Doing Life with the Dedmons - How did we get here?

 How did we get on this ride?

Full transparency - when Whit was checking out mentors to see if we would come in off the road and move the family to Redding, we had never heard of Chad or Julia Dedmon.  We were thinking that we were being called immediately to Studio Church in Greenville South Carolina and Whit’s time at BSSM was probably already over.

As she was reading about the list of potential mentors she said, “Hey - this is cool.  This couple does their ministry together …kind of like us.  Wait - they surf.  They surf and stand up paddle!!”

Me: “In Redding??  How do they get to the ocean?”  

Whit: “They do it all over the place. They serve veterans and addicts while surfing and paddle boarding all up and down the coast of CA and Hawaii …and Australia!!!”

We both started laughing and she immediately filled out an application.  Within 2 weeks we were locked in to Whit’s internship and brainstorming options for how to switch everything we thought was next and move our life to Redding, CA.

Fast forward a few weeks and Whit gets a text: “Hey - we’re going to be doing a 4 mile prayer paddle from Redondo Beach to Manhattan Beach, then a prayer walk and communion at the pier.  You should come.”

Phone buzzes again: “Oh yeah we’re also leading a 3 day family VBS in San Onofre.  Your whole family can come and you can help us lead it.”

Whit: “What do you think?”

Me: “Well …we were supposed to be moving to Redding the same days as the trip.  And your internship doesn’t start for another month.  They just want you to go with them right now??”

After the newness settled in and we prayed about it a bit - we saw it for what it was.  ADVENTURE plain and simple.  We were made for this.

We started to realize that for the past 14 months we had been freed from our security coming from knowing where we were going to sleep at night, it no longer came from knowing we had stuff that was safe somewhere, it no longer came from Steadfast revenue.  We had fallen in love with risk, joy, and YES TO THE HOLY SPIRIT we had been divinely equipped for “Doing Life with the Dedmons” - and we would soon discover that what felt like a call to put aside all expectations and just go  wasn’t even a softball.  This was Tee Ball.

Meeting Chad
Like I said before - I didn’t know Chad from Adam.  Didn’t know what he looked like, didn't know how old he was.  Didn’t know how he was connected to Whit’s school (BSSM) - he was just the guy from the website that we were about to move to Redding to learn from.

Keep in mind - we weren’t even supposed to meet yet.  The start of school was still 4 weeks away.  We didn’t know if Whit had a board.  We didn’t know if she was strong enough to paddle 4 miles …this was literally the first time Whit had ever been on a SUP in the ocean.

There was tons of uncertainty as we made our way to the Avenues in Redondo Beach for the big meet-up.  Whit was nervous about the paddle, but also a little bit “first day of school” nervous.  She was about to meet her MENTOR!!  She really wanted to make a good impression, but wasn’t even fully sure what she had said yes to.  There were a lot of questions in the car and didn’t have any answers.

We pulled up to Topaz street in South Redondo.  That’s all we knew.  Topaz street at 7am …so we got there at 6:45 #firstdayofschool

Nervousness built as the seconds ticked by 6:55 …7:00 …7:10 …7:15

Me: “Have you texted him?”

Whit: “Yes but he doesn’t always respond right away.  Should I text his wife?  Maybe in a group?”

Phone buzzes - it’s Chad: “Hey - there was some miscommunication about transportation.  Can you come pick me up at The Portofino?  I don’t have a ride.”

Me: “He doesn’t have a ride???  To HIS event?  Did we make a mistake?”  Keep in mind that at this point we already had signed contract including quite a bit of money up front for a furnished rental in Redding

Whit: **silence**

Me: “Well I know where that hotel is, lets go get him.”

Now as we drive - Whit is REALLY feeling the pressure.  She’s about to “Meet the teacher” She can tell that my confidence in this MASSIVE decision is a little shaken.  She doesn’t know what he’s going to be like.  And she’s probably not 100% sure what I’m going to say when we meet.

We pull up to the hotel and he comes walking over.  He walks noticeably stiff and looks like he just woke up.  I’m driving, Whit’s in shotgun.  He makes his way to the back door, opens it and it’s finally time for the exchange of our first words.

“I think a seal was dying near my window last night - I didn’t get ANY sleep.”

I was actually laughing as I responded, “That’s crazy - Hi, I’m Jake.”

Whit’s first Prayer Paddle

The next 40 minutes were a chaotic stream of meeting people who were invited by a friend or a friend of a friend who weren’t sure if boards were provided, who had extra boards but weren't sure who they were for.  Someone named “Niko” was apparently on his way, but running late. All I knew about him was “He’s an awesome dude, you’re going to love him - he’s been on almost all the prayer paddles.”

Eventually I left Whit there on the beach with a board still waiting for Niko and I went back to my car with my arms full of flip-flops and jackets to return to other paddlers when I would meet them all at the Manhattan Pier at some time in the future.

And while I was gone - God showed up and opened our eyes.  Whit’s eyes first of course!!

She did amazing on the paddle - as anyone who’s met her would expect.  She had support from teammates when she needed it.  When things went wrong and some people had to bail, they formulated plans and addressed each obstacle while keeping the paddle moving.  They prayed for Redondo, for Hermosa, and for Manhattan as they paddled by and “took the water” as Chad likes to say.  It turns out, once they were on the water, they knew what they were doing.

Whit saw dolphins, a whale, and even a shark jump completely out of the water.  She showed up at the pier FULLY ALIVE and brimming with energy.  When I met up with them I saw Niko - wetsuit pulled down to his waist, no shirt, trucker hat, guitar in his hands singing in worship to Jesus the King.  They were right …rad dude.

Chad spoke, I felt inspired, we took communion, he asked us to anoint the pier with the blood of Jesus and release blessings on the community of Manhattan Beach.  I looked over my shoulder at the courts where I learned to play volleyball 38 years ago and felt overcome with gratitude to have this opportunity to love my city.

I’ve also learned that Chad isn’t absent-minded - he’s an adventurer, he’s a risk taker, and his intention is simply to do what the Holy Spirit tells him to do.  He is in so many places praying with so many people willing to say yes FAR BEYOND the point where others would be overtaken by their excuses that, for him, this event was just a little paddle and time with Jesus.  No biggie. He knew they’d make it.  He knew he’d get a ride.  He knew that it wasn't a “first day of school” experience, this is just what a life of adventure looks like.

Chad is "our people" - I now knew that this year was going to be something special and we didn’t make a mistake.  Our YES released an outpouring of favor.

I had learned over the past year in the camper that saying yes to God was never boring and now I could see why that lesson was so inportant.  It was time to buckle up because this adventure had just started.