{"id":304520,"date":"2017-05-25T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-05-25T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/operation-finally-home\/"},"modified":"2017-05-25T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-05-25T15:00:00","slug":"operation-finally-home","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/operation-finally-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Operation Finally Home"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A friend contacted Dan Wallrath about remodeling their home for their son, who had sustained a severe head injury in the war. Find out how making this home wheelchair accessible changed several lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2017-05-25.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:28:21","filesize":"25.95M","filesize_raw":"27215496","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2822,2821],"tags":[5225,6251,2955],"podcast_series":[8210],"cwp_profile":[9456],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-304520","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growing-in-your-faith","category-reaching-out","tag-disability","tag-disabled-veteran","tag-military","podcast_series-building-hope","cwp_profile-dan-wallrath","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/304520\/operation-finally-home","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/304520\/operation-finally-home","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"gxJbthyn3n\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/operation-finally-home\/\">Operation Finally Home<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/operation-finally-home\/embed\/#?secret=gxJbthyn3n\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Operation Finally Home&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"gxJbthyn3n\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"A friend contacted Dan Wallrath about remodeling their home for their son, who had sustained a severe head injury in the war. Find out how making this home wheelchair accessible changed several lives.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2017-05-25.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>The men and women who serve us in our armed forces have taken an oath to protect and defend this nation. For some of them, fulfilling that oath involves significant sacrifice. Some of them come back as wounded warriors with wounds that make it hard for them to provide for their family on an ongoing basis. Dan Wallrath, a homebuilder in Texas, is someone who is very aware of the challenges facing these wounded warriors. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>The economic stress and pressures that these families go through, on top of all their injuries\u2014it\u2019s just\u2014it\u2019s incredible. It\u2019s just incredible. When they realize they\u2019ve got a mortgage-free home, you can <em>literally<\/em> just see the burdens lifted from their face. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Thursday, May 25<sup>th<\/sup>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>1:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOur host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey. I\u2019m Bob Lepine. With Memorial Day just ahead of us, we\u2019re going to pause today to hear about what one man is doing to care for wounded veterans. Stay with us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. You know, it has occurred to me, as I watch families raising the next generation\u2014seems there is a difference in how children today view members of the military than children a generation or two ago did. It just seems that there is a\u2014there\u2019s not the same level of respect that was certainly present with my mom and dad in the midst of World War II. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And my mom and dad as well. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBob, because of what we do, here, on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>, we have the privilege of going some places that I would never have the privilege of going. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>2:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the places I found myself in, well over a decade ago, was in a three-star general\u2019s office in the Pentagon. This was a key leader in our armed services\u2014Marine Corps. He shared with us how, every day, he would get a list of the soldiers who had lost their lives in the last 24 hours. At the end of the time, he said: \u201cDennis, you run into some military personnel from time to time. I want to give you something for yourself, and I want to give you something to press into the palm of one of our servicemen or women who have heroically represented our country. It\u2019s a\u2026\u201d\u2014I\u2019ll ask our guest here, Dan Wallrath\u2014he joins us here on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Welcome. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Dan: <\/strong>Thank you. Glad to be here. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>What\u2019s this called, Dan?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>A challenge coin. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>A challenge coin. So, it\u2019s got United States Marine Corps on the front. Then, on the back, it\u2019s got three stars\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>3:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014which is pretty cool\u2014flight officer. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAt one of our conferences, I ran into a military man, who was getting ready to serve his fourth deployment. I got a chance to tell him how proud I was of him \/ how grateful I was and press one of those coins he gave me into his palm. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019ve thought often about our service personnel and why it\u2019s so important for those of us\u2014to your point, Bob, that you made earlier\u2014to thank them when we run into them. When we find out that they have served our country, just to say, \u201cI just want you to know I appreciate you, your service, and your protection of my family and the other families of our country.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd we\u2019ve got a gentleman here who\u2014God turned a homebuilder into a <em>home builder<\/em>. [Laughter] Dan Wallrath joins us on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>, and here is who Dan is. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>4:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDan was building custom homes for over 30 years in the Houston area, been married to his wife Carol since 1970\u2014has a couple of sons \/ four grandchildren. He was kind of phasing out, and God tapped him on the shoulder about a need. I think you, as a listener, are going to find this story really compelling. He\u2019s written a book called <em>Building Hope<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to start, Dan, by just taking you back to your meeting with Carol. You actually were interviewed by a dad, who was a preacher; and you weren\u2019t going to church at the time. You were 18\u2014was that right?\u201417\/18?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>Seventeen.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>He gave you a <em>prerequisite<\/em> for taking out his daughter. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Dan: <\/strong>He did. Back when I was in high school, I caught the eye of this beautiful, young lady; and I, unfortunately, didn\u2019t have a great childhood. I was raised by an abusive, alcoholic father. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>5:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo, life, in my younger years, wasn\u2019t that great. I was just really enamored by Carol. So, I got up enough courage and asked her out, and she took me to her house. She introduced me to her parents. Her dad was a Baptist preacher, and a former Marine, and a big, old boy. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And he kind of knew where you\u2019d come from. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Dan: <\/strong>Yes; yes. He knew my\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>So, he\u2019s looking out for his daughter. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>He was. He knew my family, and I was coming from a pretty rough background. He knew who my dad was. He told me\u2014he said, \u201cSon, if you\u2019re going to take my daughter out on Saturday night, you\u2019re going to be in church on Sunday morning; or you\u2019re not coming back.\u201d\u00a0 <br><br><strong>Bob: <\/strong>And he didn\u2019t mean any church\u2014he meant his church. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>His church. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>He\u2019s going to be looking at you and preaching at you on Sunday morning. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>Absolutely; absolutely. [Laughter]\u00a0 And he did, which was such a blessing. Sitting under his ministry, I was saved at 17 years old. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>6:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe\u2019ve been married 46 years, and we\u2019ve just had such a <em>wonderful<\/em> marriage and had a blessed life. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>You thought you were winding up your working career. You\u2019d spent 30-plus years building custom homes. You were at a point where you could pull back and retire and live off what you\u2019d earned, and God had a different assignment for you; right?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>He did, and I didn\u2019t realize it at the time. Back in 2005, we were talking retirement, like most folks. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Yes; let me just butt in here for a second. There are a lot of people, who pause and stop and think about hitting the retirement button, and they do so without taking a step back and looking at their mission\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u2014why God\u2019s got them here. What caused you, ultimately, to reflect on your mission and why you were here?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>You know, I think\u2014you know, God gives each and every one of us a talent in life; and He expects us to <em>use<\/em> that talent. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>7:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat never really dawned on me that much\u2014just being very active in our church\u2014not asking, \u201cWhy?\u201d very much; you know?\u2014just reaping the benefits of His blessings. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen, one day, when I had a friend of mine call me\u2014he said that he had a friend of his whose son was a Marine, and his son was serving in Iraq. They had been on a mission, and they had run over an IED. His son had sustained some severe head injuries, and my friend asked me\u2014he said, \u201cYou know, would you go talk to these folks about remodeling their home?\u2014because they are going to bring their son home.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHis name was Joe\u2014I said: \u201cJoe, why in the world did you ask me?\u00a0 I don\u2019t remodel homes. I build custom homes.\u201d\u00a0 He said, \u201cDan, I don\u2019t know!\u201d\u00a0 He said, \u201cWhen my friend asked me,\u201d\u2014he said\u2014\u201cyour name was the first one that popped in my mind.\u201d\u00a0 He said, \u201cI have no idea.\u201d\u00a0 So, I told Joe\u2014I said, \u201cJoe, I\u2019ll go; and I\u2019ll visit with the family.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>8:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cI\u2019ll tell them that I know a good remodeler that can help them.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI made an appointment with the Schultz family\u2014went over there \/ met Mr. Schultz. The first thing he did was start talking about his Marine Corps son, who he was very proud of, you know, and his service. He showed me a picture of Stephen, his son\u201421 years old, probably had 17-inch biceps. I mean, a waist\u2014probably a 26-inch waist\u2014just a good-looking kid. I mean, if you had to draw a picture of a Marine, there he was. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen, he surprised me\u2014he showed me a picture of his son, again\u2014in the hospital, in the wheelchair, up in Bethesda\u2014and he was half the size. He had that look in his eye that there was brain damage. He started tearing up, and I started tearing up. I said: \u201cI know a bunch of good guys. We\u2019ll get this thing taken care of for you, because your family has sacrificed so much\u2014your son.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>That quick\u2014you decided you were going to do it!\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>Yes; I was tearing up. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>9:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI let my big mouth take over, and I volunteered for a $100,000 remodel job for free. I went back out to the truck\u2014and I just took a moment and had a talk with the Lord and said, \u201cLord, what in the world have I done here?\u201d\u00a0 But I had a peace about it. I knew that everything was going to be okay. I had no clue where this thing was going. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI was a past president of our builders association at that time\u2014went to our next meeting, and I told our group\u2014which the builders association was made up of a lot of builders, subcontractors, suppliers\u2014everybody\u2014the bankers, developers in the Houston area. I got up\u2014never been ashamed of my faith\u2014I told them\u2014I said: \u201cYou know, the Lord kind of led me over there and gave us this opportunity to help this family. I think we need to do it.\u201d\u00a0 And everybody: \u201cYes! Let\u2019s do it!\u201d\u00a0 It was right in the middle of the war\u2014things were pretty hot and heavy over there. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>10:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe went over and remodeled the home\u2014it turned out <em>great<\/em>\u2014I mean, everybody stepped up. We got the job done for the family and was able to get the home ready for Stephen to come home. We widened doorways and made ramps, and we ripped out the shower and put in a roll-in shower\u2014you know, just on and on. God really touched the hearts of so many folks\u2014they just answered the call, and we got the job done. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I\u2019ve got a correction to make. It wasn\u2019t a big mouth\u2014[Laughter]\u2014t was a big heart. I\u2019ve got to wonder\u2014here\u2019s the question for you: \u201cWhat did the big heart do when that young man rolled into that home\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>Oh, goodness!\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u2014\u201cfor the first time?\u201d\u00a0 Take us there. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>He came home, and just\u2014the look on his face. One person asked him, when he came in, \u201cHow\u2019d the home make him feel?\u201d\u00a0 He said, \u201cWell, it made me feel normal again.\u201d\u00a0 That was pretty powerful\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>11:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014that little bit of work that we had done just gave him a little bit of\u2014sense of normality again; but that was our first experience of being able to help one of those young men. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And you thought, at the time, that you were doing a favor \/ a good deed\u2014you were helping out someone in need. That would be a one-time deal, and you\u2019d move on to retirement. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>Absolutely; absolutely. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>But that was not God\u2019s plan; was it?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>No; it wasn\u2019t. We finished that project, and I thought I\u2019d put it behind me; but I never had anything hit me like this\u2014I couldn\u2019t eat \/ I couldn\u2019t sleep. My mind\u2014I couldn\u2019t think about business. I\u2019d go to church, and I\u2019d think about these families that were like the Schultz family\u2014that their whole lives had been turned upside down\u2014and thinking that the government was taking care of them, and helping them, and things like that, which was not so true. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>12:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI went back to our group and I said, \u201cLook,\u201d\u2014I said\u2014\u201cyou know, I think we can do another project\u2014we can build a house.\u201d\u00a0 Everybody at the builder\u2019s association said: \u201cYes! Let\u2019s do that.\u201d\u00a0 So, we did. We built a house. To my surprise, the first home we built\u2014it cost me $6,000 to build the home\u2014was all after we completed it. I knew God was up to something. I didn\u2019t know what; but, you know, you don\u2019t build a $200,000 house for $6,000. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>This was because people were donating\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u2014time and supplies?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>Right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Wow!\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>They just came out of the woodwork. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>Yes; all the subcontractors and suppliers\u2014folks that I\u2019ve used\u2014I was very\u2014they were loyal to me, and I was loyal to them. These guys have been working with me for years, and years, and years. So, when I reached out to them for help, they jumped at the opportunity. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Did you know who you were building this second home for?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>We did, and that\u2019s another\u2014another God story. When we first started, we didn\u2019t have anybody in the military on our board \/ of our building board; and we didn\u2019t know anything\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>13:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014nobody knew anything. It was so important for us to reach out and help the correct families \/ the right families; because if we helped a family that might not have needed the help or whatever, it could have really devastated our program\u2014not knowing that at the time\u2014but God just\u2014He put the <em>right<\/em> family in our path. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo, we built our first home for a young man that\u2014a Marine\u2014was serving in Iraq. While he was there, he contracted a rare liver disease that he had picked up, they think, from the drinking water. It attacked his liver, and he had to have a liver transplant. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Wow!\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>If he didn\u2019t get it, he was going to die. At the last minute, they rushed him back to California; and he got a liver. When we heard about him, they were living in an apartment in Pearland, Texas, down around Houston. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>14:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThey were having to live in a <em>clean<\/em> apartment, which\u2014I mean, it couldn\u2019t be an old apartment, where there is mold and mildew or anything like that because his immune system was so depleted that anything\u2014he would die if he caught anything. They were from Louisiana; but they had to live in the Houston area, close to the medical center because that\u2019s where he was getting\u2014he had to get treat\u2014he couldn\u2019t get treated at the VA\u2014he had to get treated at the medical center. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen we heard about the family, we went over\u2014and I\u2019ll never forget\u2014and we didn\u2019t know what we were doing. We didn\u2019t know what questions to ask, and they didn\u2019t know why we were there. We just told them we wanted to help them. I\u2019ll never forget\u2014I said: \u201cYou know, we want to help you guys. If we could do anything, what could we do for you?\u201d\u00a0 They had an old futon that they were sitting on\u2014that\u2019s the only furniture they had\u2014and they had a mattress, I think, for a bed. I\u2019ll never forget\u2014she says\u2014Melanie\u2014she says, \u201cYou know, we\u2019d love to have a couch!\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s all they wanted in life\u2014was a couch. And here we were thinking about trying to figure out a way to build them a home. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>15:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>But they didn\u2019t know that?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>No; they didn\u2019t know that. We decided we were going to build a home for them, and it was such a blessing to surprise that family\u2014a young family. The look on their faces\u2014the economic stress and pressures that these families go through, on top of all their injuries, is just incredible. When they realize they\u2019ve got a mortgage-free home, you can <em>literally<\/em> just see the burdens lifted from their face. I mean, it\u2019s just\u2014you can see it. That was the first time I saw that, and it was <em>amazing<\/em> to witness that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tUnfortunately, they lived in the house probably a year. His liver started failing, and Chris passed away. I\u2019ll never forget\u2014we went to the funeral, and the funeral was in Lake Charles. Melanie was there, and she called me aside\u2014she said, \u201cMr. Dan, what do you want me to do with the house?\u201d\u00a0 I said, \u201cWell, Melanie, what do you mean?\u201d\u00a0 She said, \u201cWell, we probably need to give it to another family.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>16:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Emotion in voice] Pardon me\u2014anyway, I said \/ I told her\u2014I said, \u201cMelanie, you know Chris has given his all, and your family has sacrificed so much.\u201d\u00a0 I said: \u201cThat\u2019s your home. You keep that home.\u201d\u00a0 Melanie lives there\u2014she lives there today. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>From a remodel to a first home\u2014what began as an idea has turned into a full-time initiative for you\u2014Operation FINALLY HOME is what you give leadership to. How many homes have you provided for servicemen over the last 11 years?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>Well, right now, we\u2019re working on\u2014I think, it\u2019s over 200 homes that we have delivered or we have under construction, right now, in 34 states. God is really blessing. We deliver a home about\u2014I think, it\u2019s every ten or twelve days. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And you told us earlier that, when a family gets a home, there is something different that happens for that\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>17:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014you really are giving them, not just wood and concrete\u2014you\u2019re giving them a life. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>Oh, absolutely. This is one of the things that I think you guys can relate to, and I can relate to. You know, we\u2019re raised, as men, to\u2014and I think this is something God puts in us\u2014the desire to provide for your family. When, all of a sudden, you are injured in battle and you lose that ability to provide for your family, that is devastating to these young men; and they feel that they are less of a man now\u2014it\u2019s terrible. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019ve had them say this to me in a hospital\u2014they\u2019ll say they realized that, now, they are a burden to their family; and if they die, they get a benefit\u2014there\u2019s a benefit to their family. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>18:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019ve had them tell them they\u2019d be better off dead than be a burden to their family. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen they receive a new home, they realize that this is something\u2014because of their service\u2014that they\u2019ve received; and it just gives them a new a hope, a new life, a new beginning. And like I was telling you all earlier, we at Operation FINALLY HOME tell them that: \u201cThis is not a gift from Operation FINALLY HOME; this is a gift from God. God saved them on the battlefield. He\u2019s saving them, again, by giving them a new home; and they need to find out what their purpose in life is\u2014know that God loves them, and that He\u2019s got a plan for their life, and they just need to know what it is. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>As I was thinking about our conversation today, Dan, I thought about a passage of Scripture that I think you embody. I think there are listeners who need to embody this Scripture just like you have\u2014it\u2019s Matthew, Chapter 9, verse 35\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>19:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014it\u2019s talking about Jesus here \/ it says: \u201cAnd Jesus went throughout all the cities, villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. Then, He said to His disciples, \u2018The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly for the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>Amen. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You call it your big mouth\u2014[Laughter]\u2014I said, \u201cNo; it was your big heart.\u201d\u00a0 What God did was\u2014He turned a homebuilder into another kind of a home builder. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI just wonder, Bob, if there aren\u2019t listeners, right now, who, maybe, have stood at a fork in the road\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>20:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014like Dan did\u2014or maybe, they are standing at one right now, and they need to say, \u201cYes,\u201d\u2014they need to step out in faith. What you don\u2019t know is\u2014we had a little time with Dan before we came in the studio. What he said was: \u201cI stayed in the pew, for decades, going to church. I\u2019ve never seen the miracles that I\u2019ve seen in the last decade or so around the birthing of this ministry and the impact it\u2019s having on human lives.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe question is: \u201cWhat\u2019s your mission?\u00a0 What does He want you to do?\u201d\u00a0 Maybe, it\u2019s just something really simple. You\u2019d say, Dan, that\u2019s a pretty simple step\u2014could have been costly; you know?\u2014you remodeled the house. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dan: <\/strong>God didn\u2019t reveal all this to me at once. If He had, I think it would have scared me to death \/ I\u2019d run away. He presented an opportunity to me; and I said, \u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0 Then, He burdened my heart; and I said, \u201cYes,\u201d again. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>21:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, I\u2019m probably\u2014I said this earlier\u2014I\u2019m probably one of the most unqualified persons in the world to be doing this, but that\u2019s who God uses\u2014is the unqualified\u2014that\u2019s who He qualifies. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf I had to say anything to anybody, it would be just: \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to just say, \u2018Yes.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0 He\u2019ll provide\u2014I mean, it\u2019s just so obvious. I <em>never<\/em> \/ never ever knew the blessings, and the opportunities, and the people He has put in my path since I said, \u2018Yes.\u2019\u00a0 There\u2019s <em>nothing<\/em> I did\u2014absolutely <em>nothing<\/em>. All I did was say, \u2018Yes,\u2019 and hold on\u2014that\u2019s it.\u201d\u00a0 [Laughter]\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>You have catalogued what that ride has been like in a book that you\u2019ve written called <em>Building Hope: What Happens When God Changes Our Plans to Accomplish His<\/em>. It\u2019s a great story of God at work through a willing individual\u2014somebody who has said, \u201cYes,\u201d like you said\u2014and how that\u2019s been used to bless a lot of people. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>22:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe\u2019ve got copies of Dan\u2019s book in our <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> Resource Center. Again, the title is <em>Building Hope<\/em>. You can order a copy of the book and read some of these stories when you go to our website at FamilyLifeToday.com; or you can call 1-800-FL-TODAY to order your copy of the book, <em>Building Hope<\/em>. Again, the website is FamilyLifeToday.com; and our toll-free number is 1-800-358-6329\u2014that\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, I\u2019ve been thinking about how\u2014well, the title of Dan\u2019s book is <em>Building Hope<\/em>. In some ways, we\u2019re in the same line of work. While you are building physical homes for a lot of wounded veterans, our goal, here at FamilyLife, is to help build the foundation for homes all across the country and, really, around the world. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>23:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOur goal is to help provide the spiritual foundation that is necessary for men and women\u2014moms and dads \/ husbands and wives\u2014to build a marriage and a family on that foundation because our belief is that godly families can change the world, one home at a time. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd we\u2019re grateful for those of you who are involved with us as monthly Legacy Partners, donating each month to help support this ministry. During the month of May, we set a goal of trying to raise $1.1 million to have funds necessary to help us continue working on projects we\u2019ve got underway during the summer months. We\u2019ve heard from many of our listeners\u2014from some of you, who are first-time donors to the ministry. Thank you for getting in touch with us; but before May is over, we want to, once again, encourage you to consider making a donation to help us reach our funding goal for this month. You can donate, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com; or you can call 1-800-FL-TODAY; or you can mail your donation to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> at PO Box 7111, Little Rock, AR; the zip code is 72223.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>24:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, tomorrow, we\u2019re going to hear some of the stories of some of the families that Dan Wallrath and his organization have helped over the last several years\u2014great stories. Hope you can tune in for that. <br>\u00a0\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas; a Cru<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> ministry. Help for today. Hope for tomorrow. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2017 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/304520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304520"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304520"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=304520"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=304520"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=304520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}