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  • Hello.

  • My name is Matt Kuyvenhoven.

  • I'm a junior, studying Marketing at Calvin College.

  • And I'd like to welcome you all to the 2017 January Series.

  • I'd also like to extend a special welcome to our guests

  • on our, or on three of our thirty, or three of our fifty remote

  • webcast locations in Denver, Colorado,

  • Tulsa, Oklahoma,

  • and Whitehall, Michigan.

  • Now if you would all please bow your heads and pray with me.

  • Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day,

  • we thank you for safe travels here today.

  • We thank you Lord for the daily opportunity

  • to challenge ourselves, grow and learn,

  • especially in this month of the January Series.

  • Lord, we acknowledge

  • your presence with us in the trials of our lives

  • and we pray that we can acknowledge them more often on a daily basis.

  • Be with us this day. Keep us healthy, keep us safe.

  • In your name we pray, Amen.

  • Now, Jordan Daley. He's a research associate

  • at Calvin Center for Social Research.

  • He's going to introduce our guest.

  • [applause]

  • Good afternoon.

  • As Matthew mentioned, I'm a recent grad of Calvin.

  • And while I was here, I took advantage of

  • an opportunity that would remind me how big

  • our world is, and that our God is even bigger.

  • I joined a group of Calvin students and faculty

  • as we followed the yellow conch shells

  • through the way of St. James El Camino de Santiago.

  • El Camino is a 500-mile pilgrimage through northern Spain

  • with its orgins in early Christianity.

  • Presently, people from around the world continue

  • to traverse El Camino for a variety of personal and spritual reasons.

  • I had expectations for my trip,

  • such as eating unique food, practicing my Spanish,

  • and getting to know other Calvin students.

  • I experienced so much more.

  • I found rest and renewal,

  • was reminded of what it truly means to be in a community,

  • and learned to embrace aspects of creation

  • that we often take for granted.

  • Ultimately, I learned not to put limits

  • on what God has in store for our journey.

  • Throughout my trip, I listened to stories of others

  • and got to see life from their perspective.

  • Today, we get to hear about life from yet another perspective.

  • Through an incredible story that not only enriched

  • the lives of those along the Camino,

  • but continues to enrich lives each day.

  • This is the story of Justin Skeesuck and Patrick Gray.

  • Justin lives with a neuromuscular disease

  • that progressively restricts the ability to use the arms and the legs.

  • Many people might consider this a fundamental opportunity

  • to place limits on God's plan for the future,

  • and be content with saying, “I can’t.”

  • These two gentlemen did just the opposite.

  • As they embarked on a 34-day journey

  • with a resolve to overcome

  • all manner of obstacles that they might face.

  • One in a wheelchair and one on foot,

  • Justin would trust Patrick to push him through the Camino.

  • By relying on faith, friendship, and fierce determination,

  • these best friends of over 40 years

  • took on a challenge that many would consider unimaginable.

  • And in doing so, they inspired communities across the world.

  • Justin and Patrick have both continued to move lives

  • through the production of their film and their upcoming book

  • both titled, “I’ll Push You,”

  • and their foundation, Push Inc. which emphasizes the importance

  • of community and relying on

  • one another to tackle life's many challenges.

  • We are very excited to have them here today.

  • Before we continue, we’d like to remind you that

  • Justin and Patrick will be available to greet the audience

  • in the west lobby of the Covenant Fine Arts Center

  • following the presentation.

  • Calvin College is grateful to GMB Architect and Engineers

  • and the Richard and Helen DeVos foundation

  • for underwriting today’s presentation.

  • Before they take the main stage, there will a brief video.

  • Without further ado, please join me

  • in welcoming to today’s January Series,

  • Justin Skeesuck and Patrick Gray.

  • [clapping]

  • [walking]

  • -It still amazes me how far we've come

  • (music playing in background)

  • -That's been something that's so rare. I haven't seen a friendship

  • like that before.

  • I don't know how much time he has

  • [music]

  • Mechanical malfunction

  • It's hard not to feel like a burden in this

  • - fabrication?

  • *groans*

  • slow, go slowly

  • ahh I'm cramping

  • -His body is feeling the effects of the last several days

  • (music playing)

  • -It sucks! Trying not to let Justin know that it sucks though.

  • (music playing)

  • -Man! I don't like who I am

  • (music playing)

  • Okay seriously dude it's time to walk

  • - *laughs* I'm just faking it guys

  • -I have no idea how far this goes -I don't either

  • Sometimes, it's best not to know

  • -It's really hard to let somebody do that for you

  • (music playing)

  • -Yo what's up bro? *laughter*

  • (music playing)

  • -I don't know how I'm gonna be able to do it

  • (music playing)

  • *****

  • (music playing)

  • These are waters that are too deep for me to handle on my own

  • (music playing)

  • It was pretty stupid. Honey, I love you if I die

  • I love you

  • -If I do have the time that I have here now, then let's enjoy it

  • (music playing)

  • How're you guys doing? *clapping*

  • -alright, How's everyone doing today?

  • (laughter)

  • Alright, we're gonna take you guys for a wild ride today.

  • How does that sound? You guys in for it?

  • You ready?

  • So uh, first off, thank you very much for having us

  • and Calvin and our underwriters

  • for graciously getting us here

  • We are very, very grateful for the opportunity, so thank you,

  • and for all of you guys

  • for taking time out of your day to hear us ramble on

  • for a little while.

  • We're gonna share some stories with you today

  • Just for clarification

  • I am Justin Skeesuck

  • and this is my BFF forever,

  • Patrick Gray.

  • And uh, we're grateful, so thank you.

  • Yes, thank you.

  • So we're gonna share some stories

  • And the stories we're gonna share today, there's a number of them

  • um, mostly relate to this journey you just saw a little bit of a,

  • a few video clips about

  • but, uh, these stories are stories

  • that have kind of shaped our perspective on life.

  • uh, a perspective that, permeates

  • kind of who we are

  • and, we hope will permeate the world around us.

  • They've influenced our mindset on

  • our relationship with one another

  • our mindset surrounding our families

  • and most notably reshaped our perspective

  • on God

  • And it's a gift and a blessing that we get

  • to share these stories

  • and so we are just thankful

  • that we get to be here

  • with you guys today

  • but before we dive into some

  • of those stories

  • Justin is going to give you

  • a little backstory on our history.

  • Real quick, can we get the monitor up front?

  • It's not showing up so I don't have to turn my head around please?

  • While they are working on that

  • I think I can go off of memory,

  • so we will see how this goes.

  • So Patrick and I,

  • like you learned a little bit about our intro,

  • we have known each other

  • for almost 42 years.

  • We were born in the same hospital,

  • just about 36 hours apart.

  • Our mothers knew each other

  • when they were growing up.

  • Our parents knew each other growing up,

  • or when they got to college.

  • And we've been very, very blessed to have

  • a very lifelong friendship

  • that we've just been exploring all together.

  • We grew up just like normal kids

  • Doing, kind of like, fun crazy stuff

  • And not being anything crazy

  • just getting in trouble now and then

  • But we did alright

  • You know when I was fifteen and a half

  • almost sixteen and a half

  • sixteen years old

  • My life changed

  • When I was

  • just before my sixteenth birthday

  • I was traveling from my hometown

  • to a nearby town to play in a basketball tournament

  • And a friend of mine was

  • driving his truck and ended up

  • rolling it on the freeway

  • going about 80 miles per hour

  • And believe it or not

  • I actually walked away from the accident

  • couple scrapes and bruises

  • nothing to really be

  • concerned about

  • Except for just going through this really crazy accident

  • But about six months later

  • I started noticing

  • weakness in my left foot

  • I was running down

  • othe soccer field

  • that following fall

  • and my foot was just flopping around

  • it wasn't working the way that it should

  • So I brought it to my parents' attention

  • and went to a podiatrist

  • and he said that he couldn't do anything

  • for me so he said I think you need

  • to go see a neurologist

  • And so I went to see a neurologist

  • and he was completely stumped

  • and thus my lifelong pursuit of

  • being in doctor's offices

  • I didn't know it at the time

  • being so young

  • I'm going to condense this long story

  • into a short story for the sake of time today

  • But several years later

  • I was finally diagnosed with

  • a progressive neuromuscular disease called

  • Are you guys ready?

  • I might quiz you later

  • It's called multifocal aquired motor axonopathy

  • Did you guys get that?

  • If you want to know

  • what it's like

  • It is almost identical to ALS

  • So those of you who know what that disease

  • is like, not a good one.

  • Eventually my life will be

  • cut short

  • With ALS, you typically have a

  • four to six year lifespan

  • sometimes shorter sometimes longer

  • But mine is an unknown diagnosis

  • it just progresses and eventually I

  • should, from what I've been told,

  • pass away due to complications

  • from the disease that I have

  • So, as you can imagine, it makes life quite challenging.

  • It started with my left foot, went up my left leg,

  • went to my right foot, jumped up my right leg, and stayed to my

  • waist and below for many years.

  • And throughout that time, I was able to use braces on my feet

  • to keep me upright, and then as my legs started getting weaker,

  • I started using a cane; one of which Patrick actually made for me.

  • Pat made a cane for me one time.

  • And a walker, then I ended up using a manual wheelchair full time,

  • and now I use a power wheelchair full-time.

  • For most of my twenties I was able to adapt and live life.

  • Despite the disease that I have, I ended up getting married

  • and I had three kids. I had children and life was okay.

  • I was able to keep managing and keep doing what I was doing.

  • But in the winter of 2010, my life changed yet again.

  • In about January of that year, right at the beginning of the New Year,

  • I started noticing weakness in my upper right shoulder, and within

  • about forty days or so, so by the beginning of March of that year,

  • I had lost about 60-70% of my upper body use.

  • It went very very quickly.

  • So, how do you eat? How do you go to the bathroom?

  • How do you get your clothes on?

  • How do you hold your children and your wife

  • and do stuff around the house?

  • Very very difficult time in my life.

  • Um as Pat will probably tell you, I'm kind of a half glass full

  • type of guy. I'm just kinda wired that way

  • But this is the first time of my life where I faced

  • complete blackness

  • and if any of you have ever been there, it is a horrible place to be

  • Horrible place

  • because you can't see your way out

  • and you really start thinking about things you shouldn't be thinking of

  • Um, to be honest with you, I started thinking about

  • Would it be easier if I took my own life, you know?

  • It's a burden that I put upon my family

  • And I'm basically becoming like a little kid again

  • I have to be, from the first time I get up in the morning

  • till the time I go to bed at night I have to be bathed and I have to

  • have my clothes put on, I have to be fed

  • And it's like why did I why did I put that on my wife

  • And you know, take care of me and I realized at that time after

  • leaning on friends and family and our Christian faith

  • I mean thank God I have uh a cornerstone in Christ

  • I mean I had never leaned so hard in my entire life on that

  • and slowly but surely, I could start seeing that you know what?

  • I have two choices I could make I could take the easy way out

  • Or I could try to do something with my life

  • and make the best of it. Would it be difficult? Yes!

  • without a doubt and so I decided that, you know what?

  • Life's too short, Im'a make the best of it and I'm gonna do what

  • what I can

  • -So the same time frame, 2010 February uh Justin calls me

  • At the time, he was living in San Diego, I'm up in Idaho

  • and he calls to tell me about this loss of function in upper body

  • and he he told you that he's a you know kind of a half glass full

  • kinda guy. That's kind of an understatement.

  • He's annoyingly positive all the time

  • *laughter* uh

  • um and it's man, his life is not always that good

  • but apparently it is

  • But I mean, we've lived life together in and out so I know him

  • like in so many ways and to be able to hear over the phone

  • a complete change in his countenance

  • his, I mean that's a weighty moment and I know he's facing something

  • dark but while he's figuring out his way to wrestle out of this darkness

  • I went down my own dark hole

  • and I became very very angry at God

  • I was bitter, I was furious, I've never yelled at Him so much in my life

  • How dare you take away his hands, how dare you take away his feet

  • How dare you take away his ability to hold his kids and his wife

  • Now, he hasn't told you is it up to this point his career as

  • a graphic designer, the implications of this change are huge

  • waist and below, he can navigate that, he can still do all the

  • many design projects, pay the bills but now, what used to take 40hours

  • takes 80 and the writing is on the wall, this is over

  • And I distanced myself from from the only place I needed to go

  • I distanced myself from God as far as I could

  • Fast forward 2 years, we're in 2012 Justin and his family are up in

  • Idaho visiting us and I'm still going to church but not happy

  • about it by any means, and after a church service, our families

  • are out in the foyer we're chatting with some people

  • and the gentleman who actually was our youth pastor as kids

  • takes Justin aside and they're having this conversation

  • and I'm kinda doing this you know, kinda listening like

  • what are you talking about?

  • totally, really evesdropping

  • -nobody is ever guilty of that -nobody least of all me

  • And this gentleman, his name is Ed He asks Justin a question

  • He said, If you knew right now that you could be made whole, made whole

  • you could walk again, you could use your hands, would you choose it?

  • It's like everybody knows the answer to that question

  • of course!

  • He said "No I would not"

  • No

  • And it was in that moment where there was a paradigm shift

  • shift in my thinking. okay for the past two years, I've been fighting

  • a battle that he wasn't fighting

  • In a weird way, I made it about me I had wanted to fight a battle

  • I wanted the healing, I wanted him to be made whole

  • And he was just wanting me to step in to be his hands and feet

  • Very different perspective. I missed out on a relationship for 2 years

  • It's amazing what can happen when God changes your perspective

  • Then you realize that wait a minute we, you and I so often

  • we are His provision for the world

  • I had a gift that he was asking me to receive

  • To be someone who helps him and finally I'm like oh I get it now

  • And sometimes when you get it, God is like okay now you're ready for

  • something new

  • So Spring of 2012, sitting in my living room

  • nondescript Saturday just minding my own business, I think my kids

  • are probably getting into some trouble somewhere

  • Um, sitting in the living room flipping through the channels

  • and on comes PBS with Rick Steves. Anybody know who Rick Steves is?

  • Yeah! and I love him, He's so dorky, I love him

  • -I want him to hear you say that some time

  • -Yeah, he might slap me if he ever heard me say that

  • But you know the episode that was on, I was like this

  • looks interesting was on Northern Spain um Pamplona

  • Running of the Bulls, that whole thing and this pilgrimage

  • across Northern Spain called the Camino de Santiago

  • hm. Interesting. So I watched this episode and I recorded it

  • And I brought my wife into the living room and I showed her part

  • of it and I said what do you think?

  • Do you think I could do this in my wheelchair?

  • And she said, if you wanna go do it, go do it

  • I was like okay

  • got wife's buy-in, that's the big one that's a big one

  • a couple weeks later, Patrick was now visiting me in San Diego

  • With his for spring break and came down with his family

  • and I recorded this episode and we had been talking about doing

  • a trip together as just the two of us

  • and we had can't quite hadn't quite landed on something yet

  • So I showed him this epidsode and I remember very clearly

  • In my living room, sitting to my right on a chair and I showed him

  • the whole thing and I said "What do you think?"

  • and his answer was very simple and direct.

  • and he just said, "I'll push you"

  • we both go, okay

  • not knowing what we were getting ourselves into

  • at this very very moment

  • that decision, no idea -no idea

  • So how many of the individuals in this room by show of hands

  • have walked some portion of the Camino

  • a fair number, okay

  • that's impressive. Alright, I'm gonna give you a quick little

  • history lesson for those of you who aren't familiar with it

  • The Camino de Santiago dates back to the 19th century

  • and it rests in the idea that the bones of St. James are buried

  • in the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain

  • there's a myriad of routes that people take

  • One of the most popular ones, it was called the Frenchway

  • which, the area that we, the the route that we took

  • starts in St. Jean Pied de Port which is in the southwestern

  • corner of France and it's 500 miles from East to West

  • the route we took anyway, it was 500miles to Santiago

  • In the northwestern corner of Spain. Now, I'm not a real great

  • uh geography buff so you probably should look through the map and

  • realize that southwestern france is actually on the wrong side of

  • the Pyrenees mountain range um but live and learn

  • -slight oversight -yah

  • I've been known to make a few of those

  • And what it is is it's such a beautiful journey where you

  • unplug from so much of life and you meet people from all over

  • the world, all walks of life who are there for different reasons

  • they might be there for a spiritual reason, they might be there for uh

  • just a sheer challenge to see if they could do this

  • You meet a lot of people who are dealing with a lot of struggles

  • and grief and throughout this entire process you get to engage

  • in remarkable relationships day in and day out

  • -Day 1 we had to go over the Pyrenees in one day

  • had never been done before in its history

  • at least that's what we've been told

  • So um so along for the ride came our buddy Ted Hardy

  • who's a fire fighter EMT in um in uh kind of a he's known Pat

  • for a lot, quite some time and I got to know him when I moved

  • to Idaho and so he said "hey do you guys need help and we said

  • uh yeah we need help getting over the Pyrenees"

  • and he's like oh I'm in so it's the 3 of us and he can only come

  • for a few days so he's there right on day one so as we left St. Jean,

  • It is absolutely beautiful but it is straight uphill

  • Those of you in the room who have actually walked from St. Jean

  • will know that is straight uphill all day long

  • and it is as you keep climbing you can see how steep it is

  • Uh you can see the wheelchair that I took, I took a specialized

  • wheelchair, I describe it as a three-wheel baby jogger on steroids

  • that's basically what it is, It took five months to make

  • and it cost about $8,000 uh luckily a sponsor paid for that

  • and with me in it and gear and water, it was about 250 pounds

  • So it's quite heavy going up

  • and quite heavy going down there's Patrick about to throw up

  • -This is three miles into a 17mile day mind you

  • so this is the worst position you can be taking at mile three

  • Not a good start -No

  • -So we keep climbing inch by inch

  • keep working our way up and we come up to this

  • stone cross, like stone monument way up in the mountains

  • and we can tell we're getting higher and higher

  • and I look ahead and I turn to the guys and I'm like

  • "No way, that can't be the trail"

  • "It can't be"

  • And it is just rocks and boulders going over this section

  • and so I said "Okay well lets navigate get our way up there

  • as close as we can to where we are."

  • and there's no way to go like, I had to go be carried over

  • so go ahead and play the next

  • so Patrick, I brought a specialized sling um

  • a little sling where Pat and Ted would put me in it to carry me

  • for situations like this,

  • Actually we thought ahead on that one

  • and this section it took us an hour and a half to go about 100 yards

  • like 15 feet, 15 feet, 20 feet at a time Pat and Ted would

  • pick me up, set me down, pick me up, go up and scout

  • you know just working out way through this section inch by inch

  • and they laid me down on this grassy area, to go up and scout

  • And I'm just taking in the moment

  • just trying to get a sense of peace

  • in this chaotic thing that we're going through

  • and I hear footsteps come up behind me

  • And I'm thinking "Oh it's probably Pat or Ted"

  • And I open my eyes and there's a man standing over the top of me

  • slapping me in the face

  • [audience laughter]

  • The full French beret, the whole deal and I'm like

  • And he had the biggest grin on his face

  • and I'm like "Hi?"

  • And he I mean he was just so excited to see me

  • And it wasn't like a hard slap it wasn't like he was like

  • whack you know, -it was gentle

  • -It was like an affectionate Italian mother

  • you know to her child

  • -mostly affectionate

  • but yeah he was just saying how crazy we were to be there

  • its like, yes we are

  • we're a little crazy

  • -So this gentlemen is a bast former he was up in the area

  • and it turns out that he had been actually preparing a pilgrim's hut

  • so those of you who have gone through St. Jean you remember

  • that top Pyrenees there's a shell and stone hut,

  • so this guy for the past 12 years has repaired that hut

  • every single year so pilgrims have a place to stay

  • And he had never seen a crazy American in a wheelchair

  • coming over to the Pyrenees

  • So he slapped him in the face -he slapped me in the face

  • -but this exchange was remarkable

  • because after we had this conversation and we were

  • working through broken Spanish and broken English

  • to figure out who he is

  • he walks away back to what he was doing,

  • but before he gets back up to the top of the hill

  • he turns and shouts back at us with both fists raised up

  • in the air, and he says

  • "The impossible is possible, the impossible is possible"

  • and off he goes, never saw him again

  • but those words, oh my word, to have someone speak truth

  • and life into you in that way, I mean,

  • That's something that we will never, never forget, never forget

  • -so Pat and Ted put me back in my chair

  • thinking that we're through the worst of it

  • get back settled, come around the corner and we encounter this

  • Hundreds of yards of mud. Some sections as deep as a foot deep

  • And there was cliff on one you can see on the left right

  • there's a little bypass trail that pilgrims have taken

  • but it was just cliff on one side and mountain on the other

  • and there was no way but to go through it

  • and muscle our way through this thing and I learned

  • a quote thats very apropros to this section

  • "That sometimes the only way through something is through it."

  • Right?

  • Sometimes you gotta get through the muck to get to the other side

  • and that was very evident. We hit two or three stretches of this

  • Hundreds of yards of mud as we're working our way uphill by the way

  • Incredibly difficult, so as we kept climbing and climbing and climbing

  • after 10 and a half hours we finally summitted

  • After 5 fault summits, Ted was like the ultimate optimist

  • He's just like "we're here" We're like "No we're not, shut up"

  • It was clearly evident we're at the top in this photo

  • so here we are we just crossed the French/Spanish border

  • and now we're looking down into Spain, 400 and

  • how many miles left? 80? 80 miles to go

  • 13 and a half hours that day

  • and we learned a valuable lesson

  • That you can pretty much do anything... for a day!

  • -Pretty true And unfortunate for us

  • We learned this on day 2

  • so yeah, so Day 2 is supposed to be a pretty easy day

  • from a uh a terrain standpoint, this wide trail, its hard packed

  • there's not a lot of elevation gain, especially comparatively

  • speaking to the Pyrenees

  • We're having some rain coming down and we're out in this trail

  • and I got to admit that I got a little cocky

  • because we just did the Pyrenees, I was feeling pretty good

  • about what we'd accomplished

  • and the lesson here is, don't get cocky

  • It never works out the way you want it to

  • So we're trucking down the trail Ted's pushing Justin

  • I'm right beside him and I turn to the guys

  • We totally got this, we did the Pyrenees,

  • this is going to be a piece of cake

  • and then I trot down the trail to where the path goes around the bend

  • and I hear the sound of aluminum just really tearing underneath

  • Justin's chair

  • The front wheel breaks off

  • so what was a 3 wheel baby jogger on steriods is now

  • a two wheel rickshaw, and we're two miles from the nearest town

  • but some fellow pilgrims came around us, they saw that we needed

  • to get someplace safe, they got us to the nearest town

  • They gave us shelter, they gave us food

  • and through their efforts, we wound up in Pamplona

  • and we met this guy whose name is Ramon

  • Now, chair's made of aluminum we got to find an aluminum welder

  • and for those of you that know about welding thats not exactly

  • just you know stock welding skill that a very particular skill set

  • because aluminum has a low temperature threshold

  • If the weld is too hot, the metal is compromised

  • around the weld, if the weld is to cool the weld won't hold

  • We have to find someone who knows what they're doing

  • In a foreign country you have 200 and some odd 1000 people

  • and Justin speaks broken Spanish. Awesome.

  • But we wind up at a medical supply store where Ramon is

  • visiting his girlfriend and he turns out to have interest in welding

  • But he doesn't weld aluminum

  • But he knows a friend who does

  • so he calls his buddy his buddy comes down checks it out

  • it's too complicated, but I know a guy

  • another phone call

  • so we played a game with 6 degrees of aluminum weld and a Pamplona

  • and we find a guy finally on the outskirts of town

  • take it to him, we drop it off and I'm working with one

  • of the guys from our film crew who speaks some Spanish

  • say hey can you ask this guy can he fix it, does he think he can fix it

  • and his response was come back tomorrow at 10 and find out

  • oh great, this is encouraging

  • but we come back the next day and it's repaired

  • 48 hours from the time the wheel broke, we were back on the trail

  • headed west to Santiago

  • Remarkable episode of provision from complete strangers

  • now we're going to fast forward a few days cause

  • going through everyday you'd want to shoot us

  • So day 28, alright, we've gone through so much trail

  • Ted is long since gone. Day 28 is a pretty critical day in this journey

  • so if we rewind about 2 weeks we were in Burgos in the cathedral

  • beautiful cathedral having a rest day, we're exhausted

  • just trying to rejuvenate and Justin and I are just hanging out

  • and cathedrals, those of you that've been there

  • they're pretty quiet places

  • we hear from the far side of the cathedral

  • Hey! Aren't you Justin and Patrick?

  • We're like, uhhh, yea?

  • Two guys come walking over to us and start talking to us

  • hey I'm Joe, this is my buddy Richard we're from Boise, Idaho

  • that's like 10 miles from our homes

  • are you kidding me?

  • so they offer up any assistance we need

  • we tell them you know what we've been thinking about skipping

  • the pass through O Cebreiro so another mountain pass

  • the last mountain pass, third mountain pass

  • and we've been told by many people that it's impassible

  • and we tell them we did the Pyrenees

  • like no, no this is tougher this is steeper than the Pyrenees

  • so we've been contemplating skipping this and Joe and Richard say

  • hey you know what, let us help you get to the top

  • so we had arranged on day 28 to meet them at the base of the mountains

  • so they could help get us up that hill

  • -So we greet them at this village and it's a very very tiny village

  • this little, there's a cafe that was there

  • and a little supermarket and we had already

  • walked 11 miles that day so now we gotta walk 11 miles and

  • climb a mountain so it's going to be a difficult day

  • and a very difficult mountain to climb as well

  • so it was going to be a hard one

  • so we see Joe and Richard we get reaquainted with them, give hugs

  • and high fives and all that stuff and we grab some quick provisions

  • and rest for a bit cause now we gotta go climb a mountain

  • and we get up to leave and the entire cafe gets up

  • and I turn to Joe and Richard I'm like who are all these people?

  • and they said well they're here to help you and we said okay,

  • and they said yea we've been sitting here for the last couple hours

  • and as people been walking by they saw us sitting here and they said

  • what are you guys doing?

  • They said we're going to get Justin and Patrick up O Cebreiro today

  • They said we'll help so one by one people stopped and helped

  • or said they'll stop and help

  • by the time we arrived, 12 people were waiting for us

  • and so we're going to show you some raw footage from our film

  • that's coming out of that day so here we had just left the village

  • and we're working our way up towards the trail, the trail splits

  • we could either take a very very steep trail or

  • a very very steep road

  • and everyone turns around and looks at me and says

  • Justin what do you want to do?

  • and I said you know what? Life's never easy, let's take the trail

  • Everyone's like ok, let's go

  • so off we go and we come around the corner and it is straight uphill

  • it was so steep that I had to be carried up this mountain

  • it took 6 people to carry me at any given time

  • so while people were carrying me the remaining people

  • were carrying those people's backpacks

  • so now you got this whole crazy human symphony as I describe it

  • where I'm in the middle of this whole thing and 6 people are

  • carrying me and somebody else would tap out and somebody else

  • would come in and another pilgrim along the way would be on the trail

  • and would be pitching in and I'm being pushed and pulled

  • and completely manhandled my way up this mountain

  • and by the time we get towards the top we were escorted

  • by the police and they show up out of nowhere

  • you know this mountain rescue team shows up and they're like

  • c'mon we'll help you get to the top

  • and so 17 people, 17, here we are at the top of that day

  • man, everytime I get to tell that story it truly is a blesssing for me

  • because I get to relive it

  • and I learned a really really valuable lesson that day

  • the disease I have greatly impacts my life

  • and those around me

  • and I've learned how to rely on help

  • from many many people

  • and as humans we have a difficult time accepting help don't we

  • easy to give it, hard to receive it

  • sometimes you feel like a burden

  • or you're unjustified in receiving that help

  • but going through this day truly cemented something in me

  • and it's a lesson I'd like to share with you

  • I found that when you deny someone the opportunity to help you

  • you deny them the joy in life

  • those people didn't do that for an award

  • they didn't help me for money they didn't help me for notoriety

  • they saw a need and they filled that need

  • and they were happy to do it

  • it was difficult but they were happy to pitch in

  • and if I was stubborn and said nope I don't need any help today

  • I would've been sitting at the base of that mountain

  • but through their help I was able to climb a mountain that day

  • how cool is that?

  • -so as you can imagine, well some of you don't imagine it

  • cause you've been there

  • this kind of journey this close proximity with other people

  • who are unplugged from the distractions of life

  • you get to know people pretty well

  • imagined if anyone of you and I spent 8 hours walking

  • side by side with no distractions no cell phones just in conversation

  • we're gonna learn more about each other than we might know

  • about people we've known our entire lives

  • and I mentioned earlier that there are people on the camena

  • who were there because they were dealing with some grief

  • some struggles one in particular person I want to share a little bit

  • about her story she became a very good friend

  • she helped us, actually she was there on the day of Osguera

  • but we met her about I want to say a week and a half to 2 weeks

  • into the journey

  • and her name was Claudia

  • Now Claudia's from South Africa and she's one of these individuals

  • that we met and she offered help she said hey can I help you guys

  • and something about Justin is that he's learned to accept help

  • graciously time and time again

  • It really is a gift

  • so when she offers he says yea sure you can push me

  • but tell me about yourself

  • -And dont kill me

  • -And don't kill you, that's true you did say that

  • -she almost did chasing a butterfly

  • -we digress but she did almost kill you

  • anyway she opens about why she's on the Camino

  • so we've rewind to new year's eve 2013 she's in South Africa

  • with her mother her father her sister

  • ready to celebrate new year's eve

  • they're at parent's house they have a tradition every year

  • they get together, they enjoy good food, good wine,

  • celebrate the incoming year

  • and they take a picture at midnight to commemorate

  • that the new year's come and the old year's gone

  • camera's set up timer's set to count down from ten

  • and as it counts down from 10 all the way to 0

  • she's there with her familiy ready for a photo

  • and as this the camera captures the photo

  • masked gunmen come in her house

  • and her father is murdered in front of her

  • she holds him while he dies

  • she is on the Camino trying to make sense of this grief she is facing

  • she is filled with darkness and despair and pain

  • unimaginable pain

  • and she's trying to make sense of what do I do with this

  • A few days later she's still with us helping

  • and we're on a hill outside a town called Castor Harris

  • it's not a steep hill but it's a long hill and it's gravelly

  • and she's there out front pulling on the harness the entire climb up

  • once we got to the top we gave hugs and she took off

  • and we didn't see her until the end of the day

  • we saw her very little for the next few days

  • a few days after this climb we get an email from Claudia

  • telling us that she wants to share with us her journal entry

  • from that climb up Castor Harris

  • and Justin's going to read to you that journal entry

  • -Everyone doing ok? Alright

  • Ready? asked Patrick. yes ready we all reply as we flex our muscles

  • and prepare ourselves for the exertion and exhaustion

  • that lies ahead of us

  • I'm strapped into a harness at the front next to John

  • who was a 60 year old recycling specialist

  • slash US naval officer and regular at the burning man festival

  • in Nevada.

  • We look like a pair of oxen I say with a smile to him as

  • he weezes and splutters next to me

  • beeds of sweat sliding of his chin and onto the steep gravel path below us

  • While John and I do pulling up in the front Patrick is pushing

  • with a firm grip with a steel bar at the back

  • he has calfs the size of spanspex which are cantaloupes

  • after doing this for almost 2 weeks

  • he is flanked by 2 Swiss girls who we met halfway at this hill

  • they started their Camino in Burgos

  • they've only been walking for 2 days and they're fresh unstable blisters

  • are screaming at them with every step they take

  • despite the shooting pain they continue to push onwards

  • and upwards with the rest of us

  • we're only halfway up the hill and all 5 of us know that

  • giving up is not an option

  • You guys are awesome! says Justin as he sits strapped tightly

  • into his wheelchair as we slowly heave him up the hill

  • Patrick and Justin are similar in their enthusiasm for life

  • and their insatiable adventure

  • Patrick does most of the pushing and I have actually started to

  • think of him as an extension of Justin's body

  • he wipes sweat from his brow rearranges his legs

  • and holds his ice cold drink up to his mouth after a long day

  • of trudging through the flat Spanish plains baking in the sun

  • I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it must've been for them

  • to climb over the steep rocky Pyranese mountain range

  • with mudslides and loose gravel

  • when Justin told me about his condition I said I'm sorry to

  • hear about that

  • there's absolutely nothing to be sorry about he responded

  • Back on the steep hill we're finally within 20 meters of the top

  • the final push gasps Patrick while Justin sings a slightly out of tune

  • rendition of That's What Friends Are For

  • John the oldest in our group by a few good decades

  • had tapped out and we had replaced him with a passing pilgrim

  • called Matt who was now in a harness next to me

  • ready to pull like an ox

  • Patrick's sweat is cascading down his face and the 2 Swiss girls

  • next to him look like they're equal parts exhausted and excited

  • we've been fighting our way up this hill for almost and hour and a half

  • ready? asked Patrick. Yes, ready we all reply

  • and we're off, inching our way up a choir of heavy breathing

  • as we get closer to the top Justin begins a countdown

  • 10, 9, 8, no, I think to myself this can't be happening

  • the last time I did a countdown it was followed by unimaginable cruelty

  • 7, 6, 5, maybe I should ask them to stop

  • 4, my calves are aching

  • 3, I'd be happy if I never have to endure another countdown

  • for the rest of my life

  • 2, I don't know if I can do this but I'll do it for Justin

  • 1, we get to the top and we're hugging each other,

  • doing a victory dance, celebrating and kissing each other

  • on the cheeks.

  • And I am crying, because I didn't think believe that a countdown

  • from 10 could ever be happy again.

  • At the end of the day, we sip our ice-cold drinks

  • in the small Spanish town, and the sun hangs low

  • in the sky makes me realize there must be at least a million

  • different shades of gold and that all of them are visible during

  • a meseta at sunset.

  • Justin looks at me and says,

  • "Thanks for getting me up the hill today."

  • I look back at him and say,

  • "No, Justin, it was you who got me up that hill."

  • Patrick: Pretty crazy story.

  • Um...

  • You know, she- she gave so much that day,

  • and she gave out of a position of love.

  • Uh, she loved us.

  • Remarkable display of love that we didn't even know about

  • as it was happening.

  • And it's because of people like Claudia, the Claudias that we met,

  • the Joe and Richards that we met, the Ted that came along with us,

  • and countless other individuals,

  • who loved in a remarkable way, that we actually made it to Santiago.

  • Justin: Day 34.

  • We made it.

  • One day ahead of schedule.

  • [laughter]

  • As we're coming into Santiago,

  • our wives were waiting for us in the square.

  • We had not seen them in almost six weeks.

  • And as we were coming into the square,

  • I describe it as probably kinda what it's gonna be

  • when we die and go to heaven.

  • It's that everyone in the square were all pilgrims

  • that we had met along the way and they were all waiting for us

  • as we entered the square.

  • And as we were working our way towards the middle,

  • my wife Kerstan and Patrick's wife Donna were waiting for us,

  • and everyone's greeting us in-

  • I dunno who that guy is.

  • [laughter]

  • Justin: He's a total stalker; you'll see him in a second.

  • [laughter]

  • But what- it's a crazy experience to go through.

  • It's very- we describe it as a bittersweet experience,

  • because we got so used to the pilgrim's life,

  • where you just get up and you walk every day,

  • and you've spent time with individuals, but yet we wanted

  • to be reunited with our amazing wives,

  • who've loved us and supported us throughout this entire thing,

  • and to be reunited with them was an amazing and unforgettable moment.

  • Ah! There he is.

  • [laughter]

  • Told ya!

  • [laughter]

  • Justin: Stalker, I love it.

  • [laughter]

  • Justin: But we're giving hugs and kisses to everyone, and, uh...

  • What a cool, cool thing!

  • To be a part of this, and it's all because of all those relationships

  • that we had.

  • There's Richard, in the tan, and there's uh, Joe in the green.

  • We're still friends with many of the pilgrims that we met

  • along the way.

  • And we still keep in touch with them,

  • and we see them from time to time.

  • And we're very, very grateful

  • to be able to do this pilgrimage together.

  • Because my best friend said, "yes."

  • Patrick: So-

  • [applause] Justin: Thank you.

  • [applause]

  • Patrick: Thank you. [applause]

  • [applause]

  • Justin: Love you, man. [applause]

  • [applause]

  • Patrick: You know,

  • there's... there is remarkable power in human connection.

  • God created us to live in community with one another,

  • yet we shy away from that time and time again.

  • It's as Justin said, it's hard to accept help.

  • It's hard to offer help sometimes.

  • But...

  • The challenges we face, whether it's something we choose,

  • like the Camino, or something that's thrust upon you,

  • like an unexpected illness that leaves you in a wheelchair,

  • we get through those the same way,

  • and it's together.

  • It's together every single time. We cannot do it alone.

  • The world's a broken place,

  • and the only way that we can fix it

  • is through loving one another.

  • And...

  • it's a love that we can't pull from just ourselves.

  • It's a love that goes far beyond an individual.

  • It's a love we experience every time we enter into a relationship,

  • because every day, we get to bring heaven or hell to earth

  • by who we are.

  • It's a destination but it's also an existence.

  • And that existence is something we get to partner with if we choose to.

  • And so, every day, let's make the conscious decision

  • to choose love.

  • Both: Thank you, guys.

  • [applause]

  • Patrick: Thank you. [applause]

  • [applause]

  • Justin: Alright! [applause]

  • [applause]

  • Karen: I'm Karen Saupe from the English Department,

  • and we'll have time for just a few questions;

  • I think there are instructions up there?

  • Or will be shortly.

  • I have some already coming in.

  • Uh, the first is why did you choose this particular journey;

  • it's a pilgrimage, not a vaca- obviously not a vacation,

  • Justin: Not a vacation. Patrick: [laughs]

  • Karen: Uh, why the Camino de Santiago?

  • Justin: You know, I think, I've heard, I've heard many other

  • pilgrims that have gone on the pilgrimage say that the,

  • the Camino calls you.

  • And I would probably say that's very true in my case.

  • Just something inside of me said,

  • I need to do this, and you- and you need to do it.

  • It was not... I was looking for some sort of pilgrimage

  • or do something along that line...

  • It, in my case, I... it called on me so hard

  • that I knew that I needed to do it,

  • or at least I was gonna try.

  • In my case.

  • Patrick: Yeah.

  • Justin: And I roped Patrick into it.

  • Karen: Mmhmm.

  • Patrick: And I was dumb enough to say yes.

  • Karen: We have a question asking, how many people total, uh,

  • helped you on your journey? Was that even countable?

  • Justin: Oh, jeez.

  • Patrick: Uh... Probably couple hundred.

  • Patrick: Honestly. Justin: Yeah.

  • Patrick: I mean, there are people that stepped into our lives

  • for a moment, some for a day, some for several weeks.

  • Um... yeah. I would say, easily two hundred people.

  • I think we did a count, though.

  • Uh... how many people from different countries?

  • I think we did a grand total of twenty-seven countries.

  • Patrick: Yeah.

  • Justin: Somewhere around there. Twenty-seven. That's a lot.

  • Karen: Speaking of different countries, we have a few questions

  • from Lithuania, you didn't know they were watching.

  • Justin: Wow, alright. Hello. Patrick: Alright.

  • Karen: One is you mentioned that accepting help from the ones

  • who are willing to give help gives you joy,

  • and, uh, this person's question is then, how much trust

  • can you build on those strangers?

  • Justin: Uh... you can actually build pretty quickly.

  • I- at least in my experience.

  • Um...

  • Uh... The first- the biggest barrier that I found

  • is just saying yes to allow people in.

  • Other than that, it's just letting it unfold how it needs to unfold.

  • And I have lots of really funny and awkward stories

  • of how it's unfolded before.

  • Um... but, I've found that in my life, most-

  • and the people that I've come across,

  • and I don't want to speak for you,

  • but, is that most people are inherently good.

  • There's a, you know, there's a few bad apples in the world,

  • we get that.

  • Um, but most people are inherently good.

  • And so, I just look at... I always focus on my "why,"

  • not "how" I do something.

  • So, it's kinda like my mantra.

  • I focus on why I wanna do something,

  • the heart versus the mind.

  • And within that, it almost lowers those barriers,

  • and allows people to come into that.

  • Easier.

  • Thus building trust and relationships and love,

  • and really, really cool things to... that will unfold. So.

  • Karen: Yeah. And Patrick, you said that earlier this morning to students

  • that we are... maybe we have different skills, we're called to

  • different vocations, but we all have the same purpose?

  • Patrick: Yes. Yeah, um...

  • Aw, I didn't expect to hear that one again, uh...

  • Karen: It was good!

  • Patrick: Yeah, we uh...

  • well again, I don't wanna put words in your mouth,

  • but, um, I think we're in line with this.

  • That it's- it's easy for... for us to focus on purpose,

  • um, and maybe confuse that with the direction we're supposed to take.

  • Those aren't the same thing.

  • Uh... like, my wife was born to be a teacher,

  • that's her direction, that's the path that she's on.

  • But within wherever we're at, whatever we do,

  • our purpose, hands down, is to love.

  • That's the- that's w... it's why we're created.

  • And that's the core of everything that we should be doing,

  • it should be love.

  • And if we aren't doin' it from that position,

  • we really don't have a purpose.

  • Not one that's worthwhile, anyway.

  • Karen: Another question from Lithuania:

  • You two are the real example of true friendship,

  • at the same time being very different people,

  • how would you imagine your most perfect day together?

  • [laughter]

  • Patrick: Are we dating now? [laughter]

  • Justin: We're dating. [laughter]

  • [all laughing]

  • Justin: Uh...

  • Karen: That could include your wives and kids.

  • Patrick: It would.

  • Justin: You know what, a perfect day for us, in- in- is-

  • We feel really blessed, is that, um... we have a, a like

  • a life group that we're part of. Patrick: Mmhmm.

  • Justin: And every Monday we meet.

  • That's a perfect day.

  • Patrick: Yeah.

  • Justin: Um, these are people that we share life with and community with,

  • um... that's just in our personal circles, and then we have

  • our church community and those such things,

  • so... for me, being in fellowship with our friends, and our family,

  • is... that's- I always love those moments.

  • Patrick: I'm gonna one-up ya.

  • Justin: Uh-oh.

  • Patrick: Same thing, same group of people, but here in about six weeks,

  • we get to go with them to Mexico for a week. That's gonna be-

  • it's like, six perfect days in a row.

  • Justin: Yeah!

  • Karen: Plus warm weather. Justin: Yes.

  • That was a good one. Yeah.

  • Karen: Uh, this is for Justin:

  • How have you made sense of your physical situation and God?

  • What does it mean to you now?

  • Justin: How have I made sense of my physical situation?

  • Um... I gave it away a long time ago.

  • When... uh, I won't go into too much,

  • but there was a point in my life where my legs went.

  • It was where my legs truly went. I could not stand anymore.

  • And it was a day where I came home after going to a friend's house,

  • getting out of my car,

  • and... I... between my car and my front door of my house

  • was maybe 20 feet?

  • And I fell...

  • almost ten times.

  • And I had to drag myself onto my porch,

  • into my house,

  • on the ground.

  • And...

  • it was in that moment where I gave it all away.

  • And what I mean by that is I gave up...

  • trying to...

  • make sense of it all?

  • Saying, why is it happening to me?

  • Why this, why that.

  • It's more of I, um, a fundamental shift happened for me,

  • where it was...

  • okay, God, you got me on this path,

  • what does it mean?

  • Show me the direction you need me to go.

  • And...

  • By making that decision, it requires a lot of patience,

  • a lot of prayer,

  • a lot of support from other people,

  • and throughout that, it's almost... not it almost has, it has

  • made me lean on my faith.

  • Incredibly.

  • I'm very, very blessed that my parents raised me the way that they did.

  • And that I could lean on that.

  • And that is what has gotten me though.

  • A lot of it.

  • And, as... I don't- I'm not angry,

  • by any means.

  • Um... days are frustrating. I'm not gonna lie to ya.

  • It's not like every day is peachy keen, you know,

  • it's awesome all the time. It's not.

  • Uh, I have hard days just like everyone else in this room.

  • That's just life.

  • But it's trying to seek God's purpose in that.

  • And guidence in that and direction in that.

  • And... that's shaped me.

  • For who I am today.

  • Karen: A little lighter question: Who filmed you on your journey?

  • Justin: There you go.

  • Patrick: Filmed us?

  • Uh... it's a film agency out of California,

  • uh, known as emota,

  • they, uh, are actually a commercial storytelling, uh, company,

  • but uh... they just suckered in to join us on this journey.

  • And so it was a small, four-man crew.

  • One director and two videographers and a production assistant

  • to carry gear.

  • And so it was, uh...

  • incredibly bare bones.

  • Um, when it comes to filming.

  • So yeah.

  • Karen: And that's the material that will go into the film that's coming out?

  • Patrick: That's correct. Both: Yep.

  • Both: Yes.

  • Karen: Film to be called I'll Push You.

  • Patrick: I'll Push You.

  • Justin: I'll Push You, coming out in June.

  • This year.

  • Karen: One more question from a student,

  • you talked with students a bit this morning about your friendship,

  • how do we encourage ourselves and our friends to go deeper

  • and to be vulnerable to one another,

  • especially in high school, when people so often try to seem

  • self-sufficient and flawless?

  • Both: Hmm.

  • Justin: Good question.

  • Patrick: Yeah. That's, uh...

  • Patrick: That's a loaded question.

  • Karen: I thought another easy one.

  • Justin: Yeah. Patrick: It's a fair one,

  • but it's loaded

  • you know, um from vulnerability's perspective, I would say

  • justice taught me a lot about this

  • This is something that I've struggled with my whole life

  • and its, its a, as Justin would say it's a muscle you have to flex

  • it's something you have to practice

  • But as we were discussing this morning, just the, the kind of

  • concept of vulnerability is that it's a, well its difficult to

  • to embrace because our culture is a self-sufficient culture

  • at least that's the mindset, um I would argue that is it our

  • greatest strength and we have to embrace that mindset

  • that is, there is so much power within our vulnerability

  • because we invite other in to our weaknesses

  • suddenly, our weaknesses are no longer weaknesses

  • because other's are carrying that burden for us

  • I had the pleasure of pushing Justin through Spain

  • and he pushed me in ways mentally and spritiually

  • that I would never have, I would have never embraced these realms

  • of self-discovery without his strengths pouring into my life

  • and so, it's getting past the fear of it being a weakness

  • and embracing that you know what, I am going to be able to do

  • so much more if I invite other people into my story

  • and the only way they can be apart of it is if they know all of me

  • not part of me

  • and its hard, but its true

  • Karen: Justin and Patrick will be out front to greet you

  • afterwards. Thank you for coming.

  • Thank you both for being here Both: Thanks everybody

  • *applause*

Hello.

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