This is part of a series, called “Faith Journey.” (https://www.simplycampbell.com/blog/categories/faith-journey-series.) Instead of putting everything in one post, we have broken it up into small “chapters” for ease of reading. We left off our last writing, “In the Waiting” (https://www.simplycampbell.com/post/in-the-waiting) with us anticipating an event called, “Life Surge” that we believed was an answer to prayer.
Ralph writing
Courtney writing
The Life Surge event was on July 30, 2022. We truly had no idea what to expect from it. Our prayer the night before was for insight. We were also asking God for direction for Ralph. Could this event help him find a way to generate an income that would allow him to be home like we had been praying for? Would our letter that we had written to Priscilla Shirer and Willie Robertson actually make it into their hands? Would it give us answers?
We had to wake up early to get the boys to their babysitters that lived 45 minutes from us. While we were on the interstate, traffic started to build up about half a mile before the exit we had to get off at. That traffic stayed that way until we pulled into the parking lot of the event. We were surprised!
We were close to thirty minutes late when after we parked, a car right by us got stuck in the sand so we stayed to help along with others. When we walked in, the place was packed with thousands of people. We had no idea this event was going to be so big. Because of the tickets we had purchased, we were led to the second row from the front. We’re usually back row people.
I went to the event open minded not knowing what to expect. A guy named Roman Andrus came to the platform who had experience in investing in the stock market. This was the first time that I had thought about it in a positive light. The stock market was not well spoken of by most of the people I had talked to, articles I had read, videos I had seen, or podcasts that I had listened to, but at the same time I had never intentionally sought out information about it either. At Life Surge, the more I listened, the more it seemed like it would suit how I envisioned living.
Here is a five minute clip of Roman Andrus.
At the end of that session, they were offering a weekend event to do a deeper dive into stock trading. It wouldn’t cost much so I signed up. I thought this was something worth pursuing. I was excited to see what they had to say and to learn more about it.
At the event, I could see Ralph was enjoying himself almost immediately. He was having me take notes, taking my hand, laughing, and smiling a lot. I was so thankful and excited for what God was doing! We were already getting more direction with our desire to get Ralph home.
I was inspired by the genuineness of all of the speakers. Through their stories of faith, life experiences, and businesses, they showed that it’s possible for anyone to create something. It helped direct my aspiration of not wanting to work for someone. I had that desire while working in corrections, but felt stuck with how to accomplish it.
(A few of the speakers-Benham brothers, Tim Tebow, Willie Robertson, and Priscilla Shirer.)
There were also speakers who taught on real estate investing and online business. Again, they offered an additional workshop for them. Because we had signed up for the stock trading weekend event, they made these other two free. It was evident that the people behind this event were genuine in their desire to help Christians have multiple streams of income. When people are out from under financial burdens or stressful jobs, you have more time to be present in your day to day life. This means a greater impact in the world. They are a business, yes, but they truly cared. This seemed to be exactly what we had been praying for.
At the end of the event, they did meet and greets with the guest speakers. There was such a genuineness to all of the speakers that you could feel both on and off the stage. This was my opportunity to engage with Priscilla Schirer and Willie Robertson.
Priscilla was first. They asked us to keep everything on a table outside of the curtained room she was in, but I still had my note to her in my pocket. We had only seconds with each of them and I was nervous about how I should give my letter to Priscilla. The second I got in there, I pulled it out and said to her, “I spent three hours writing this, but I was told I couldn’t bring it in.” She took it in both of her hands, held it up in front of her face, looked me in the eye, and said fervently, “I will read this” and put it in her pocket. I was relieved and grateful.
Apparently my surprise from Priscilla's response was caught on camera. HA! (https://www.goingbeyond.com)
Nick Vujic was a sweetheart. This was not my first time hearing him speak. He didn't disappoint either time. This man is on fire for Jesus. He told me to give him a hug when we stepped in. We have friends that have sung for him and have said the same thing. (https://nickvujicic.com)
The first thing Ralph thought when we stood by Tim Tebow was, “wow, he’s big.” His hand could have crushed mine. We had never heard him speak before. His love for Jesus and people is so evident!! We love how bold he is in his faith. (https://timtebow.com)
Lastly was Willie Robertson. I told him that I wrote something, said in a lighthearted joking manner that he didn’t have to read it and could pass it along to his wife if he wanted to instead. He responded with, “I’ve got my flight!” And stuffed it in his pocket. We loved hearing more of the behind the scene details that led them to their TV show. (https://duckcommander.com/pages/willie-robertson)
I decided to give our letter to two other people. They were the Benham brothers that were hanging out in an after party. Ralph and I both joked with them about not knowing who they were because we didn’t watch much TV. They said they didn’t either! They have a great God story, too about not changing who they are for Hollywood.
I had done what I felt God prompted me to do. I was very curious how this would play out.
Would anyone actually read it and respond?
Leaving the event, I was excited about the ideas and ways that we could earn a living from home without having a boss. That has been our dream for six years. This event had laid out for us the steps we should be moving forward with. Now we had to attend the weekend events for more direction.
The next post will be about Ralph being challenged in lots of ways at the Trade Way weekend event. If you'd like to follow along to find out how everything played out, there is an option to subscribe below where you will receive an email notification when the next writing is posted.