't know how to accelerate. My legs are straight, I couldn't even put them on the pedals. And in my brain I was going really fast, but I probably was going pretty slow.
Speaker 4:You were Okay.
Speaker 3:Well, in my brain I'm like flying through this field and there's like a poor couple trying to play cornhole. I like go in between them and then I'm like trying to stop and I run over a spike ball thing, crack snaps like, and that's what broke my fall, Cause I got caught up in the tire and then I just fell off the bike.
Speaker 2:I remember I was so embarrassed and it was so funny.
Speaker 3:It was weird Cause it was like half the people were interns that I hadn't really worked with, so I didn't know them.
Speaker 2:And then, I just know they probably were like who?
Speaker 3:is this chick Like? Who is she?
Speaker 2:That would have been your first intern year, Lisa. Yeah, it was Fall of 22. Oh my gosh, Two years ago.
Speaker 4:Yeah, geez, I remember one time this was last summer we were doing the opener and I was part of the opener with Zay, because you know stomp team. Here we go.
Speaker 4:But not really so. Our opener opener, if y'all came of summer of 23, we'd come out on stage and you know, one group was on the left side, another group was on the right side and we're kind of like battling on stage for like who's the coolest, who dances better? And it's me against zay and we're like, oh, and then I push him, like that's the whole part of the, the opener skate on monday night. Like I push him and I'm like what's's up, like what's going on? We're better. And then I have like my crew of backup dancers behind me hyping me up, and then he has his crew, but I, in front of like 500 people on stage, I lose my footing and I push day and I'm like like backing up and I trip and I fall on my butt in front of everyone and I'm just like on the ground.
Speaker 4:It's so embarrassing but AJ and Reed are dragging, trying to pick. One's trying to pick me up and one's trying to get me out of the way because you know Zay's about to go do a back. No, day is Day's about to come and do the back flip. And they're like Issa day's about to come and do the backflip and they're like isa's gonna get hurt. So they're trying to like pick aj's like get up. And it's like trying to pick me up while reed is just dragging me like I'm just being dragged from the middle of the stage away from like everyone, and it's so embarrassing and I get up and right when day does the backflip, like everyone kind of jumps up and starts dancing and I like get up and I'm like I can't crawl. I like literally just run back there and, funny enough, austin, or whoever was filming that night filmed the whole thing.
Speaker 4:We might have to link it with your picture we might have to link it with your picture, but it's just me like falling and they're trying to drag me off.
Speaker 2:And then it was so embarrassing that's perfect, because I was going to ask uh, have you seen the, the footage? Because I have.
Speaker 4:So, yeah, yes, and it's just me falling and it's so, so embarrassing. I'll have to watch it, people falling is funny.
Speaker 2:It is one time little and I went to last story I'll tell Little and I this is not camp related, but we went to a NASCAR race at Bristol and there's so already funny for people that didn't grow up in the South. So we're at this NASCAR race at the Bristol race and everybody gets drunk at a NASCAR race. Really, yo. I mean it's worse than football games or baseball games. Little and I were literally the only sober people in our section like, and as the race went on, people get so drunk by the end there were quite a few people passed out around us, you know.
Speaker 2:So we leave and we're out in the parking lot and there's a. There's a long steep bank from the one parking lot down to a main divided highway and then we were parked a mile away, you know. So we get to the edge of that bank and we start walking down and I realized, oh, this is really difficult to navigate. I mean it's steep and people were falling and rolling. I'm not talking about one or two. We watched. We sat there for an a half an hour, for 30 minutes. We just sat and watched people roll. I bet we saw over 300 people fall and roll down that because they're all drunk. They already can't walk. They started trying to go down this steep bank and they would fall and they would roll. This bank was probably half a football field. It's probably 50 yards long the cheese competitions oh yeah oh, that's what I'm envisioning.
Speaker 3:That's about what it looked like.
Speaker 2:Was it one of y'all that said it's on your bucket list to go watch that it's in Ireland, right?
Speaker 3:I want to do it. I want to be the cheese.
Speaker 2:You are the cheese, all right.
Speaker 4:Thank y'all.
Speaker 2:Queso.
Speaker 4:I made flan tonight.
Speaker 2:Que chistoso.
Speaker 4:Que chistoso. Next NSR, we'll be doing it in Spanish.
Speaker 2:I'm just kidding, okay.
Speaker 4:Hola, bienvenidos a no Sanity Required.
Speaker 2:I haven't translated it. Adios, hasta luego, all right, thank y'all for coming. We'll do this again.
Speaker 4:Yeah, should we gritty out? Should everyone get a?
Speaker 2:camera. You should definitely gritty out. You do that better than anybody.
Speaker 3:I know I was thinking we all look at a camera and smile with our thumbs up. Okay, All right, should I look? You look, middle birdie, that one I'll do that Okay.
Speaker 4:Three, two, one.
Speaker 1:We're shut. Thanks for listening to no sanity required. Please take a moment to subscribe and leave a rating. It really helps. Visit us at sw outfitterscom to see all of our programming and resources and we'll see you next week on no sanity required.
