WHOA That's Good Podcast - Beware of Bad Advice Delivered in a 'Good' Way | Sadie Robertson Huff | Jep & Jess Robertson

Episode Date: September 11, 2024

Jep and Jessica Robertson make their WHOA That's Good debut in today's episode. After 23 years of marriage and now about to become grandparents, Sadie's eager to hear their words of wisdom and advice! Jep and Jessica are both the babies of their families, which is what propelled them to leave all they knew and all their family and move to Austin, Texas, for five years — and while it was scary, they share why they would do it all again and how their family changed because of it. Jep and Jessica also talk about adopting their son Gus and share why they knew it was the right time to expand their family. Get your copy of their book "Dear Valor" from Brave Books!  This Episode of WHOA That's Good is Sponsored by: https://drinkag1.com/whoa — Get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D3+K2 AND 5 free AG1 Travel Packs with your first subscription! https://www.12vc.com/sister — Commit to the 12 Verse Challenge and help fund 12 Verses of Scripture a year for people who have little to no access to Scripture! https://everylife.com — Get 10% off your first order when you use promo code WHOA at checkout! - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's up, everybody? Happy Well, that's Good Wednesday. I hope you're having a great week, but per usual, it's about to get so much better. We have been on kind of this little unintentional series with the podcast where I've had a lot of family members on. You guys loved Alan and Lisa's episode, actually the biggest episode of the year. So we're just, you know, on that train. Now I'm so grateful to get to have Jeff and Jessica on the podcast.

You guys probably love them from Doug Dynasty or grow in the dynasty. Maybe you follow their YouTube channel, their social media. But I'm excited personally as their niece to come on and get to hear more of their story. So thank you guys for popping into the studio. Thank you. We're excited. Yes. I've been wanting to get on this podcast forever. Finally made it finally just texting me. I was like, let's make it happen. And so fun because they have a new book, Dear Valor that they got to write on. And it's really such a beautiful story that we're gonna talk about through this podcast as well

on adoption. And I can't wait for that. But like I mentioned, I've had so many other family members on the podcast, which has been really fun. And I'm glad to have you guys on now. I have to ask you all the question I ask every single guest has ever been on the Will It's Good podcast.

And it's a heavy one to start with. So friends, I will ask you all, what is the best piece of advice you've ever been given? And if you weren't prepared for that, I'm sorry, because it does drop like it's hot. I would say, as far as marriage goes, it's like seek good counsel. Don't buy into the lie.

Who you put yourself around is really important. Obviously we're gonna be in the world, but not of the world. And so there's a balance, right? So you don't be fed by lies. And so for us, it was, we went into this marriage and we're like, we're not giving up. So don't mind a lie that, oh, God wouldn't want you to be unhappy.

God wouldn't want this for you. God wants you to be happy and have all these, you know, you're, you should get out of this, you know, it's not aligning the way you thought it was, right? So it's, it's seeking good counsel, somebody that's going to fight to help you get through the hard times because there is lots of hard times, you know, we've been married almost 23 years now and people said the first year is really hard. And I said, the first seven years were really hard for us. I've actually heard that a lot. Seven years. No, that's so good.

It actually reminds me when we started this podcast, it's always been that question, what's the best piece of advice to be given that kickstarts our conversation. But at the beginning of the podcast, we used to end it with like, whoa, that's good and whoa, that's bad advice. And it was interesting because sometimes you think

that bad advice is just obvious. It's like, oh, well that's obviously not good advice, but sometimes bad advice seems good. You know, it's like people say it in a good way. It's like, oh, you should be happy. So you should leave or you should, you deserve this. So you should, you know, whatever, or even just simple things like follow your heart

where in some contexts that's true, but then others it's like, no, don't follow your feelings. They lie to you. So it's so true. It's like actually knowing the counts in your life and making sure it's good is so important. And yeah, bad advice can be coded in some good positive lingo sometimes.

So I love that. Jeff, do you have something? Mine's a lot more simple. Something my dad used to tell me all the time, don't be an idiot. And it's, look, Dwight Schrute had it right. Dwight Schrute had it right. He said, I look at things idiots do

and I don't do those things. And really, I mean, I know that sounds silly, but I'm telling you, it's just, there's things you see in the world. It's like I wouldn't. That's something I should not be doing, whatever it is. Yeah. And I'm not going to be that guy.

That's actually so good. This is so funny because I don't know if y'all have been to see Alan Lisa's podcast. You probably didn't. This is like almost identical to what happened with them. Lisa shared like a really good piece of Not that that wasn't really good, because that's actually true. Then Alan said, never compliment bad cooking. And I was like, that's actually good advice,

because then he's like, then you get stuck with it. Because if you tell your spouse, man, your lasagna's fire and it's not, and then you're gonna be getting lasagna weekly and that's on you, because you complimented it. And so it was so funny because it was like the exact same tone and beat that they had, which is maybe just a Robert's in Men thing.

But that is true and actually we had so many people comment on that, it was like, that was the most practical good advice I've ever and don't be an idiot is also up there on the most practical good advice that you can give. I love that. Okay, so y'all been married, what'd you say, 23 years? This October, 23 years.

It's amazing. First off, like so amazing, so amazing. I know like it sounds funny to be like, congratulations 23, but like seriously, that's amazing. Like I am inspired by that and want to learn from you guys in that. And so take us back to how y'all met. Tell us your love story.

Well, my version is a little different than his in the fact that so we it's the same it starts out the same. I we saw each other at our hairstylist Connie Sue. Connie Sue. Yep. So I he calls her a barber. She calls herself a barber. She colors hair. I call her what she says. She says I'm a barber, so I'm gonna call her a barber. I was leaving and he was coming in and this is where we differ. I said hi, he said hi. He says I winked at him and I would have never done that. Pretty sure I could be off on that one.

I'm pretty sure that's what happened. I think that might've been made up. That's a 95% true story. That's hilarious. So you may or may not have winked and then what happened? So I asked Connie Sue, I said, who is that girl? And she said, oh, her name's Jessica. I was like, cool.

We didn't see each other for several weeks, ran into each other at a Christian concert thing. I distinctly remember asking her how she liked my pants. Cause I got these new pants that Abercrombie. From Abercrombie and Bix, they'reombie. And I just really thought they were cool. And she was like, yeah, yeah, that's great. I wasn't trying to be weird. Did you think they were cool or you were just like what?

I mean, I just thought it was odd to say, do you like my pants? It was an odd thing. And I wasn't trying to be weird. It was just, I was nervous. She made me nervous, which is kind of good. That's what she wanted. First of all, he came up to me, introduced himself,

and he said, I'm Jeff Robertson, which I knew. I'd already heard. We had never crossed paths through. We lived in the same small town. But I said, yeah. And he goes, my dad's Phil Robertson. And I said, OK. And he goes, you know, the Duck Commander.

And I go, I don't know what a Duck Commander is. I'm like, how do you not know who he is? Yeah, I was like, which like for those listening, maybe like, yes, now you know who Phil Robertson is, but at this time, like, it wasn't that common to know who Phil Robertson was. Well, I grew up in a hunting family,

but my dad was strictly a deer hunter at the time. So if you're not in the duck hunting world, then you don't know who Phil Robertson is at the time. So I was like, okay. And it was like womp womp womp, you know moment I think he just kind of was like, okay. Well that pick up line didn't I didn't impress her much with that So nothing happens that night obviously was bus for me and then I ran into her at Chili's So I was always talk good about Chili's because this was where we really got together and I saw her with her sister, right? I think you were reading that over your sister and I was with Trey my buddy and I

Said hey, we're doing this We have a like a youth not youth group like a college-age ministry So if you want to come for a Bible study or something and she was like, yeah, I'd like to do that So she started coming over and we were just friends for a short time and then that was probably like February and then At the time I was kind of going through a lot of things in my life And so I really I mean I grew up in a Christian environment You know, but it really wasn't until like I was on my own that I like really knew what sin was, right?

That's that's most people's story. And so I was going through a lot at the moment. I was going through a divorce at 20 years old. And so I was really hesitant to step out on a limb with a new group of friends and everything. So, but I started coming to Bible studies and they would all get together and play games and everything. So, and then one night we were, it was just me, him and Trey. And obviously

bringing out the Bible, Trey's, that's always what he's done. And he was just kind of laying out the gospel and not in a way that I even really knew he was doing. I thought we were just reading, you know? Yeah. And I was like, I think I need to be baptized. And he goes, because I got baptized as a little girl, right? It was, I grew up in a really, a Pentecostal environment. So it was like early on, I knew who Jesus was and I knew I wanted to go to heaven. And it was, but more so probably out of fear a little bit,

it was like, my grandma was like, you don't want to go to hell, do you? And I said, no, So you need to be baptized. So obviously like I was, it was very like, I knew him, but you know, then later on when I got into sin, I was like, I felt separated from him. And so I go, I think I need to be baptized. And they go, well, let's keep studying some more.

I said, no, I need to be baptized right now. So we went out in his little Jeep. We drove out to Indian lakes, a little pond. Yeah, a subdivision. Wow. In town. I know exactly what you're talking about. And Jeff baptized me that night.

Yeah. Wow. And we were not, you know, we were just friends. I mean, I didn't know Jess that well. Well, I was, you know, I was going through a divorce and it was, I was not thinking that at all. And so this was February, March. And it was chilly. I remember that. Yeah. And so, was February, March. And it was chilly.

I remember that. Yeah. And so, which I was like, I never thought about gators or anything, but they're there, you know, in those pines. But, and then we started dating in June, just a few months later, and then we got married in October. So. Wow.

That is like, I'm so glad you shared that whole story because I only know bits and pieces of your story, but to hear it all together is like absolutely amazing that you're 20 years old and you're like, in this time, not thinking about this at all. All of a sudden, y'all start studying the Bible. And that's how it happens. I just think about so many of our listeners are in their twenties and some of our listeners might have, might be a similar situation, might've already gotten a divorce, might've kind of had a life moment where they thought like, now what? What they thought was gonna be their life

is not their life. And I love that it was in that moment that the Bible and like God actually became so real to you. Like just thinking back to that, I guess thinking back to that, the Bible becoming real to you, what did your faith like do for you in that moment to help you set you free from your past

to be able to step into your future with Jeff? Had you not had that moment with God, do you feel like you would have been ready to step in with him? Definitely not. I mean, I feel like our whole relationship has been built off of him loving Jesus more than he loves me and me loving Jesus more than I love him.

And really that's the glue, but always looking towards him. Him loving Jesus more than He loves me and me loving Jesus more than I love Him. And really that's the glue, but always looking towards Him. But I feel like it was hard. There was moments where, because I basically had to cut ties with my past completely, but I did it full force because I knew I was called to do that. And even through those times where we weren't together, I was focused to do that, you know? And even through those times where, you know, we weren't together, I was focused on Jesus. And I was so grateful just to have that opportunity, that open doors of friendships and bonds,

and obviously meeting Ms. Kay and her running and giving me a hug, you know? And just always feeling welcome and included. And as we started dating, getting to know Al and Lisa, they played an intricate role in our lives. Probably wouldn't have made it without Alan Lee. So I always tell people that. When I say seeking good counsel,

God put them in our lives and we went to them all the time. For a while it would be a lot. And he never agreed with me. You know what I'm saying? I thought, dad, go man, you're my brother. Maybe I'm right about this. He was like, man, you're my brother. Like, maybe I'm right about this. He was like, nope, you're wrong. That's so good though.

That's, I mean, Christian and I, we have someone in our life that like we both go to and she's a counselor. She's amazing. And like, man, she has been like such a godly counsel who again, doesn't see it one way or the other. It's not, you're right. It just like helps us come in and love so much

because every time before she like prays and she's like, Lord, by your spirit, would you just help me bring them to you? And I love how you said by him loving God more, by you loving God more, that's what keeps you all together and it's been the solid foundation. So Jeff, I'm interested to hear from your side because you baptized Jessica,

but you are always always living the 100% sold out for Jesus either, which none of us probably lived that our whole life. We all have like a testimony moment. What was your shift to like God is first in my life? And I guess it was before you met Jessica, but when did that happen? Yep, that was late 90s.

I just got into the point, kind of my senior year of high school, where I was like, man, I just wanted to try everything. I mean, I didn't care if it was good or bad. I just wanted to try stuff. And, you know, just got with the wrong group of guys. But I mean, not to say it was all their fault. It's just they were in the party and stuff. And man, there was just a couple of nights where we just really went

all out and I'd wake up. Mom in the outside and somebody's yard just, you know, like six in the morning. I have no idea how I got there. Just scary stuff. And it kind of was your dad. He was he had a men's like Bible study thing for like people in college. And he found one of the guys I was with was in our group. And then I saw, I mean, yeah, he was in our church group, but he's also in the party group.

He showed up one time. I was like, dude, don't say anything about what's going on here. And he's, oh, yeah, no worries. Of course he went and told Willie, which was awesome. I'm so glad he did. Saved my life, really. And then so, yeah, your dad confronted me and was like, what have you been up to?

And I was like, oh shoot, kind of lied at first. And then I came down to my parents' house and all my brothers were there. And it was just an intervention like you would see on that show. I mean, they just kind of laid it out and I just broke down crying. I was so ready to get out of that lifestyle.

It didn't last very long, but it was kind of, it was like a year, year and a half, but it was like a hard year and a half. You know what I'm saying? I kind of went all the way with it. And it was awesome. I was on house rest for about six months, I think. My dad took my truck keys

and was like, you're staying here, buddy. I mean, I gained like 40 pounds because I just wasn't eating very much. And then I was just eating my mom's cooking all the time. And I was like, Oh, but me and dad, it was kind of, I would say the. Most awesome time of my life, as far as just learning the Bible and studying. And I think I was still a Christian from before. I just really strayed hard and I just grew closer to Christ.

And I just grew closer to my mom and dad and my brothers and just kind of got back to reality. I think I just kind of left and just was really in the world. Wow. That's so cool because I think that's like the thing that so many people are afraid of is like people that they know and love finding out the way they're living.

But I love how you said that was the best thing that could have happened. And it's so true. That's the best thing that can happen because, you know, once it's brought to the light, then you start to find freedom. Then you get to be surrounded by people who do love you and are calling you out of that.

So I think like for so many people who are afraid of being caught, like that's not what you should be afraid of. That's what you should crave. And you don't have to wait till somebody catches you. Like you can be the one to confess that, if you're living that lifestyle. And so it's just so cool, both of y'all stories, hearing them and so cool that it happened at a young age

and y'all were able to get together, get married, start this life. One of the fun aspects of y'all's story, cause I had mentioned to y'all, I was kind of watching y'all's YouTube, just recapping like, what are some fun parts of their story that maybe I forgot? Is like, whenever you did propose to her,

y'all didn't have a lot. Like I think that even maybe you didn't even have a wedding dress at the wedding. So I want you to talk about that a little bit, because again, so many young people listening to this, stepping into things like marriage. And so I think one thing that keeps people from getting married these days is just thinking like,

oh, I had to have it all figured out or I'm gonna wait till I graduate college, which none of these things are bad things. So all the parents listening, don't come at me. That's not a bad thing. It's being smart and wise, but at the same time, sometimes I feel like we fear commitment because we don't have all of it figured out.

When I think, I don't know that you're ever gonna have it all figured out, you sometimes just gotta jump in. When you look back at those early years, like y'all being married, first of all, just tell us a little picture about what y'all's wedding did look like, because I love that story, and then how you navigated so many of those things. ["Spring Day"]

Branson has been a wild season with LO Sister Conference from prepping it to the conference happening all the things and we need a little rest and recharge. One thing I can always depend on to help me recharge is AG1. Taking care of my health isn't always easy but with AG1 it's always simple. It's great for helping my body recover from an active day, a big workout, or long days at the office. Every serving delivers my daily dose of vitamins, minerals, pre and probiotics, and more so I can fill my best whatever the day has in store for me. AG1 is a product that I can trust because it's backed by multiple research studies and strict testing for potency and quality. It supports my brain, immune, and gut health. A research study shows that AG1 can double the amount

of healthy bacteria in your gut, which is pretty amazing. Every scoop of AG1 also contains folate and magnesium for stress support, which is really helpful during those busy work weeks. Every morning, all I have to do is fill up my water bottle with cold water, drop in a scoop of AG1, shake it up, and that's it. In less than a minute, I'm meeting so many of my daily nutritional needs and getting an extra boost

of energy and focus throughout the day. AG1 has been a game changer for us because it's so easy and I'm not a very routine person, but it is really easy to stay on routine with AG1 because it's literally one scoop in water and you're getting everything you need for the day, especially their travel packs make it even easier. Those are my favorite. So if there's one product that I trust to support my whole body's health, it's AG1. And that's why I've been partnering with them for so long.

It's easy and satisfying to start your journey with AG1. Try AG1 and get a free one-year supply of vitamin D3 plus K2 and five free AG1 travel packs with your first purchase at drinkag1.com slash woe. Again, that's drinkag1.com slash woe to check it out today. So obviously being married before I was coming off and I just didn't want a big wedding anyway and our commitment to each other was just like private

and very intimate and that's what we wanted. So we were actually at, Phil and Kay is doing a Bible study, just me and him in the room. And he goes, this is ridiculous. We should just get married. That's his exact, and I go, I agree. So we walked out and told Kaye who was in the kitchen, and she starts like crying and love hugging us and screaming. And we were like, we just want Phil to marry us.

We want to like you like we don't want a wedding. And she's like, no, the family has to be there. It'll just be the family. I was like, we don't have any money. We don't know where we're going to live. You know, but we just knew we were like, we love each other. We were committed to each other. And no, we didn't have any money.

So we but we told her, we like we get you have two weeks basically. And we showed up two weeks later on a Sunday at Mac and Mary Owens. All right. You know, family friend. So true stories. So that Sunday we got married. I did not have a ring for her. And so I went to Jared's. I think it was Jared's. I was in the mall. I go up to the mall and I'm like, hey,

I need a wedding ring. And they're like, OK, what price range? I'm like, I got two hundred dollars. What will that get me? And the guy's like over here, and I think you can tell I'm kind of rushing him, you know, and I said, look, dude, and I looked down, because we went to church that morning, and then we were getting married,

I don't know what time it was, like two or three. And so I literally had like two hours to get this done. And so I'm like, dude, I'm getting married in like an hour. He was like, oh, you don't have any ring? I was like, no, I was like, I need in like an hour. He was like, oh, you don't have any ring? I was like, no, I was like, I need one like ASAP. He was like, oh, okay, this right here, $200. Oh my gosh. That's crazy.

That's actually so sweet though. So like now y'all are parents to older kids who have just gotten married at a young age. Like how has this translated to you guys walking this out with them at a young age? Like what kind of advice are you giving as they're getting married at such a young age. Like how has this translated to you guys walking this out with them at a young age? Like what kind of advice are you giving as they're getting married at such a young age? It was tough.

So here's the deal. So we have two daughters that are married and got married young, just like- Two summers in a row. On the same day actually, which is strange. And the same day as Bella's. I know, and our cousin Ali. It's so weird actually.

That's crazy. That's just so day to get married. I tried to talk them out of it. I said look guys it's hard getting married young. I mean I was like you know because I was like I don't want them to experience maybe they should just wait but They were so adamant both of them. They just like no. They married their high school sweethearts. They did. They've been together since so long. Their only boyfriend they ever had the same with the boys only girlfriend so sweet. They've gone through high so long. Their only boyfriend they've ever had, the same with the boys, the only girlfriend. So sweet. They've gone through high school together, part of college.

So I think they were just ready to start their life together. Yeah. And but we went through our our, you know, wedding because we were like, OK, budget here, right? We're paying for colleges, too. But I was like, literally, I went to Dillard's and bought a discounted skirt and top. And that's what I wore. So epic. But obviously, their wedding is they were small, they're skirt and top. And that's what I wore. It's so epic. But obviously, their weddings, they were small, they were sweet and intimate, and it was perfect for what they wanted.

And so we loved the boys. I mean, they've been a part of our family forever, you know? And so it wasn't, everybody was like, oh, are you so sad? I was like, no, I feel like they've been, they're like an old married couple anyway. We're just going through, you know, doing it out really.

So it was really sweet. That's awesome. It is funny though, cause like we went through the same thing where Bella was really young. I mean, we were all young relative, you know, he are young is like 18, you know, young. So I'm like 22 and I'm like, look at how, no, that's not.

I was 23. That's young, you know, but when I'm thinking about Bella and then I would just remember so many times like, well at how, no, that's not. I was 23. That's young, you know? But when I'm thinking about Bella and then I would just remember so many times like, well, y'all did it. It's like that, giving it back. So it is interesting to hear from like y'all side, y'all are this way, but what kind of advice,

but it is so sweet that they are obviously so in love and the cutest little couples and y'all have the most beautiful kids. So I do wanna talk about kids because, y'all got married young and then you started having kids pretty young. So what did that look like? Did you always want to have a big family? We were dating, Jess said, I want to have five kids.

And I was like, that's a lot of kids. I mean, it's your body. I was like, that's just tough. That's just tough to do is what I was thinking. I grew up with one sister. And so for me, I just wanted more, like I wanted my kids to have more family support, you know, there for them.

And we were, but who knew we could have that many kids? It was very, we were very blessed. And we had four, we had four by the time I was 28. Wow. And so obviously by my early thirties, I was like, oh, I kind of want another little one, you know, and so I kind of want another little one, you know? And so I'll let you talk about obviously that route

of adoption and even thinking about adoption. Yeah. And so Jess wanted to adopt. So after four, they said, you don't need to have any more kids. Like you're done. We had all C-sections so far. And I was good with that.

I was like, all right. And then she talked about adoption. I was like, Jess, I mean, we got four kids like we were. We're doing good here. I felt like super blessed and like I just didn't. I was just wasn't into it. And it's funny because as much as we love Will and, you know, we kept Will a ton when he was little and I saw where her heart was and I thought,

that's a cool thing. I just think we're good. And then I went, were you on that trip to Dominican Republic or was that, I know your mom was there. Probably. Yeah. I think maybe I was really young. You were young. I think you were there and remember it was, it was like, it was like VBS kind of thing. And it was like, uh, WFR had a orphanage there. Yeah. He was filming to film in what they were doing. And just for the listeners connecting the dots Luis was actually on the podcast a couple months ago sharing his story And so Luis from Dominican the same place that we were at

Yeah, I just remember this I don't know if you remember this but We gave them toys. I remember that and And they were just like, oh, cool. You know, in that little orphanage, there wasn't many boys. There was like 10. There was a lot in the VBS, but in that little orphanage, like 10 boys, and they were like, oh, cool. And they liked them. And then we gave them like Hanes, white t-shirts and like underwear, just tidy whiteys.

And they cried and they just were bawling and like hugging it. And it still kind of makes me emotional because I was like Dang like they'd never had any new clothes. That was a huge deal. And I was like, oh my gosh I remember thinking I could take every one of these boys home and have you know, love it and When I got back I told Jess I was like, okay I mean so it's like God changed my heart right then like I think it was it's natural for a mom like right You see the miracle of life and then you also see You start to you know

See the need of like just children that just want to need a home just a loving home And I was like why would we not do it? You became I was like we are so fortunate You know obviously we were going it was the whirlwind of Duck Dynasty too, but I was like, we're so fortunate. We had kids, we were young, and now our kids would love for us to adopt, you know, and why wouldn't we do this when we were seeing so many needs? And so I was, but I was also like, it's not something he wants. So for me, I was like, are you sure? I was like, are you sure?

Let's think about this, because I just didn't want it to be that it was something I wanted. And, you know, because it's hard. Adoption can be hard. And like, I mean, Gus is an amazing kid, but we didn't know until he was closer to two that he had like sensory issues and different things that he struggles with. And it was hard.

There was several years of it being really hard, you know, to know how to navigate because our biological kids didn't struggle with those things. Yeah. Gosh, have you guys, have y'all seen the movie, The Sound of Hope? No, no. Oh my gosh, it was so good.

The people who the story was about came on the podcast a few weeks ago and a few months ago, and it was just like so powerful. I cried from the start of that movie to the end of that movie, and then couldn't even hardly look at them the next day to interview them. And Christian and I have a lot of these same conversations.

And again, like I feel like it is more natural for the mom and the woman. And then that is like a hard conversation. And I asked them about that. And I love how they never sugarcoated that adoption is so hard. But they also, you know, really highlighted that it is a call on our life

as a church and God will equip you and he will sustain you. And so, Christian and I just always pray about like the timing of that. And I really do feel like it is a timing thing a lot of times and it is really beautiful that that was in your heart for a long time, but then it was when you were there and not even that you were like thinking this is gonna do it for me or your prayer,

it just happened, you know, and I love that. So I want to ask you more about adoption and I want to get to also just like the missions part for you because I wonder, which I guess I'll just ask you now since we're on Dominican, did that kickstart your work in like the mission field? Like, cause I know you've done a lot with like different mission organizations. Was that something that like stirred your heart in that moment or did that come later? It definitely stirred my heart in that moment. And it's just like, we were just doing so much TV stuff that I just thought, yeah, one at some point I'd like to do something, you know, to help kids and maybe something in adoption. I was like,

I think that would be cool. And yeah, when we moved to Austin, so we lived in Austin for five years, I went to this gala, All God's Children International, that's who I work with now. And I was so blown away. I wasn't even supposed to be there, that's what's crazy. Wow. And just the work they were doing,

and I was just like, oh my gosh, I think this is it. Wow. And then when we met Holland, who's like the president, her parents founded it, just they sat around the table to each other and they were talking and just talking about kids and just like orphans and the work and as soon as we got in the car, Jess was like, you need to work for them. They're awesome. Yeah. Well, he came home for, I didn't go to the gala and it was like a guys group that

went and he came home crying, telling me how he was like, I really think I can help this organization. I really want to do something with them. So then we, yeah, we went and he came home crying telling me how he was like I really think I can help this organization I really want to do something with them so then we yeah we went and had dinner a couple weeks after that and I was blown away by just like Holland's heart and the mission that her family started it and now she was the president and I said Holland I want to work for y'all so then it got to the point was like what can I I do? And she goes, she goes, no, you can't do anything. And I was like, no, I was like, no, seriously. Like I really want to, I promise you, I love what you're doing.

She's like, no, unless you go see the work. She said, come to Ethiopia and see what we're doing. Then decide. And I thought, dang, there's not a lot of people I think that would do that. Say like, you got to come see it. And so that's what, and I called her from Ethiopia and I was like, oh got to come see it. And so that's what to know. And I called her, Ramethi Opie, and I was like, Oh my gosh,

these kids. That's so powerful, too. And just like from the perspective of after Diode Dynasty, there's like a lot of people who want to work for you, just like want to work with you just to put your name on an organization. But for someone to say like, no, you can't work for us unless your heart is in it. It's like shows the beauty of what that really is and the purity behind it.

It's not just something that you're just promoting with your name on, it's something that you really care about and feel passionate about. And there is something really amazing, I've told people this, because I don't know, different people have asked me, from my perspective, how I think most of our family, all of our family, has come out of a season of like TV

and reality TV and the hype and stayed humble and stayed like pure in heart and faith. And I often tell people I think traveling and seeing the world because you can't get like that big head when you see the world out there and like what the world really looks like. And it just makes you realize how small you are in the grand scheme of things in life

and like how much that people need your help. And like, it just, it's hard to get that prideful when you see, you know, people in those spaces and then all you wanna do is serve. And so I think it's so beautiful that you went to Dominica at that time. God did something in your heart. The adoption thing started, you know,

then you guys moved to Austin. You say, I wasn't supposed to be there, but of course you're supposed to be there. There's so many moments in the Bible where it's like, you know, the Samaritan woman, you know, then you guys moved to Austin. You say, I wasn't supposed to be there, but of course you're supposed to be there. There's so many moments in the Bible where it's like, you know, the Samaritan woman, you know, at the well, and it's like, oh, it wasn't supposed to be there, but of course you're supposed to be there, you know? That's like an ordained God set up.

It's so cool, the timing of that. So, like I said, I wanna talk more about adoption because this is why you guys wrote in this book, Dear Valor. And I wanna ask you because Jessica, I love when you sat down on the couch before we started interviewing and you're like, here's my heart.

Like here's what I hope people know in this book. And I think that again speaks to the purity of your heart. And like, y'all aren't just doing things so put things out there. Like you're doing it because you believe in it. And so how did this story like connect with you guys and why you wanted to write in this series? If you have not heard me talk about illuminations,

then friends, I want you to hear me talk about it and get involved to help because they are helping scripture be translated into every language in the world, which is so important. Illuminations is doing amazing work and you can be a part of what they're doing around the world. So I invite you to join the scripture translation movement with illuminations 12 verse challenge There are over 3,000 people groups which total about a billion people who don't have access to scripture in their own language And there are more than a thousand groups who don't have access to actually any scripture all in their language

I mean for me I depend on my Bible daily, so I can't even imagine not having that scripture at all. Illuminations formed an alliance of 11 leading Bible translation agencies who worked together to erase Bible poverty in our generation. What was originally expected to take over 150 years to complete is a project that now can be finished by 2033, which is absolutely crazy and amazing. By taking the 12 verse challenge, you'll be playing a key role in getting the word into the hands of people who don't have it. So for $35 a month, you can help fund 12 verses of scripture a year for people with little

or no access to it. Together, I would love to see our Well That's Good Fam fund the equivalent of four gospels, that's Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, for a group that doesn't have the Bible yet in their language. If we work together, it can stop. Friends, Luke, and John, for a group that doesn't have the Bible yet in their language. If we work together, it can stop, friends. I just believe in this mission so much.

I've gotten to be a part of this at Passion Conference, at If Gathering, at LO Conference. But to do it as a podcast family, I think is so unique and so special. We might not be in the same place, but man, if we could rally together for one mission and sponsor the whole gospel going into a language, how cool would that be, y'all?

So join me in this movement, pull out your phone, click the link in the show notes, or go to 12vc.com slash sister and commit to the 12 verse challenge. That's the number one, the number two, vc.com slash sister. We are in this until everyone, everywhere has access to God's word. Visit the number 12, vc.com slash sister to join the movement today.

Well, we were introduced to Brave Books a year and a half before. Missy had come out with a kid's book. And so we started talking with them and just really fell in love with their mission about putting good quality material out for families, you know, to be able to open conversations because each one have like an amazing biblical lesson

in their life lesson that they need. And so when we were talking with them, we were like, what's on our heart? Well, obviously adoption was heavy on our heart. And they were like, well, actually we were gonna delve more into Valor's adoption story. Obviously this was a part of the Freedom Island series, so it was a part of the series. But we were like, let's collaborate on what adoption topics that we've dealt

with with Gus. Yeah. And so we've got to come in there and implement some of the things like, obviously, Gus is a black child being adopted by a white family, and Valor is a tiger adopted by a lion family. And so he notices he's different, you know, and we wanted really to come out with this book so that not just for kids who are adopted,

but for kids that are not adopted, so they can empathize and start conversations like in the household, like if you're not raised in adoption, which we've been surrounded by. But this past summer, Gus made All Stars baseball. So then there was like a group of kids coming together, different than his normal team. And there were a couple of other black boys on his team.

And I came to practice one day and they go, wait, you're his mama? And I said, yeah, I'm his mama. And they were like, wait, I mean, how can you be his mama? And I said, yeah, I'm his mama. And they were like, wait, I mean, how can you be his mama? And I said, well, Gus is adopted. And they go, adopted? Whoa, they had never heard that. So you don't realize how many areas and kids that don't grow up knowing anything about adoption.

Is it a taboo thing? Like it's, oh gosh, is that a good thing or a bad thing? And it became, it was an opportunity just to be like very open and honest. I said, yeah, he's got different birth mommy and daddy. And so I said, we brought him home when he was three days old and they were like, wow. Like then it became cool.

Yeah, I think it's cool. And Gus was like proud, you know, it was a proud moment. And I was like, you don't realize how many conversations, whatever the life lesson is, that, you know, you need to be able to start with your kids. Sometimes we don't know how to do that, right? Sometimes they don't realize how many conversations, whatever the life lesson is, that you need to be able to start with your kids. Sometimes we don't know how to do that, right? Sometimes they don't know how to. So these stories that they come out with, each book is different. But they're really just a way to communicate, right? You're going to read it with your kids, there's activities in the book too, but it's a way to bridge that communication gap that you may need.

What's funny is Gus. So we were doing an interview like over Zoom the other day. And Gus is in the living room and we get done. He was like, Dad, would you quit saying I'm black and you're white? I'm brown and you're peach, which I think is a great. This be more specific. Yes. And I think it's a great thing because that's the way he looks at it. He doesn't look at it so separated.

He's like, good. It's like shades of wheat. You know what I'm saying? Which I think is's a great thing because that's the way he looks at it. He doesn't look at it so separated. He's like, good. Yeah. Shades of wheat. You know what I'm saying? Which I think is a better way. That's actually really cool. I love it so much. And again, it's kind of like that thread of the same thing. Whenever you were in high school, it's like you don't want to be caught out.

But then you do. And it's like these conversations we're afraid of having are the conversations that bring so much freedom, bring so much light. All of a sudden, it's not a weird thing. It's a cool thing because like that's the truth of it. And I love in the book, like there bring so much freedom, bring so much light, all of a sudden it's not a weird thing. It's a cool thing, cause like that's the truth of it. And I love in the book, like there's so much truth. There's so much truth to speak over your childhood, so much truth to speak over yourself.

Like there's so much truth to just share and like why hide from that? And I remember in a similar way, like whenever Will, so Will's birth mom has been on the podcast with mom and they shared their story and it's such a crazy story because you know, whenever little Will, who is Will's birth mom has been on the podcast with mom and they shared their story. And it's such a crazy story because, you know, whenever little Will, who is Will's, if you didn't listen to that podcast, that's Will's biological brother, but he didn't know that

because they came to our church and he became friends with Will because they were just friends and they looked alike and everyone called him mini me and big Will. So that was like always a thing. No one knew that that was his birth family. We didn't know that. They didn't even know that.

Then the mom realizes, I think that that is my son, because she named him Luke, but they changed the name because we had a John Luke, and then mom and dad named him Willie after dad. And then she just randomly happened to name her next son Will. And so that's why the pieces never got put together. Well, anyways, I remember when mom found out thinking like,

how am I gonna tell Will? Like, I don't want it to be too hard for him to know that like this is his birth mom. And all of a sudden, like little Will is his brother. And like, it felt like this crazy big thing. And it felt like a secret, but it wasn't, no one knew. And then we did. And I remember I was so young and I just heard it.

I shouldn't have maybe heard it, but I did. And I just remember telling my mom, like, you should tell him, he'll think it's so cool. But I'm a kid, so I don't know anything. But it is cool because I think that the Bible talks about having childlike faith and Jesus constantly brings us back to a child. And I think children don't overthink it as much.

Like we just say it. And it is cool because then with me in there, mom told Will and I'll never forget, he was like, many means my brother. Like it was like the best news ever. And like, he was like, so wait. Like, and it was just like this revelation and this excitement around like that he just found another brother and it's just like this revelation and this excitement around like

that he just found another brother and it's like someone he loves and that looks like him. And then he got close to their family. He calls Emily Ma now and like, they're such a part of his life. And so, and it didn't like take anything away from what our family is. It just added to, you know?

And everyone's story is so different. So it's sensitive to that, but it is just beautiful when you're able to just open communicate about these things that are hard, but when you shed light on it, man, it gets so much lighter, you know? And I think that this book kind of gives people

an invitation into those conversations, which is just really powerful. So well done. Way to talk about the hard things in a beautiful way and in a not even hard way. So it's really cool. I want to ask you, you mentioned moving to Austin, Texas for five years and now coming back, which is like so cool

because I think so many people in life are like hard to make. It's like hard to make those big jumps or scary to make those leaps of faith. And we talk about this on the podcast a lot, like that verse, your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light into my path. And how, you know, a lot of times we wish we had like the whole path lit, like, but that's not what a lamp does.

It just kind of lights up the path for the next step. And you guys kind of had this like, okay, I'm gonna go to Austin, Texas. And I don't know if y'all felt like you're gonna be there forever or not, but you came back. Can you talk a little bit about like the importance of making that leap of faith? And then when you decided to come back,

how to just be confident in those like next moves in life that feel really big and scary. Having a one-year-old and a three-year-old keeps life so fun and so busy. This is truly one of my favorite seasons of life. It's sweet, but also challenging. But one of the brands that always has my back is Every Life, the fastest growing and only pro-life diaper company in America.

Every Life believes that every baby, no matter how they came into the world, is a blessing worthy of protection and love. Their mission is awesome and their products are too. As moms, it's important that we feel confident about the products we use on our kids and Every Life diapers are soft, high performing and made without lotions, dyes, latex, or other hard to pronounce ingredients. They're clean, safe, and both you and your baby will sleep better with their 12 hour leak protection. Plus, you can get them delivered straight to your doorstep. Mom life can be hard, but Every Life makes it easier. If you don't have

kids at home yet but still want to support Every Life's pro-life mission, their Buy For A Cause bundles can be bought online and donated to pregnancy resource centers all over the country who urgently need diapers and wipes. Your donation will help serve women at clinics who already have chosen life for their babies. Y'all, I think this is so amazing. You already need diapers for your kids. Why not buy diapers that actually have a purpose

and a mission behind it? I will also say the product is amazing. My girls are both sensitive to things, and so I was first a little hesitant in trying something new, but I was amazed that both their wipes and their diapers, they had no problems with it, they loved them, and we loved the quality as well.

So visit everylive.com. That's everylive.com. Use the promo code, whoa, to get 10% off your first order today. Everylive.com, use the promo code, whoa, to get 10% off your first order today. EveryLife.com, use the promo code, whoa, to save 10% off your first order. Yeah, it was hard. I mean, it was one of those things where we got done with all the TV stuff at the time. I was just like, what do y'all want? I mean, I just remember asking the kids, like, what would y'all want to do? And we had so many good friends in Austin and we thought, why don't we just move there?

I feel like we got into a habit of going there a couple of times a year. And then I had the bright idea of doing a food trailer, which, Ooh, man, that's the hardest I've ever worked in my life. It's like 14 hours a day, five days a week. It was so physically tough. Oh my gosh. It was a strain, but, but I learned so much, and this is what I always say about our Austin endeavor, is like, I never thought we were gonna be there

the whole time for sure, but we would have never had our son-in-laws if we wouldn't have moved there. And I'm just like, oh my gosh, I love these boys like my son. So it's like, that was 100% worth it to me. And even a step further is like, we raised our kids all around this little Bible bubble,

which was amazing, it was such a blessing. But I think we were like, hey, let's do something different. We're the babies of both families, we've never been away. We didn't go off to college somewhere. And so we were like, let's just do it. We can, we have this option, we're homeschooling, so we have the freedom. And in those five years,

God called each one of our biological kids, the older kids, Gus was little, but each one to know him and to follow him. All four of our kids got baptized over there and started following Jesus. I'm like, that alone, and I think us getting away and their faith growing, not being subject to who, I'm okay in this space.

Or who have, you know, sometimes we rely on those others. And so, and even just like stepping out on our own, like we've always been like, well, we're the babies, so everybody makes the decisions and we just roll with it, right? And we were able to make different decisions that we had to make because we were on our own at that point.

And so, yes, we got two great sons that are a part of our family too, but each one of our kids just knowing and choosing to follow Jesus was enough. I just love that because I think so many people are so scared to take a leap of faith. And again, we have listeners all ages on this. So a lot of people are in their twenties and like,

for better or for worse, you're gonna have to make a decision soon. Like maybe you're going to college, you're leaving college, you're about to have your first job, or maybe you are, you know, later in life and you have your kids and there's just some stirring in you that's like, might be ready for a change, you know?

And I think it's so cool that you guys are like, okay, I don't really know how this is gonna end. I don't know how long we're gonna be here, but we're just gonna say yes to it and see what God has. And then like starting a food truck, what? Like that's like- It was a dream. I really wanted to have my own restaurant.

So it was like, I had to try it. It was so hard and there were times I'm like, I don't know why I did that, but it was good. It was a learning experience. It's funny, now when I cook at home, I'm like, oh don't know why I did that, but it was good. It was a learning experience. It's funny, now when I cook at home, I'm like, oh, this is so easy. I cook for 20 people, no problem. When you're cooking for 500, that gets hard.

But that's what I mean, though. It's like, you really never know until you try, and people tell you that, but it's actually true. And then there are some things you thought, I want to do this forever, and then you do it, and you're like, actually, I don't want to do that forever. Change your mind. And I love that, because so many times people think,

if I do this, then this is going to be my life forever. It's like, no, it's not. Just try it and see. And then if it's not, it might lead you to the next thing, which that's what accidentally led you into that room, being in Austin, Texas. So it's just so cool to see that you're just not going to mess it up.

I think if you're following God, your heart's pure, you're not going to mess up His plan I think if you're following God, your heart's pure, you're not gonna mess up his plan by doing something new, trying something different, moving to a new place. You can always go back, you can always change gears, you never know who you're gonna meet there. And so I think that's so cool. And by the way, I have actually genuinely had this thought

because I'm like, I really want y'all to come over and see your house, I really wanna have you over, but I'm like, I can't really cook that well. So I'm like, he had a food truck, and I'm then thinking, what am I gonna make them? So I'm preparing- I can cook and bring food over. Okay, we might have to do a collab.

I've gotten a lot better, I've gotten a lot better. I've genuinely tried to learn, and I'm not natural. Bella got the natural memo cage dad to Bella. I'm like the try it, I want to be that, it's not natural but I can follow the recipe. So I'm getting better, so we'll have a collab. I still think about your guacamole sometimes from beach trips and I'm like,

I'm definitely not making guacamole because this is the best. But no, we're going to have to make that habit and I love that you started a food truck and love that you just like went for it. Y'all are at a really fun stage of life now because this is public news, right? It is.

Okay, Lily is pregnant. This is so cool. She's pregnant. The gender's not out yet, but we're excited. I mean, I'm gonna be grumpy. Oh, shoot, it's a night? I know it. I told a few people that.

It's not out, so don't announce it on here. It's not out that she's pregnant? No, it's not out the gender. Okay, okay, okay. I was just gonna set that up, because Jeff, he did blow John Luke's vehicle on his birthday. I do remember that.

I do remember that. So I'm always like, don't tell Dad. We're not telling the gender, but she is pregnant, which is just so exciting, because I mean, honestly, I have heard this since I was little, like you cannot wait to be a grandma, because I remember, like, you would have had more kids

as far as like adoption, you would have just kept going probably, because you just love kids. And then you're like, okay, I'm going to wait because I want to be like a very involved grandma. How are you guys feeling right now about being stepping into grandparent life? It's a little surreal.

But like now she's starting to show a little bit and then they got a video of the baby kicking. And I'm like, it's real, Lily. When you start feeling the baby moving, which she hasn't yet, but I was like, those are real moments, right? And I remember that, and it's so sweet being on the outside, being the grandma coming in.

So sweet. And yes, it feels weird saying, I'm gonna be a grandma. I keep talking about, I'm gonna be a grandma. Don't look like a grandma, that's for sure. You're rocking it. That's like two of my most rockstar grandparents. You are stepping into that. So I have a nine-year-old and then a grandbaby. That's crazy.

I'm so excited. That's so awesome. Jess is a baby whisperer. She's so good with babies. Randomly, we have people, I mean I gotta know you plan this out, but it's like people just bringing, drop their baby off.

They're in the room like once or twice a week, and she's just taking care of something like, what are you? She's like, I just want to. That's it, I'm gonna become knocking on y'all's doors. I'm a free babysitter is what I am. You'll do it'all's door. I'm a free babysitter, is what I am. That's good.

That's awesome. Well, Haven, she is like the funniest kid ever. Like, I know y'all gotta be around these kids because they are so funny and Haven is a busy body. So even yesterday, mom was supposed to watch her, but mom's hip was hurt and I was like, I don't think you can keep up. Like, I should have come to your hotel

and been like, here's Haven, she's got honey. Anytime. But no, I'm so excited for y'all. Lily is just gonna be the best mom and seeing her step into that is so cool. I actually saw her walk in the office today. I'm like, she's so cute. How many weeks is she? I think around 16.

Okay, so she's about to start feeling the baby. That's so exciting. I think it was like 18, 19 weeks that I started feeling honey. And I remember, or both the girls around 18, 19 weeks, I actually remember I was watching, I was in the theater in the Wonder Woman 2 movie. And I felt Honey kick and I was like,

she's gonna be Wonder Woman. Like she's, she didn't come out before. So she, that was a sign, that was my sign. Well, I am, I'm so glad we got to have this conversation. This book really is beautiful. If you guys haven't been tracking with this series, go check it out. How do they find the whole series?

So go to BraveBooks.com and get this. And along with all, there's some amazing, amazing books that, and other authors. Yeah, very cool authors. That's right. Godly people. Well known Christian people. That love Jesus and just want to be out there. And like you said, when that dynasty and the craziness

and so many things to be thrown out at you to like, hey, put your name on that. I just want to put your name on this. But we have to be really intentional and we were really fortunate that God led us to Brave Books because I do believe in what they're doing, their mission. And so I think that's a definitely amazing, Brave Books is an amazing thing to get behind.

Yeah, that's so cool too, because we have so many books for the girls, and there are some books that are a little bit more intentional than others, and it's so cool to read those intentional books with them and hear what they're getting, and even hearing Honey repeat things, and it's like the words you speak over them matter,

and they love books. Haven always says, book, book, and I know she wants to read books. And so like getting to read books that actually have deeper meanings and that speak life of your kids is so important. So definitely go check this out if you're a parent out there. But again, thank you all for just coming on

and sharing your story. It was so fun. I've loved this so much. And check out allguyschildren.org if you want to know more about maturity I work with. They're awesome. I love that. I'm glad you shared that.

Do you have any trips coming up? Yes, I'm actually going to Ethiopia at the end of October. Oh, that's awesome. I just do not eat the lettuce, cause I did that once. And let me tell you, I regretted it. We've all been there. We've all been there.

Oh my gosh, don't get my family started on our stories from eating the lettuce. But anyways, y'all are awesome. Thanks for being on the podcast. Thanks for having us. Thanks.