An Army of Normal Folks - Ronda Paulson: Kids Should Never Sleep in Offices (Pt 2)

Episode Date: May 28, 2024

When Ronda Paulson found out that kids entering foster care slept in government offices while they waited to be placed, she got mad at God and heard ‘These are my children, what are you going to do?’ What Ronda did is build a beautiful home to welcome them into and there's now 22 of these Isaiah 117 Houses around the country. And they've loved on over 5,000 kids on what is often the worst day of their lives. Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premiumSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey everybody, it's Bill Courtney with an army of normal folks and we continue now on part two of our conversation with Rhonda Paulson right after these brief messages from our generous sponsors. My name is Ariel. I moved to the U.S. at 19. I spoke no English and I struggled finding job opportunities. Everything I have I owe to the Adult Literacy Center and getting my high school diploma at age 22.

It was an honor helping you achieve your greatness. Now you're helping others achieve theirs. It inspires me. When you graduate, they graduate. Find free and supportive adult education centers near you at finishyourdiploma.org. Brought to you by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and the Ad Council. Welcome to season nine of Next Question with me, Katie Hurick.

It is 2024, and we're going to get through this together, folks. My campaign promise to all of you here on Next Question is going to be a good time the whole time, we hope. I have some big news to share with you in our season premiere featuring Kris Jenner, who's got some words of wisdom for me on being a good grandmother, or in her case, a good lovey. You know, you start thinking of what you want your grandmother name to be, like are they going to call me grandma like I call my grandmother? So I got to choose my name, which is now lovey. I'll also be joined by Hillary Clinton, Renee Fleming,

Liz Cheney, to name a few. So come on in and take a break from the incessant negativity for a weekly dose of fascinating conversations. Some of them, I promise, will actually put you in a good mood. I loved it. Your energy and joy. I'm squeezing every minute I can for you

out of this season of Next Question. Last question, I promise. You have to go, I have to go. But it's been so fun. And I can't wait for you to hear it. Listen to Next Question with me, Katie Couric, on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Salaya Mohsin, and I've covered economic policy for years and reported on how it impacts

people across the United States. In 2016, I saw how voters were leaning towards Trump and how so many Americans felt misunderstood by Washington. So I started The Big Take DC. We dig into how money, politics, and power shaped government and the consequences for voters. It's an election year, so there's a lot of focus on the voters that TikTok is reaching. The initial reaction is like, oh, things are looking so resilient.

I don't want to be too pessimistic, but I just don't see the political will down in Washington right now to change their tune. I think the American electorate has been signaling that it expects a rematch of the 2020 election. These are unprecedented times. With new episodes every Thursday, you can listen to The Big Take DC on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts, or whatever you get your podcasts. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that. The way natural children and parents are together through natural means, those have their own difficulties.

I've raised four. My kids are idiots. I mean, they drive me crazy. I'm still finding out things they did when they were 12 and 13, that even at 26, I wanna chase them down and spank their butts for it, all right? My children, but they are delicious, and they are mine, and I would go to the wall for any of them,

and Lisa would literally kill herself for her children. But it is messy. Oh my goodness, raising four children is messy and it's stressful on a marriage and we had four kids in four years. So Lisa was pregnant for basically five years in a row, but we just. Good woman. Oh, she's a fantastic woman.

Gorgeous, best friend. Oh, she's a fantastic woman. Gorgeous, best friend. But even with the love in our relationship and my absolute adoration of my wife and my four children and my wife's adoration of her children and the belief that this is the greatest gift on our, it is still painfully stressful and messy to raise children and have a family like that.

You add in that extra layer of adoption, fostering, all of that with all this other mess and baggage. I just gotta believe it's not an easy thing. Oh, it's not easy. Foster care is hands down the hardest thing I've ever done. And Cory would tell you that too. But I love what Cory says about it because I'm the one that's talking about it all the time.

But whenever you ask him, why? He's like, because it's not about me. It's about a kid that needs a home. It's not about me. And it sounds so simple, but it's true. It's not about me. And you know, it sounds so simple, but it's true. You know, it's not easy. But somebody's gotta say yes. Well, I also heard you loud and clear earlier

when you said you felt like God asked you what you were gonna do about it. Which is, gosh, I gotta be careful with this metaphorical transition because I am not saying, but we often say on this show, and army of normal folks, you know, we can change our culture and society in this country, but it starts with you. And it's, when I heard you say the you thing,

I thought, well, that's something we say all the time. We try to challenge our listeners and everybody in the country to recognize all this dysfunction in our culture and society that surrounds us. If we're waiting on government or somebody else to come fix it, we're going to be waiting on our deathbed. It only happens when you decide you can fix it. And so. And that's why I came here today. Like I'd never heard of this podcast.

I looked it up. Me neither. I looked you up. I looked it up and I was like, that's what I'm trying to tell people too. Like there is absolutely nothing special about me. Like cheer and dance coach, mom of four, I scream at the kids, I lose it. I mean, there's not, like, I'm just a normal person.

Like, there's nothing special about me. Nothing. And there's nothing, so if you think there's nothing special about you, great. You can still do something. Like, you absolutely can do something to make this world better. Absolutely.

You mean, like an army of normal You mean like an army of normal folks. Like an army of normal folks. So I came to Memphis. I heard the number that in our state, there's 8,000 children looking for a place. Alex, the producer, and by the way, Alex, the show wouldn't exist without Alex, but it does not excuse the fact that as a producer,

he is a massive pain in my ass. You have to say that every episode. Every other, every other at least. But he is. But one of the things that I you are in his sweet spot when I first met him, one of his constant pitches was that there are, how many foster kids in the United States?

Well, it's more complicated than the guy who told us. There's, as you know, 115,000 kids. There's parental rights that have been terminated. Okay, so it's 150 or 15? Oh, there's way more children than that in the system, yeah. Okay, but there's 11,000 in the Houston area. Okay, but there's 115,000 in the Houston area. Okay, but there's a hundred and fifteen thousand children whose parental rights are terminated, right? And there's a hundred and fifty thousand places of worship in the United States. Four hundred thousand. All right. So if

one of three places of worship had a family that adopted one kid, the foster system would be empty. And then the question is, once again, what are you gonna do about it? And your story plays to exactly the thing that Alex has been talking about forever, which is bringing it full circle is, you decided what am I gonna do about it? And so you tricked your husband into it. because you decided what am I gonna do about it?

And so you tricked your husband into it. And now you have two children. And despite how messy and difficult it is. And still, cause trauma, the way trauma. Trauma doesn't end. The way trauma affects the brain, the way trauma affects the way they process emotions, the abuse, I mean, we are still,

we still have a long road. It's messy. Okay. But. Why? Why put yourself through it? Because it was so funny when you were saying, I love my four kids.

I remember I was speaking to this group one time and this gentleman at the end, I would usually do a Q and A and he was like, can I ask you anything? Can I ask you something? You will tell me the truth. Can I really ask you some straight up stuff? And I was like, as long as it's not my weight, I will tell you anything? Can I ask you something? You will tell me the truth. Can I really ask you some straight up stuff? And I was like, as long as it's not my weight, I will tell you anything. And he looked right at me and he was like, do you honestly love your adopted children

the same as you love your biological children? Oh, wow. That's a great question. I wish I would have thought to ask that because that is a great question. Absolutely. And sometimes I think I like them more than the ones I made. I mean, like it's, absolutely. It's a child.

You cannot love a baby halfway. It doesn't matter if it's yours or if it was handed to you at nine months, you will not love a baby halfway. And what happens too is there's this mama bear that starts when you're a foster parent because you see the injustice, you see the broken system, you see no one's advocating for this child.

Everyone wants to make sure mama has her rights and daddy has his rights and all the T's are crossed and who is fighting for the rights of this child? And there's something about becoming that mama bear and holding this child and realizing it's me and you, bud. Like it is me and you that bonds you in a way you can never explain. He is mine and I love him desperately.

And I would take a bullet for him. And I would, I mean, you don't love them any different, any different. And you know, people say really crazy things, you know. They'll say, I could never foster. I can't even go to the pound. Really need to think about the words you just used. Or they'll say, you know, you don't know what you're gonna get. If you're foster, you don't know what you're gonna get.

I'm like, did you know what you were gonna get when your husband and you made a baby? Did you know what you're gonna get? Like nobody knows what they're gonna get. What are you talking about? That's a really good point. You know, like, no, you love this child. Because if I knew there's a couple of mine,

I would have put back, and I mean, onto the shelf of God and others. I was a stay at home mom for those first two, and I ruined them. Like, if I had to drop two of my children in a deserted place to survive, it would be my nine and my seven year old. They went to daycare, they went through foster care and they can survive this world. These two,

mama helped me, Mark 21 and 17. These two could rule the world. Unbelievable. Okay. So, wow. So here you are with, is the second one redheaded too? No. Okay. So you got one. So you got, you got that going on, but in the back of my mind, as I, I, I now I'm paraphrasing your story and I'm going to let you take it. But I think, so I think that that week seven,

when you were at the DMV looking place for the drop off children and the But I think that week seven, when you were at the DMV looking place for the drop-off children and the girl, even though you've done the foster and the adoption, you still are stuck in that place a little bit mentally, thinking about the transitioning of these children, losing everything and then existing for some period of time and that transitional place that is just horrendously dirty and dark and sad and scary to a child.

So take me through that. I'm stuck in that moment of how alone they must feel and how unfair that is because they've done nothing wrong. They weren't the reason this happened. They didn't cause this to happen. So, so unfair to me. I'm stuck there, but now I'm learning about caseworkers and I'm learning how hard they're working and how crazy their lives are

and how they've got a sibling set of three in their cubicle and they've got 30 cases on their load. Somehow caseworkers get a bad rap, don't they? Somewhere along the way they are busting their tails. And so I'm watching these caseworkers pick lice in their break room. I'm watching them bathe babies in drug testing sinks, putting them in their car, going to buy them food, buy them underwear, but with their own money. And I'm like, how does anyone stay in this?

And then I'm also in this new foster mom, dad world. Where I'm hearing story after story about the child came with nothing. The child came with one shoe. The child came with a roach-infested diaper bag. And so I'm like- Or lice and filthy. Lice, yeah.

They came across our door at 2 a.m. They all had lice. We had to throw them in the tub. We had to run to Walmart. Walmart used to be open 24 seven. It's not like we had to run to Walmart and get everything they needed. Like the pandemonium of that. And that's

where I got stuck. Like how can we reduce trauma for children, lighten the load of the caseworkers, and make that yes easier? Like that's what I kept thinking. Like there's got to be something we can do here. And then I started seeing this White House in my head with a red door, there was a big picture window, and there was a Christmas tree, and it had colored lights on it, and there were presents underneath. Children would come in and there'd be a present with their name on it. I just kept seeing this white house with a red door and these presents for kids.

Then it just became like, what if there was a home? What if instead of going to the DMV type place in the state office, they would go to a home where they'd have everything they need and fun furniture and comfy furniture and tons of light and a bubble bath or a teenager, a shower, a fridge full of stuff, food, we'll make you anything you want, a play set, a basketball goal, a Nintendo Switch,

I mean, books, let's paint fingernails, let's make slime, like what if there could be a home? And we're not talking forever, we're just talking for the transition. Four hours, eight hours, 24 hours? Something that's comfortable and feels safe. Yes, and what if we could pour into those children in that moment, that positive messaging,

like you can do this, you are loved, you are not alone, you are not in trouble, this is happening to you, not because of you. Like what if that could be part of it? And they all need stuff. What if we could have an entire floor full of new shirts and new pants and new shoes and new backpacks and anything they need?

And then what if we could have an office for that caseworker? And what if we could have everything they need? So they come and they work on the paperwork and we're gonna love on the child. We're also gonna love on them. Like what's your favorite coffee, creamer? What snacks do you love? what do you want for dinner? Like, how can we love on them

and remind them that they're not alone because they feel very alone as a state employee? And then how can we make that yes easier? So now we get to call them and say, okay, we have some children, they've been at the Isaiah house, they've had a life's treatment, they've had baths, they've eaten, they have their teeth brushed, they have bags of stuff full of everything they need for the next week. And by the way, what do you need to be able to say yes? Do you need twin beds, stroller, carbon monoxide detector, fire extinguisher on both? What do you need to be able to say yes?

Because we're going to make it happen for you. And by the way, you're not alone in this. We want to support you in this moment because we can't thank you enough for saying yes. And so that was the dream in early 2017. Like what if there was a home where we could reduce trauma, lighten the load, and make that yes easier? That was the dream. It's a great dream. It's a great dream. You know I think it's interesting that Isaiah's name is Isaiah. I do too. That I don't say this a lot, but that feels like a God thing.

Oh, listen to this. Okay, I'm going to bring you over. You're going to say this is a God thing. So Isaiah 1-17, we read the verse when we met Isaiah, we thought it'd be fitting to read through the book of Isaiah. Isaiah 1-17 says, do good, seek justice, take care of the widow, take care of the orphan. That just became our family verse, Isaiah 1-17. Well, then we were looking for a name for this house. It was like, it has to be the Isaiah 1-17 house. We get invited to Nashville to speak to the state

department of child welfare, to this building, floor 10, suite number 117. And I was like, come on, of course it is. I took a picture by it, yes, of course it is. That's crazy. Of course it is, yeah. That's crazy. Yeah. Would you recite one more time for our listeners, Isaiah 117. This is a wrong to paraphrase, but Isaiah 117. I get it, close enough.

Do good, seek justice, take care of the widow, take care of the orphan. But I tell people oh, one, seven, do good, seek justice, take care of the widow, take care of the orphan. But I tell people all the time, the best part of that verse is what comes before it. Which is? God is mad at His people. There's no other way to say it. He says, you think I want what you're currently doing? Like, you think I want these new moon sacrifices and these offerings that you're making? No. What I want from my people is for you to do good, seek justice, take care of the widow,

take care of the orphan. It's not more complicated than that. In other words, see a small place of need in your community and fill it, and give God the glory. And so that is Isaiah 1-17. The kid that shows up in your life is named Isaiah. And then the office number you go to Nashville to talk about this stream of yours is sweet

117. That's just weird. Wasn't your adoption day? We adopted them on 11-17-18. There's a 117 right in the middle of their adoption day. Yeah, it's, you know, that's crazy stuff. We found a book. Dolly Parton, you know, sends books to all of our kiddos.

So she had sent a book to Isaiah at his original address, and his mom had passed those books along. His address was 117. You're kidding me. It says Isaiah, and then it says 117, and address was 117. You're kidding me. It says Isaiah, and then it says 117, and then the street name. Unbelievable. Okay, so obviously we're gonna call this house

that you're envisioning the Isaiah 117 house. I mean, it's his name, it's the Bible verse that really is basically your calling verse. And for some reason, this entire 117 thing has surrounded the entire deal. But at this point, it's just a dream. And after the break, we'll hear how that dream became a reality. We'll be right back. My simple solution to the problem was remove people from the scene and help them feel safer.

In response to attacks against Asian Americans, Maddie Park raised over $250,000 to donate cab rides to the Asian community. There is so much more work to be done. We really need to come together and tackle this to the Asian community. There is so much more work to be done. We really need to come together and tackle this issue as a community. Support the Asian community. Learn how at lovehasnolabels.com. Brought to you by Love Has No Labels and the Ad Council.

Welcome to season nine of Next Question with me, Katie Hurick. It is 2024, and we're gonna get through this together folks. My campaign promise to all of you here on Next Question is going to be a good time the whole time. We hope. I have some big news to share with you on our season premiere featuring Kris Jenner who's got some words of wisdom for me on being a good grandmother or in her case a good lovey. You know you start thinking of what you want your grandmother name to be.

Like are they going to call me grandma like I call my grandmother? So I got to choose my name, which is now lovey. I'll also be joined by Hillary Clinton, Renee Flemming, Liz Cheney, to name a few. So come on in and take a break from the incessant negativity for a weekly dose of fascinating conversations. Some of them, I promise, will actually put you in a good mood. I loved it.

Your energy and joy. I'm squeezing every minute I can for you out of this season of Next Question. Last question, I promise. You have to go, I have to go. But it's been so fun. And I can't wait for you to hear it. Listen to Next Question with me, Katie Couric,

on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get hear it. Listen to Next Question with me, Katie Couric, on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The big take from Bloomberg News brings you what's shaping the world's economies with the smartest and best informed business reporters around the world. Western nations like the U.S. and Europe. Mexico will likely have its first female president. And then you have China. And help you understand what's happening, what it means, and why it matters. He'll get his yo-yos to Europe in time. But the longer this drags on, the more worried he's getting.

They knew that they needed to do this as fast as they possibly could to get a drug on the market as fast as they could. I'm David Dura. I'm Sarah Holder. I'm Saleh Amosin. We cover the stories behind what's moving money in markets. Basically everyone was expecting, if not a calamity, certainly a recession.

But the problem is that that paperwork, as our reporting showed, is fake. As someone who's covering the market, I'm often very worried about an imminent collapse. I'm thinking about it quite often. Listen to the big take on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I went to the state.

I went to our regional office, a lady named Pam Har. She had worked for the department for 36 years. I tell people all the time, she should have been jaded and bitter. She should have seen too many things come and go. I sit across from her and I tell her this dream of what if there's a home. And we sit there and we cry together. And she said, let's try. And she said, I'll start talking to the state.

You start raising some money and let's just see what happens. And so she headed to Nashville to work with licensing and could we do this? And I head out into Carter County talking to anybody that will listen to me. And I do believe with all my heart, this is one of those times when I feel like God has never given up on the children in foster care. He rallied every part of Carter County. Like always say we had First Methodist, First Pres, First Bible, all the first were there. Every church rallied. The football team did a fundraiser. The nursing home held a bake sale for the children. The car show gave us money. The entire community rallied. In less than a year, we had a home debt-free. It had

been completely remodeled for free, $90,000 worth of work to the home, done for free. Every piece of furniture was donated for free. Every closet was full, every cabinet was full, 40 trained state certified volunteers, fingerprinted background check, a fully funded first year's budget in the bank, waiting on us.

It was this beautiful picture, to me, of what the church should look like. Everybody just heard of this need and they gave us what they had. And suddenly we had a White House with a red door that was ready to serve the children of Carter County. And so now if a kid goes through the trauma of having to be pulled out of their family, instead of going to the DMV, they go to this. They go to a home. And the caseworker is in a place that they can actually aptly support the children. And prospective foster parents don't have to go to the back of a DMV in a dirty floor and

institutional furniture rather they go and their child has been at least cared for. Absolutely. It's phenomenal. Has it not made a massive difference? I look back now and it really is comical. I really believed in my heart of hearts that I would quit my job at Milligan and this house, the Isaiah 117 house, the original one is three minutes from my home. I would run that home and we would do a little bit of good there in Carter County.

The house does what the house was created to do. It is unbelievable. It absolutely reduces trauma and lightens the load and eases that yes. It was crazy, but I never ever dreamed that it would catch on. I never in my wildest dream thought there would be more than a house. That's what I thought I agreed to. One child, one house, that's what we're doing. But one thing that this perfect storm that was brewing is Bill Lee was running for governor. He had not won the nomination yet.

I was told that this guy named Bill Lee and his wife Maria wanted to come see the house. And I said, no. I don't know who this guy is. I'm busy. And they were like, what? I'm not political. I don't want somebody kissing babies.

I don't want a picture in front of a bus. No, I don't want to meet them. Well, my board was like, you're going to go meet him. So I said, Cory, come with me. I don't want to meet this guy. So he shows up. They're sawing, hammering. I don't want to meet him. Well, my board was like, you're going to go meet him. I'm like, oh my gosh. So I said, Cory, come with me. I don't want to meet this guy. So he shows up. They're sawing, hammering. I don't even make them stop.

Like he is like literally like yelling over the saws and the hammers on the gal and give him a tour because the house isn't done yet. We make it to the top of the stairs and he was like, what do you want me to tell Nashville? What does Nashville need to know? I was like, that Tennessee has forgotten their children. That's why this house is being built. How do I know you've forgotten your children?

Because you will stick them in an office for hours or days on end. That's just the beginning. Child welfare is not set up for the child. I mean, I am giving it to him, and I am crying, and I am mad, and he starts crying, and Maria starts crying, and he was like, can I pray with you? There were no cameras, there was no photo op. And we stood there together and we prayed for the children of Tennessee. We get done and Corey loves this part of it.

Do you have a bus we could get our picture made by? It's that easy. And so, come to find out, because I don't do details, his entire platform was this faith-based initiative. If you have a faith-based organization doing really good work, let them do the work. Like there doesn't have to be this separation and no, let them help the state, like let's go. And so he then proceeded, there was one house, not even finished 21st, to tell the entire

state of Tennessee about this model of Isaiah 117 house, how they're going to partner with the state and how this beautiful, like used us as an example. Well, then he becomes, he gets the nomination. So he's officially running. So he stops back by the house and sees it finished. And he was like, this is probably TMI, but that shirt you gave my wife, she loves it and she sleeps in it every night. And I was like, the Lord works in mysterious ways. You go to bed every night thinking about my ministry. And so we just, you know, he loved the house. So then we find out we're going to do one in Greene County. And so he's now governor and he calls and he says, can I come to the groundbreaking of the Greene County house? I'm like, let me check with

my people. Yeah, you can. Check with my people. And he brought $100,000, said he just wanted us to use it to expand. And that day he stood in Greene County and said he wanted this to be the new standard for all children entering foster care across the state of Tennessee. And that catapulted us. We didn't know what was coming. All of a sudden they want 95 homes in the state of Tennessee and everybody's calling,

you know, Tennessee, Tennessee, Tennessee. And how many houses are there in Tennessee now? We have 23 total locations. I think we have 16 open homes in Tennessee alone, because then Indiana called and we're like, what? Like, well, this foster worker's mom lives in Limestone, Tennessee and cut out an article and said, this would help my daughter with her work. So then we start working with Indiana.

Like, and so then their government stands up and says, we want one in every County in Indiana. So now we're working Indiana and Tennessee. And then your buddy, Mike Rowe shows up. Of course Mike shows up. In our episode of returning the favor. Oh, go on it. Return the favor is a Facebook show

that Mike Rowe did after Dirty Jobs, or even during Dirty Jobs, where he would just show up to places and tell the stories about people who were quote, returning the favor, basically like our show, telling stories of amazing, normal people doing incredible things

and he called it, returning the favor. So he showed up. He showed up. With his cameras. With his cameras. We were told a small documentary company was coming. That is not, nothing micro does, it was small. It was a fake website, it was fake names, fake emails.

And so- They were fake, lying to you. Yes, yes. Yeah, I got it. Because they wanted, because Mike so- They were fake, lying to you. Yes, yes. Yeah, I got it. I had no idea. Because Mike's show wanted to be a sproch for you. Right. So when we show up at the Isaiah House that morning,

I think a small documentary company is coming. Everybody in the house knows who's actually coming but me. I don't know. And so this is the speech I gave to my people. I was like, listen, y'all know I don't do details. Some small documentary company is coming. I don't know. Here's what you company is coming. I don't know. Here's what you need to know.

Number one, don't say one negative word about the Department of Children's Services. And number two, nobody take your shirt off because it ain't that kind of video. Like, that was my bad. That was, that's all I knew. Oh, God, that's funny. And then Micro walked in. So our episode aired on March 9th of 2020. Well, this is crazy.

I love sharing God moments with you. We were supposed to air March 16th. We had a whole social media plan leading up to- Are you gonna tell me something about John 316 now or are we gonna skip that? Stop it, we're skipping that one. I can stop it. Watch parties, watch, we have this whole plan.

Sarah, his producer, calls me on Sunday the 7th and says, or Sunday the 7th and said, or Sunday the 8th and says, we're moving YouTube tomorrow night. I'm like, oh, okay. Okay. So I call our social media person and she's like, I'm on it. So we watch it on March 9th, March 13th, the world shuts down. So COVID, 2 million people watched it on March 9th. Do you know how many people watched it? March 16th, 10,000. Wow. It was like we just got picked up and dropped on March 9th.

What? Too many people watched it. Our phone blew up. Like we finally on day three got a map of the United States out and just started coloring in. 41 states and four countries have reached out wanting an Isaiah 117 house. Thanks to your buddy Mike.

I say Jesus and Mike are the reason. Bill Lee, don't Bill Lee. Oh, Jesus, Mike and Bill Lee. Yeah. Oh, the Trinity. Jesus and Mike. Yes. The Trinity of bloody do-gooders.

Bill Lee, micro, and Jesus. Yes, Jesus needs a band. So we, in 2018, summer of 2018, we had one employee, me, and one home. As of today, we have 140 employees, over 6,000 trained volunteers, 54 total locations in 12 states, 22 open homes, and we'll have 30 by the end of the year. What? What? What? Wow.

Where does the money come from? I'm a cheer and dance coach, people. Like, what is happening? Where does the money come from for all that? The local church, individuals, and private foundations. You are kidding. No, we get no funding from the state. Now, take that back, I will say this.

So the state of Tennessee came to us and said, we need you to move faster in West Tennessee. Like we need you to, cause there's like this wave of red doors coming, like we need you faster. And we had never taken state money. And we said, we'll try this one time, but here's our rules.

Like we still do it our way. They gave us $1.5 million to do a home in Davidson, Gibson County and two in Shelby. Davidson is Nashville, Gibson is? Jackson, Tennessee. Jackson area, and then Shelby County is Memphis. Which, back to the top of the show. So I visited today, we have our first home in Memphis,

under roof, they're getting ready to have a holy graffiti night next Tuesday, they meet and write scripture on all the different wood inside, and so yeah, we're gonna have our first home in Memphis. So now we have one in Northeast Tennessee with a very tip-top Northeast and we're gonna have one in the very Southwest corner.

Yeah. What in the? What is happening? What is? What is going on? We have home, we're getting ready to open a home in Waco, we have a home in Dallas, like we're getting ready to open a home in Waco. We have a home in Dallas. Like we're getting ready to open one in Jacksonville, Florida.

We have one in Lynchburg, Virginia. I'll be like, I don't know. I don't know what is happening. I don't know what's happening. But this is what I do know. My God is big and he has not left his children. That's what's happening. And the need is huge.

Everywhere, everywhere. That's what's happening. All from little itty bitty, what is it, Carter County? Carter County, Tennessee, yep. I wish people could see how bright your smile is. You are, you are, you really are just stoked about it, aren't you? I just, it's like I have this unbelievable vantage point. And like, I know, I know, oh, I know, the church has made a mess of things and I know

there's church, like I have this vantage point where I just keep watching the God that I've loved my whole life rally people to build homes and love on children. Like I just keep watching the God that I've loved my whole life rally people to build homes and love on children. Like I just keep watching it happen. And like over and over, it just keeps happening. We'll be right back. My name is Ariel. I moved to the US at 19. I spoke no English and I struggled

finding job opportunities. Everything I have, I owe to the Adult Literacy Center and getting my high school diploma at age 22. It was an honor helping you achieve your greatness. Now you're helping others achieve theirs. It inspires me. When you graduate, they graduate. Find free and supportive adult education centers near you at FinishYourDiploma.org. Brought to you by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and the Ad Council.

Welcome to season nine of Next Question with me, Katie Hurick. It is 2024, and we're gonna get through this together, folks. My campaign promise to all of you here on Next Question, it's going to be a good time the whole time, we hope. I have some big news to share with you on our season premiere featuring Kris Jenner, who's got some words of wisdom for me

on being a good grandmother, or in her case, a good lovey. You know, you start thinking of what you want your grandmother name to be, like are they gonna call me grandma, like I called my grandmother. So I got to choose my name, which is now Lovey. I'll also be joined by Hillary Clinton,

Renee Flemmming, Liz Cheney, to name a few. So come on in and take a break from the incessant negativity for a weekly dose of fascinating conversations. Some of them, I promise, will actually put you in a good mood. I loved it. Your energy and joy. I'm squeezing every minute I can for you out of this season

of Next Question. Last question, I promise. You have to go. I have to you out of this season of Next Question. Last question, I promise. You have to go, I have to go. But it's been so fun. And I can't wait for you to hear it. Listen to Next Question with me, Katie Couric, on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm Solea Mosin, and I've covered economic policy for years and reported on how it impacts people across the United States. In 2016, I saw how voters were leaning towards Trump and how so many Americans felt misunderstood by Washington. So I started The Big Take DC. We dig into how money, politics, and power shaped government and the consequences for voters. It's an election year, so there's a lot of focus

on the voters that TikTok is reaching. The initial reaction is like, oh, things are looking so resilient. I don't want to be too pessimistic, but I just don't see the political will down in Washington right now to change their tune. I think the American electorate has been signaling that it expects a rematch of the 2020 election.

These are unprecedented times. With new episodes every Thursday, you can listen to The Big Take DC on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts, or whatever you get your podcasts. No one that listens to this will not be able to very quickly ascertain the level of your faith and that you are a Christian and all of that, but you just said something that I think is really important, that I've said, which is corporately the church has made a massive mess of things. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Given the depth of your faithfulness to your faith,

I'd like you to just say a little more about what you mean when you said that. I think that's important. I'd like you to just say a little more about what you mean when you said that. I think that's important. So many people don't have the temerity to answer the call to be that, what are you going to do about a person? And a lot of times we'll hide behind, well, you know, this religion screwed this up, or this faith has screwed this up, or this church has screwed this up. And my answer to that is, you're right, but so what? But it's interesting you just dropped that in there. I'd love to hear your thoughts

on that. I mean, I've experienced some serious church hurt in my life. You know, Isaiah 117 house came about in a time when I was very disillusioned with the church. But this is what I tell people all the time. I'm sorry for the Jesus that a church showed you. I want you to know the Jesus I know. And the Jesus I know has always been for the marginalized and the forgotten and the underdog. The Jesus I know could sit at any table, anywhere, anytime with anybody because he loves everybody the same. That is the Jesus I know. And the Jesus I know loves you that way and loves me that way. And I'm sorry for when the church got in the

way of that message. And I think we need to remember that if he were to come today for the first time rather than when he did, it wouldn't be in the ballroom of a massive Marriott hotel somewhere around a bunch of people sitting around $150 dinners. No.

Jesus surrounded himself with stinky fishermen and prostitutes. And the church needs to remember that. Yeah, yeah. As it pertains to the work that you're doing because you are exactly where Jesus would have come. To the marginalized, to the weakest, to the dirtiest,

and frankly, the social outcast. And if we're called to be Christ-like, aren't we called to do the exact thing you're doing right now? Yeah. And I mean, I felt that probably in my mid-30s, late 30s, is when I finally was like, I don't think we're supposed to be sitting in this building.

I think we're supposed to be out. Like, I don't think they're coming here. You in this building. I think we're supposed to be out. Like, I don't think they're coming here. You know, like we're gonna have- This building meaning this sanctuary. Yeah, like we're gonna have an ice cream social. Okay, newsflash, hurting people are coming to an ice cream social. You know what I mean?

That was when it was finally like, and so then I started asking questions and nobody was comfortable with the questions. And so I absolutely believe it is time for people to stand up out of the pew, out of the contemporary chair that you sit wherever and go out because the hurting world is not coming to us. And so we have to go out to them. But that's what I've seen happen with Isaiah 117 house. I believe our churches are filled with people that are dying

for more and they don't know where to start. And so we're like, I got a way. Come help me build this house. Come be a volunteer and come meet that child on their worst day. Come pick lice. Come make macaroni and cheese. Come play UNO. You absolutely can come be part of this.

And I think it's starting to open the eyes. And I've seen it. They get so excited. That's why we are where we are. It's because the local church said, we're in. Sign us up. And they've shown up. And so, it's been good for my soul as well to watch the local church rally because I do believe that God wants us to come together in community. I do believe that. So, I don't want to give up on the church. I've not given up on the church. I know that there are

apologies that need to be made and there are changes that need to happen. But I've not given up on the church. I know that there are apologies that need to be made, and there are changes that need to happen, but I've also seen, I say all the time in this role that we're in now, I see the absolute worst of humanity, and I see the absolute best. I see the worst of the church, and I see the best. And there is good left in the church. All right, so let me just, four countries, bajillion other places calling you after the micro show and those numbers start adding up in my head, but to date, how many children have you served from this first little house in Johnson City?

Yeah, as an organization, we've served over 5,000 to date. 5,000 children on the worst day of their life pass through one of your homes. Exactly. And that's what's so exciting about when there is a new home, because it's not just a new home that's going to serve a child. We now have a new home that is going to serve hundreds. Hundreds. And so every time. And you know, if you think about it, on balance, kids that have the worst day of their life in a place where one of your homes doesn't exist,

they're experiencing the institutional furniture and the dirty carpet. So I mean, there's a need for this literally everywhere. And I knew nothing about trauma-informed care when this started. Trauma-informed care. You don't either. Okay, say, trauma-informed care,

it's this new way of handling people who have been through trauma, and so you want to be trauma-informed. I never heard this phrase. So we had this specialist on trauma-informed care come and visit the Carter County home, and she was like, do you know what trauma-informed care is?

And I was like, no. She was like, this? This is trauma-informed care is? And I was like, no. She was like, this, this is trauma-informed care. This is trauma-informed care. You may not know the phrase, but you know what it is. It is, and I said, well, that means God is trauma-informed. That's what I get, so yes. And so, but what we've learned, because I didn't know any of this,

what the brain does with a traumatic event is it never lets go of it. And so- It represses it. It will repress it. It will. But it- Never lets go.

But it's like someone once told me the problem with pushing something under the water is it eventually surfaces again. Yeah. If it's not dealt with. Yeah. And so because removal day is one of the most traumatic days they'll ever walk, they never forget it. And so I meet men at age 40 that hang

their head and say, thank you for the work that you're doing. I still remember the tile floor, you know, or somebody in their 20s that says I can still smell the office. Like they never forget that day. Wow. So what a day to step in with nothing but love and kindness and positive messaging and hope. Because maybe some of the trauma of being pulled out of their house will be offset. Maybe they'll never forget that.

The love and the comfort of that. Maybe they'll never forget. Maybe they'll never forget that. Yeah, you're not only changing the life of a child, you're potentially changing the trauma of an adult one day. Yeah, yeah. That's phenomenal. If somebody sitting out there listening wants to do

one of three things that I can think of, one is just donate to financially support the work you're doing now, literally all over the country and growing to more and more. And you said four countries, which is amazing. We've not gone there yet. They've asked, but like, I get it, but still, that's a lot.

But you've been told Hawaii to know twice because it's like a six hour time difference. I'm like, I don't know if we're ready for Hawaii, but. Yeah. So if anybody wants to donate money for all of that, or if they are like, that sounds like something I could do in my community and they want to start a house with you somewhere, support one or however it works.

Or they'd want to just learn more or be a volunteer. How do they find you? What do they do? Everybody just needs to go to the website, Isaiah117house.com. At that way, on the website, you can hit donate and it'll talk you right through whatever you wanna do. You can choose a specific county.

You can choose where needed most. There's also every location that we have, where that home is, the process that it's in. Is it built already? Is it open? Is it under construction? So you could see if you could get connected. The person that runs that home is, the process that it's in, is it built already, is it open, is it under construction? So you could see if you could get connected. The person that runs that home is located there,

so you can click on that and say, I wanna be a volunteer, I'd love to come to the house. Can you get that person's contact information straight there? All from the website, yeah. So I would just drive everyone to the website, yeah. Okay. What's Cory think about all this now? So Cory and I, we joke, I sleep on his right and work on his left like we now.

And he's now employed by this, right? What's he do? He's our director of development. And so, but we're in it together. I mean, this is, it was always the dream that we could do this together, but one of us kept a real job while the other one quit her job. Does director of development mean he's out raising money. More about talking to, yeah, talking to donors, but making people aware of what we're doing.

And working more than we ever thought with some corporate ideas. Lowe's has helped us in every home we've ever built. But we don't have a partnership with Lowe's. But we're just saying, we'd just love to give you credit. And let's just say every time we build a house, we're going to partner with you. You know what I mean? And I could, examples like that. And so there's companies that have helped us.

That's how you build it. Yeah, they've helped us everywhere. So let's why not call it what it is. And so he works on those kinds of things. He's also over, we have a big golf tournament every year. Every location has a golf tournament. And so he's over all of that, but yeah. So I mean, it's a big job.

You've got to constantly be raising money. You've got to constantly be outfitting these things with the stuff that it needs. You've got to constantly be raising money. You've got to constantly be outfitting these things with the stuff that it needs. You've got to have volunteers to staff it because you've got to be ready for the minute that that kid has the worst day of their life. Yeah, we're open 365-24-7. Yeah.

It's phenomenal. But what's crazy is I tell people all the time, this ministry stretches everybody the way they need to be stretched. And so when you said House Corrie, Corrie and I are being stretched. And so remember, Bluff City, Bristol, John City, Elizabethan, now I gotta get on a plane

and go to Houston and figure out, have you ever driven in Houston? Houston's a long way. It is crazy town to drive in Houston. Like, and so I've gotta go get a rental car. I'm driving like, with my GPS, you know. Oh, I've ever driven in Houston? Yes. Yeah, it's the fourth largest I've ever driven in Houston? Yes.

Yeah, it's the fourth largest city in the country. It's massive. They have interstates is why there's five football fields. And they're like stacked. Yeah, they're stacked, they're crazy. So I'm trying to navigate Houston traffic, and he's at home trying to navigate four children. And so, yeah, I mean, I think that, you know,

he would be much more comfortable in Houston traffic, and I'd be more comfortable at home, but God's called us to learn two different things. And so he's a good man. He's a good man. He's at home trying to navigate teacaps this week, make sure everybody gets in bed on time, eats a good breakfast. You got to be nice to your kids that week. When you send them to school, you can't yell at them. So he's trying not to scream at the kids. Andonda, I am so inspired by your story. And if you guys listen out there, it's just one more and the litany of every week you hear.

The stuff is, nobody bequeathed this to you. This was a dream you had that you went after as a normal person, seeing an area you need and filled it because your heart said that's what you needed to do. And with a lot of hard work, a little bit of grace, and a little bit of luck, you're changing lives of people all over the country. And I would guess you would say,

get more out of it than you ever put into it. Yeah, yeah. This is what I was called to do. It's an amazing story. Thanks for, hey, thanks for plopping a couple of these places in Memphis. I know my town needs it. I would love to.

Holler at me. And also thanks for taking the time out of your incredibly busy schedule going around the country doing this to join us and tell your story. It is phenomenal, is inspiration, is honor to meet you. It was so nice to be here. Thank you. And thank you for joining us this week. If Rhonda Paulson or other guests have inspired you in general or better yet inspired you to take action by donating to Isaiah 117 House, volunteering at one in your community,

helping launch one if your community doesn't have it or something else entirely, please let me know. I'd love to hear about it. You can write me anytime at billatnormalfolks.us and I promise I'll respond. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with friends that on social subscribe to the podcast, rate and review it. Become a premium member at NormalFolks.us. All of these things that will help us grow an army of normal folks. Remember everyone, the more listeners, the more impact.

I'm Bill Courtney, I'll see you next week. Welcome to season nine of Next Question with me, Katie Couric. I've got some big news to share with you in our season premiere featuring the one and only Kris Jenner. Oh my gosh, congratulations. That is very, very exciting. And that's just the beginning. We'll also be joined by podcast host Jay Shetty, Hillary Clinton, Renee Flemming, Liz Cheney, and many more. So come on in, take a break from the incessant negativity for a weekly dose of

fascinating conversations. Some of them, I promise, will actually put you in a good mood. Listen to Next Question with me, Katie Couric, on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I never thought I'd take my three young kids to Sicily to solve a century-old mystery, but that's what I'm doing in my new podcast, The Sicilian Inheritance. Join us as we travel thousands of miles on the beautiful and crazy island of Sicily as I trace my roots back through a mystery for the ages and untangle clues within my family's origin story, which is morphed like a game of telephone through the generations. Was our family matriarch killed in a land deal gone wrong? Or was it by the Sicilian

mafia? A lover's quarrel? Or was she, as my father believed, a witch? Listen to The Sicilian Inheritance on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. My name is Ariel. I moved to the U.S. at 19. I spoke no English and I struggled finding job opportunities. Everything I have I owe to the Adult Leadership Center and getting my high school diploma at age 22. It was an honor helping you achieve your greatness. Now you're helping others achieve theirs. It inspires me. When you graduate, they graduate. Find free and supportive adult education centers near you at finishyourdiploma.org. Brought to you by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and the Ad Council.