The Ramsey Show - App - The 2018 Annual Giving Show (Hour 1)

Episode Date: December 21, 2018

The show about you

Dave Ramsey Solutions, it's the Dave Ramsey Show, where debt is dumb, cash is king, and the paid-off home mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice. I am Dave Ramsey, your host. This is your show. Thank you for being here. This is our annual giving show. Our favorite show to do. Merry Christmas! Yeah, baby! That's right. Santa Claus

is in the house. Not really, but his spirit is here. And I gotta tell you, man, giving is what this whole thing is about. You live like no one else so that later you can live and give like no one else. Generosity you can live and give like no one else. Generosity is the end game for almost everything we teach.

Making sure that you're able to retire with dignity, making sure your family's taken care of, making sure that you're out of debt, all so that you can be in a position to be generous because it is the most fun you'll ever have with money. So these three hours coming up, this last live broadcast day before the end of the year we uh yeah during the holidays uh we send you a taped message baby so we're going home but uh we're we're yeah well you go home too that's good go see grandma that's what you're supposed to do so we're going to take calls this hour, next hour, and the next hour from those of you that have a giving story, a generosity story. You could be something where you're talking about being generous, and I know that sounds like you're not being humble.

You really aren't, but you're encouraging other people to be humble by telling your story of when you were generous and what happened, and we need to hear those. They spur us on to good works. Also, you might have a receiving story where someone gave to you. Those are a little easier to tell because they don't feel like humble brag, right? But we need both. We want to hear from both of you. And several folks have called in and connected with Kelly over the last several weeks to be a part of this show. And so some are lined up.

We don't tell them what to say, but we wanted to make sure we had a lot of giving stories for this show today. But also, you can jump in on the phones. The phone number is 888-825-5225. 888-825-5225. Heidi is with us in Chicago. Merry Christmas, Heidi. How are you? Merry Christmas to you too, Dave. I am doing

great. So tell me your giving story. Well, it's kind of a story that we have. My husband and I were blessed with two children, Molly and Drew, and in January of 2016, our son Drew was diagnosed with stage four high-risk

neuroblastoma. He was only 20. I know it was, it wasn't good news. And he was only 20 months old. And then he began one of the most intense treatment plans for pediatric cancer with that type of cancer, which was obviously physically and emotionally, spiritually challenging for our whole family. But despite all the suffering and difficulty, this is why I wanted to call in, because during that year Drew was in treatment, God showed us his amazing love through the giving of so many. I mean, week after week, day after day, God's love just poured into our lives through the

giving of others. And people gave to us in any and every way you can imagine, whether that's through their money, their time, their gifts and abilities, or through their professional resources too. I mean, it was absolutely amazing, Dave. And the generosity and love shown to us by others brought me to tears so many times that year. And it truly helped us get through even the toughest of days. Even though God had allowed this awful trial into our lives, we could feel Him with us every day through the giving of others. Unfortunately, though, the treatment was ultimately unsuccessful, and our son, Drew, was set free.

He passed into heaven on January 19th of 2017, just shy of his third birthday. It wasn't the ending, obviously, that we had prayed for, but luckily that isn't the end of our story. And following Drew's death, the power of being the givers has really helped us heal and move forward through our grief. By being, yeah, like I can't even say it any other way, it's just really helped us and made us able to keep getting up every day. We began by giving toys and push cars to the playroom at the hospital where we had spent so much time with our son.

And within weeks, we felt God was leading us to do more. And so one of the most useful gifts we had received during Drew's treatment was a collapsible wagon. So we decided we wanted to pay that gift forward and give new cancer families just starting their journey one of these wagons filled with other useful gifts that we had received and used ourselves. We couldn't give empty wagons, right? And so we were reminded as we were thinking of what to call our new project that Drew's name had one of the meanings as warrior. And so we knew that every child fighting cancer certainly deserves that title. So Warrior Wagons Incorporated was founded within weeks of our son's death, and we achieved 501c3 status.

And in over 21 months, we've given 40 warrior wagons through the Mayo Clinic to families that are just starting their journey. And we're in the process of expanding to a second hospital, too. We're so excited about that. So, yeah, I just wanted to call in and also tell both sides of it, as you talked in the intro, because giving really has, the giving we've done now has really filled us with hope, and it's given us life again after we watched our sons, unfortunately. And we were left feeling powerless and empty, as you can maybe imagine, but the power of giving reminds us that we still have something that can help others.

And the joy and hope giving brings to the receiver, we found out, is also what fills the giver. And so it doesn't negate the pain, obviously, that we have from our great loss, but it certainly carries us through to the next day. Amazing. We've kind of been on both sides of it. Yeah, you're not kind of, you have. Yeah, it's so rewarding to know that we also can give others the opportunity to give too through our organization, Warrior Wagons. I mean, that's part of it too, that it's just fun to see all the generosity

that comes in and goes to our families, which is amazing because some of the same people giving to the new families are the ones that gave to us. So it's just so kind of full circle. So is there a website for Warrior Wagons? Yes, yes. It's just warriorwagonsinc.com, and we're also on Facebook at just Warrior Wagons. You can look us up and see all of the kids that we've helped and kind of follow along with what we're also on Facebook at just Warrior Wagons. You can look us up and see all of the kids that we've helped and kind of follow along with what we're doing. You can find there how to help us out and give yourself

and kind of feel that joy that we give now through the wagons, but also kind of just knowing that our son's legacy is living on, and that's important to us too. Absolutely. Wow. What a story. That's amazing. Ah, it's the sunlight. too. Absolutely. Wow. What a story. That's amazing. Ah!

It's the sunlight. There's a ray of light in the middle of that. And what a beautiful thing. Those wagons are awesome. Absolutely love the pictures of them. We were showing the pictures on Facebook. She had sent them in to Kelly ahead of time. And Heidi, congratulations. Well done.

Good start to our generosity day here on the Dave Ramsey Show. It's the giving show. Yeah, giving. That's what it's all about, isn't it? Yeah. More blessed to, oh, you can finish it, give than it is to receive. Yeah. And, yeah.

And you know what ends up happening, too, just like with Heidi. Once someone has been generous to you, it's very difficult for you not to be generous. People are changed by generosity. The giver and the receiver are changed by generosity. It's the game changer. This is the Dave budget each month. Pure Talk USA offers smarter wireless with unlimited plans starting as low as $20 per month. You never pay data overage fees and we never turn off your data. No contracts, no hidden

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SAVEDAVE, no spaces, and receive 50% off your first month. That's puretalkusa.com, promo code It's our annual giving show here on the Dave Ramsey Show. Samantha is in Los Angeles. Hey, Samantha, how are you? Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas, Dave. I'm so great. I'm so excited to talk to you. Well, I'm excited to talk to you.

Tell me your giving story today. It's actually a lot more of a receiving story. I just wanted to take this chance to talk about someone who gifted me so much more this year than she realizes. I'm so sorry. This year has been extremely trying. And I'm going through a divorce. And I'm a newly single mother of two. I'll pull it together. Sorry. That's okay. Scary times. My dad gifted me so much more than she'll ever realize. I wasn't making too much money and I live in California, which is an extremely

expensive state. And had it not been for my live in California, which is an extremely expensive state. And had it not been for my kids, I probably would have moved out of state. And due to the circumstances, I didn't really have that option. And so I was not making it month to month, and I was, you know, going into debt left and right and just making extreme decisions because I was in a position where I just felt like there was no hope. And my aunt, so this all happened in March. And I was in a very verbally abusive relationship. I had lost all confidence. And my aunt called me.

And she is somebody who lives like nobody else for all these times. And now she's living like no one else and giving like no one else. And she gave me a call and she sat me down and she said, Honey, look, I've been there. And she was a single mom for quite a while, too. And she gifted me your book, The Total Money Makeover, as well as helped me set up my budget on every dollar. She encouraged me to do so much in my life, including asking for a raise that she knew I deserved, helping me speak up and put me in a better job as well.

Did you get the raise? I got closer to home. I did. I really did. So I moved from making in the $40,000 to making over $62,000 a year now. I love it. And this has all been smart, yeah. And it's been so exciting.

And I've always been somebody who loves to give and to, you know, I think, you know, we're here on the earth to help each other. And, you know, I've been a surrogate mother, and she was so supportive through all of that as well. I have some friends, and I do a lot of giving through my work because they allow me to do a lot of giving as well. Wow. But basically, long story short, she sat me down. She gifted me $1,000, which in the end, I was actually able to get all the way to fully funding my baby fund. So the $1,000 emergency fund is now funded. I love it.

And she helped me sell my home and get me out of so much debt so now I'm at this point in my life where I have my car to pay off and I am set to be debt free by the end of next year wow um and I have two boys one is nine and he listens to my podcast with you all the time and he knows you know of course my aunt ben is the one who turned me on to the whole Dave Ramsey lifestyle. So what is your aunt's name? My Aunt Roseanne. Roseanne? Roseanne? Roseanne.

She listens to you all the time. Roseanne. Yeah. And $1,000. She's got three screens herself. $1,000, but more than that, she gave you tools and confidence to be standing on your own two feet. I'm proud of you. Well done.

I bet she's proud of you. She gave me so much hope and the tools to really get my life together in such a great way. My son sees me pull out my debit card and says, Mom, I thought you wanted to be debt-free because he assumes it's a credit card. I let him do the plastic surgery on the cards for me. I know you're listening, Aunt Ruthann, so I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Touchdown, Aunt Ruthann. Well done. Boom, boom. This is how you do it. Love it. Hey, Samantha, congratulations. Good stuff. Proud of you.

You are doing it. You're going to make it. And we all need an Aunt Ruthann. I love it. Ah, Kelsey is with us in Lexington, Kentucky. Hi, Kelsey. Tell me your giving story. Hi, Dave.

I'm really excited to be talking to you. You too. So my giving story is about my student loan. My dad did pay for the majority of my tuition, and I'm extremely grateful for that. But I did graduate with a little over $25,000 in student loans. So that being said, my mom got injured at work a few years ago, and she had a few surgeries, but she ended up needing to be placed on disability. So when she lost such a huge part of her income,

she decided instead of going into debt to make ends meet, she would just downsize and sell her home. So she sold her home and was going to have to rely solely on the equity from that purchase to purchase not only a smaller home for her and my two sisters, but she also had like a 14-year-old car that needed to be replaced as well. So long story short, all that happened, and she's needing so much, but she shows up at my house one morning with a blank check and she said that the sale on the house was finalized and she didn't care how much I owed,

but she wanted me to call the student loan people and pay off my debt that day. Wow. Yeah, that morning actually pushed back a little bit. I was like, no, no, no, you need every dollar for like your home and a car and i can't do this and i kind of got in trouble for arguing with my mom she like puts her hand up you're like trying to block a blessing right you're trying to block the blessing okay yeah like sorry mom sorry yes ma'am i'll do what you said um so i called the the loan place and um paid off a little over eleven thousand dollars yeah it's pretty awesome so that is awesome really selfless it

really is that's amazing and that that was uh as you said is eleven thousand precious dollars to her which means more it wasn't a spare pocket change that was big that was a big deal to her and uh that's uh that that illustrates how important it was to her that you have those student loans paid off and uh good for her well done mom that's how you do it it's a giving hour a giving show today here on the dave ramsey show we're taking taking calls from those of you to tell your generosity story, which is when you gave or when you received. I don't care, but these are pretty inspiring. Good stuff.

Christina is with us in Quantico, Virginia. Hi, Christina. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas, Dave. How are you? Better than I deserve. So tell me your giving story. So my story is one from when I was 17 years old.

My dad had just switched careers to become a barber. And as I'm sure you know, that was slow going for us. And so to say the least, we had no money for a while. And we lived in a home that had oil heating. And so, as you can imagine, that was more of a luxury for us at that time. And so there were often times where I stayed with one of my best friends in high school a lot just to stay warm, basically. And one day I just decided, like, I had just had enough, and I just vented to her about it because nobody really knew what was happening,

and she was basically obviously, you know, was like, I'm so sorry. Like, I didn't know, and I'm like, you know what? I'll be fine. I just needed to get that off my chest. And a couple weeks later I came home from school, and there was a receipt in our door for over $500 worth of oil for our heat. And me and my dad were so confused, but we just thanked God, and the heat was on, and so we just kept moving and prayed it wasn't a bill. And that wasn't it, because later on, i found out that it was her and her family that

did that for us oh wow how long before you found out who it was um i think it was like the next day or so i found out because she had told another one of our friends that i obviously was so thankful for her and her family and then they gave us us, they also gave us for Christmas, I think a $300 gift card to a local grocery store. And we were just so dumbfounded that someone, you know, could just see our struggle and just could just do that for us. And we were so grateful. And it wasn't for nothing because now my dad is a very successful barber at Hawthorne Barbershop in Winston. And me and my husband, who's a Marine here at Quantico, are on baby step number two. And we inspired my dad actually to buy his first new used car with cash just recently because we introduced him to your show and he would call me every week and say, this is how much money I saved for my new car, and now he has it.

And we couldn't be more proud and thankful for all those people who helped us during that really hard time in our lives. Amen. That's how it's done. Yeah, you catch people, and you get an opportunity to be generous like that. Very good story, Christina. Thanks. Let me tell you a story about two families that are very much alike in a lot of ways. Both families have two working parents and a couple of young kids. Each has debt and has struggled to make ends meet. But they're starting to make headway with their budgets and smarter decisions with money.

They have dreams and plans, and the only real difference is that one family has the right amount of term life insurance and the other doesn't. Big difference. If one of the parents die, and that does happen, their well-being would be destroyed. Paying for the mortgage, utilities, food, and other bills would be impossible, let alone saving for education or retirement. That's why every day I talk relentlessly about getting term life insurance. Just go to zanderinsurance.com or call 800-356-4282 and see how inexpensive it really is. Be the family that takes those deliberate steps to be different and responsible. It really does make you the hero of your story, and it puts you on course for better things ahead. It's a giving show here on The Dave Ramsey Show.

Welcome. We're glad you're with us. The phone number is 888-825-5225 with your giving story or receiving story. Also here at the bottom of the hour, each hour, we're going to have one of our own Ramsey Solutions team members join us. Brian Lawrence has been with us for a couple of years in the entree leadership area of our company. And Brian's got a good giving story. Hey, Brian, what's up? Doing great. Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas to you, sir. This one was a doozy. My wife and I have been married almost eight years now. And right after we got married, we were entering in, like most new college students did, with student debt. Right. Close to about $30,000. Whoa. Yeah.

And we were done with credit cards. So we had all the debt. And we knew that it was going to take a while to get out. Well, one day we get a phone call from her family that says there's somebody on her side that left her some money in inheritance. She didn't really know him. She was estranged to him. And we come to find out that it was to the tune of $50,000. Whoa.

Yeah. And it just came out of nowhere. The proverbial rich aunt. Yeah. Wow. She wasn't really close to him, but that was what got us out at 21 and 23. Wow. Got us out of debt, down payment on a home to be homeowners at 24 and 22.

Wow. Our kids are now three and a half and one, and they're never going to know their parents in debt. Amazing. It's just remarkable. That is so very cool. So I wonder about, was it an aunt, uncle? Do we know? You know, I think it was an uncle.

An uncle. The rich uncle, then, that you always hear about. Yeah. The proverbial. So how many kids did he leave money to? How many people did he leave, relatives did he leave money to? How many people did he leave money to? Do you have any idea? To what we understand, probably three.

Her, her sister, and her older brother. Okay. All right. Those three nieces and nephews. Yeah, who had not really talked to him, were estranged for all intents and purposes. It was a out of the nowhere, like, oh, that's great. You're going to get something from him. Could have been like a yo-yo, but it was a lot of money.

So like $150,000. I mean, he dropped with the three kids. Yeah. Wow. Assuming it was even. But yeah. Wow. Wow.

Very cool. Well, you're going to be that guy someday, except for the estranged part, right? I hope so. I hope so. You will be. You're on your way. Well, Brian, thanks for stopping by, man. Absolutely.

Thank you. Good stuff. Good work over at Entree Leadership. Open phones at 888-825-5225. You jump in. We'll talk about your life, your money, as we take your giving stories, your receiving stories. Lisa is in Denver. Merry Christmas, Lisa.

Hey, Merry Christmas to you. Thanks. Tell me your giving story. So my husband and I had been married about 18 years at the time. It was two years ago, and we had just finished taking financial peace. And because of everything that we had learned from the class, you know, we were getting organized. We decided it was time to close our family car dealership. Creditors from our business were calling at us.

They were yelling at us, threatening to take back our inventory, which was their cars, and just wanting their money. And it was a really scary time, and we didn't know if we were going to lose our house, or how we were going to pay our bills, and there was many sleepless nights. But a family member flew out to Denver on a business trip, and they gave us a gift cash of $5,000. Whoa! Yeah, to help us get through the transition. And because of everything in FPU, we used that money to take care of our family first.

We learned in the class, everything that we learned in the class really gave us the courage to face our creditors and to take care of our family first and our four walls first. And so that experience really, we were just blessed and we were in awe, and it really encouraged us to get to the other side of the transition of the mountain. And we wanted to become that family member who wasn't living paycheck to paycheck, but instead was able to be generous and give in times of need. Yeah, you're on your way, huh? Living like no one else, so later you can live and give like your family member did.

Exactly. We are $8,000 away from being done with Baby Step 2 and being done with paying off $155,000 in debt. I love it. Very, very cool. Well, congratulations. Well done. So what relation was the family member?

Cousin, uncle, aunt, parent? My husband's aunt and uncle. Okay. All right. Wow. Yeah, they're very generous, but they're one of those people that you look at, and they're very normal. Yeah, you wouldn't think it, huh? Yeah.

Exactly. Well, that's very cool. Great giving story, Lisa. Thanks for joining us. Anna is in Lawton, Oklahoma. Merry Christmas, Anna. How are you? Good.

Hi, Dave Ramsey. Hey, Merry Christmas. Tell us your giving story. Merry Christmas to you. My giving story is that when I was in college, that was about eight years ago, an anonymous ministry paid for my entire schooling, my tuition. Wow. Yeah, and they just said that they would send me letters every semester saying,

for me to just keep living for the Lord and to bless others as I've been blessed. So they paid for my entire scholarship, but they just chose to remain anonymous. And then because my schooling was paid for, I was able to turn around and pay for my sister's schooling. Wow. Amazing. Cool. And so what school did you go to? Cameron University. Which one?

Cameron University. Which one? Cameron University. Okay. And how did they find you? Do you have any idea? I have no idea. And I hadn't even applied for any scholarships because I was going to Cameron only part-time, and so I didn't qualify for scholarships either. So it was just someone that knew you.

There had to be a point of connection then yeah and that's um when i got the letter i thought it was a hoax and i'd even asked cameron university and they said all they had told them is that they wanted to remain anonymous and that they would send letters through cameron and contact me through that way but they didn't want me to find out who it was wow that's fun i like that sneaky what a blessing though what a blessing yeah someday when you're a big deal then you will have you will be able to pay someone's tuition anonymously i think i want to do that i like that yeah and pay it forward and yeah and you know and you know as long as you keep living for the lord and so they're they're calling out

your spiritual walk i like it very cool very cool well done good stuff ian sends me an email dave talking with our waitress recently she mentioned she was working double shifts every day to pay off the last of her student loans uh We got her to tell us how much she owed, and we left that exact amount as her tip. Whoa! I love it. I wish you'd have told me how much it was. Oh, man. We don't know if that's an $11,000 tip or an $1,100 tip, but either one, I'm taking it, baby.

Yeah, double shifts to pay off my student loan, and a customer leaves her a tip in the amount of her student loan. That's fun. It's the most fun you'll ever have with money. This generosity piece, it's more fun than piling it up. It's more fun than buying stuff. Hey, buying stuff can be fun. Buying yourself something nice can be fun. I bought myself something nice the other day.

That can be really fun. It's not nearly as much fun as the generosity side. You leave a waitress working double shifts, a tip that pays off her student loan debt. You're happier than she is. It changes the giver and it changes the receiver. Generosity does that. It is God's plan to create relationships. Relationships are changed.

People are changed when giving occurs. You ever thought about this? Giving is a form of mercy. You are handing out mercy. You are a carrier for mercy when you're generous. You're walking around with mercy in your pocket. That's what money is. That waitress just got some mercy, didn't she?

Student loan paid off. You know what? She got some. She may have said mercy. But it is mercy, isn't it? Think about it. Oh, justice is there, too. Don't worry about it. Justice will find you. You don't need to worry about that.

But mercy, oh, mercy is a decision. Generosity is mercy. Ah, it's our giving show. I'm already having fun. I love it. Back with more giving and receiving stories right here on the Dave Ramsey Show. Thank you. Merry Christmas! It's our giving show here on the Dave Ramsey Show. Yeah, we take the last full broadcast day of the year that's live, which would be today,

and we take questions, or not questions, we take stories from you of the time that you were giving or the time that you were receiving. On the line is Tad and Bob and Laverne. Hey, guys, how are you? Hey, Dave, Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Tell us your giving story, the three of you. So actually it's my receiving story, Dave.

1981, I was in third grade. I'm the oldest of seven kids, and that year, the fourth child was born, and that year, my dad lost his job. He was laid off. He's a dance concert, so at the end of the school year. So, ended up, my mom stayed home with the kids, ended up interviewing and got a job in Wisconsin. We moved to

state, and he took about a 50% pay cut. So, we moved, yeah, yeah. So, we moved here, and so that Christmas, oh, I should say they basically turned the house in, the 1981 interest rates, and it just was, this was tough. We were really struggling, Christmas season of 1981. We were doing the free cheese, the free milk, the honey, through the assistance program, and, you know, that year, really, money was obviously tight. And our landlord at the time, Bob and Laverne, actually, who are online,

entrepreneurially in the area, he and his family invited our family over for dinner. And as the dinner closed, he gave my dad a piece of paper. And that paper was the rent check back. Whoa! Yep, and as a result, we were able to have presents that year. Whoa! Yep. 1981.

Yep, I was third grade a long time ago, and, you know, and I've been asked this before, and this has come up in the past as the best present I ever got. So I got Kelly's email, and I've never told them. So last week I drove out, and we talked about it at their kitchen table, and it was pretty special. So you've stayed in touch with them the whole time? No, they stayed in touch with my parents. Oh, okay. And they live close to Green Bay, close to where I work, so I drove down after work one day,

and we talked about it. And I had asked them at the time if they'd be willing to come on with me, and they are. They're here. Wow. And we get to talk to Bob and Laverne. Wow. Yes, we do. I love it.

Bob and Laverne, when you did that all those years ago, I mean, that's 20, 30, 40 years ago. What did you think? You'd never be on the radio talking about this. No, we're taking up. We're actually signing autographs already for being on the air. You're famous now. Yeah.

But also, we invited him over for dinner that day, and it took Tad 40 years to repay it. He took us out for lunch today. That was a really great gift we got back from him, so that's our Christmas story. Well, not even any interest on it. Go down from dinner to lunch. Oh, my goodness, that's fun. So tell me, Bob, what was going through your head? Do you guys remember doing that, and what made you do that?

What prompted you to do that? Well, I think Laverne taught me a lot of lessons, just the blessings that we receive, that we share. And we've been blessed in many ways. So Laverne kind of guided me into this also. She's the one that made me as generous, I think, as we are. So we appreciate, I appreciate her, just the opportunity that we've been blessed in so many ways. Amen. How long have you and Laverne been married?

Laverne, you better answer that. It will be 60 next April. 60 years you've been married. And so now you've been able to teach him a few things, huh? Well, I think he's probably exaggerating a little bit about me. I don't. But I totally supported what he did. I don't.

I don't think he's exaggerating at all. And we're just happy that God has put us in a position that we can do that. We could do that. Yeah. Well, back then, and I imagine you've done that kind of thing many times since, haven't you? A few, yes. Yeah. So 60 years of marriage, generosity story on the radio.

This is pretty impressive. If somebody's listening that's in their 20s and they've been married three or four years and they've got just a tiny bit of money, talk to them about why generosity is important, Laverne. Oh, you will get a great payback. Just already, it makes you feel good for one thing and that's I feel the reason we are here in this earth is to help each other out if we just

had a few more Laverne's we wouldn't need so many government programs wow way to go Laverne and Bob I am so proud of y'all I'm honored to get to talk to you and have you here on the air Merry Christmas to you Tad thank you sir well done well done I am so proud of you all. I'm honored to get to talk to you and have you here on the air. Merry Christmas to you, Tad. Thank you, sir. Well done.

Well done. And, yeah, I think you've got to buy a couple more lunches on this. I don't think you're done yet on the payback. Good stuff. Wow, that's an amazing one. I love it. Rod is in Spencer, Iowa. Merry Christmas, Rod.

How are you? I'm fine, Dave. Thank you, and Merry Christmas to you. Thank you, Rod. How are you? I'm fine, Dave. Thank you, and Merry Christmas to you. Thank you, sir. I have... Go ahead. I was going to ask you your giving story. I have a receiving and a giving story.

Okay. First, I want to go into the receiving. My wife and I got married in 73. We're farmers here in northwest Iowa, and my oldest sister, I shouldn't say that, my sister and her husband were parochial school teachers out in Indiana. And back in the 80s, the farmers here in Iowa were having a tough time, and their congregation heard about this, and they collected money and wanted to give it to someone that they knew here.

Well, since my sister was out there, they mailed a sizable check to us just out of the goodness of their hearts to help us out. Wow. And, of course, I was a young, proud farmer at the time, and I thought, no, we're not poor. We don't need this. We have four young children, and we're getting by. We're fine.

And my sister said, you know, they want to help somebody out. She said, you know, be gracious and accept it, and then someday when you can help somebody out, pass it on. Good advice. And now we've been married 45 years, and God has been good to us, Dave. I bet. We've been very blessed through sickness and death in the family and stuff. But anyways, we are at the point now that we can help out other people.

And I'd love to buy gift cards or send money anonymously to maybe young couples that have medical. I know one time a young couple had a daughter that they didn't think were going to survive. And we just sent them some cash, you know, and a get well wish with it and signed it anonymously. You know, and I'll tell you what, some of these people, when I give them gift cards or in the grocery stores, oh, I don't need that. Give it to somebody that needs it. And I sort of do a little screening, you might say, to find out who needs it and who doesn't.

But it is such a rich, rewarding feeling to know that I can do that now. You know, when we couldn't do that years back when we were on the receiving end. Yeah, yeah. So now we're at that point where we're giving. So do you ever run into that proud young farmer that doesn't want to take it? Pardon me? Do you ever run into that proud young farmer when you're trying to give money away that doesn't want to take it? Like you were?

I have. I have. I have. You know, and sometimes, I mean, a lot of times they don't know who they're getting it from. Oh, there you go. I try to be anonymous. I don't know who they're getting it from. Oh, there you go. I try to be anonymous. I don't want any recognition on this or anything. You know, God's blessed us, my wife and I, and I want to pass it on.

Yeah. And I have to tell you a quick story. My wife says, you know, some days, we were down in your building there two years ago, but you were busy, we wasn't able to see you. And we were just about out of debt, and my wife said, well, we're coming back when we can screen debt-free. Well, as you know, our Iowa farm, I don't know if we ever get out of debt because there was a piece of land that came up for sale and we bought it.

So now we're way back down in debt again. Uh-oh. Rod, I'm going to have to cut you off. I apologize. We came to the end of the hour, and I'm on a hard clock. I wish I could hear the whole story, though. Hey, thank you for sharing your giving and receiving part. That was inspiring, sir, and a Merry Christmas to you. Hey, it's Blake, Chief Production Officer for the show, and here's a little tip for 2018. Go download our revamped Dave Ramsey show app from the app store. We're always listening to your feedback and adding new features to make it even better. Check it out.