Live from the Pathway Studios in Johnston Proper. You are live from the Path. I get things done. Work for the holy ghost. Work for the sun. This festive holiday evening. Hey. Hey. I've got a question. Okay. Let's have it. How long have we been doing this thing? Let's see. It'll be six and a half years. Holy moly. I was looking at the intro thinking, you know,

some of us have aged. Yeah. That's true. What what were we were looking at? Was it last week, Mike? We were watching, so we've got, like, one year and two year compilations of the show. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And, I mean, Buva looks ridiculous. Yeah. Does. It's like 40 and, like well and so I say that meaning he he's the most obvious 12. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, he he looks like we we stole him from from like a A Pampers box. Yeah. Or We got some candy in the van. Hey. Come on to this Internet radio. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No. Yeah. We we did notice that in the video. People certainly look different. And, actually, I've noticed that my, my my eyebrow

brows are getting bigger, like, year over year. It's hard it's hard to have video evidence of the changes of your life, like, week over week, but I feel like my eyebrows are starting to go wave vagoda on me. Well, I mean, that's something to watch out for, I guess. I mean, you're the daily look in the mirror, I guess, you it would be so subtle you wouldn't notice. That's what I'm saying. It's it creeps up on you. You don't have any idea until you start putting it side by side. You need to get the trimmers. Here's my wife keeps saying, let me pluck them out. Have you have you guys ever agreed to that? No. Uh-uh. No. I I didn't either. I said this no. This doesn't seem right. She says, you trust me with, like, your deepest secrets and times. And I'm like, yeah. But I I just know. I don't think I can I don't think I can permit this? I I have a little pair of scissors I keep in my medicine cabinet that every once in while I see one weighing in, you know, I'll just cut her off. Is it wrong to take a pull of it? I pull my ear hair. Oh, ouch. That just seems horrible. Yeah. It's not having it. Yeah. I I had one stray hair growing out of the top of my nose a couple weeks ago, and I'm like, what are you doing? What are you what are those? Every once in while, be like, what? Where did that come from and why? Like, what purpose are you serving mister lone gun up there top of the nose? You know, I see you don't have any friends with you like you're supposed to be there.

It was weird. I got one those little tremors for stuff like that. Yeah. My ears. Yeah. It seems like you gotta put a lot more effort into it nowadays. You know? Like, after you know, basically, stuff was supposed to where it was supposed to be circa five, ten years ago, and now it just kinda does whatever it wants. I think he hit, what, about 28 and things start going sour. Yeah. Like, your ear hair starts growing, and then one of that crazy one will come up on top of your nose, and you're like, why are you doing this to me? You know? I just wanna grow a legit beard. Alright. You've listening to Live From The Path. Here's what I got going on the show tonight. Dan, Dan is back from Zimbabwe. Yes. Sounds like a cool trip. So we're gonna catch up with him, find out, I don't know, what was what that was all about, his takeaways from the trip, what it means for for how we can react to situations in world, and what that means for, I don't know, the the local ministry,

after kind of engaging in in that interaction with folks. So interested to hear about Dan's time in Zimbabwe. Also, we're we're gonna catch up on last week's good news changes the world. So the the thought was is that if the gospel is to change the world, are there are there tangible ways in which that could be reflected in some of the prime discussions of the day? Last week, our our topic was health care. And so the question is is, like, if I relook at if I ignore everything else and just relook at the the situation through a health care lens, through a gospel lens and say, what what what could this look like? And in what ways that we are able to control can we interact with this? And, so I just I have a couple things I wanted to touch on from that. I have an article this week,

that I thought was interesting if maybe right, maybe not. But, anyway, I thought we'd talk about that. And then, and then next week, we'll introduce our our next, good news, change the world topic. And our goal really is to to not only engage in this conversation, but find people that are that are in,

trying to solve the problem through that lens or at least interact with it, hopefully, locally. And then we're gonna try to talk to him and say, like, how is that how is that working for you in the realm that you can control? How does how does good news help shape the world and change the world in tangible ways that a lot of people are arguing about? So, that's kind of the goal with that. We'll touch on that a little bit. And then next week, we'll have, we'll kinda move on to the next topic and see if we can find some people to discuss that with us. And we'll keep dragging some folks in here that we can find interacting, to get some more information. Yeah. That's cool. K. Okay. So I and I think then we got some advice on dear life in the past. Yeah. It looks like a, freshman, they're going into college is trying to decide what she's gonna do in the year in between, and the mom's trying to decide whether she wants to stick her nose in it. Oh. Oh, okay. Stuff's up for discussion. I feel like we should get in on that. Yeah. I think we'll be experts. Yeah. There's no doubt about that. I've parlayed both times. Okay. Well, so, Dan, so tell us, it's the first time you've been you've been, been able to talk to you since you've been back. Tell us a little bit about the trip. Like, why did you go and, like, was there an organization involved or what was the trip about? Right. Right. Gosh. Where do I start with this whole thing? I

connected with a a group called Hippo Valley Christian Mission. And it's really because a guy I only knew through Facebook passed away, and he was like a moderator of a group that I'm in. And they were talking about how he was a great guy and everything. And and, of course, everybody says that, you know, when someone died and or that, know I thought they start kind of snooping around thinking, oh, he really was kind of a cool guy. Anyway, the in his honor,

they started Hippo Valley Christian Mission, had a a fund set up where for a $100, you could fund a Bible college student in Zimbabwe tuition room and board for a month. Oh, cool. And I thought, man, a $100, that's like it's it's way better to train them there than for me to go there, you know, and be like mister missionary guy, you know. Sure. Always go with the indigenous people. Right? And so I did that for a a little while and then I just kept snooping around. We actually had the state side director come out to our church and kind of introduce the whole ministry

to us. And they have this Living Proof program, which is a sponsorship, kind of like your compassion, the different ones out there, but it's a lot smaller. They have like a total of 1,500 kids. So it's as much smaller organization, there's practically no overhead, it's just a handful of people doing this. And $20 a month and you get them into their this Hippo Valley has Christian schools within each school, then they'll start a church

and kind of spread out from churches from there. They'll plant new churches and they have some medical clinics, they have an orphanage, the Bible College. They're they're they're doing all this stuff. And I and I I started listening to this guy when he came to to speak to us and I started corresponding. And they're like, I mean, it it it's not one of those missions where you're like, they just kinda keep happening and you don't hear anything really productive. It's like, they're just like growing like crazy. They're they're reaching kids. There's thousands of children coming to their schools and their churches and and there's there's and they're they're discipling these kids and and it's they're taking them out of the rural areas where where no one's going and nobody cares about. And I was just just totally excited about this. So we have like, I think, 30 families from Pathway that sponsor these living child

living proof children. Yeah. And anyway, last November, at a at a convention, a missionary convention, I I had a face to face and said, dude, I want to go out there. I mean, I want to see. I think that's the responsible if we're going to pour this kind of cash in it, because then the church also start putting a lot of cash in it. So we're putting a pretty good chunk of change into this Zimbabwe deal. And I thought I want to see firsthand. Is legit and you can make a good salesman can make anything look good. And so that was really part of the plan and me going out there. Also, it was a we were my daughter, Shanna and I went, it was kind of a scout team because we're going to have another team go next year.

So we jumped on with a separate team that was already formed. And the purpose for this trip, a little context, the Living Proof program, the sponsorship and all the schools that have spread throughout Zimbabwe, once a year, have a conference where all these teachers come in that are part of that program and the pastors from those churches that are in the schools, they come in and there's it's a training and encouragement

and kind of like any conference. It's like a shot in the arm like, hey, what you're doing is really, really important to you. You're changing the future of Zimbabwe and of these children you've been changing their eternities. And so it's a thanks for what you're doing. Go out and do it with excellence. Go out and do it with everything you've got. And so I liked that too. So it wasn't like it it it was again, the indigenous people doing the work, but we were encouraging them. Do they speak they speak English? The more rural you get, the less they they speak. They they I think it's called Shona. Yeah. So it it it most likely the songs, I I we never knew what they were singing

unless we get some interpreters to give us, you know, some some hints. Then and the the more toward the the larger towns, they they spoke pretty good English. We could communicate with a lot of people pretty well.

And then we always had interpreters with us if we were like, I went to a church and preached and and we needed an interpreter. Yes. That was what I was going to ask is like if you ended up having to preach or talk to somebody, if you had somebody just repeating everything you said. Right. Right. I did that. But at the fur the first thing I spoke at this conference and they did not need an interpreter because these are all the teachers and the pastors and they're more educated and they knew English. I did have a tendency to speak kind of fast. I was a little excited, I guess. No, understand. Completely, yes. I'd be like, okay, sorry, I'm talking too fast. And look at me like, yes, yes, you're talking too fast. You I mean, Dan, is that your first is that your first interaction with an interpreter, like someone interpreting what you're saying? You know, it's it's it's funny. People have asked me that and I and I don't remember. I in China, I think I I I or it had been Taiwan, I believe I did.

But it's one of those things that it must have went okay because, you know, it's just like there was nothing special. You just speak a little slower and they say the next that sentence, you know, and you go back and forth. So it wasn't like a traumatic, you know, an interpreter. It's just I mean, you have any interaction where they spoke quite a bit longer than what you said and it made you nervous? Yes. There were times I kind of wondered, what's he really saying as he's trying to get to what I trying to get to the point of whatever the sentence was. But he's actually a guy I know. It's crazy. It's a small world. Zebedi is his name, and, like, I've I've known him for thirty years. Not I mean, he didn't know me, and I I I wouldn't have looked at him down the street and said, Zebedi, but when we met in Zimbabwe, I'm like, dude, I I know you. You know? Was like, I've seen you at conventions, and Right. He's spoken at conventions and stuff, the missionary conventions. So, yeah, that was kinda cool. It's like, now now we're now we're like buddies. But,

anyway, that was the first part of the trip was the the the conference. That was, two and a half days. And, we had a professor, a college professor with us who who teaches education. So they they did some education, creative education things for the teachers. And we had several school teachers there that could kind of share some of their experiences. A couple of us were pastors.

So it was a good mix a team. Then we did a couple of vacation bible schools where we went out into the schools of rural areas and everything is at least a two hour drive. It might be 20 miles, but it's two hours because the roads are that bad. It was insane. I can't even begin to describe, and no one could have described it to me until I got in there and you're bounced. I mean, you're literally going up and down the hills within the road, a flat road. Right. And we haven't even had a tire fall off once. That was fun. Wait. Wait. It just fell clean off? It fell off. And it and we were like in the middle of nowhere, and I'm thinking, okay. We're in Africa. I don't know. Is there a lion over there? I mean, I was like, I I don't know. So I'm like walking down the dirt road. My mind says jackal. Yeah. Exactly. What are your thoughts? Yeah.

Elephants. So I'm walking down this dirt road looking for lug nuts and we found them. They were like about a mile. Oh, mile. Crazy. But but I tell you what, the Vacation Bible Schools, those they're they're insane. We have 1,500 kids between two schools.

The first one was closer to town. It was still rural, but they spoke English pretty well. They interacted pretty well. The second school I went to is more rural, and they were a little intimidated. Some of them have never seen maybe white people. I mean, it wasn't it was under British control just twenty years ago, but but a lot of them have left. And so there's not just a lot of white people around. And so especially the kids, probably, they may have never seen one. And then, know, when you're the size of Goliath

walking around, I remember I got out of the car and took a step and the whole entire crowd of children took a step back. That had been awesome. It was awesome. All the guys are like, man, I wish I had the video camera going. That's hey. It's funny to think that, like, when when your car broke down and you were walking her down the road, like, if you were to run into a child, they would be more worried about a Dan Hudson than a Jackal. Exactly. Oh, that's my friend Bob. The the Jackal. What is that? That's great. So, yeah, mean, it was just it was really it was fantastic. The these they're they're these people are full of grace. They're they're full of joy.

They have nothing. You know? They're they're literally living in grass huts and with grassroots and have no money, no you know, they're living off the land, and

they've got nothing in in a really pretty oppressive government. Right. And yet they'll they'll break into song and and their eyes brighten up and they they they smile like nothing. I mean, they're just excited to be alive. And that was just kind of cool to

see that and to be a part of that. They're really intentional about training children. How am I saying this? Okay. My my first impression was the teachers and and the pastors. Yep. And and we we the thing is about to start and somebody just started singing. And pretty soon, they're all standing up, they're clapping, and they're dancing. They're smiling. They're they're they're they're just worshiping and and loud.

You know, this may be 60. It's not like a huge know, I mean, it's not that many schools. Right? And and it is it is loud and in full harmony and just gorge. I have no idea what they're singing. And it's kind of an echo thing, like the there'd be a couple of gals that would lead a thing and everybody would kind of repeat it. And and it was just kind of cool. Thought it was just neat to experience that. And then they'd be like a a really, do I say primitive, don't know, a djembe that they made out of And that'd be like their own music. And so I saw that for two or three days. Then we went to the Vacation Bible Schools and then I witnessed it like in they're obviously training the younger generation to do that because those kids sing and they clap and they're on I mean, they're on. And I just noted just just the way like the girls did something or the teachers would do something and the people would echo that they were totally training what they're going to do as adults. And I then I saw an older crew

schoolish went to the orphanage, and there was a whole mixture of the kids there. And and and I saw, like, the high school girls leading some some music, and I thought, man, that's like a mini version of what we saw before. Anyway, was just kinda cool. They they they totally train them from from childbirth on how to celebrate life and and and sing and and worship. And and I thought, man, we missed that out. We we we don't do that. That's true. I mean, we do, we do our attempts. But it is a cultural thing. We're just a bunch of deadbeats, though. Mean Right. Well, it seems like it's more ingrained in the culture where we're like trying. We don't even know how to quite do it right. Yeah. Yeah. And and that and that makes sense. Right? Like, it's not for it's not for lack of effort or lack of desire or even a thought that we are missing out on something. I feel like, man, we like, there's just something that is a block there where I was just I just like, I for I personally don't know how to I just don't know how to do it. Yeah. Yeah. It's weird. Is it like we have we have they they have we have too much to have inherent joy. Right? Like, we'll just we'll use we'll fill we'll fill where joy belongs with with something else. I don't like that song.

Yeah. Right. Right? You go yeah. I mean, you look even even, you know, most churches like I mean, there could be some churches that are getting down on the worship. Right? And, like, oh, you know, in comparison, it's gotta be like, you guys are hour. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? People are, like, drinking coffee, half interested. One guy's got his hands up. That dude digs it. But the rest of them are like, hey. You know? Get on with it. You know? You know? And these guys, like, this is the main event. The main event is we're here to worship. You know? Like, that would be so cool to be to see and Yeah. And be a part of, even if a little bit convicting to me, because you need it. Yeah. You know what Like, I don't mind being convicted in a way where I should be ashamed of myself. But, you know, even at that the conference, they only see each other once a year. Right? Right? So so even they would like pull out their phones and take video because it just sounded so good. Right. You know? And because they're used to it singing with the kids, you know, and their churches. We went we we did we did a church, and it was it was the same thing. You had the younger and the middle and and the and the olders singing,

and and you can just totally see. Like I said, they're training their kids from from when they can first speak, this is how we do life here. And that I really was impressed with that. I don't I don't know how to duplicate that because it's a cultural thing. You like to say, I mean, it's you know, we can say we're gonna do that at our church. Dan fires up a primitive chant to no reaction by himself.

That sounds like Lion King. Well, maybe it is. Good luck. Good luck, Hudson. Oh, yeah. So yeah. Oh, well so so so based upon the the

the things that you've you've kinda talked about so far, I guess maybe that was the the next logical question is, like, does that, I I don't know. Does it does it change anything for you? Like, as you as you're riding on the plane back and you're digesting the stuff Yeah. Yeah. You're talking over it with Shannon. Right? Like and you think just just in in our circumstance versus their circumstance or anything like, what are some of the some of the takeaways that you had that you think are, like, appropriate to to at least see differently or do differently or look at differently, at your ministry here at home? Right. Well, a part of it for sure is we've been having a lot of budget conversations with my family. Not even necessarily like adding things to the budget, but just like what can we get rid of that we're just really, it's it's just why are we spending this money? You know? And and, like, we're gonna start sending a 100 or a 150. We haven't figured that out yet to particular we've adopted a church there, the one I preached at. Yeah. I

got more of the story of the church. I thought, man, we could I just wanna walk alongside these guys, and and we could be their sister church. And so that's where we're going go back and visit them next year in July. But I'm going to send them $100 $150 whatever and that's going to like revolutionize them. They don't want we don't want to just throw money at them, but but I also wanna make sure the preacher's being paid enough and and they're having the funds to do what they need to do to function. Right. You know? So that he's not out there trying to figure out, man, how am gonna feed my kids? You know? It's like, wanna make sure you're fed and you're taking care of we're not talking big dollars. I mean Right. They, yeah, at top, they're making 500 a month. I mean, that's a good that's good living wage there. They're getting paid 300 right now. And so I'm gonna add to it to get them bump them up a little bit. So that's just a stress. Really, it's more of just a stress relief off of him. Because Zebedee, my my buddy there, said he was very impressed with how this guy has been working. I figured he knows. Don't what do I know? Know? Right. Right. I'm there for a week or for a month. How can you not trust a man named Zebedee? I don't. You I mean, it just sounds trustworthy. Yeah. It does.

So so yeah. We're looking at and, I you know, I have a a storage unit that I've had probably for four years, and I it's been at least two years since I've been in it. Right. You know, I'm like, well and they keep raising the rates. It's like a $150 a month now. I'm like, I don't even know what's in it. Yeah. Well, that needs to just go. You know? Because right there is the $150. There it is. Right. You know? That doesn't even like, I'm not even sacrificing. It's like a perfect metaphor. Right? Like, here's all the stuff you're holding on to Yeah. That could, be there to benefit somebody else. And you're like, man, that's that speaks pretty plain. I mean, that's like that's literally a life change Yeah. For them. And for me, it's just like, oh, it's a $150. Like this stuff, I think. I don't know.

So there's that, looking at I mean, I don't like feel guilty that we have air conditioning. Don't feel bad for our culture. Totally enjoy living here. So that's not a thing. But I think of how little it would take, little effort on our part to really revolutionize them. I laid there one night, you guys know me, I'm not like a Mr. Weeper guy, right on center crying, and I'm just weeping. I'm just like, I'm glad everybody's in bed and I happened to wake up and I'm just laying in bed, I put my I always put the blanket over my head and I do my little Facebook post and stuff. So I wouldn't make it be up. And I'm just sitting there weeping. I'm like, what the crap? What's going on here? And I mean, I was having this hard time with God. Said, God, will if you want me to, I'll move here. I mean, this is I

was having a big enough connection with the people. It's like I don't I don't I was basically just, I guess, making sure I could verbalize to God I'm letting go of everything. Right. You know? I mean, I I I plan to retire from Pathway Church in Johnston, Iowa. But if you want me to to Zimbabwe, I'll do it. And in our little heart to heart, he was kinda pointing out budget things for me like, well, dude, you you you know, you don't know the language. Why why why I mean, don't waste your time. Right. I got people here who know the language of the culture, the nuances of what, you know. All the kids are afraid of you. Exactly.

You're you're a beast. State of America. There's a poster of you right now in a village wall, a very crude drawing. So, yes, I mean that's probably the biggest way that I've since returning

have really evaluated like as far as change that I need to make, I need to simplify my life and and and be more generous and be more I can we can impact some people with very little effort. Yeah. You know? I I actually I had that conversation. I think we were talking about it within the last few weeks, just just out of some bible study, and it was like, what what we run into is, I think, is is is folks feeling guilty about wanting to to do gospel work and feel like they're making a difference in people's lives. And they're like, you know, am I supposed to am I supposed to sell everything I own? Am I supposed to, like, live in a smaller house and whatever? And I said, like and one of things to, I think, to react to that is to say,

sometimes, like, you don't you don't need to move to a third world country. There's there's people there, but you can you can come up with $200 way faster than they can. Yeah. It's okay to be the resources, man. Right. If if money is easy here, then then then distribute it easy. Right? Like, if you can get it faster than they can, if you can help them build a well, if you can help them, you know, fund a pastor, if you can help them feed children, like, yeah, you could quit your job and go over there and take another share of the crops and sympathize with them or know that, like, you can you can get money very, very easily. And as much as we can get blinded by it, we can also like, if we use it correctly to do very, very cool gospel things throughout the world. So, I mean, thank the lord he's put you in a place where you can get easy money. Don't keep it. Right. Right? Just and then distribute it. But, like, it's okay. That's it's a right use of resources to say there's a lot here. I will take a lot, and then I will distribute it. Yep. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. That's a that's a good point. I think something that we,

like, I think I think there are a lot of times when we approach scripture. Like, we do people grasp and say, look. I will I give all this up if I have to, or or if god wants me to. And, like, a lot of times, god is saying, no. No. I got I got you in a place where you can procure cash. Yeah. Right. Right. Yeah. Do it and and send it to somebody who really needs it. Like, they don't need any more sympathy or a guy that can, I mean, hug them while they are starving? Just fix the starving problem with the money you have. Exactly. Alright. Alright. Oh, so I I was looking it up. In case anybody's interested, you can go to hippovalley.org backslash living dash proof, or there's a link to Living Proof on the front page of, hippovalley.org. And, you can you can get in on the Living Proof sponsorship program. It's, $20 a a month,

and it goes directly towards the evangelistic efforts within the 27 mission schools, and toward the forming and operating of the Living Proof Clubs, and that was focused on bible learning and, and leadership development. And I think that's that's a cool thing, like, reflecting on on the stuff that Dan had talked about, is, you know, not only is there is there obviously good work going on, but, like, there's a right thinking that you need leadership. Right? Like, you need to be able to train folks. You need to be able to so that stuff can keep going, without trying to go in and break up the culture. You use the culture as it sits and otherwise provide some direction for it and then let it ride. And so that's pretty cool. You can get it on that for, for $20 a month. If the kid, gets they they'll they'll take some of the money to fund for, like, future education it costs to go to high school, you know, and the fees. I like, I I remember there's a guy who we were sending money to Pakistan, to help with some kids that are in,

that that are low income there because, like, they they have uniforms there. Like, you have to own the uniform to go to the school Yep. Even in rural Pakistan. Yep. And so, like, you gotta buy the uniform. They need books and stuff. And, like, the no one's providing that. If you don't have it, you don't either you don't have the books or you're not allowed to go to the school. And so, like, a very small amount of funding allows five kids or whatever to be able to go to school that month. And so, like, part of what they do with your with your $20 is they put it aside in an account to be able to help with high school fees and and additional education down the road, scholarship opportunities. Then they get a bible and a shirt and, yeah, all kinds of cool stuff associated with that. So that's $20 a month. You can get in on that. That's at hippovalley.org backslash living dash proof. Tell me, it was it was really cool. We were at one of the schools where a couple that we were in our group was sponsoring a child there,

and, the the the teacher brought the child to them just so they could meet. You know? And because, know, they've been praying for him, and they brought some gifts like the shirts, you know, the socks and and things like that. And, it was so cute. The the the the couple was sitting in a chair two chairs, and the little girl came up and kneeled down and said, thank you for my shoes and thank you for my uniform. And and she started listing off a few things. And and, you know, of course, they're just in tears like, oh, sure. Okay. You know? And, it it it was I was sitting right next to him. I even got that on video form because I I thought this is gonna be a kind of a neat moment. You know? Yeah. And it was just it was just pretty neat being a part of that. But I did not get to see the the child we sponsor. He was in a he's in a different school that wasn't very far away, but, again, it would been like, a two hour drive. Right. And that's the day we lost the tire when we were in that area. And it was like, yeah. It's just not gonna work. So Yeah. They went to orphanage that night, so we would've, you know, would've missed the orphanage.

So yeah. Yeah. It's it's it's crazy. They they have there's all kinds of different things. Like, there's the living proof that sponsors a child. There's the orphanage. I think it's a $100, provides the their room and board and food and and education and everything. So there's all kinds of if people, like, wanna sponsor a a particular project or person or, you know, type of thing that they they really they're pretty good at breaking stuff down like that. And and like I say, we're we're we're adopting a church because I think, how else that's where discipleship happens is you're reaching the neighborhood and the community there, community in that area. So, yeah, yeah, it's just it's so exciting to see things happening there. They're just happening. The spirit of God is is alive and well and spreading in that area. So

Yeah. And there's a also, yeah, just check out the website. Go to hippovalley.org. There's there's a lot of the all the opportunities that you can provide. You can travel. There's there's trip packages and stuff out there, project ideas. There's a blog, so you can keep track of kinda what's going on. And here's the thing. There's there's plenty of places that that, good good Christian folks that are doing work in these areas. It is nice to connect with someone or with something that, you know, someone you know has has seen with their own eyes. Right? Like, can validate that the money's gone. Dan Dan, you and I both heard, you know, stories from, from pastors or churches that have helped to try to support something overseas, and, like, it's a rook. Right? It's a show. And and you wouldn't know the difference. The guys are good at it. Right. And so, being able to kinda go see and and and make sure everything is is is on the up and up. Unfortunately, where the good of, where the good of God is,

deceit doesn't tend to lie too far around Mhmm. So they can poison what God's up to. So, anyway, you know this. Dan Dan went and checked it out, and, looks good to go. So go to hippovalley.org and see what else is out there. Dan, I was gonna ask you, though. So, you went to when you were in China, you went as a as a younger man. Right. And now now I I've having gone to the trip to Zimbabwe, like, can you compare those trips for me? Like, what what was was there anything different? Was there anything different for you, not only about the cultures and the places and stuff, but, like, you as a person, what what it was like when you were younger going to China? And, like, was there anything different for you going to Zimbabwe now?

May I was in my twenties when I went to to China. It was China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. We went to some orphanages, and we were trying to create some relationships so they could ultimately adopt children back to The States, out of China Yep. And get them to Taiwan. And, you know, you're you're just younger than I don't know. I I I

felt I had much more to give in Zimbabwe. Uh-huh. That could be because I'm older and more mature. It could be because the people are so receptive. We had to be a little more covert, especially in China. Oh, sure. We snuggled smuggled Bibles and things in in, but, we we we still had to be pretty careful.

It was more open in Taiwan. And and we were more our home base was an orphanage in in Taiwan. And so part of it was just playing with the kids there who are already in a really great Christian environment. So the the the particular mission in in Zimbabwe was much more outreach oriented.

I mean, the people's there there was more joy. There was more joy in people's eyes in Zimbabwe Uh-huh. Than in China. They were empty, and and the communism had just beaten them down. You could just tell. Yeah. Because we're in a rural area in China as well. And so, yeah, there's a vast difference in in the way people interacted, for sure, just the general population. Yeah. Sure. We we in Zimbabwe, we would drive by and wave. And just the fact that that we were, you know, white people and adults that were waving, the kids were they they would squeal. I mean, they were just so excited. They giggle and jump up and down and and,

oh, look at the white people. You know, the interpreters told us what they were, you know, saying. And but but but it was a happy you know? Right. No. So it it wasn't, like, freaky or so we spent I I I just drove down the road waving at everybody. Like a prince of the parade. You know? Exactly. Exactly. So what did you,

what did you teach on? Like, did was it intimidating to walk into a culture like that and and and and, like, you were going to to speak to them change, or was it an easy thing? What what did you what did you teach on, how did it go? The the the I did the same sermon at the teaching conferences I did at the church because, you know, different crowd. Yep. And and they had set the theme, arise and shine if your light has come in Isaiah 61. And and, so we had to speak on that theme. So I talked about being light in the world, basically making disciples and and just the the Jesus said you are light, not not try to be light. You just are. And and so go out and be Jesus, you know, to people. And I think that's pretty universal, but it was intimidating to think, I I don't I don't you know, just just the little things. Like, I I I had a little turkey hunting story. I because I I did it here the week before we left. Yeah. And so I I called my my Zimbabwe

connection. I said, they even know what wild turkeys are? You know what I mean? Right. I don't wanna give them some big story, and they'll be looking at me like, what are you talking about? And but so that was intimidating, but they they knew, what they are. But I did also I had a wild turkey walk up to me at a school. I'm like, okay. In America, they see you two miles away. They're running. So that was different. Right.

Anyway so, you know, but but so they probably still didn't like my story. But the whole idea was the the darkness and then when the sun rise and everything new. You know? So that that was pretty universal. But it it was a little intimidating. By by the end of the trip, probably my best personal moment Yeah. Was

we had gone to a school. They have their morning devotions and chapels and stuff like that. Went to a school chapel service. This is right before we left, actually. And there's probably 600, 800 kids. I don't know. There's nine, ten, 800 kids in that school, and they filled the whatever the room was, they filled it. And I I had been with them enough to kinda get them a little bit. You know? They do a lot of shouting and repeating, and and if if you engage the crowd, they will engage you. Yep. And, you know, we talk about proverbs and stuff like here. I thought, you know, I'm gonna do the you know, I had, like, a five minute preparation. Right? Hey. Will you speak? Sure.

So I thought, okay. I'm gonna do wisdom, you know, calls out from from from the street, you know, calling your name and and from Proverbs one and two. And and so I I don't know. I started talking, and I talked about my my when I was a kid, when I was their age, and and I'd be out playing, and my mom would call my name, and it time for supper. You know, I'd run home. And I, you know, I said, well, I haven't heard that for years. Can I hear you say, Dan, come home or and eat or whatever I said? You know? And it it was so cute. I mean, it was, like, hundreds of kids shouting out, Dan, it's time to eat. You know? And I said, when I heard that, I they heard a call my name. You know, I'd come running, and then I talked about my friend. I'd see him. We'd call each other's name. We'd go across the street and say hi. And then I had a dog named Puddles that that didn't listen, And we would call his name, and if he saw someone across the street, he'd run out to say hi. And one time, he saw someone, and and we called his name. He didn't listen. He got hit by a car and died. And so the kids were like, oh, no. But, you know, each time I had him yell out different things. Yeah. And then I said, hey, I read the verses. I said, wisdom is calling for you.

It was just anyway, I finally figured out how to communicate with them is my point. I'm going way too far into what I said. And and it was, like, totally connected with them, and it was just it was just a neat I'm I'm glad on a selfish level that I got to experience that because I thought now when I go back next time, I'll have a different approach. Right. Kinda figured out a little bit, at least how to talk to the kids. So So so it's a it's a pretty good crowd for, for, I know, for interaction. Right? Like, they're like, they're paying attention. They can they can respond back to you. Yeah. And it sounds like they're kind of energized by that type of thing. And they're total totally narrative, which I had heard under understood that, but it's like that they don't they don't want, you know, a three point outline into four poems or something. They they they want a story Yeah. With point and and a movement. And, yeah. And I knew that, but I still didn't do well. I I didn't feel good about my little sermon thing,

but but I felt pretty good. I felt way better about the devotion thing that I had no preparation on than I did the, sermon I poured hours over. You know? Oh, well, I don't know. Based upon their their, you kinda right. Like, if it's a narrative thing, that that would make sense. Right? Like, you put some structure into something. Like, okay. Yep. Yep. I get it. Yeah. Cool. Cool. So, physically, I don't know, Dan. Those are long flights. Was that, how those go? Oh, buddy.

So, yeah, we go from Des Moines to Chicago. That's what? An hour, hour and a half, whatever. Chicago to to DC, which was, what is that, three, two and a half? I can't remember. From DC to Ethiopia, that was like a thirteen point five hours. And then there was another four hour into Harar, Zimbabwe. Then there was a six hour drive that we hadn't prepared for through the potholes.

That was killer. That we had died by then. It was actually worse on our way back, though, because from we went from Harar, the capital of Zimbabwe, back to Addis and Ethiopia. And then we flew, it was a seventeen point five hour flight from Ethiopia to Dublin where we stopped and refueled, but they didn't

let us deplane. We just sat there on the runway for an hour Oh. And then on to DC. And that was brutal. And I only got up once. I got once the whole time. I thought, you know, I should probably go to the bathroom at some point. And it was when we were stopped, and I was in line. It was about my turn to go. And she's like, you have to sit down. They're fueling the plane. And I'm thinking, well, if it blows up, mean, I does it matter if I'm standing or sitting? You know? That's true. I wasn't sure about that. At I'll be comfortable.

Yeah. I'd be comfortable. And and then and that was I mean, it's not like I couldn't I mean, you you're in a plane. You can get up and walk around those big old honking planes, but I just didn't. I I was I was by the window. I would have crawl over people. You know? Yes. I just didn't. And I thought that was that was pretty miserable. Seventeen hours just sitting in a two foot cube. It's it's pretty bad. And you're right, though. With the way back, that's why I'd, and Boob was not here, but he he would've kinda had similar experience, I think. When I went to The Philippines, it was about that. It's, like, sixteen hours or so to from, where we go, Detroit to China. And, like, the first one's exciting, and you're like, I don't know. There's plenty of movies to watch. Like, this is great. That ride on the way home was just awful. Yeah. I mean, you think to yourself, I don't know what I was thinking. This is terrible. Right. I'll sleep in the aisle. I don't care what it takes. I I need to get out of here. You become you develop a it's not claustrophobic, but it's like,

you have it's it's a weird sense, because you have no control. Right? Yeah. Like, there's nothing you can do. You're over an ocean, and it's the middle of the night, and you got eight hours, and you can't do anything. Mhmm. It's, I mean, it's Can't sleep a wink. Yeah. Yeah. You're just up, staring around. Here's no wonder people go nuts. Yeah. You think like, I I simply the people who have, who have trouble sleeping, like, it just makes them a wreck. And you and, like, I don't know. It starts to give you a sense of this would drive you crazy. You go two years of this thing every night. Wild. Yeah. Wildest. Alright. So sleeping sleeping alright, though, Dan, did you have wait. So we were talking a little bit before the show started. You had a hard time sleeping while you were there.

Yeah. I I I I chose the wrong bed, and it just wasn't a comfortable bed. After I figured out later on, could put some your, not your mattresses, couch cushions on top of my they're like two little two inch foam mattresses is what the mattresses are. And then it was on top of, some planks of wood that were separated by six inches or so. So it was just really uncomfortable the first couple of nights. And the cushions helped, but they were like two inch cushions too. They're not like big fluffy cushions like maybe you have at home. So I had four inches of home, which which which did help. It helped tremendously. But, you know, it's just they're seven hours ahead,

and it just took me about a week and a half to get so I'd actually sleep all night, and that was about the time we turned around and came home. So it took another week and a half or so to get my bearings here. So, yeah, I didn't sleep a lot. Alright. Well, Dan, it's good to have Dan back. Dan, sounds like, yeah, that sounds like a really cool time. So would you say a recommended trip if if people are are thinking about something like that? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Absolutely.

We're having a little information meeting on August 14. We're all we'll show pictures and stuff from the from the trip and then kinda talk about our plans for about this time next year, July, I think, it's eleven to '21. We're going back and do some Vacation Bible School stuff again. And yeah. So No. So I I I know I thought of a question when you're talking about that vacation bible school. So, like, do are are this is this for people or kids that are at a at, like, a particular school or something? Or do they do they, like, bus them in? Do they walk in? Like, do they come in from, like, around the villages? Yeah. Now the ones we did a couple weeks ago were at the schools.

So they were they had walked some of these kids walked nine miles of school. A day? A day. Dang. At least half of them don't have shoes. So they're walking yeah. And and, of course, they're not sitting there whining about, oh, don't have shoes. They just don't have shoes. I mean Right. This is what how they are. So it is a big deal. The when you do the Living Proof thing and they get shoes because they do love the shoes once they get them.

But yeah. So they they were kids at the school. We just basically took over the school. And I don't know if other people came for that day because they knew we were coming or I I I don't know the the background about it. I think they're just the students there. The one we're doing next year will be at a local church where where they will reach out into the neighborhood and bring in children. And from other people's experience there, we'll probably have several 100 at that too. It

they just I was talking to a guy today who who did one a couple years ago. And there there are 80 people preregistered and, like, 200 showed up. And and all these kids were, like, in the bushes watching. And and then my friends are like, well, what are they doing? He goes, well, they don't know what we're doing. They don't know what a VBS is. And he says, well, invite them. So he, you know, spoke the language, and and they all started coming in. Then all these adults, it turned into a revival

outside. Everything that happened in the sixties really well in America Yeah. Is really effective there. Oh. So revivals, VBSs, and and, he even said today, if you had a bus that you could take to Zimbabwe, they would grow like a weed. Wow. Because it just everything everything that worked in the sixties and seventies totally works there. Yeah.

What's the so what's the spiritual climate in Zimbabwe? And I don't have to speak for the whole country, but, like, at least Well, I'm very experienced now. Isn't it? Things that I've been there recently. It is it is, this was a little surprising to me. It it is very denominational. Uh-huh. Like, there were some pretty fancy,

Catholic buses driving around. Oh. And I don't know if that was for locals or Catholics that were coming and traveling. I I I don't know about that. But so everything there is it's it's big to be part of a club, to be part of a group. Some churches even have uniforms. Every school has uniforms. Right. So it's like, I'm gonna be the Methodist, you know, and they have the cool uniforms or something, then then they'll be part of that group. And and so they've been heavily this is my assessment, and I could be totally wrong here. Again, go back to America, the seventies, where there's lots of people going to church, but not everybody, like, really

Jesus people. Sure. I think that's what's going on. And that's why people that I think it's a pivotal time where the culture could slide and follow what we did or there are people who are very receptive to the gospel right now too, which is, I guess, why I'm so passionate about going back and hitting this next generation because

we can totally change that culture. Obviously, there's several who don't go anywhere to anything. But yes, it's heavily denominational. But that's all I know. I mean, I I don't know how deep those writs are. Sure. Yeah. You know, lot of times the the the denominations will send money overseas, and then when you get on the mission field, they're all like, whatever. We're Jesus people. I don't I don't I don't know if that's what it is there or not. I can't say from experience. So And I I heard a,

similar description of, China from like, there was a a cup a missionary that had written a book, and and it was it was similar. He had gone to jail, and things were going real well. It was like a it was more of a of a grassroots effort. They were the I can't remember that. Was really young. And so, like, they're part of the the back to Jerusalem movement. Like, we're always like, hey. We're gonna go to these people groups and help meet them help them meet Jesus. And the Chinese Christians are like, hey. Somehow between here and Jerusalem, things have gone gone awry. We're heading back, and we're gonna we're gonna evangelize on the way back to Jerusalem to make sure the whole the whole path is kinda taken care of. So, anyway, he said he he we'd gone to prison. And, like, seven years later, he came out, and he said, like, the whole the whole communal aspect to it and the whole kind of, like, pure focus on Jesus had gotten a little bit jacked up because,

foreign missionaries started coming in and denominationalizing the areas. Yeah. And and so then you got in an argument because, like, the the groups strong groups that tend to, evangelize or, like, spend the money to send missionaries, tend to be hardcore on,

on theology. So, like, you you had, like, penta Pentecostals and then reformers who would who would, like, poured into China, and now they're fighting over, hey. There there aren't miracles like this anymore. And, like, the Chinese people who had seen some of these things are like, you know, they're no longer asking, do you follow Jesus, or are you a Christian? They're like, what denomination are you? And the guy was pissed when he got out of prison. He's like, what happened when I was gone? We like, yes. We can we can use resources. Yes. We can use, training. But, like, whatever happened here is is is culling the herd here. It's it's dampening the movement, because of some of the things that people have now kind of changed their identity to be shaded by one thing or the other. So was interesting hearing that, from him. And it sounds like you run similar risks, I guess, anytime you start kinda poring different ideologies

in different places like that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You know, there's some there's some there's there is a a, pretty extreme Pentecostal, vein going, through the place right now to a lot lot of really hyper spiritual things. Like, when when I was speaking at my conference thing that I was at, there was a church.

I think they they figured out it was about four blocks away that was so loud. You could hear the the preacher. I mean, was just screaming the whole time. So who knows what he was saying? But the I thought it was, like, someone across the street, like a drunk or something. It was actually a church. If he was hopeful, it was a Pentecostal. If he was upset, he was a Southern Baptist. Yeah. Exactly. It was And it was kinda overpowering our little little conference because we didn't have any sound systems or anything. It was just, you know, a group of 60 people or something Right.

In a in a in a little brick building. But, yeah, that's going on. There there's some I don't know if I wanna use the phrase new age, but but ultra spiritual, not Jesus stuff going on too. They'll they'll they'll I I wish I would've taken pictures of that. I didn't because I didn't wanna

take too many obvious pictures of driving down the road. Because they have, like, little turbans on and stuff. They're they're not Islam or anything like that. It's it's some spiritual religion thing. And they'll just camp out in, a section, like a lot, like a house lot, you know, a piece of ground along the road. And that that just becomes their church gathering place. They'll never have a building or anything, and people will come there. And, the guy I was talking to, Zevi, was saying they they will if it can be typhoon season, and they'll still gonna be there, and and they're gonna be doing whatever it is they do. You know? And Wow. The people come and, like, it's, like, really oppressive too. And it's wild because, like, this like, there's no money to squeeze out of these people. You know? So Right. So what's it for? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, is it just a I think it's a power trip for the the people leading these. There there's some type of guru guy or something. But, like, every every mile or so, you saw another group, you know, going down the road. Appreciate their tactics, I guess. I mean You know, I mean, at least they're hardcore. They're hardcore. You know, they're not they're not half sold in.

Man, isn't that the deal, though? It's like every time everywhere you look and you're like, those guys are jacked up. It's it's Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Pentecostal power folks, some kind of weird spiritualist somewhere, but they're beating the streets. Yeah. They're spending time. They're spending money. They got they're causing people to follow them, and you're like, what the heck? The most here's the deal. Evil is motivated. Yeah. I I don't mean to lump that whole group as evil, but you understand what I'm saying. Right. Like, evil is motivated, to to work harder, work faster, commit more resources than good.

And, and that's we're on the other side of the good who are like, I can I can spare a few bucks here in a little bit a couple minutes to help a guy? As long as it's not inconvenient. Right. Right. And evil's I mean, mean, hot footing it. Yeah. They're looking for they're foot looking for ways to pervert it before the good can get there. And so and, frankly, you sound like old news. You're not offering fancy cars. You're not offering, know, prosperity. Like, you're just offering true things. You're like, well, yeah, but we heard this line. It's pretty tantalizing. Yeah. The the prosperity gospel's pretty hot there, evidently. Dang it. The Pentecost I mean, here's the deal. They send people everywhere. Yep. They generated a lot of money, and they said they said, meet meet the nations. I tell you this. You want a you want a church that is willing to commit bodies and money to missionary work, it's freaking Pentecostals. I mean, they're excited about it. As as much as I have places to disagree, I mean, those people are putting money at things. Yep.

We're too late. We're lazy. I'm disappointed in me. I mean, don't you think that after a while, look around and rule Zimbabwe and go, you know, I don't know if this prosperity thing is the deal or not. Here's the no. No. Here's the thing. Here's what you're offering. You're offering hope. Yeah. Right? It doesn't have to be happening now. In fact, the the promise of You the best life now. Problem that only works in America. Yeah. Yeah. Right? So, like, so think about Heaven is is much the same. Right? This the the kingdom of Jesus says, not everything will be perfect. Now you might suffer. Your life is one of service to people around you. However, there is a point in time which everything flips on its head for good. And so, like, Christianity is kind of a later promise. It doesn't promise anything good, like,

permanent worldly prosperity now. However so so they're they're playing off the same vein, though, as they're saying, people can still buy this, and they can look around and see one guy that's wealthy and say, it's working. For him, everyone else still has the thing that they really need, which is hope. Even if they don't even if it doesn't change in their life, that's how that can continue to work. And that's a that sucks because that means you're like, you're playing off, that that's people are gaining power off of other people's hope, and they're missing the point. Here's a here's a two minute history of of Zimbabwe. Britain came in and decided, hey. We'll go ahead and take this land. They'll be our colony. So they took the land. They redistributed it all,

gave the best land to their own people. The Zimbabweans got the leftovers. Now that was unfair. It was terrible. It was awful. However, that was also they were known as the breadbasket of Africa at that point. It's like seventies when they were known for them. They they were they were growing crops like crazy. It was they were just extremely productive. Yeah. The revolution happens I didn't say this earlier, did I? No. Okay. The revolution happens, and part of the whole thing is we're gonna give you your land back. We're gonna we're gonna we're gonna take this back the way it should be. I think it's 1980 or 8280. They they they kick

out The UK and and, oh, a couple years go by and and and one of the generals is now the president. He's still there as the president. The the military people come and say, hey. You thought we were gonna get our farm people farm laying back. What's going on? Because he, you know, he had other things to do. And he said, well, the the white people own it. Go get it. And so there's a lot of big bloodshed going on again then. Right. And people went in and took farmland, and and even people who bought it after the revolution, they still lost it. It's a big big upheaval. Well, what happened was people who don't know how to farm took the farmland.

Oh. Oh, man. Yeah. Okay. So it absolutely tanked Zimbabwe. Like like, I mean, it it absolutely tanked it. Now they're the poorest country on the globe. They they even beat Haiti. They're they're poorest country.

They're completely unproductive. The whole that you can't even find cash. Someone someone traded went into a grocery store in a community we were at and bought, I don't know, whatever, $8 worth of stuff, had a $20 bill. They had to open the safe to get changed. They just don't have it. They don't have money at all. Right. They don't even no one knows where it went. Like, it all disappeared. Somebody's hoarding it somewhere. Right. But the whole economy has collapsed and, because they're not productive. And so they're,

he's been saying all along, the president wants the white people's fault. They're oppressive. Blah blah blah blah blah. But they're just now the people are looking around saying, wait a minute. There's no white people left. Right. You know? So, mean, I is there a big initiative to try to get some of that those farms back into production? Or I don't know. I don't know how they would do that because now they they keep switching who owns the land and stuff, and now people have you know, it's been a generation and and and people didn't farm, and they're like, I don't know to farm. I don't know to farm. But mostly, they're just all self sufficient. You know? We got a few goats and some chickens and and a cow or two, and and that's all you know, I'm not feeding anybody else. I'm just feeding myself. Export? Why? We're good. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. So they're not business people. They're just poor farmers doing their thing. Alright. Hey. Check it. Make sure you check it out. Hippovalley.org. And, you there's there's plenty you can, learn up on, contribute to. And here's the deal. Go go back to, to something we were talking about just a little bit earlier.

I mean, you can read you can listen to some of this stuff. You can read about how other people are living. And and if one of your actions might be, I have too much, I should sell it all and go sympathize with them next door. I mean, I I suppose if god is calling you to to that, whatever. But, like, the likelihood is that he you have the access to resources that they could very much use. You can obtain wealth much faster and easier than those folks can. And so, one of the things you can start doing right now, which is akin to Dan's story, is, take a look at your landscape and say, what do I got that can help people that need it? And then find good places to put it. So whether that's, the Hippo Valley folks,

there's there's plenty of organizations. I mean, check them out. Like I said, evil kind of kind of foots is hot foots. It gets it gets in front of stuff like that. But, like, plenty of good places to send money to people that will get it, people that can really need it, and you can get it easier than they can. So before you before you book a plane ticket, before you, you know, decide that you're gonna move somewhere, why don't you look at look at the resources you have, and how you can use that to help other people? It's it's funny that you say that, like, even about that $150 is like,

I can't barely do anything in this town for a $150. Like, change a change a situation, change a life, you know, get a program started or anything. Right. And, like, it's it's it's almost a $150 is almost laughably wasted. Mhmm. And you you send that same money over there, and it and it and it just it it produces in spades. You know? Like, makes all the difference in the world. And you're like, man, I dang. You know? Like, I mean, it it just seems the one thing that, like, I don't know. Maybe it's it's it's a culture thing. It's a society thing. Obviously, it's a it's a economical thing. You know? But, like, the thing that we have, we can't do anything with. You know? We have money here, and it it doesn't matter how much you throw at it. It doesn't seem to actually turn a difference. Like you know? But, like, you take that same money. What they have, they have they have joy in nothing,

and and the money is the actually, the icing. You know? Like, it's it's the blessing it was intended to be. You know? And we're like, man, the the stuff that we got here, we can't. It doesn't matter how big of a place that you get or however extravagant a VBS you have or whatever. You know what saying? It's still the joy of Christ that does all the legwork. God does the growing. Right. You know? And so, like, I I don't know. It's it's it just it just occurred to me when Dan was talking about that. I'm like, that's true. We we can get money if we need it. Do we do we need money? We need it. Right? And then the same thing is, like, if if we needed to get a group full of dudes together and worship, boy, that's tough, bull. You know I'm saying? Dang it. Mean Mike. That's true. Many phone calls I gotta make and how many schedules? I ain't make it. Or, you know, I got other stuff going, or we don't have the right sound stuff. You know? It's ain't like everyone's bailing on it. We can't make it to the park or, you know, whatever. These these guys are throwing it together with a couple five year olds. They can pull it off like nobody's business. And then, you know, we're like, but we got lots we we got money. And we're like, you know, I I don't know if just even though, like, I you know, Dan said, you know, you don't wanna come back on and be like, you know, this air conditioning is of the devil. You know I'm saying? Like, I don't think that's the point I'm getting at, but, like, it just seems like, I I don't know. You get so far past something and go, man. I've I've I've missed it. To realize you're on the wrong train going the wrong direction, still screaming about being on the right train. You know? Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. It's convicting. I'd even go. I have to find I gotta find the podcast. I think it was it was a guy who had a sports talk show on on,

HBO for a while. Is it Bill Simmons? It might be Bill Simmons. Anyway, the he did he interviewed a guy who started a a charity for, Wells, Diggin Wells. And, like, the the the dude basically was, a rich something or other, young executive type, if I remember correctly. And then he goes on a weird bender, like alcohol, like, driving drunk. He's got booze in his car, hot footing it to Canada or something. That's my word for the day, apparently, hot foot. And so,

he has some sort of god experience. Like, the podcast kind of, runs over this, but, like, the way the guy's talking about it, he's run into Jesus, and it's basically, you need to do something different. And so the guy ends up using all his his, I don't know, skills or whatever, to to figure out how to start wells, places. And and here's the thing. It's like, like, it doesn't just change it doesn't just help people get clean water. It completely changes their economy. It completely improves their family lives because, like, you have women traveling miles and miles and miles alone, in in multiple dangers, primarily from other from men in the area.

But but, you know, like, long places where they're not home with their kids or whatever because they're hike going to get water that will likely kill the children by the time they get it back to them. And so, like, listen to this guy talk about whales and, like, it was very little money. You know? Like, you could put a well somewhere for, I don't know, $1,500 or $2,000. Or there was a guy that, ninety nine three had out at the Chick fil A talking about, filtration systems on, filtering water they had available to them. And, like, I mean, it was dirt cheap for, like, solar powered filtration that would run for five years and feed a village of 50,000 or something. And you're and you're and you're thinking to yourself, like, I'm solving weird problems here and, like, things that I can't make movement on, and it it would take so little of what we have, to otherwise make improvement on that. And I and, like, I get like, most of what Dan said wasn't about money, but, like but the the I think the point, though, is is that, like, as you look at

at folks who are engaging in a joyful relationship with Jesus Christ without that, and and I think to Mike's point, we would have a hard time rousing up that type of enthusiasm culturally. You know, I I wonder if part of the ways that we get there is is being able to to give and serve in that way for other folks, in those types of situations. Because if that's if if that might be one of our blindnesses,

well, then let's if we open our eyes and start to make the movement, then, you know, maybe that kinda gets you back closer to square one. Yeah. And, you know, and I think it's some of some of it is is, like, you know, we'll look at the thing and say, look. That's just not our culture, or I just don't do that. I'm like, what the heck? Why not? You know what I'm saying? Like, you your culture is defined about however you act. That's how they define the culture. So you don't like it. You don't put the put the change on it. I was I was born a stiff white guy. My daddy was a stiff white guy. Yeah. My my my family who came over on the boat were stiff white guys. We just don't do that. I don't know how many times that I've said, like, you know, I just don't do stuff like that. Only to think about it, like, six hours later, I'm like, why the heck don't you do stuff like that? What kind of idiot steps inside a quagmire of a hole and be like, yeah. I just step in holes, and that's what I do. I live in it. I don't get out of holes. It's just not what I'm built for. You dummy. What do you mean? It's ridiculous. Alright. Alright. Anyway, like I said, hippovalley.org. Go check that out. Maybe jump on the train and and find something that you can, can put your money to. And here's the deal. If you say you don't have money, that might be true,

but you're also looking at that in relative context. I I would look back at my life over the last ten years and go, oh, yeah. I just don't have money. I I I bet I can come up with something. Right? Like, if I just look out at my landscape and figure out relative to what money might go to, I I I got it or can get it. I can Uber a couple nights a month and fund a whale. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like, there's there's options. Here's what would be funny if freaking Uber got overrun by Chris just looking to do charity work. Like, all of a sudden, you got 10,000 people over Tri State area who are flooding Uber drivers because they're like, we're we're building wells. We don't know how else to get money, so we're gonna drive two nights a week. Yeah. We could we could keep Uber or Lyft or whatever in business with charity work. It's just a thought. Jump on the wagon. I thought about going back to Target and working, like, five hours a week, and that'd just be my Zimbabwe money. Yeah. And then I thought, I think I'm wasting more than that. Yeah. Yeah. Possibly. Yeah. So, anyway That's that's that's true. Right? Like, you can always, I always try to sell my prom, but, like, I'm gonna add a job or work. I'm like, I I can't do that. Stop it. As I as I snack on some donuts or whatever I just bought, and I'm like, well, there's a dollar I probably could have saved. Punner.

Alright. Anyway, you're listening live from the Path. Thanks for hanging out with us so far tonight. Hey. If maybe you have questions for Dan, you can, shoot us you you shoot it to us, [email protected], and, I can get it to him, and and, he can answer any questions that you might have or hook up with him on Facebook. He's easy to find. He's the big, white, scary Dan Hudson on Facebook. I think you'll be able to pick him out. So, anyway, I'm sure he he's got more information or can help with any questions you might have about the organization, about the trip, or whatever. So he's yeah. Yeah. I mean, he's he's he's an expert. He's a world traveler. I mean, we're talking China, Taiwan, Zimbabwe, Dublin. Yeah. There's not a place Dan has not been.

There's an Inuit somewhere who hasn't heard about Jesus, but Dan's targeting him next. Alright. Shoot. So here's the deal. Mike, I think we're gonna have to hold hell we're gonna have to hold health care till next week. Okay. Which is it it good anyway because the guy I I don't know. Did you guys have a chance? The article was long. Did either of read it? No. I didn't either. I kept I forgot about it. Then I saw it the other day. I'm like, oh, yeah. Yeah. And I still didn't do it. That's okay. So maybe if you try to read it this week, I'm gonna try to find see if I can get ahold of the author and see if we can Skype him in. Because it'd be interesting to to have him talk about it and be able to answer questions as opposed because, like, here's what we do. We always read an article from a guy, and then we describe ways in which he's not got it right. And he's not here to defend himself. Yeah. Yeah. So, maybe we maybe we can find this character, and he would be willing to come on, we can at least talk with him about it. Because I think there's there's an interesting interaction. There was another, article on the same on the same website, and it was about, or no. Was a slightly different website, but the conversation was being had there. And it's like the uprising of of people who are using the word socialism in a way that, like, makes someone from twenty years ago, I mean, throw up. They're like, you're you're throwing this around like this isn't an evil in the world. Right. And and it was just an interesting conversation about how people view that word and what its implications are. And then this guy was kind of part of that discussion. And then from there, I I I tied back to, his discussion on on health care, and it makes me think that,

some of the way we look at things comes from either negative or positive reaction to governmental structures. And that's what this exercise that we're trying to go through is supposed to help with is to say, is there any way I can eliminate all that for now? And calling it a reality, like you have to deal with the political structure that's in place. Like, if nothing was here, what would what would gospel work look like in this arena? And then let's rebuild from that point of view and say, now I have to know understand our government works like this, so these are things we can influence. Now what can we do? And so, I thought his voice was a very interesting one as part of that conversation. So I'll see if I can get, it's Matthew Loftus. Maybe I'll share the article this week, and we can talk about it, for next week. That'd be cool. Yeah. Mike, what do got? Dear life from the path. My 18 year old daughter has just graduated from high school. She has now informed me that she's not going on to college like we had previously discussed and becomes upset when we try to talk to her. My question is, should we let her make her own decision about this and pay for it for the rest of her life or continue to push her into some kind of life skill set?

Wow. Oh, those that's that's your dichotomy of options? Was that the end? That was it. Oh. Wow. From life skills. I mean, are they paying for college? I didn't say. I mean, because if they're not footing the bill, I mean, is she living at home? Yeah. Yeah.

So, I mean, I I I mean, that's a real dad thing to say. Be like, you're gonna have to get some life skills. Absolutely. It's a little cheesy. I mean, some people subsist as pickpockets. So, I mean, you're gonna have to be more specific, I guess. I was just an adult. I would say control the things you can control. If you, like, if you have a stipulation to say, look. We'll we're willing to allow you to continue to live here rent free or for a minimal amount if you're otherwise doing this. If you're not gonna do that, we totally understand, but it will impact your life in the following ways. You will not live here for free. I don't know. It seems hard to me. I mean, I've been on this kick for a while that, like,

if if if my child is passionate about something and it requires a college education, I think you should get it. If you're passionate about something that does not require a college education, I would not get it. I just I just don't see you know what I'm saying? Like, I was it's been the last, you know, thirty years of high school where they're you know, where they've got these big pushes, like, everybody's gotta go to college. And and what do you have is is a bunch of people working, you know, middle management, white collar jobs pulling in $50 a year and have, you know, a $100,000 in debt Yeah. You know, for something that they don't even love doing. Like, I have a business associate's degree. I answer the phone at a customer service center. Right? Like $12 an hour. You know? I mean, I hear what you're saying and and and, you know, I'm not saying that there's not life experience there there. There's not people to hang around with, but, I mean, you can find community in a mission trip to Zimbabwe and get more done if your goal is to just if you wanna just answer phones at the at the call center and make decent money. But, I mean, you wanna walk in there with, you know, $60,000

in debt just to say that you went to college. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I would agree with that. Like, I I wouldn't I wouldn't prescribe college as as necessarily an answer. Right? And, like, that's actually the worst it's the worst possible financial decision to say, I don't know what I wanna do with my life. Maybe I should pay you $15.20 grand a year while I think on it. Yeah. Yeah. Right. I can think on it in a forest or something. On top of the fact that you have no passion to be there at the moment, so, like, your your meteorology grades are gonna suck. I feel like of the worst way to spend money. No. I mean, seriously. Well, yeah. And think think about what it what it would cost you. Like, what do I owe? I think I owe, like, $30 in in student loan debt. I've been paying that thing for the last five or six I don't how how long we've been out of college. Seven years, maybe. So I try to keep up with interest and stuff. I still owe them $30,000. I've made, like, no progress on it. And and I think to myself, like, I wasted. I wasted it. And and so if you think, you know, let's say you took five years off and did not go to school and tried to figure out what it is that you were going to do,

and then went to school and, like, did it focused and got, got your degree if you wanted to or you found something else to do with your life. Like, that's just as good as not wasting $20,000 to go sit in a classroom somewhere to try to make that decision. Yeah. I know you look at your time, and you say, I gotta I gotta get my life started. Well, like, your life started whether you're in college or not. Right? Like, you gotta look at your life a little bit more holistically than that and and recognize that, like, that's not a value proposition is to make a decision why you're forking out big dollars. It just it's it's it's a bad in fact, it already commits you to a trajectory. It's too bad that Bou is not here to speak on this because, I mean, he did something very similar. Like, he went to the working world, and then now he's going back to school to finish up his degree because he he knows what he wants to do. You know? Like and and and the same thing's true for Shanna. Right? Like, she's gonna be dentist or whatever. You can work on you gotta go to school for that. Right? You can't be a side of the road dentist, you know, that that bags groceries on the weekend. You know what saying? Like, you can't do that. Right? But, like, if your daughter's like, listen. I, know, I was gonna go to college and and and, I mean, we just hear her out. Treat her, you know, treat her with some respect. Try to look at her not as your five year old daughter who's trying to explain to you why her room gets to be dirty and she don't have to put clothes on today. I mean, it's a different conversation. She's 18 years old. I mean, just try try to take your dad hat off or your mom hat off for a minute. Just talk to her like she's another human trying to trying to level with you. And I I think that conversation's gotta go different. Right? I I think I think she has a boyfriend. You think he's a dude? I think so. Dad says get some life skills that don't involve that man. Yeah. If if that's you think it's a hidden boyfriend, or he just didn't wanna bring it up in the question? I I don't know, but I think she has one. I think that's really the root of her issue. Dan says mystery man is the is the real problem. And maybe maybe the dad just isn't smart enough to figure that out, or or maybe. I I don't know. Maybe he didn't go to college.

Blue collar dummy. Here's the deal. I feel like I was, I can't think of anybody else that you know, Mike, do you do you imagine our family go to college? No. No. Yeah. And so, like and and as as the guy that's done it, I just I don't know that I recommend it. Like, I just I really no. I it's it's hindsight, I suppose, to say that. But, like, did you go because there was a girl? No. No. So here's hey. Okay. So here's why I went to college. I went to college because I was going to be a high school English teacher, and you have you have to have degree.

Like, right, you had to graduate. You go through the teaching program. The college I went to had, like, a 98% placement. So that like once you graduate, I thought at least I know it's a it's a bit I did two years at community college, and then I did two years at Simpson, which is a private school and it's expensive. But like with a 98% placement rate, I thought like I'll have a job. And as long as I have a job and I'm teaching and I'm doing what I like, okay. I think this will be fine. And then I went through the process. I got to the last semester, and you were supposed to do your student teaching. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And so, like, the the deal with the student teaching was is they're like, well, you so you're going to do, you're gonna work at the school during the day. And so I said, was working at the time. I was gonna have to quit my day job. And I said, okay. But I'm paying you I don't know what what it was. It's like 5 or $6,000 for the semester. I said, what happens to that money? And they said, well, we keep it. I said, I'm not even taking any classes here. Who are you do giving the money to? Like, you're not paying a teacher. Are you giving it to the school that I'm working for for having to deal with me? And they said, no. And I said, well, this is ridiculous. Why don't you give it back to me? Like, stipend it back to me so that I don't have to work at the Taco John's at night while doing the schoolwork.

Like, I I don't charge me whatever nominal fee you have to do to pad the pockets. I don't care. But, like, don't make me pay you $6,000 for nothing. Compensate the school, give some of it back to me, and keep some for yourself. And then apparently, it's not a bargaining item. They don't know. And so, like, I simply could not square with this. I thought, I I'm not paying this. This is not a I'm not gonna do this. And at the same time, while I was kinda fighting through that, I found out, like, we were pregnant with our first kid. And I thought, like, yikes. I was gonna have to take a pay cut to go teach high school English. And I thought, dang it. I I don't mind that necessarily,

but my wife we we we were talking through, and we were thought my wife was gonna stay home. And I thought, well, shoot, man. Now we're single income. I I do better if I just stay in kind of the corporate space that I had started in, call center style at the beginning. And, and so I stayed there. I ended up graduating without the teacher certificate, but I had, like, a it's a English degree, basically, which, it was it was English degree at Liberal Arts College. I mean, I you can get that on the Internet Yeah. Arguing with people about what you think how Mark Twain was racist or whatever. Like, mean, there's plenty of options. And so and so I walked away from it, and I thought, like,

I did I it wasn't a college experience. I was working. I was living, with my with my wife at the time. Right? So, like, it's not like there was anything beneficial about this whole operation. It was just, I just owed them $30,000 and, to to to no really avail here. And so so but now here's deal. There's there's a combination of circumstances where I can look back and then say, maybe I should have skipped this. That's not true for everybody. There's a lot of jobs that require a degree. I'm very lucky that I'm in the job that I'm in that they will continue to to promote me without a degree. There's a lot of companies that won't. They'll say, look. We don't care what your degree is, and you could be a botanist for all we care, but you have to have a master's degree to get x job. It's dumb corporate stuff, but, like, it's what it is. So, like, I get it, but I just wonder Mike Rowe's pretty big big on this, the dirty jobs guy, talking about, like, there's just plenty of work out there, lots of it, for people who don't,

in, like, trade schools or people who don't have college degrees or don't need them. You don't need a college degree to do the work I'm doing. I could have saved a lot of money. So, anyway, it's it's, it's not a it's not a a one way or the other. Right? It's just look at your circumstance and don't shade the conversation by saying, have to college or you suck. Yeah. And and don't skip college because of some dude. Yeah. Okay. Let's see what secular says. Secular says, your daughter may be burned out from studying. Rather than push her into doing something she is sure to resent, consider allowing her to take a gap year. This does not mean it should be spent resting on her loyals or her fanny. She might benefit from getting a job and learning what the real world is like. It would give her time to mature and after spending a year in a lower paying job, she may begin to appreciate the wisdom of furthering her education for the financial benefit it brings. Let me ask you this. Is is the real world not relative? So, like, let's say you grew up in money. Like, your your your parents have money. Excuse me. This is this is how I grew up there. So the so the the truth is,

like, in reality, you may not have to work like another guy who didn't grow up with money Yeah. And never. Like, it may just never be it never be the case where like, what the question is is, like, what is the when where is the real world? Like, whose life is mirrored to say if you live that guy's life, then you're living in the real world? I'd say Paul Harvey. Paul Harvey did not have a normal job. He was a he was a celebrity. I mean, he seemed pretty he seemed pretty straight laced.

I guess, I was having a conversation with somebody over the last few weeks, and and they were upset, in a relationship about someone who's like, you know, the parents provide for them certain things. Like, they work and everything. They have their own place, but their parents are like, you know, they just know what it's like to live real life. The parents buy x, and the parents buy y. And I thought to myself, well, like I mean, I hear what you're saying, and I value those types of things. And I think it's risky not to do them, but, like,

that is her real life. Her parents will act actually just provide that type of thing. Yes. So, like, what what is she supposed to do? Like, what is this person supposed to do? Is she supposed to say, you know, I refuse this? Yeah. I don't need your car, dad. I'll buy my own clunker. That doesn't make any sense at all. I don't know. I I yeah. I mean, like like I said, there's a there's a there's a virtue in there somewhere. But, like, I I think sometimes we have this way of, like, leveling a playing field where, like I mean, it's implicitly not level. I would not, I would want my, if I if I had resources that otherwise could help my children in a way that otherwise didn't turn them blind. Right? So it's not destructive, but you would help them if you could. Like,

I wouldn't I don't know that I feel like they would have to say, hey. You don't live in the real world because your parents assisted you in ways that otherwise they wanted to and were capable of doing, but that otherwise didn't cause you some sense of entitlement. I I don't know. I was just struggling through the thought process because this the other person was kind of kind of upset about it, and I thought, like, I mean, that's a little unfair. You can't expect someone to actually, like, know how to live in a reality that is not theirs. Their reality is actually different. They grew up differently than that. Yeah. Living in the real world means you live like me. Yeah. Yeah. It's like, well, but I live like me. Yeah. Right. I live in my real world. That's true. It is a bit arrogant to think you are the walking real world. Exactly. Yeah. Like, whatever experiences I have is definitely how the world works. Exactly. Right. And and and usually, the measure is if you do not have life as hard as I believe mine was, then you don't know reality. And, like, I think to myself, like, hey. The the guys in Zimbabwe, they live real life. I'm like, well, you know, their life is certainly different, and there are probably lessons to learn from that. But that doesn't make that doesn't make my life not real. It doesn't make Dan's life not real because he's got easy access to air conditioning and a comfortable bed here. And so, like, I I just wonder if we had to be a little bit careful about, our sense of what creates a decent person

situations like because that's kinda what they mean. She's gonna go off the rails unless she gets the reality of hard work. Is there is there is it possible that this woman's life could be productive and beneficial to society if she and let's start with the basics here. She loves Jesus, is capable of spending a a year doing mission work. I mean, not making a dime. Yeah. Right? Or, I don't know, working in a political campaign or visiting Europe. I don't care what she does. Right? But, like, if we're if we're capable of providing for that, is it not possible that those unique experience create something that is valuable to the world that I don't have to say unless you were a garbage man for a year in your off season, you were not doing real work and not valuable? You know, it is weird because, like, you say that, love, but, like, as a potential employer, you know, I would be like, man, this this person's it's got some experience. Right? Like, they did, but they were part of a political campaigner. They did go on a mission trip overseas for, like, six months or something. Like, they lived a little bit of life. Like, I mean, when did it become a virtue to say, oh, I see you did what everybody else did for four years? You paid big money. Yeah. Okay. I see you win in the machine and came out. Yeah. I mean, it's it's it's almost like high school, right, except you ain't forced to go. I mean, it's not. I I I mean, it gives you I mean, frankly, I mean, there's no there's no there's nothing you can grab at college, you know, that you can't probably find on the Internet. You know what I'm saying? Like, I mean, it's it's just being exposed to different things. And, like, I'm looking at the guy that bit down on one and said, you know what? I'm gonna try the Peace Corps, and this is what I'm gonna do for a year. And then you show up looking for a job and like, you know what? Let me talk to that guy. He solved actual problems. You didn't whoop out his calculator and and and have at it for two hours in in quiet. You know, they're like, hey, Chuck. There's a traveling pirate coming this way, and, you know, we're out of water. What do you wanna do? Well, okay. Know? Like, this is a guy that could actually get something done.

Okay. Alright. Interesting. Let's do one more. Okay. One more. Dear life from the path. I've had a weight problem all my life. What makes it harder is that I have a sister a year a year younger who can't gain a pound. She always she has always been the, quote, hot one and the center of attention. People she has introduced me to have actually said, I can't believe your sisters instead of saying nice to meet you. Of course, my sister is married while I am still single. I hate being around her because I feel like a slug. Jeez. I'm more physically active than she is and I eat healthier. I'm not ugly but I feel that way around her. Do you have any advice on handling this?

Okay. Speak speaking of reality, let's just let's just start over. Right? Right. Your sister in no way contrived how she looks at all. Very similar to how you do not contrive how you look at all. Right? So, like, you you you're starting to understand this sounds like a little bit that, like, your this is coming from you. It's emanating from you And, like, whatever onus you're trying to put on your sister, you have got to reel that back in. Like, that's just flat out not fair. You know, she just doesn't have a choice in the matter. And second of all, you know,

well, you know, I don't know. I'm not I'm not good at explaining these body things to the ladies, but, yeah. I I I feel like it's like some of this is preoccupying your time. You know, I'm I'm not saying that looks don't take a part in stuff, but like people people love you for the way that you is and the way you are and the way you act and the way you love and the way you carry yourself. And, like, that blows right by whatever preconceived notions or notches you've knocked yourself down to. Like, you it's it's real possible you're the only one that thinks you're there. You You know what saying? Other people look at you and let they don't say, I can't believe your sisters. Well, apparently, you look completely different, and apparently, you act completely different. She's pretty comfortable in own skin, and you're a drag. You know I'm saying? You're bummed out about stuff and pissed all the time. Yeah. You're not sisters because you don't act same. You don't look the same. I don't think that's meant as an insult. It's meant as a hey. You're just completely different people. Yeah. And some of that is because you just ain't happy. And, like, man, I can almost just guarantee you put yourself there, and that is not the common perception. Yeah. I think that's, like, one of the things to recognize, I suppose, in that type of situation is that you are, especially when it comes to relationships with someone else. Right? Of course, she's married, meaning I'm not.

It's very hard for someone to commit to you and otherwise be in a relationship with you if they only get to be in a relationship with half of you because the other half is always, like, trying, like, upset about not being somebody else. Right? So, like, you're actually didn't like, the thing that otherwise allows you to connect with people and live a full life that is reflective of the uniqueness of you is being tainted by you worried that you're not somebody else. And so I I I would say, like, of the things that you want in life, you're you're probably not ever going to get them if you spend any time at all being preoccupied with who you are not. And so, I double down on who you are. You just gotta know you gotta know who you are,

and you gotta leave the comparisons with your sister or whatever behind. And I know that's difficult, but, like, recognize that all things kinda come from, recognize, like, who who you are uniquely created to be, who you uniquely will attract to yourself, and what will be provided to you in reaction to that. So, boy, I you know, I've I've found myself giving similar advice to someone who was looking at, they're looking at they're unsatisfied with their life, and the things that they were like, I feel like I should be doing more in x, y, and z, and I feel like I'm not I just don't feel energized for some of the things that I'm doing. I'm like, you know, you're chasing something that's not you. What do you want? What is it that you want to do? What has God built for you to do?

What opportunities does he ask you to And then go do those things. And, like, if you spend any time chasing things that aren't aren't kind of in your line or, like, not doing the things that otherwise express who God is, the the talents and the uniqueness of what God has created you to be, yeah, you're always gonna feel, like, separated from everything going around you. And so, you're just gonna have to kind of embrace that thing and, and start living that life. And then I felt feel like a lot of that stuff will start to fall into place for you. Yeah. I mean, Ben, you've spent almost your whole life situation. I feel like Yeah. I mean, I feel like people should listen to Ben. I mean, he's got he's got He gets it. He's got experience here in the world. You know? It's just it's it's hard to be have a sibling who's awesome. It's just it's just hard to wake up in the morning. You know? That is the deal. Like, I had someone who brought up my eyebrows and said, why can't you have nice refined eyebrows like your brother Mike?

Yeah. He's not even my brother, I say. I know that I know that I wake every morning, and I pray, dear lord, to help Ben to feel worth something today. I mean Give him eyes for glory. Give us give him give give The truth is harsh. Give him give him warmth when I block the sun. Jeez. Secular says, for starters, stop comparing yourself to your sister. You're overdue for reviewing your own assets as an individual.

You may not be as metabolically blessed as your slender sister, but that doesn't mean you don't have the important qualities that she doesn't share. Figure out what those are, polish them, and you'll discover you're a successful person in your own right. I don't know that you gotta drag your sister down there like, well, I got these qualities and you don't have them. No. Here's the here's the deal in reality, though. Like, your sister ain't miss universe. Right? I I don't care. Like, real it's it's it's a relative item. There's probably a million ladies, terribly tens of millions of ladies that are better looking than your sister, grand scheme. Okay? So, like, that's not the core issue. As much as you want it to be the core issue, there's there's there's, what, half a million people that live in the Des Moines Metro Area as an example. Right? And so if you're having troubles with relationship stuff, it ain't because your sister's going door to door to beat you to everybody. That's not it's not the concept that's actually going on. Like, it's it really is more of a personal thing. It's it's you're not really you don't care about yourself, and you're looking your sister's an easy scapegoat. And so just you're gonna have to leave her out of this thing and and relook at your own life and recognize that you're depriving yourself and others from you completely by kinda dragging that in.

But, like, that's the thing. It's like, don't care how good looking she is. There's someone that's better looking, so it can't be the whole story. Yeah. It can't be the deal. Secular finishes. If you think you're not met being married is a drawback, it's time you understood that marriage isn't a goal. It is only a beginning. It is a partnership, hopefully a successful one, but it's not a guarantee of any success in any area. That was helpful. Yeah. I mean, I could you could buy that at the depressing bookmark store. What what was the what was the intention of that? As long as you're ugly, don't like, maybe marriage isn't in the cards?

Yeah. I I don't know. Not the answer, I think. It's not Right. It's not a fix to the to the situation. I don't know that haven't arrived when you've gotten married. Right. But did her I guess I didn't get that. I got the impression that she was feeling inadequate because it wasn't happening, but, like, I kinda got the sense that it was just a she was saying that that that is the outcome because of this. Here's all the things in my life that are negatively impacted because of it. Not necessarily, like, I will become I will become self actualized once I've married a man. Right. Okay. Alright. Hey. You've been listening to Life in the Path. Thanks for hanging out with us. If you need some advice, good night. Talk to your church community first. Pray to the Lord. Speak with the people around you. And, I mean, if those if if you're not listening to the Lord and the people are failing you, I suppose this would be the next reasonable place so we can point you back to those two arenas. So [email protected].

Shoot us a question. We'd love to be able to, to help out. And, again, that's Hippo Valley dot org, to get in on, the Zimbabwe action that Dan was talking about. Check that out. And, again, shoot us at [email protected] if have any questions. You can catch past episodes of the show, including, games, past musical performances, etcetera, at lifeinthepath.org throughout the week, and you'll sign up for the podcast. Get that audio action in your ear, so that we can stream right into your home whenever you see fit without having to take in the visual because that's the best way to do it. In the meantime, be faithful in means. God will handle the ends. You've been listening to live from the Path.