#33. Pathways of Perseverance: Tom Throssel’s Life and Work at Redwood Adult and Teen Challenge

Scott Hammond: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, it is Scott Hammond and the 100% Humboldt podcast with my good friend Tom Throssel.

Tom Throssel: Good afternoon.

Scott Hammond: From Teen, from Teen Challenge.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Redwood Teen Challenge.

Tom Throssel: Yes.

Scott Hammond: What is Redwood Teen Challenge and, and, uh, what do you, what do you do there? What's your role, Tom?

Tom Throssel: Oh, that's a good question. Uh, Redwood Adult and Teen Challenge.

Scott Hammond: Ah, I forgot the adult.

Tom Throssel: We added the adult a couple years back 'cause we now help, uh, main- we help adults.

Scott Hammond: They're mostly all adults, right?

Tom Throssel: All adults.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: In Humboldt County, we're all adults. So Teen Challenge started about 65 years ago-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Tom Throssel: … um, helping, uh, young men and women in New York City-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … uh, that were involved in gangs and drugs.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Tom Throssel: And that program exploded across the United States. Now there's about 200 programs in the United States, and we're one of them.

Scott Hammond: So David Wilkerson met Nicky Cruz-

Tom Throssel: Yep

Scott Hammond: … the gangster.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: And he got radically converted and-

Tom Throssel: Yep

Scott Hammond: … changed his life and, and devoted it toward, toward gang members and recruiting and-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … recovery and…

Tom Throssel: Yeah. Nicky Cruz is still alive.

Scott Hammond: Is that right?

Tom Throssel: 65 years of ministry.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Tom Throssel: Uh, we got to see him about two years ago.

Scott Hammond: Oh, is that right?

Tom Throssel: And after 65 years, he's still hard to understand.

Scott Hammond: Is that right?

Tom Throssel: He has a very strong Spanish accent.

Scott Hammond: Is he Puerto Rican?

Tom Throssel: I think so.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And Wilkerson, is he still living?

Tom Throssel: No, he was in a car accident about 15 years ago.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: Passed away.

Scott Hammond: Was that his son that spoke here-

Tom Throssel: Yep

Scott Hammond: … several years ago?

Tom Throssel: Yep, Gary.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And, uh, we're hoping, we're working on getting him back for our banquet this year.

Scott Hammond: Great.

Tom Throssel: And, uh, so.

Scott Hammond: So what does, what does Teen Challenge do? The mi- the misnomer is teen 'cause it's certainly-

Tom Throssel: That's right

Scott Hammond: … anything but teens, especially here.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. Yeah. There, across the United States there are Teen Challenges that work with adolescents.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: Uh, here in Humboldt County, we're only adults, so we're Adult and Teen Challenge.

Scott Hammond: Gotcha.

Tom Throssel: But we're a recovery program, a year-long recovery program-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … aimed at helping people get off of whatever addictive lifestyle they're dealing with.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Tom Throssel: Um-

Scott Hammond: So that could be anything.

Tom Throssel: It could be anything.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: It's, most are drugs and alcohol-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Tom Throssel: … but we've had students come through that, uh, didn't have addiction as most people see it in the-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … world today.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: But just struggling with life-controlling issues.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Tom Throssel: Living homeless, living, couch surfing, whatever, and they just want a chance to, to start over.

Scott Hammond: To do a, get a do-over.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. And so we're free. We don't charge anything. People come into the program and-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Tom Throssel: … they live with us for a year, and we help them eat and fee- you know, feed them and-

Scott Hammond: Yep

Tom Throssel: … give them jobs and help them learn how to do life.

Scott Hammond: Well, you guys are ma- how many chapters are there around the world?

Tom Throssel: Uh, about 2,500 around the world.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: That's a lot of people if you tu- if you turn that over-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … several years.

Tom Throssel: Yes.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. I met one of your guys, I mentioned him in the last show when I was here with, uh, with, with, uh, Brian-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … uh, Hall from the Rescue Mission. He was, uh, you, you might know who this was.

Scott Hammond: It was when, uh, John Dalby and everybody was still meeting down at the, uh, uh, the old, um, well, your center. It was your, um-

Tom Throssel: Our bookstore.

Scott Hammond: At the b- bookstore. And this young good-looking guy comes out of the building and he's, "Hey, I'm Mark." I don't remember what his name was, and he was just finishing the program. And he looked, he's good-looking. He goes, "I'm going back to UCLA to go to med school and, you know, live with my parents." And I, I go, "Wow, uh, this is a great program." And he goes, "You know, I came in here, you know, f- 14 months ago and, and I weighed about 100 pounds less and, and, you know, my hair was falling." And he goes, "I just had a, I was a mess, and these guys and God made the difference, and I'm going back to med school." I go, "Hallelujah, man, that this guy, this kid's gonna

Scott Hammond: make it."

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: You know, so those are the kind of, the great stories that I love-

Tom Throssel: Yeah, absolutely

Scott Hammond: … that I saw, I, with my own eyes. So what's your role day to, day to day? What do you… Do you yell at people or-

Tom Throssel: I do.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: That's kind of the joke. I'm like, "What are you gonna do today?" "I'm gonna go yell at some people."

Scott Hammond: I'm gonna go yell at some guys, uh, gals.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. Well, um, to be honest, uh, I didn't think I'd ever be here, but I'm the executive director.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: So the CEO, executive director.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: And so I'm kind of in charge of everything. We've got a women's house and a men's house and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … we've got two graduate houses, so-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Tom Throssel: … when they finish the program, if they wanna stay in the area, they can live

Tom Throssel: there too.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: So I'm in charge of all of that.

Scott Hammond: How many individuals are involved in that?

Tom Throssel: Uh, right now about 50.

Scott Hammond: Do you call them students?

Tom Throssel: Students.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. We got about 50. We have 100 beds.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: So.

Scott Hammond: So there's room in the inn.

Tom Throssel: There's room in the inn.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I would think somebody would wanna take a- somebodies would wanna take advantage of that, but that's-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … but their choice.

Tom Throssel: Pre-COVID we were pretty full.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: And COVID really made it difficult.

Tom Throssel: Um-

Scott Hammond: That's interesting.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Tom Throssel: So we're slowly filling back up.

Scott Hammond: Gotcha.

Tom Throssel: At one point we were down to six girls in the program, in the women's program.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Tom Throssel: I think we're at 15 right now, so-

Scott Hammond: Okay

Tom Throssel: … slowly filling back up. Same with the men's house.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So did you come from within the program or?

Tom Throssel: Oh, yeah.

Scott Hammond: So you, you didn't see yourself being a CEO and-

Tom Throssel: No

Scott Hammond: … sitting in that chair today?

Tom Throssel: No. Long, long story short, um, I was a missionary.

Scott Hammond: Oh, is that right?

Tom Throssel: My wife and I, we lived in South America, Bolivia.

Scott Hammond: How about that?

Tom Throssel: And, uh, I'm an ar- airplane mechanic by trade.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: So we worked for a mission aviation organization and-

Scott Hammond: Which is really necessary in South America.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Mission aviators, is that?

Tom Throssel: Yeah. Well, in Bolivia where we lived, uh, the northern part of the country during the rainy season is an island.

Scott Hammond: Oh, wow.

Tom Throssel: And so it's just swamp. You know, swamp boats-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … South Florida style, hot, muggy.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And so once the, once the rains come, uh, you, there's no way in or out other than by the airplane.

Scott Hammond: Boats?

Tom Throssel: Um, not really.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: There's too much land in between.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Tom Throssel: So you'd have to have, like, an amphibious boat kind of.

Scott Hammond: So literally the whole country becomes-

Tom Throssel: The northern part

Scott Hammond: … an island.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. It's like a swamp.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: So there's villages that are completely isolated from the outside world,

Tom Throssel: and so-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Tom Throssel: … we have ham radio. They got solar.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: So they call us, say, "Hey, we need some food. We need medical care."

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Tom Throssel: "We have a little kid, he got bit by a snake."

Scott Hammond: Whoa.

Tom Throssel: "We need, we need some help."

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And so we, we'll fly missionaries out into the village and back out-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Tom Throssel: … back and forth. And so that's what I did for 10 years.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And, uh, yeah, long story short, uh, it was time to come home

Scott Hammond: I'm thinking of the movie with The Rock where he's down in South America.

Tom Throssel: The Gods Must Be Crazy.

Scott Hammond: No, no. There's … No, that's South Africa. That's an older one. No, this is with Dwayne, uh, The Rock, and he's a, uh-

Tom Throssel: Oh

Scott Hammond: … he's a chef, and it's the British guy, and the, he, he f- he flies a janky old plane, and they drop him in the, in the, in the, in the jungle.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And it's like, you know, that, that thing's made out of, um, you know, bailing wire and skin-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … and duct tape.

Tom Throssel: I don't know if I've seen that one.

Scott Hammond: Well, I'll, I'll think of the m- movie in a minute. It's a pretty good movie.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Nick will look that one up. Dwayne Johnson, he's in that, uh, he's a chef, and they're down there, and it's, uh, with, uh, Christopher Walken, and it's coming to me. It'll come.

Scott Hammond: Anyway, so-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … yeah, that, that whole same, everything's, uh, a- aviators.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: So we came back from that into Humboldt County in 2012.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: Uh, the economy wasn't great in 2012.

Scott Hammond: Mm-mm.

Tom Throssel: And so, um, I couldn't find a job.

Scott Hammond: When you say come back, you came to Humboldt?

Tom Throssel: We came back to Humboldt.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: Specifically, um, uh, what do you call it? A shameless plug.

Scott Hammond: Okay. Sure.

Tom Throssel: Shameless plug for Arcata Christian School.

Scott Hammond: Go for it.

Tom Throssel: My wife went to Arcata Christian School.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: And that's where our kids went, and so we really needed a, a quality place for our kids.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: And so we came back specifically to Humboldt County to put our kids back in Arcata Christian School.

Scott Hammond: That's at Arcata first B, campus behind Humboldt.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: Uh, Cal Poly Humboldt.

Tom Throssel: Hey.

Scott Hammond: Not Humboldt State. Formerly known as.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Because-

Tom Throssel: So we get the kids plugged into school, and, uh, my wife applied for a job. She got a job almost immediately at Hollyoshi.

Scott Hammond: Perfect.

Tom Throssel: And I couldn't find a job.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Tom Throssel: I went to the airport. They said, "You're qualified, but we don't need help."

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Auto shops are like, "Eh, we don't think so."

Scott Hammond: Really?

Tom Throssel: And, uh, so a friend of mine said, "Hey, what do you think about Teen Challenge?" And I'm like, "What's that? What's a Teen Challenge?"

Scott Hammond: What is it?

Tom Throssel: And they said, "Well, go find out."

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Tom Throssel: So I made a, an appointment with the, uh, director at the time-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … with the idea that I would start an automotive program where we could have people donate cars.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Help the students.

Tom Throssel: I'd teach the students how to fix them, and then we could sell them, and the money would help propagate the program.

Scott Hammond: Makes, makes sense. So the-

Tom Throssel: That was my vision

Scott Hammond: … so the program was in place back when you got here?

Tom Throssel: The Teen Challenge was here in, from 2005.

Scott Hammond: Who was the director back then?

Tom Throssel: Uh, Fred Lamberson.

Scott Hammond: Okay. Yeah, sure.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Tom Throssel: And so I met with him. He started laughing when I told him this vision.

Scott Hammond: Uh-huh.

Tom Throssel: I said, "What's so funny?" He said, "I just stopped a few minutes ago in front of an empty auto shop, and I thought we could do this-"

Scott Hammond: Huh

Tom Throssel: "… but who would run it?" I said, "I will." So he said, "Teen Challenge is like nothing you've ever done

Tom Throssel: before."

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: "So, uh, would you be willing to volunteer for a couple months just to see if you like it?"

Scott Hammond: Just to do it. Yeah.

Tom Throssel: So I started as a volunteer working in the auto shop.

Scott Hammond: How about that?

Tom Throssel: Working on cars, getting to meet the students.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: And, uh, just fell in love.

Scott Hammond: These are cars that were donated to the program?

Tom Throssel: Um, well-

Scott Hammond: Or whoever

Tom Throssel: … well, Teen Challenge has 22 vehicles.

Scott Hammond: Well, that's enough right there. That's a fleet. You were the fleet guy.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: I mean, just to maintain those, doing brakes and-

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah

Tom Throssel: … oil changes and-

Scott Hammond: That's full time.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: So we were working on our own cars.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And, uh, I was just, you know, enjoying it.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: I had a Bible degree. I'd been to Bible college.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: And so-

Scott Hammond: Where'd you go?

Tom Throssel: Uh, Moody. Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.

Scott Hammond: Chicago, Illinois.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: Famous.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: How many years?

Tom Throssel: Uh, we did four years.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Tom Throssel: We did two years, three years in Chicago.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: Um, long story short, I applied and my wife applied at the same time.

Scott Hammond: To Moody?

Tom Throssel: To Moody. We were in f-

Scott Hammond: Different parts of the-

Tom Throssel: No, we were married. We had just gotten married.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Tom Throssel: We're living in Eureka.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Tom Throssel: And, uh, we both applied, and she got accepted. She was a straight A student. She was CSF and all the ribbons and honors at graduation.

Scott Hammond: She got right in.

Tom Throssel: They took her. And they saw my application and laughed.

Scott Hammond: See this guy. Well, I don't know.

Tom Throssel: Uh, so they said, uh, "We want you to do a year of junior college first."

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Tom Throssel: So our first year married I went to CR.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: And then, uh, then we moved to Chicago. I reapplied, and they said no. So she did a year of, of Moody without me.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: And then-

Scott Hammond: Remote?

Tom Throssel: No.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Tom Throssel: We were living in Chicago.

Scott Hammond: Oh, you moved to Chicago.

Tom Throssel: We went out there with the belief that I was gonna get in.

Scott Hammond: Huh. So what did you do during that y-

Tom Throssel: I worked.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: I got a job, and I started taking correspondence courses online.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: And just proved to them that I could do it.

Scott Hammond: That's great, though. Good way to follow your wife's dream, and bless her, and support and-

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: So we spent three years in Chicago.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Tom Throssel: And then at the time, they had a aviation program in northeastern Tennessee, up in the mountains of Tennessee.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Tom Throssel: So we moved to Tennessee, and our second son was born there.

Scott Hammond: So was this a Moody program or just-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … separate missions?

Tom Throssel: Yeah, it was their Moody's aviation program.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: So we did that for two more years,

Tom Throssel: and, uh-

Scott Hammond: Airplane mechanic.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Tom Throssel: So it's good.

Scott Hammond: That's a wo- that's wonderful. So and then how many years in Bolivia?

Tom Throssel: About 10.

Scott Hammond: Oh, wow. So you've been, you've been there, done that.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. Well-

Scott Hammond: You see how it works and it doesn't work.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. Well, it took us 10 years to get there.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Tom Throssel: Yeah, between the t- I, I took a trip in, uh … Yeah, now you're making me think. We took a trip, uh,

Tom Throssel: '93.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: Nin- February of '93 I went to Bolivia for a month.

Scott Hammond: Oh, wow.

Tom Throssel: It was a local guy, uh, Mike and Kay Leibel.

Scott Hammond: Yep.

Tom Throssel: I don't know if you know the Leibels.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, they go to church up in Arcata with-

Tom Throssel: At-

Scott Hammond: Where we used to go

Tom Throssel: … at Telios.

Scott Hammond: Telios, yep.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: Mike's a great guy.

Tom Throssel: Absolutely amazing people.

Scott Hammond: Is he in the missions-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … field too? Okay.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. He was a missionary pilot. I was serving in the Coast Guard.

Scott Hammond: That's right. My son-in-law knows him real well.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And, uh, he said he was a great pilot and-

Tom Throssel: Yep

Scott Hammond: … kayaker maybe.

Tom Throssel: Oh, he's-

Scott Hammond: Sailor? Yeah

Tom Throssel: … a fanatic about … He builds kayaks.

Scott Hammond: He builds them, yeah.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And nobody's got a bigger smile in town.

Tom Throssel: No.

Scott Hammond: Hey.

Tom Throssel: He builds-

Scott Hammond: Hey

Tom Throssel: … musical instruments. Very talented guy.

Scott Hammond: Hey, Mike. Shout out to Mike.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Really great guy.

Scott Hammond: Speaking of Holly- Holly- Hollyoshi JewelryUh, my turn for a shout-out, shameless plug, Holly Hosterman

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … I, I don't know her last, she's married now, I think. Holly, we want you on the show.

Tom Throssel: Oh.

Scott Hammond: So if anybody knows Holly-

Tom Throssel: I do

Scott Hammond: … get her whole, uh-

Tom Throssel: She goes to church with me

Scott Hammond: … That's right, yeah, 'cause she's been to a lot of Huckleberry Flint concerts.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Tick Taylor, Huckleberry Flint.

Scott Hammond: There's-

Tom Throssel: Shameless plug number three.

Scott Hammond: Man, we're shameless plugging it here. What's going on? Next, next I'm gonna just be pointing at the Humboldt County map.

Scott Hammond: Um-

Tom Throssel: Do you know, do you know, uh, Mr. Yoshi from the Holly Yoshi fame?

Scott Hammond: I met him, yeah, Paul, back in the day.

Tom Throssel: Paul Lubitz?

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Great guy. You would lo- He-

Scott Hammond: Nice guy

Tom Throssel: … he would crack you up the whole time if he was on the show.

Scott Hammond: Great. Maybe we get them both.

Tom Throssel: We should have them together.

Scott Hammond: Maybe we get them both.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: That'd be something.

Tom Throssel: They're really great people.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. I've seen her at several shows at Jeff Crone's memorial-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … different places, and, um, said kind of hi, but yeah. Met, met them years ago in mixers, but-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … so you're in Bolivia, so you come back here, go to ACS, to the Christian

Scott Hammond: school.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: Do you plug into First B? Is that, you guys are First B people?

Tom Throssel: First B, Eureka, and Arcata First B.

Scott Hammond: Now, that's a lot.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: So we bounced back and forth for maybe about a year, and then we finally settled on Eureka.

Scott Hammond: First B in Eureka's, uh, out in, somewhere out in the back, right?

Tom Throssel: It's right next door to Sanders Funeral Home.

Scott Hammond: Oh, it's right there, okay.

Tom Throssel: On E Street.

Scott Hammond: By the Naz.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, they're all kinda right there.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Oh, that's right, 'cause that's, uh… Or did we go there… Do you guys still bring the students to the church?

Tom Throssel: We do. Yep. Teen Challenge meets there every Wednesday night, shameless plug number

Tom Throssel: four.

Scott Hammond: And that's, and that's where we graduated Jeff Crone.

Tom Throssel: Absolutely.

Scott Hammond: Friend of ours, yeah.

Tom Throssel: So every Wednesday night we have our own church service right there for the Teen Challenge students-

Scott Hammond: Nice

Tom Throssel: … kinda aimed at recovery.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: Good time of worship, and so a- and community's invited-

Scott Hammond: Oh, man

Tom Throssel: … so number four.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, yeah.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: They're co- Keep them coming.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Um, so w- so from the journey there then, you were the, the auto guy for the shop-

Tom Throssel: Yep

Scott Hammond: … and how did you, how did you graduate to your current position?

Tom Throssel: Well, we had a, uh, we had a pastor, Pastor, uh, Daisy-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … um, from Rio Dell, was our education coordinator, and when I came on-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … um, all-

Scott Hammond: I kinda know of her, I think.

Tom Throssel: Him.

Scott Hammond: Him. Daisy.

Tom Throssel: Dennis Daisy.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Scott Hammond: Sorry, him.

Tom Throssel: He's a great guy.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Anyway, he was teaching all of our classes. Uh, and so classes were Tuesday, so there was no work. Nothing happened on Tuesday but class.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Tom Throssel: So w- when he resigned, he, uh, took over a pastorate job, and he, they needed help, so I said, "Well, let me try." So I started teaching classes.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: 8:00 in the morning I started till 4:00 in the afternoon.

Scott Hammond: Whoa.

Tom Throssel: One class all day. It was horrible.

Scott Hammond: Oh, for one day, just solid.

Tom Throssel: Yep. Give them their homework, the test-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Tom Throssel: … everything.

Scott Hammond: Tuesday night was tired night at your house.

Tom Throssel: Yes. The guys were sick of my voice. I was sick of my voice by Tuesday afternoon.

Scott Hammond: The lecture guy.

Tom Throssel: And so since then we've changed it up, and so we do classes every morning from 8:00 to 10:00-

Scott Hammond: Perfect

Tom Throssel: … and then we go out to work. So I started doing that. I started teaching classes. They made me the education coordinator,

Tom Throssel: so kinda-

Scott Hammond: Huh

Tom Throssel: … guiding the students, getting their homework done.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: You know, uh, at Teen Challenge we sit down with each student, "What are you struggling with?"

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: I think that's one of the things I really love about, um, the ministry that we're involved with.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: That's the difference between a church and Teen Challenge.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Is the first day a guy comes into the program and he says, "I'm struggling with addiction-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … and I need help."

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: So we sit him down, "Tell us about your porn addiction."

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: "Tell us about your abuse as a child. Tell us about…" And as a pastor in a church, it's gonna take you 10 or maybe 20 years.

Scott Hammond: Might be a while.

Tom Throssel: It might take a long time to get to the point where you can sit down with somebody and say, "Tell me about your child abuse as a child."

Scott Hammond: And let's do something about it.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And so I've been do- I started as the education coordinator. I did that for about a year-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … and they needed some help, so I became the assistant director of the men's

Tom Throssel: house-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … and, uh, did that for maybe a year, and then the director resigned and took a job with PG&E.

Scott Hammond: How about that? Who was that?

Tom Throssel: His name was Larry Ratliff.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Tom Throssel: He could climb trees. That guy could do anything.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. I think I know Larry.

Tom Throssel: He was a great guy.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: And so, uh, he resigned, and they needed a director, so I became the director of the men's house.

Scott Hammond: So this is you moving up the food chain.

Tom Throssel: Moving up the food chain.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: So I did that for a couple of years. That's the hardest job at Teen Challenge-

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah

Tom Throssel: … is the center director. You are answering a million mundane questions-

Scott Hammond: All day long

Tom Throssel: … all day long.

Scott Hammond: All year long.

Tom Throssel: "I need another pair of shoelaces. Can I have shoelaces? Can I-"

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Tom Throssel: "Can I, can I make an extra phone call? Can I do this? Can I do-"

Scott Hammond: Right.

Tom Throssel: It, it drains you.

Scott Hammond: Oh, I bet.

Tom Throssel: So I did that for about two years.

Scott Hammond: Do like Moses and delegate?

Tom Throssel: Absolutely.

Tom Throssel: Yes, do.

Scott Hammond: Delegate that stuff out. Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So I, I wanna kinda cut to the chase in the sense of, um… Well, let, let's finish your story, then I wanna hear-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … some of your stories. Maybe be thinking about some of the, the really cool testimonies of, of guys and gals that have, that shine in your brain in terms of, uh, what happens. What, what happens to a, a life, a heart, a spirit, a body when they, uh, get healed, made, made whole, made-

Tom Throssel: Sure

Scott Hammond: … um, I don't, I don't know, uh, recover-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … if you will.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Um, so, so you're director of the men's-

Tom Throssel: Yep

Scott Hammond: … ministry, and, and then were you al- also teaching with other guys and gals at that time, or?

Tom Throssel: Yeah, I was still teaching.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: I still enjoy teaching. I teach a course-

Scott Hammond: Is there, is there a whole staff of folks that do that?

Tom Throssel: Yeah, we have about 15 people-

Scott Hammond: Oh, great

Tom Throssel: … working for Teen Challenge.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. And so then the, uh, executive director retired. So it was like, "What are we gonna do?"

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Tom Throssel: So I don't know if you know Steve Strombeck.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Tom Throssel: He's the chairman of our board, and he called me and he said, "We want your resume."

Scott Hammond: Hey, Steve.

Tom Throssel: And, uh, I thought he meant resignation. I'm like, "What did I do?" And oh no.

Scott Hammond: Am I in trouble?

Tom Throssel: "We want your resume." And I'm like, "What for?" He said, "Well, we need an executive director." And I'm like, "Uh, you know you're talking to a knucklehead mechanic."

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: "I, I've never directed an organization.

Tom Throssel: I've never-

Scott Hammond: Right

Tom Throssel: … I've always been number two. I always had another guy-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … who was my boss."

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Tom Throssel: "I've never been an executive director before."

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And he said, "Well, that makes you perfect for the job."

Scott Hammond: I was gonna say you're the perfect guy.

Tom Throssel: So I applied, and they gave me the job

Scott Hammond: How about that?

Tom Throssel: So that was about six, seven years ago.

Scott Hammond: Can I have your resignation, please?

Scott Hammond: I want to-

Tom Throssel: You want my resume. Oh, okay.

Scott Hammond: I have a story set with Joe Marvel, uh, who was, uh, North Kent-

Scott Hammond: or he was a flooring guy, and he wanted to hire me, and I didn't know. He said, "I wanna sit down with you, have a cup of coffee." And I'm sitting with a coffee. He goes, "Do you have health insurance?" And I go, "W- we gonna break my knees? I… You gonna, gonna kill me? What's going on?" He goes, "I wanna offer you a job." Like, oh, okay, that's different. Okay. He goes, actually, he led with this: "You used to work with my daughter, Amy, at the Tri-City Weekly paper." I go, "Yeah, I always liked Amy. Really nice gal, and yada, yada." And he goes, "Do you have health

Scott Hammond: insurance?" I go, "You got the wrong guy, mister."

Tom Throssel: What?

Scott Hammond: He goes, "No, I wanna hire you. I wanna give you a job offer." It was kind of funny.

Tom Throssel: Wow.

Scott Hammond: Anyway, so then you got hired as the director.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: CEO.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: How long ago was that?

Tom Throssel: About six years ago.

Scott Hammond: Uh, what's the hardest and e- and the most loveliest part of that job?

Tom Throssel: Uh, the, I guess it depends on what kind of hard.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: The hardest part, uh, emotionally-

Scott Hammond: Okay

Tom Throssel: … the hardest part is, uh, seeing people that you invest

Tom Throssel: in, seeing them make bad decisions.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: People that you love 'cause-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Tom Throssel: … 'cause that eventually happens. You fall in love with these students.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Tom Throssel: And you see them, you see the potential. You see just what amazing gifts and skills and neat people they are.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Tom Throssel: And then they're like, "Uh, I think I'm gonna go back to where I came from."

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: "And I'm gonna take my old job and move in with my old roommate."

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And it's like, that's not a really good idea.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, not for you.

Tom Throssel: But you're an adult, and you can't tell 'em no. And watching people relapse, I mean, we've had deaths. We've had you name it. We've been through the pain of losing people.

Scott Hammond: Yep.

Tom Throssel: And, uh-

Scott Hammond: It hurts 'cause it was real.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. The love was there.

Tom Throssel: Because you care.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: So that's probably the, the hardest-

Scott Hammond: That's a par-

Tom Throssel: … part of it

Scott Hammond: … big paradox, isn't it?

Tom Throssel: It is.

Scott Hammond: It's, it's one of those that has a lot… Uh, Pastor Bethany talks about tension.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: That's a tension point there. You go, "Ah."

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Love ya, and now why did you die?

Tom Throssel: Yes.

Scott Hammond: So.

Tom Throssel: At the same time, I, I truly believe if you don't care when somebody leaves, then you've failed.

Scott Hammond: Didn't do your-

Tom Throssel: Like-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Tom Throssel: … you, you haven't connected. You haven't made the relationship.

Tom Throssel: So it is.

Scott Hammond: I agree. Yeah. That's… It's a hard one. It's hard to do that.

Tom Throssel: You know, other f- hard parts, uh, raising funds isn't really easy.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And that's not really fun either.

Scott Hammond: Well, in Humboldt or anywhere.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: I would say, uh, Humboldt is, um, probably one of the most generous, um, small business-minded-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … um, communities that I've ever seen in my entire life.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: I, I think we have it easier than San Francisco.

Scott Hammond: People repeat that again and again. For such a small area… And Humboldt County, it's right over here. It's in northern California, which is on the West Coast. We're not quite the most northern county, but we're right below Del Norte County. And the, this county seat is here. And you're right. I, I think there's ample proof, uh, of our, uh, giving nature.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. I think, I think the other thing is, um, if you put a Teen Challenge with

Tom Throssel: 50 students-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Tom Throssel: … in a city like San Francisco-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … how many million people live in San Francisco?

Scott Hammond: Yeah, a jillion.

Tom Throssel: It's just a drop.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: But you put a program like Teen Challenge with 50 people in Humboldt County-

Scott Hammond: It's a gilt chaser

Tom Throssel: … it makes, it's a lot bigger than a drop.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And so I think our impact in the community is bigger. But people see what we're doing.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And we have… Uh, we do an annual banquet in September.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: And probably half of our money is just donation. Phone calls to Scott Hammond State Farm, "Hey, do you wanna make a donation to our

Tom Throssel: banquet?"

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: I mean, every one of these little small ma and

Tom Throssel: pa shops-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … that we're plugging-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … they donate.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Tom Throssel: And they donate baskets of stuff.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Tom Throssel: All the banks, all the credit unions.

Scott Hammond: Come buy a table, cut a check.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: Do a thing. Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And they support us.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: A lot of the churches support us on a monthly basis.

Scott Hammond: You know, I debated whether or not to kinda call out Steve Strombeck.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Oh, wait. Oops.

Tom Throssel: He is the chairman of our board.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, no, so he's, he's public- publicly known to be a fan and a big supporter, and, and I think it's great. It, it is, um… And we went to your, um, it was a speaker that you guys sponsored at the Ingomar one morning-

Tom Throssel: Oh, yeah

Scott Hammond: … before COVID, probably six years ago, and he's done a couple of those. They were great.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Just guys that were from out of the area, and I can't remember who and exactly what they said, but just the fact that they're behind the program, and, and y'all could be, too.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: You don't have to, but you get to.

Tom Throssel: Well, yeah. I, I don't… When people talk about a board-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … many times they're like, "Oh, that's a boring meeting. You know, a board meeting-

Scott Hammond: Right

Tom Throssel: … is horrible." And, uh-

Scott Hammond: Bored.

Tom Throssel: Yes.

Scott Hammond: B-O-R-E-D.

Tom Throssel: Yes.

Tom Throssel: Well-

Scott Hammond: Some of 'em deserve it

Tom Throssel: … the, the Teen Challenge board is Steve Strombeck.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: Uh, Sheriff Billy Honsal.

Scott Hammond: Sheriff.

Tom Throssel: Uh, Pastor John Armand, who is the pastor of the Hoopa, just retired from the Hoopa Church.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: He's Native American.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: He is like a grandfatherly-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Tom Throssel: … loving soul.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Tom Throssel: Amazing pastor.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: Rodney Maples, who-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Tom Throssel: … just retired from Maples Plumbing.

Scott Hammond: Mm. No Rodney.

Tom Throssel: And then, uh, Joelle Lemley. Her husband is one of the, the foreman there at Maples Plumbing, and-

Scott Hammond: Okay

Tom Throssel: … her husband went through the program.

Scott Hammond: How about that?

Tom Throssel: And so she's on our board and has a little different view than others

Tom Throssel: who-

Scott Hammond: Skin in the game, if you will.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And so the first board meeting I had ever been to, I was never a CEO of nothing.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: And, uh, I was telling about a problem that we had, and Steve looks at me and says, "Well, what's your solution?" I'm like, "Well, I, I, we need some shipping containers to put some of this stuff in. We need, like, a, a portable garage."

Scott Hammond: There you go.

Tom Throssel: So he looked around, and he said, uh, "Do we have a motion to approve go buy some shipping containers?"

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: I'm like, "Okay." So I wrote it down. Next board meeting-How many shipping containers did you get? I said, "I didn't get any." He said, "Why not? You, you have the checkbook. Go buy some shipping containers and get the job done."

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And, uh, they- … they truly enabled me in a positive way to get the job done.

Scott Hammond: To go get it done.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And it's just amazing to be a part of an organization where I really feel I have, I have a board that has my back.

Scott Hammond: And f- And the scale to be flexible and to go, "Hey, why haven't you bought the containers?"

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: They have 'em on sale down t- wherever.

Tom Throssel: At Don's Rental.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Go get some.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: So I, I mean, they are, they are definitely, um, you know, helping me-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Tom Throssel: … preparing me to do the job I have to do.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: I, I feel they have my back, which is an amazing-

Scott Hammond: That's-

Tom Throssel: … amazing feeling.

Scott Hammond: That's wonderful. And so if I'm a student and I show up-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … I go through some sort of orientation, I'm gonna guess.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I- Let me not guess at it. I'm just gonna ask the question. You can fill in the blanks. And then, uh, five days a week, I'm at Bible study from 8:00 to 10:00.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: And then I go to work on the crew.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: And, uh, and you're… I'm being fed. I'm being, uh… What? All my needs are met. You got the Bayview Hotel. Is that the name of it?

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: The, it's the former Bayview.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: Yep.

Scott Hammond: So that ain't, that's not a bad facility.

Scott Hammond: That's pre-

Tom Throssel: That's gorgeous

Scott Hammond: … gorgeous. Yeah. Is that just the guys, or is it-

Tom Throssel: That's just the men.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And then weekends, so evenings we're g- at services Wednesday,

Scott Hammond: Sunday.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Sunday morning.

Tom Throssel: It's a busy schedule.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: There's not a lot of downtime.

Scott Hammond: So people are staying engaged constantly.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: Um, uh, I wouldn't say… I guess there's demands, right?

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: There's accountability and responsibility.

Tom Throssel: Absolutely.

Scott Hammond: Tell me about that. How does-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … how does that work over a year, over a heart that's been steeped in, uh, lunacy and, and insanity?

Tom Throssel: Yeah. I think if you took, like, a, a boot camp, a military boot camp, and you mixed it with a church camp-

Scott Hammond: Okay

Tom Throssel: … and you put it together-

Scott Hammond: That'd be it

Tom Throssel: … that's kinda what Teen Challenge is.

Scott Hammond: I like that. Are all the models the same, Tom?

Tom Throssel: Uh, similar.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: So it's kinda like a franchise. I don't know if that's really a good word, but-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Tom Throssel: … we all produce the same product, but in a little different way.

Scott Hammond: Well, there's something that works, so you replicate-

Tom Throssel: Yes

Scott Hammond: … the recipe.

Tom Throssel: So we use Teen Challenge curriculum, so we have their homework.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: Uh, but each Teen Challenge is required to raise their own funds. So in some of the bigger cities down in Southern California-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … they, it, not during the pandemic, but during healthy times-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … they do a lot of door-to-door solicitation. They just say, "Hey, we're-"

Scott Hammond: Wow

Tom Throssel: … " Teen Challenge. Would you give us some money?"

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And they go out and they do that. Well, if we sent 50 people throughout Eureka, which we do about once every year or two-

Tom Throssel: … you can hit every door-

Scott Hammond: We've done it in the morning

Tom Throssel: … in about two weeks.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Tom Throssel: And I think once you hit a door more than once in a year, you're now annoying people.

Scott Hammond: Right. Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And I think door to door is very different today than it was 10 or 15 years ago.

Scott Hammond: Don't answer this question, but who are the guys that go door to door? Rem- Are, are they in your…

Scott Hammond: Anyway.

Tom Throssel: They don't come to my house anymore.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Well, s- yeah, some people that…

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: But-

Scott Hammond: Other story, but yeah

Tom Throssel: … but some Teen Challenges do that. They do a door-to-door kinda thing, asking for money.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And we've decided from the very beginning we're just gonna be a work program-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … that, uh… So we s- students go out and volunteer.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: And we go out and mow lawns and clean up houses.

Scott Hammond: But you guys have all kinds of work, right?

Tom Throssel: We do.

Scott Hammond: 'Cause people, people, uh, call in as if, as if… So it's landscaping.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: And then some, some hand-

Tom Throssel: Some cleaning

Scott Hammond: … handyman stuff.

Tom Throssel: Not really handyman stuff-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … anymore.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: We do a lot of cleaning.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: So a lot of cleanup and mowing and yard work.

Scott Hammond: Like carpet, carpet cleaning?

Tom Throssel: Uh, we used to have a carpet cleaner.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: It really didn't pay off, so-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Tom Throssel: … we got rid of it.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Part of the business model.

Tom Throssel: Yes.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. So, um, 12 months later, I start to approach graduation. What happens?

Tom Throssel: Yeah. That's good. That's a good question. Um, it really depends on the individual student.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: Um, I guess it depends on what they want.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Tom Throssel: So we, we have an exit plan.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: Like, what do you wanna do?

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: Um, some people wanna get to work right away-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … send money to their kids or take care of their families, and, um, we have a lot of businesses in the community that like to hire our graduates.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: So I got a list on my desk of just k- businesses that call and say,

Tom Throssel: "Hey-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … can I have the next graduate? Can I have a…"

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Tom Throssel: "You have anybody that's coming up?"

Scott Hammond: Does anybody say, "Hey, I'd, I'd like another year, please"?

Tom Throssel: Yes.

Scott Hammond: And is that, is that part of the… Is there exception made to that, or?

Tom Throssel: Yes.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: So, uh, we have a program called, uh, an apprenticeship.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: So they finish the year, and some people aren't quite ready to go.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: Or they want a little bit more freedom and a little bit more, um, leadership skills.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Tom Throssel: And so they apply for an apprenticeship, which is four months, and, uh, so they get one day off a week. They have a little-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Tom Throssel: … small, uh, stipend, so they get a little bit of, uh, you know, grocery money or whatever they, you know.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: So they can walk down to the mall and get some free time.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: And then they also have a little bit more leadership skills, so they're waking people up in the morning, and they might have a key to the-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … you know, to the clothing closet or whatever.

Tom Throssel: They get-

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Tom Throssel: And so that's a four-month apprenticeship, and then at the end of that, if they're still not sure what they wanna do, uh, Teen Challenge runs a Bible school in LA-

Scott Hammond: Huh

Tom Throssel: … called Teen Challenge Ministry Institute.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: It's a year-long Bible school.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: It's really hands-on.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Tom Throssel: So they go down to Skid Row, and they-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Tom Throssel: … feed people.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: And they go out to churches. They… I mean, it's a very hands-on school. And, uh, they have a different track, so if you wanna get involved in youth

Tom Throssel: ministry-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … they plug in with a youth pastor in the community.

Scott Hammond: Where's that based down in LA?

Tom Throssel: It's in, uh, South Gate.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: So-

Scott Hammond: Pretty rough town.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. Pretty-

Scott Hammond: Part of town

Tom Throssel: … pretty rough part of town.

Scott Hammond: Although it's all been gentrified, so it's probably pretty nice now, but-

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: It's a, it's a great school.

Scott Hammond: Skid Row is still Skid Row, though. It's pretty, pretty dark downtown.

Tom Throssel: It is.

Scott Hammond: There's some bad, bad parts.

Tom Throssel: There's a skid… There's a-… uh, homeless, I don't know if it's a homeless shelter any longer, but Fred Jordan Mission is on Skid Row.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: And some of our students have gone down there and worked at Fred Jordan Mission-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Tom Throssel: … for TCMI. So the part of their-

Scott Hammond: Huh

Tom Throssel: … their schooling was at-

Scott Hammond: Like that

Tom Throssel: … the Fred Jordan Mission.

Scott Hammond: That's pretty neat.

Tom Throssel: Just feeding homeless people and-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Tom Throssel: … so that's a year long.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: With the idea that when you graduate there, if you want a job, they will help you. And so we hire a lot of our, a lot of graduates coming out of that school-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … uh, to be our employees, to work back up here in Eureka.

Scott Hammond: How about that?

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: People that were from here necessarily, or just that wanted to-

Tom Throssel: Either way.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Gotcha.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. We, we highly encourage our students to do TCMI. If they're, if they're ministry-minded and are interested-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … in working at a Teen Challenge-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … um, it's not guaranteed, but pretty close to guaranteed they can have a job at a Teen Challenge.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: And we have graduates that went through our program in Texas, Oklahoma, New York, Florida-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … here in Eureka, all over the place.

Scott Hammond: So they can launch from there into some ministry.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Or another Teen Challenge.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I like that a lot.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Let's talk about you and your family for a minute. Can we do that?

Tom Throssel: Sure.

Scott Hammond: What do you guys do for fun at, in Humboldt? If you got the day off-

Tom Throssel: Oh, man

Scott Hammond: … you can do whatever, and here's, here's the car.

Tom Throssel: As a family or by myself?

Scott Hammond: Uh, yes. Let's do both, let's do both. Let's do the family first.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. Well, my family is me and my wife.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: We've been married 30 years.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Congrats.

Tom Throssel: Yeah, thank you. She's amazing.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, you married up, lucky.

Tom Throssel: I married way up.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Yep. Yeah, her dad worked at Caltrans-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … in Humboldt here, so.

Scott Hammond: You guys met here, then lived here?

Tom Throssel: Yep, yep.

Scott Hammond: In high school or…?

Tom Throssel: Uh, no. Sh- I got stationed here in the Coast Guard.

Scott Hammond: Oh, you're a Coastie.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Tom Throssel: Got stationed at the air station, McKinleyville.

Scott Hammond: What year was that?

Tom Throssel: Uh, 1990.

Scott Hammond: Was Bob Durfee the cap- the captain?

Tom Throssel: He was, I think he was here.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, he was there I think a little bit after, maybe '90, earlier '90s.

Tom Throssel: I was an E4, so we didn't have a whole lot of contact with the captain.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Great guy.

Tom Throssel: So, but yeah.

Scott Hammond: Legendary. Yeah.

Tom Throssel: J- Janine and I met at Church of the Highlands.

Scott Hammond: How about that?

Tom Throssel: Um, not even around anymore.

Scott Hammond: No. It's a Pentecostal church, right?

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. But we met there, and, uh, we've got two boys.

Scott Hammond: Uh-huh.

Tom Throssel: Peter's still living at home, 26.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: And Philip is 23 or 24.

Scott Hammond: Grandparents?

Tom Throssel: Not yet.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Not yet. We're waiting for them to get married first.

Scott Hammond: Well, wish them-

Tom Throssel: Philip's in Nashville.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And, uh, has a girlfriend.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: Has a fiance.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Getting married in October, so.

Scott Hammond: So that's what you were talking about earlier. You went back-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … to Tennessee.

Tom Throssel: To visit Philip, yeah.

Scott Hammond: And you found there, there a lot of kindness there.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Tom Throssel: Tennessee was fun. We had a great time.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, a lot of people, you know, it used to be, "I left Humboldt, I'm moving to Idaho." Oh, goodbye.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Now it's like, "I'm moving to Tennessee." Tennessee is, like, right there.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. Well, he went during the pandemic-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … hoping to, to start a music career.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Tom Throssel: And music careers are tough anyway.

Scott Hammond: Oh, boy.

Tom Throssel: But during the pandemic was really hard.

Scott Hammond: Even harder. Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. So he works for Apple Computer-

Scott Hammond: Huh

Tom Throssel: … and, uh, Apple phones.

Scott Hammond: In Nashville?

Tom Throssel: In Nashville, downtown Nashville.

Scott Hammond: How about that?

Tom Throssel: Doing great.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Tom Throssel: So.

Scott Hammond: And the weather's, I'm told, is decent weather.

Scott Hammond: It's not-

Tom Throssel: It was chilly

Scott Hammond: … it's not Min- it's not Minnes-

Tom Throssel: It was snowing when we were there.

Scott Hammond: But it's not Minnesota, like-

Tom Throssel: No

Scott Hammond: … yeah, or Iowa. Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Where I'm from.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, okay.

Tom Throssel: It was nice. So for a, for a day off, Janine and I, we'll go to the beach. We head up to, we like Patrick's Point.

Tom Throssel: I like-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Tom Throssel: … you know, Agate Beach.

Scott Hammond: Hey, let me show where that is.

Tom Throssel: Do you know where Agate Beach is?

Scott Hammond: So Agate Beach is right up here. Here's Big Lagoon. Here's Patrick's, which is now known as Sumeg.

Tom Throssel: Sumeg Village.

Scott Hammond: Sumeg Village, and Sumeg, the whole park is Sumeg.

Tom Throssel: It's beautiful. I love it.

Scott Hammond: It's gorgeous. And then, uh, right north of that is Agate Beach. You can walk down and pick up these agates. They're, they're the coolest thing.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Um, we have a friend that has an aquarium full of they've collected over the years.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: They're kind of neat rocks 'cause they're translucent and you can see through them.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So yeah, that's a great park.

Scott Hammond: I, uh, um, I'll, I'll frequently take a… Frequently. I want to more frequently-

Tom Throssel: I agree

Scott Hammond: … take a half day and just walk and, and, and pray and get out of my head and lock, lock the device in the car.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: This has to go lock, and go for a walk, eat a lunch-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … take a nap. You know, just chill, chill the heck out.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. For my birthday last year, Janine bought me surfer, uh, like a surfer booties.

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah.

Tom Throssel: Little neoprene booties.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Tom Throssel: You put those on when you're agate hunting.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Tom Throssel: It's amazing. Your feet stay warm. They don't hurt, and you can walk and look for agates for

Tom Throssel: hours.

Scott Hammond: All the way down to the waterfront.

Tom Throssel: Yeah, and your feet are all wet, and you don't care 'cause you got booties on.

Scott Hammond: 'Cause you got neop- That's a secret.

Tom Throssel: It, it works great.

Scott Hammond: The secret agate hack.

Tom Throssel: Yes.

Scott Hammond: You heard it here first. Shameless plug.

Tom Throssel: And you can get them at Pacific Outfitters.

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah. No, there's another one. Yeah. No, you could just slip them on.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, we used to do that. We surf in San Diego, which is down over… Oh, it's not even on this map.

Tom Throssel: No.

Scott Hammond: Um, it's, it's 50 feet underground on this map.

Scott Hammond: The, um, we, uh, you know, we'd always wear the neoprene.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: You know, not always. Summertime, sometimes we wouldn't wear anything, but, um, yeah, in the wintertime you gotta keep that on to stay in the water.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So, so you get a solo day. What are you, what are you gonna do?

Tom Throssel: I work on the truck.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: I've got two classic trucks. I got a 1949 Chevy Suburban.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Is that one of the first years?

Tom Throssel: No. They had them back in the '30s.

Scott Hammond: How about that?

Tom Throssel: Yeah. And so I go out and work on the truck, and I have a 1970 K5

Tom Throssel: Blazer.

Scott Hammond: Oh, that's cool.

Tom Throssel: So.

Scott Hammond: Big four, four-by?

Tom Throssel: Yeah. Four-wheel drive.

Scott Hammond: Oh, nice.

Tom Throssel: So both of those are a continual work.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: And so, yeah, I pulled the head off of the Suburban. It was not running real good-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Tom Throssel: … and had a blown head gasket. So that's my next free day.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Is gonna go out and finish putting the head back together and-

Scott Hammond: Can you find parts for those pretty easy?

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Well, I wouldn't say easy.

Scott Hammond: My son does internationals. He's got a Scout.

Tom Throssel: Oh, nice.

Scott Hammond: He rebuilt the whole Scout. He's got a couple of old trucks. The old, like, Mater truck from-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … from Cars and, uh, Disney movie. And then, um, he's got a, um-What's the big one, the Carryall?

Tom Throssel: The International?

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. With the benches.

Tom Throssel: Yeah, it looks just like my Suburban, but it's International.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Those were pretty big deal in the day.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: We had a lot… A lot of kids in Iowa had, families had those back in

Scott Hammond: '60s.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, that was a neat car. So you just go tinker around on the, on the rigs.

Tom Throssel: Yeah, this was my dad's truck when I was a kid.

Scott Hammond: How about that?

Tom Throssel: So-

Scott Hammond: So there's therapy in that.

Tom Throssel: There is. There's a lot of therapy in that.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: So.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And, and it's fun for me, so. But I've painted them both, you know.

Scott Hammond: Uh-huh.

Tom Throssel: Pulled them all apart, put them back together.

Scott Hammond: So you're given a big gift certificate. Where do you go to eat when you guys would eat out? Where would you-

Tom Throssel: Oh, man

Scott Hammond: … tend to go?

Tom Throssel: We went to Sea Grill the other day.

Scott Hammond: Pretty good?

Tom Throssel: Somebody gave us a gift certificate to Sea Grill.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Tom Throssel: I think that's the best restaurant in Eureka.

Scott Hammond: Still really good.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I haven't ate there in a minute.

Tom Throssel: I think it's-

Scott Hammond: Do the-

Tom Throssel: … excellent

Scott Hammond: … so my $2 question, and nobody's answered it, do they have the salad bar? 'Cause the salad bar was the most fresh sal- I mean, amazing. And I think before CO- during COVID it went away.

Tom Throssel: Yeah, I don't think it… They brought a salad to our table when we went there last

Tom Throssel: time.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Oh, their food's g- their service is nice.

Tom Throssel: And it's fresh.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. I-

Tom Throssel: We don't get to go there very often 'cause it's a little on the spendy side.

Scott Hammond: That's why it makes it special.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, we got to go to Waterfront the other day and had some snapper, and I forgot

Scott Hammond: how good-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … how good fish is. Fresh fish.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: You know, just like, "Oh, my gosh. This is magical."

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So, uh, te- tell me more about, about you.

Tom Throssel: What about me?

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Who… Uh, let, let's… I'll, I'll give you my two d- my two-question test.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Okay, let's get the bell.

Tom Throssel: All right.

Scott Hammond: Tom Throssel, who are you and what do you want?

Tom Throssel: Oh, that's it.

Scott Hammond: So Joni's father, who's d- who's passed away, recovering alcoholic and always had the, the witty, the witticisms of

Scott Hammond: the

Scott Hammond: AA, um,

Scott Hammond: uh, culture. You know, a couple of them were, "Don't go to your mind alone, it's a terrible place." That, you know, there's a couple of funny ones. Anywhere, anywhere in the world is within walking distance if you have

Scott Hammond: enough time.

Tom Throssel: It's true.

Scott Hammond: And the other one is, who are you? If you can answer who y- "Who are you and what do you want," you're kind of, you, you got a start-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … to some of the answers. So who, who, who is Tom Throssel?

Tom Throssel: That's a really hard question 'cause I, I don't, I don't…

Scott Hammond: Well, you're a mechanic. I-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … I know that much.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. I, I call pe- I use the word knucklehead a lot, so I-

Scott Hammond: Uh-huh

Tom Throssel: … I think I'm a knucklehead.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: You know? Just a knucklehead mechanic-

Scott Hammond: That's all right

Tom Throssel: … who, uh, loves the Lord, loves Jesus.

Scott Hammond: Good.

Tom Throssel: And loves my family.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: And, uh, I think I'm a pretty sensitive guy.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: Um.

Scott Hammond: That's good.

Tom Throssel: Yeah, I, I don't know. I watched a lot of your podcasts.

Scott Hammond: Oh, did you?

Tom Throssel: And, uh, you ask that question a lot, like, "Who are you?"

Scott Hammond: It's been a f- it's been a minute-

Tom Throssel: And it-

Scott Hammond: … since I've asked it. I was saving it for you.

Tom Throssel: I think it's, I think it's a hard question because it's a deep question.

Tom Throssel: I think-

Scott Hammond: It's an evolving question

Tom Throssel: … I'm a dad, I'm a husband.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: I'm a son.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: I'm a brother. I'm a cousin.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Tom Throssel: I'm a boss. I'm an employee.

Scott Hammond: CEO.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. You're a b-

Tom Throssel: I don't-

Scott Hammond: You're a board member.

Tom Throssel: Uh, crazy story is I'm a pastor.

Scott Hammond: Uh-huh. Oh, wow.

Tom Throssel: And, uh, yeah.

Scott Hammond: From, from Moody-

Tom Throssel: I never thought I would be here

Scott Hammond: … from Moody or from, uh, Arcata First or?

Tom Throssel: From Eureka First.

Scott Hammond: Eureka First, sorry.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Is that-

Tom Throssel: So-

Scott Hammond: … Southern Baptist Convention?

Tom Throssel: American Baptist.

Scott Hammond: Okay. I know it well.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, we were part of Church of the Light in McKinleyville for many years.

Tom Throssel: Okay.

Scott Hammond: Which was ABC, as is Arcata First Baptist.

Tom Throssel: Yes.

Scott Hammond: And they're, they're just a little different from our Southern Baptist friends.

Tom Throssel: They are.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. So I, I have a friend, uh, here in town-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … who said… The first time that I met him, I shook his hand and I said, "Hi, my name's Tom, and I'm a Baptist."

Tom Throssel: And I don't think that's true because I, I don't typically like labels.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Like, I don't wanna be labeled.

Scott Hammond: Right. Yeah.

Tom Throssel: So he always jokes. So when he introduces me, he said, "Here, this is my friend, Tom the Baptist."

Scott Hammond: Tom the Ba- Get it.

Tom Throssel: So that's how he introduces me all the time.

Scott Hammond: Tom the Baptist. I like that. That's good. So yeah.

Tom Throssel: And-

Scott Hammond: I, I don't see many people would lead with that. So th- you were ordained at Eureka, uh-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … Baptist?

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: How about that? So are you the head pastor there?

Tom Throssel: I'm the interim pastor.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: So we're-

Scott Hammond: Who went, who went before? Who was that?

Tom Throssel: Uh, a young guy named Steve Fetters. He was there-

Scott Hammond: Okay

Tom Throssel: … for a couple months.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And then before that, Pastor Cassie Weiland was there for 22 years.

Scott Hammond: How about that?

Tom Throssel: She retired and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … so we're looking.

Scott Hammond: Let's talk about girl pastors for a minute.

Tom Throssel: You put me on the spot.

Scott Hammond: No, you put me on the spot. My, my pastor at Bethany is wonderful.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I called her yesterday, and I, I felt impressed to do this. I said, "Listen,"

Scott Hammond: um, what did I say? I said, "I really appreciate the fact that you listen to God and take time, and your s- your sermons, your, your messages, your heart toward the people at Catalyst in Arcata." Arcata's right up here.

Tom Throssel: Okay.

Scott Hammond: "You lo- you love people, and we love you. And I, I, I speak for Joni and I, and, uh, we adore you, and we think you're terrific, and have a great day."

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And she was like, "Aw." You know, she's like, blew her mind.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I'm really glad I said that. I took the time to, um,

Scott Hammond: to be kind.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Felt to do it and acted on it. Is that impulsive? Joni goes, "You're kind of impulsive." I go, "If I don't do it now, I probably will not do it, so."

Tom Throssel: Sure.

Scott Hammond: It, it was time, so.

Tom Throssel: Is impulsive always bad?

Scott Hammond: I don't think it is. Spontaneous, impulsive. It, it, it could be, but it's not. No, I, I agree.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Agree with that point. So who are you?

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: You've told me that. What, so what-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … what do you want for life, Humboldt, ministry, earth, God, Teen Challenge?

Tom Throssel: Sure.

Scott Hammond: Humboldt. Did I say Humboldt?

Tom Throssel: Yeah. Humboldt. What do I want for Humboldt?

Scott Hammond: What do you want?

Tom Throssel: I, I feel like I'm on a beauty pageant.

Scott Hammond: D-

Scott Hammond: don't worry.

Tom Throssel: What do you want? I… World peace.

Scott Hammond: World peace.

Tom Throssel: I want world peace.

Scott Hammond: I do, too. Yeah. No, it's world peas.

Tom Throssel: World peas.

Scott Hammond: That's a-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … that was a bumper sticker. It's-

Tom Throssel: Yes. I've seen that

Scott Hammond: … it's, it's a joke if you… Anyway.

Tom Throssel: I, I mean, i- if you're talking, like, philosophical-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Tom Throssel: … yeah. I, I get to run the, the digital billboard for Teen Challenge down there on Broadway.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, I just saw that.

Tom Throssel: And so the other day I put one up, uh, uh, I don't know if you b- saw the movie The

Tom Throssel: Green Mile.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And in it, the, the, one of the main characters says, "I'm tired, boss."

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah.

Tom Throssel: "I'm tired of people being mean to each other."

Scott Hammond: Michael, um, the big man of color that-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … he's such… He just died a couple years ago. Great guy, good actor.

Tom Throssel: Great actor.

Scott Hammond: Michael Davis, uh, Nick will look it up and tell us.

Tom Throssel: But his character said, "I'm tired of people being mean to each other."

Scott Hammond: I'm just tired

Scott Hammond: of that.

Tom Throssel: And I hear of stuff in our community-

Scott Hammond: Oh my gosh

Tom Throssel: … and I'm just tired of people being mean to one another.

Scott Hammond: Oh, man. And our-

Tom Throssel: Porch pirates and thieves and cars and house burglaries and-

Scott Hammond: Vicious, yeah

Tom Throssel: … you know, people punching each other at the mall or whatever.

Tom Throssel: I-

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Tom Throssel: So yeah, I, I would like people to be nice to one another.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. And that goes national, yeah.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. A- it's not just our community.

Scott Hammond: No, it's international.

Tom Throssel: But when you live here, it, it's more personal.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, it is.

Tom Throssel: If somebody steals your catalytic converter, it's personal.

Scott Hammond: It is. Yeah, that's right.

Tom Throssel: And, uh, yeah. What do I want? I want people to be nice to one another.

Scott Hammond: I like it.

Tom Throssel: And I think that really goes back to what you were talking about with your pastor,

Tom Throssel: too.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: Yeah, you just want people to be nice to her.

Scott Hammond: She's great. She's, uh-

Tom Throssel: You know

Scott Hammond: … oh, yeah

Tom Throssel: … if we could learn some compassion, some, some manners.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Manners.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: How about, how about just an open mind? N- not, not asking anybody to do heroin, just, "Hey, we have a female pastor and her husband's a pastor. They co-pastor."

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: "She teaches sometimes. She's amazing."

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: "Oh, well, I'm gonna narrate that for you." "Well, no thank you. Why don't, why don't you come and hang out and, you know, listen?"

Tom Throssel: Sure.

Scott Hammond: "And actually listen and, you know…" But, uh, that, that can't happen because we're busy not being nice.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And sadly, we're not… Sometimes we're not nice in church, which is

Scott Hammond: sad.

Tom Throssel: It's true.

Scott Hammond: Sad for our team 'cause we wear the same jersey, same colors.

Tom Throssel: It is.

Scott Hammond: We're all Niners around h- No. Sorry, Niner fans, uh, Chiefs, it just happened.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: It was a, it was a great, great game. My, uh, my cousin Jeremy, who lives in Kansas City, called me at 10:00 last night. Usually Jeremy's hammered drunk when I get that call, but I took the call and he goes… And he's stone sober, and he goes, kinda what you just said, he goes, "I, I can't believe," 'cause of the shootings last night in-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … yesterday in Union Station, Kansas City. I, I guess it was post parade. They were having their team Super Bowl parade, and some yahoos shot some folks downtown, the train station.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Do I have that right? Did you hear that? It, I think it- Yeah … gang violence is what they're saying now. Is that what they're saying now?

Tom Throssel: But-

Scott Hammond: But just the s- the-

Tom Throssel: Still, why are… Can we be nice to one another?

Scott Hammond: Man, it's like, yeah, same. And he was just beside himself. I said, "You know, some of these things are better slept on."

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So thanks. I'll call him on my way home.

Scott Hammond: Thank you.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Check in on him.

Tom Throssel: Yeah, check in on him.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, I like that. Let's, let's be nice to each other.

Scott Hammond: Um-

Tom Throssel: That's kinda what I want. Uh, you know.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: I don't know.

Scott Hammond: So my dad Bob was a, a World War II vet, drank for 40 years, got sober in '73, and stayed sober till he died in

Scott Hammond: '04, and he was a, a, a, not a good salesman, but a great salesman. He was just a sweet guy, and he never owned property. His name was Bob, S-O-B, sweet old Bob. He's just one of the guys you'd see at a fellowship that, you know, just loved everybody and he's a hugger and he, uh, he, he told me, he goes, "You know, adults are, are just big kids, and all, and kids remember little acts of unkindness or, or flickings, if you will."

Tom Throssel: Sure.

Scott Hammond: And he goes, "Kids register that." He goes, "They also register kindness." And he goes, "Scott, it costs nothing to be kind, to be kind to people," you know? To the-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … to the receptionist, to the fast food guy, to the gal, to the whomever.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: "Hey," you know, "how's your day going?" You know, d- is it really, is it really that hard to engage somebody? S- be, be halfway nice and go, "Hey-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … appreciate all you guys do around here. Great job." You know, so to your point.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I like that.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Well, let, I'll ask you, y- if you've seen my podcast, you're ready for this one. So Tom, what do you want it to say on, on the, uh, Tom Thrasher gravestone? You can, you can etch that in right now-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … or at least pencil it in. What, what do you, um, what do you envision that saying about, um, who you are and what you've done?

Tom Throssel: That's a good question, too.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Maybe I didn't watch enough of your podcast to be ready for that one.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, you didn't watch the end. I usually save that for the end, so.

Tom Throssel: Um, I'm not sure, you know. Um, my grandmother's, uh, tombstone, we put God, family, and country.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Tom Throssel: And I think that really reflected who she was.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: Like, she loved her… She loved the Lord.

Tom Throssel: Maybe-

Scott Hammond: I-

Tom Throssel: No, it was God, family, and nature

Scott Hammond: … nature. In that order.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Tom Throssel: In that order.

Scott Hammond: I like that.

Tom Throssel: And yeah. My grandmother was the one, they had homesteaded property and, uh, my dad would go up as a kid with all the brothers and sisters and cousins and everybody.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Tom Throssel: And she would take all the kids for the summer.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Tom Throssel: No electricity, no nothing, out in the middle of the woods, and they had-

Scott Hammond: Where's this at?

Tom Throssel: Up in Amador County outside of Sacramento.

Scott Hammond: Oh, way out there.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: That's a good-

Tom Throssel: And my parents still live on that property.

Scott Hammond: Is that… So the kids all go to Granny's house for summer.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Tom Throssel: And it wasn't even her house. It was the upper ranch.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Tom Throssel: And so she would watch the kids all summer, and they'd be playing in the pond and

Tom Throssel: just… But she'd go out and pick-… berries and make pie and pick apples and-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Tom Throssel: … she loved God and she loved her family and she loved nature.

Scott Hammond: Is she buried out there?

Tom Throssel: Uh, in that area, yeah.

Scott Hammond: How about that?

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: That's a good legacy. I like that.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. And, and I think that's what I wanna be known for. I love God, love my family.

Scott Hammond: Yep.

Tom Throssel: Uh, I'm not… Maybe trucks more than nature.

Scott Hammond: Maybe so. Trucks are sort of part of nature.

Tom Throssel: Chevy trucks, you know.

Scott Hammond: Till they decompose and they're part of nature again. Yeah, I like that. And-

Tom Throssel: I'm not against nature, but just-

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Well, y- you got grandfatherhood ahead of you, too. That's gonna be fun.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I'm no expert, but, uh, I enjoy these guys, and they're more interesting when they're not this, but when they're older and they talk.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And they're engageable and it's like, so I become ice cream grandpa.

Tom Throssel: Oh, that's good.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, DQ Dairy Queen.

Tom Throssel: Okay.

Scott Hammond: "Where are we going, Dax?" "Hey, DQ, DQ Dairy Queen, Grandpa." I go, "You got it, bro. Let's go."

Tom Throssel: Where do you go to Dairy Queen?

Scott Hammond: There's one up in Medford.

Tom Throssel: Okay.

Scott Hammond: So we have a bunch of grandkids up in Rogue Valley, and then couple in, uh, four up in Boise.

Tom Throssel: Okay.

Scott Hammond: And two in Amsterdam. That's, uh-

Tom Throssel: Wow

Scott Hammond: … let me show you Amsterdam on the map.

Tom Throssel: Wow. You have a magic map.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. You gotta go all the way through the earth to hit Amsterdam. Think of it as a big 3D map.

Tom Throssel: That's a long flight.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, it's, uh, it's 10 hours from S- 12, 11 from

Scott Hammond: SFO.

Tom Throssel: Okay.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. And us ADD guys, it's just a rough way to go, bro.

Scott Hammond: So.

Tom Throssel: Better than the drive, though.

Scott Hammond: Better… It beats the heck out of the drive. Yes, it does. It's a long drive, it turns out. The Atlantic Highway is, is treacherous. But it's kinda cool. You leave at 2:00 in the afternoon in SFO, and you're there at 9:00 in the morning. We've mastered the trains. You can train everywhere and-

Tom Throssel: Nice

Scott Hammond: … everybody in Amsterdam rides a bike, it seems like, or in Netherlands.

Scott Hammond: It's really kind of an interesting experience. It's, uh, a very… You've been out of culture, out of state, so you know what it's like.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: People are different. They think different. They're very unengaging. It's like walk straight ahead and… But once talked to and shown kindness-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … your words, it's, it's interesting. There's a transformation. There's an engagement and a connection and, "Yeah. Oh, yeah, I can help you. It's, you take the next train through Rotterdam and you blah, blah, blah." And it's like, oh, now-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … he's my new best friend.

Tom Throssel: Wow.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, so it's just a very different, different experience. So, uh, what, what do you see for Humboldt County coming up in terms of hopeful signs? Uh, what, what do you think our biggest challenges are besides teen and redwood-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … teen and adult challenges?

Tom Throssel: I think getting along.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: I think we're divided.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: I- not just Humboldt County, but across the nation.

Tom Throssel: I think-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … political lines have really divided us.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: And I think if we can just get together and agree on some stuff, I think we could go a lot further than we could divided.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Um-

Scott Hammond: Agree with that. I see that in Congress.

Tom Throssel: I think if we could, you know, put our pol- our politic- politics behind us or beside us-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … and say, "Hey, we've got a goal of fixing these roads up-

Scott Hammond: Yep

Tom Throssel: … let's do it."

Scott Hammond: Yep. As opposed to-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … battling one another.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: I know I saw you had Brian Hall on here yesterday.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Not uncommon for me to call Brian, "Hey-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … I got this guy. He's just… Doesn't wanna be here.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: He's interested in another program. Do you want him?" He's like, "Yeah, bring him on down."

Scott Hammond: How about that?

Tom Throssel: Uh, Mountain of Mercy, I don't know if you ever heard of that program. That's out in Honeydew. You wanna find Honeydew on the map?

Scott Hammond: I do. Let me show you where Honeydew is.

Scott Hammond: I know-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … exactly where Honeydew is. It's, it's right down… Well, it's way down here. That's down off of, uh, on the road to Petrolia.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: Yep.

Tom Throssel: Yeah, there's a ministry that is based in Honeydew.

Scott Hammond: I've heard of it.

Tom Throssel: At Mountain of Mercy.

Scott Hammond: Is it for women?

Tom Throssel: In women and men.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: And it's a recovery program, very similar to what we do.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: But they're out in the mountains.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: And they pray and say, "God, we're hungry."

Scott Hammond: Oh, wow.

Tom Throssel: And God provides them dinner.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Tom Throssel: Uh, it is an amazing ministry. And so we'll, we'll call them.

Tom Throssel: And-

Scott Hammond: Was the one guy that, uh, he was the pastor there or he was involved there,

Scott Hammond: he came, uh, and he, he memorizes, like, the Book of Romans or Revelation, and he c- he came

Scott Hammond: to a, a,

Scott Hammond: a, a men's conference, uh, that used to be… Gosh, I… You talk about old age now. The, um, remember the famous men's conferences that were-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … big in the '90s? But he c- they did one, a small one at Humboldt. But he, um… It's not Richard Paradise. But he actually could recite entire books from… and dramatically.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And apparently, he, the guy was… But I thought he was associated with that at one point anyway.

Tom Throssel: He might be. I'm not sure.

Scott Hammond: And I thought it, at one point, it was a lot of, it was a pregnant women's ministry, too, but maybe-

Tom Throssel: Yeah, I don't know

Scott Hammond: … I'm da- dating information here, but whatever.

Scott Hammond: So-

Tom Throssel: But I think that's-

Scott Hammond: So they pray and God provides food.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. But the reason I bring up these other ministries is because working together-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … we can do more than we can by ourselves.

Scott Hammond: Great point.

Tom Throssel: So, you know, Bob down at Free Meal, down at, uh, St. Vincent de Paul.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: He'll call and say, "Hey, we got a bunch of-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … bananas down here. Come down and get 'em. Feed your guys."

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Tom Throssel: And so it's pretty, pretty common for us to share food back and forth

Tom Throssel: and-

Scott Hammond: Would the food bank be part of your world at all?

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Be-

Tom Throssel: So that, that's pretty normal for us to work together.

Scott Hammond: Certainly EPD and Captain Stevens and-

Tom Throssel: Yep

Scott Hammond: … yeah. That's great.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: I, I think if we work together, even with people we disagree with-

Scott Hammond: I love it

Tom Throssel: … I think that's really the key to Humboldt County moving forward.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: Like getting the help that we need.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Tom Throssel: I mean, I, I don't know if people see the homeless people walking on the streets and

Tom Throssel: sleeping in-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Tom Throssel: … doorways and all that. I see it.

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah.

Tom Throssel: I, I think the only way we're gonna do it is working together.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Be-

Tom Throssel: And if this group and that group and these groups all are doing this-

Scott Hammond: Betty

Tom Throssel: … different things and-

Scott Hammond: Betty Chin

Tom Throssel: … ignoring each other-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Tom Throssel: … it, it'll never happen.

Scott Hammond: Right. Right.

Tom Throssel: The, the problem will continue.

Scott Hammond: I like it.

Tom Throssel: But we gotta work together.

Scott Hammond: Let's think about how we can do that.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I like it. Hey, thanks for coming.

Tom Throssel: Yeah, absolutely.

Scott Hammond: Appreciate it, Tom, and, uh, I wish you y- all the best. Hey, how about some shameless plugs? Some more, just, uh, websiteAddress? How, how do, if I wanted to, you know, hit Teen Challenge with 100 bucks today, what

Scott Hammond: would I-

Tom Throssel: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … how would I do that?

Tom Throssel: The easiest way is go to redwoodteenchallenge.com.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Tom Throssel: Redwoodtc.com.

Scott Hammond: Redwoodtc.com, okay.

Tom Throssel: Yep. Um, you can give through PayPal right there on our website.

Scott Hammond: Make it easy for me.

Tom Throssel: Super easy.

Scott Hammond: Donate directly.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: And how about if we wanna get involved, come on Wednesday night?

Tom Throssel: Yep, absolutely. Come Wednesday night.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: Eureka First Baptist Church.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: On Del Norte Street in Eureka.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, I'll never meet nicer students, man.

Scott Hammond: I just-

Tom Throssel: Come down and meet us

Scott Hammond: … I'm so impressed.

Tom Throssel: So we- we're actually doing our annual graduation. Students come in every day all year long.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: And when they finish their year, we have a special ceremony. You got to see Jeffrey Crohn's-

Scott Hammond: Yep

Tom Throssel: … graduation there at the church.

Scott Hammond: Yep.

Tom Throssel: So when their 12 months is up, we bring them up on stage and just pray a blessing over them. We want-

Scott Hammond: That's awesome

Tom Throssel: … people to leave with a blessing.

Scott Hammond: That's awesome.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So they're staggered, so it's depending on my start date.

Tom Throssel: Absolutely. And so we tell people, "Don't leave till you have the blessing."

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Tom Throssel: And so I want people to leave-

Scott Hammond: Power-

Tom Throssel: … with a blessing instead of jumping out the back window and hike- hiking, you know, running down the street.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Tom Throssel: That happens sometimes.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Tom Throssel: But we want you to leave with a blessing.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Tom Throssel: And so when people finish the year, we call them up on stage, we pray over them-

Scott Hammond: Yep

Tom Throssel: … and we bless them. And then once a year, we do a, like a corporate graduation for everybody who's finished in the past 12 months.

Scott Hammond: Who's still around or-

Tom Throssel: Still around. And that's coming up March 9th.

Scott Hammond: March 9th.

Tom Throssel: So that's next month.

Scott Hammond: Okay. Is that on a Wednesday night?

Tom Throssel: No.

Scott Hammond: It-

Tom Throssel: It's a Saturday morning.

Scott Hammond: Saturday morning service.

Tom Throssel: At 11:00.

Scott Hammond: March 9th.

Tom Throssel: Ma- March 9th at the men's house, which is the Bayview Motel up there on Fairfield Street.

Scott Hammond: Gotcha. Okay.

Tom Throssel: And so if you ever want a tour of the place and see-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Tom Throssel: … what the new kitchen looks like and-

Scott Hammond: Okay

Tom Throssel: … just kinda get an idea of what day-to-day life for a student looks like.

Scott Hammond: Give you a call.

Tom Throssel: Yeah, absolutely. Or come by the men's center. Just swing by.

Scott Hammond: Redwoodtc.com.

Tom Throssel: Yep.

Scott Hammond: And so you, we could donate there, we can get locations, emails-

Tom Throssel: Yep

Scott Hammond: … phone numbers, the whole nine.

Tom Throssel: Yeah. We have people donate cars all the time too, so.

Scott Hammond: Nice. Do you know any mechanics?

Tom Throssel: Not really.

Scott Hammond: Not

Tom Throssel: The problem is I, I'm getting so busy, I don't really have a whole lot of time for the cars anymore.

Scott Hammond: Right, you're being CEO, I get it, yeah.

Tom Throssel: So.

Scott Hammond: You gotta train somebody up.

Tom Throssel: Right.

Scott Hammond: Couple, couple somebodies, yeah.

Tom Throssel: We do. We do have a, a pretty good mechanic right now who works on our cars.

Scott Hammond: How many rigs are there?

Tom Throssel: About 20.

Scott Hammond: Wow, that's still full time.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: That's great.

Tom Throssel: So.

Scott Hammond: Well, thanks for coming. Bless you guys, and, uh, just let's figure out how to work together.

Tom Throssel: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: All right. Thanks for coming.

Tom Throssel: Thank you. Thanks for having me.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Tom Throssel: It's a privilege.