BeTempered
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BeTempered
BeTempered Episode 103 - From Survival to Calling with Dennis Alejo
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A bowl of porridge does not look like a life plan, but for Dennis Alejo it was the first glimpse of something different. Sitting down with hosts Dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr, Dennis walks through a childhood in the Philippines shaped by hunger, instability, and survival. Introduced to alcohol at eight and working just to eat, long term thinking was not part of the equation. It was day to day, moment to moment.
What begins to change his life is not a single breakthrough but people. Small acts of kindness. Mentors who keep showing up. A faith that slowly moves from something he hears about to something he lives out.
Dennis shares what it was like leaving a system where poverty feels constant and stepping into the United States where structure, planning, and opportunity can actually change outcomes. He reflects on a defining moment with a retired US Marine who told him he would one day be a pastor in America, and what it took over the next decade to see that become real.
The conversation also gets practical. Dennis talks about building a digital marketing agency with purpose and connecting that work to Kingdom Legacy Ministries so business fuels real impact. Through that mission, thousands of children are fed each month, kids are given the chance to return to school, and young people are trained with digital skills that create opportunity that multiplies.
This episode is about identity, forgiveness, and the idea that the fire you walk through can become the strength you carry. It is a story about breaking cycles, finding purpose, and choosing to build something that outlives you.
Listen now at https://betempered.com
Support the show at https://patreon.com/betempered
Sponsor Message From Catrins Glass
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Patreon Community And Mission Support
SPEAKER_04I want to share something that's become a big part of the BTempered mission. Patreon. Now, if you've never used it before, Patreon is a platform where we can build community together. It's not just about supporting the podcast, it's about having a space where we can connect on a deeper level, encourage one another, and walk this journey of faith, resilience, and perseverance side by side. Here's how it works. You can join as a free member and get access to daily posts, behind-the-scenes updates, encouragement, and some things I don't always put out on other platforms. And if you feel called to support the mission financially, there are different levels where you can do that too. That support helps us keep producing the podcasts, creating gear, hosting events, and sharing stories that we believe can truly impact lives. And here's the cool part Patreon has a free app you can download right on your phone. It works just like Facebook or Instagram, but it's built specifically for our community. You'll be able to scroll through posts, watch videos, listen to content, and interact with others who are on the same journey. At the end of the day, this isn't just about content, it's about connection. It's about building something together. Not just me and men putting out episodes, but a family of people committed to growing stronger through real stories and real faith. So whether you just want to hop on as a free member or you feel called to support in a bigger way, Patreon is the door into that community. Because at the heart of Be Tempered has always been simple. Real stories, real truth, resilient faith, so that even one person out there that hears what they need to hear, and Patreon helps make that possible.
Show Intro And Opening Prayer
SPEAKER_05Welcome to the Be Tempered Podcast, where we explore the art of finding balance in a chaotic world.
SPEAKER_02Join us as we delve into insightful conversations, practical tips, and inspiring stories to help you navigate life's ups and downs with grace and resilience.
SPEAKER_05We're your host, Dan Schmidt, and Ben Spar. Let's embark on a journey to live our best lives.
SPEAKER_02This is Be Tempered. Mather, we just thank you for uh giving this platform to us uh each and every week and the guests that you bring on here, and especially weeks like this week, where we get to spend uh time with two different guests, Lord, and it's just really special every time we get a chance to do this, and we're living out our dream and our passion whenever we do this. And we just ask that you be with Dennis here as he tells a story and just shine your light through him, Lord, and just let this conversation guide whoever needs to hear it and open the eyes of the ones like us who take for granted every day the things that we have here and just enlighten us to what's going on around the world and just realize how blessed we are here and just uh shine your glory in whatever we do, Lord. It's in your name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen.
Dennis Alejo Story Setup
SPEAKER_05What's up, everybody? Welcome to the Be Tempered Podcast, episode number 103, Dan.
SPEAKER_02103. 103. Instead of 103, we went with 103 just because I feel like that sounds more official.
SPEAKER_05Sounds professional.
SPEAKER_02Sounds better. 103.
SPEAKER_05Good job, Dan. I'm glad you know it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, thank you, Sean. You got an assist.
SPEAKER_05Hey, our guest today, Dennis Alejo, is a man whose journey starts in places most of us will never fully understand. Born and raised in the Philippines, Dennis lost his mother at a young age, grew up with an absent father, and found himself as a kid bouncing from house to house with his siblings, searching for food, direction, and anything that felt like stability. Life was out of control. Trash dumps, drinking at a young age, trouble, survival mode. But then someone stepped in. A retired U.S. Marine saw something in Dennis, poured into him, spoke life into him, and planted a seed. A seed that would eventually grow into something Dennis couldn't yet see. Because years later, that same kid, lost, broken, searching, would find himself in America. Living out the vision that had been spoken over him, a full circle moment. Today, Dennis is a husband, a father, an entrepreneur, a man who has taken everything he walked through and turned it into a purpose. And now he's giving back. Giving back to the country that shaped him, giving back to the kids who are walking the same road he once did. Through Kingdom Legacy Ministries, Dennis is helping feed children, lead Bible studies, and create opportunities for kids who are just looking for hope, just like he once was. This is just this isn't just a story of redemption, it's a story of responsibility, of someone who didn't forget where he came from and chose to make a difference because of it. His story is humbling, it's challenging, and it's a reminder of just how blessed we are to live in a place where we have freedom, opportunity, and the ability to write our own story. He didn't just overcome his past, he's using it to lift others out of theirs. Dennis, welcome to the Be Tempered Podcast. Thank you so much, Don and Ben, for having me today. Thank you. You know, we uh we met here maybe it was a month ago. I lose track of time a couple weeks ago at a men's breakfast uh with the community of faith church in uh Lewisburg, and and I think we had probably an hour conversation, it felt like at the end of that. You had came up to me and and we were asking questions about the podcast, and and then we we you know got into your life story a little bit, and I thought, wow, this is very unique. It's not not a story that I have heard um and never met anyone from the Philippines. And then we met again at the office, and you shared a little more detail and uh just a really powerful story. And what I hope that our listeners get from this today is how blessed we are to live in the country that we do, the freedoms that we have, uh, from the freedom of religion to the freedom of speech to all the freedoms that we all take for granted. We were just talking about it earlier. And uh I just hope that our listeners hear that in your voice, hear that in your story about how grateful you are to be here and why. So thank you for coming up here.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, you're welcome, and thank you so much. So um I have one wife, beautiful wife, uh, Emily, and she's very supportive in everything I do because sometimes I dream so big that you can't chew on it. And so she was very supportive. And I have a son, Benjamin, and two and a half years old, and he's been amazing and growing my fatherhood because we didn't learn that from schools, right?
Losing His Mother And Going Hungry
SPEAKER_07Yeah, so I grew up in the Philippines, Central Philippines, called La Libertad. La Libertad is translated as freedom. Growing up, I never experienced freedom, is the opposite of freedom. In fact, when I was eight years old, my mom died. And when during the funeral of my mother, the my dad is alcoholic, so he was drunk that day. He introduced, he's the one who first introduced me with the alcohol, and that was the first time at eight years old that I experienced being drunk at eight. At eight. Okay, because there's no faith components in that family. Our family have two older sisters and one younger brother. So three days after the birth of my younger brother, my mom passed away, and I was eight years old. My dad left uh a year or a year before that, and uh after that event. And so all of us, my sisters and my siblings, just live in the house. Well, our house is just cardboards and bamboos and all of this house that I don't know if you can call it house here. It's probably like a chicken coop. Really? So, yeah, and so the typhoon or hurricane destroyed it, and that's forced us to leave with my grandmother. Well, my grandmother, she's struggling, like there's no food in there. She doesn't know how to feed us or to send us to education, and that leads us to what are we doing now? And so I remember the first uh couple of weeks moving to my grandmother, and then we have cousins too that live with her. The parents left um as well, and so she's struggling. Like I have four days without food, drink water, and you know, when I walk, I hear thunder in my ears. And we have a neighbor, her name is Libby, she is the first one that touched the lives of me and said, Here's the porridge. Now, porridge is what it what it is is a cup of rice with six or eight cups of water. So it's kind of soupy, but it will give you if you eat, yeah, an energy. And so she is the first one that really touched my lives, and then she's doing that in a weekly basis, and then she she would say, God bless you. And because we don't have a faith components growing up, so there's not we don't have we don't understand what how God works, right? And so we just ignore it. And later on, my sister has to go to other CD to work. And she said, Well, I'm in junior high, she's in junior high, and she said, I'm going to get to give up my school so that you can go to school. Where her salary is barely making it, but she gave it everything uh in investment in my life so that I can go to school. But in Saturday and Sunday, I will be working in a corn meal and scooping some corns and rice and put load it in a dump truck. And so with shovel, and it's hot in there. So all day long I was scooping in at 10 or 11 years old. I can carry with my thin body, I can carry a hundred pounds. I mean, that's amazing how kids can survive and in exchange for food. And later on, I have projects from school, and these projects like required money. So I would actually knock on neighbor's door and said, Hey, I need the money for my project at school. Can you give me some work? And some guys was like, Well, I don't have work. Some guys was like, Here, I have some work for you. You would take this, and I said, I will. And that was the point where I realized that I'm entrepreneur in that same way, but in a surviving mode. You know, it's just enough for yourself, say hands to mouth.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_07And so that's that's the part of I've experienced.
SPEAKER_05And so can we back up for a second?
SPEAKER_07Yeah, go ahead.
SPEAKER_05Do you do you recall being eight years old? Do you recall when your mom passed away? Like, do you remember that how you felt and uh what that was like at eight? Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_07It is. I remember asking to myself who would prepare meal for me. My dad is not always going to be here. What I'm going to do. Like, so in my mind, it's like I'll be useless, I don't know where to go. I need to grow up. That forced me to be taking responsibility. And I said, at eight years old, I say, my life now is my responsibility. And at eight years old. So I would say I would say, like, I have two years old now. I'd say I would not give everything, but I at least I can give him something to teach him how to be responsible for himself at that age, because that is necessary. And I always told my wife, and people are friends. So like I learned how to survive, but my son, I would not teach a survival mood to my son, because surviving is just that's bad, you know, really bad. And so having that it teach me how to be to adjust and to learn how to be enough. This is enough.
SPEAKER_05So paint the picture a little
Addiction And The Chicken Coop Mindset
SPEAKER_05bit. You talked about the house that you lived in, and then you briefly mentioned a typhoon. So how close were you to the water?
SPEAKER_07It's not close to the water, but it's um it's not close to the water, but hurricane and typhoon in the Philippines is a monthly basis. We have earthquake, on top of that is the flooding. And even though you're not living in the water close to the water, the flood is also going to you. It's just because of the the way the landscape form of the Philippines. It just easily gets watered. So having those in my childhood, it learn, I learned something very important.
SPEAKER_05So you're working at a young age. You you briefly mentioned you your dad introduced you to alcohol at eight. At eight. Was that the end of the alcohol or did it keep going?
SPEAKER_07It kept going. My friends, when I was in that I didn't really find a good friend. All of my friends are either using some sort of drugs or alcohol. In this case, it's heavy drinker S with B. And so we go to school during lunchtime. We'll bring in a bottle of alcohol because this is you know it's very cheap in the Philippines. We are so poor that we can buy rice, but we can buy alcohol. I mean, it tells you what type of person or society are we, and that addiction would like I'm looking at the wine bottle, even though I passed to that, like my throat would start. This is so good. But at first it was like better. I mean, it tastes nasty, but why would drink that? But then the more we hang out, because that's our common friends, drink. I drink. Uh I didn't go through smoking a lot. I smoke maybe from nine to uh thirteen.
SPEAKER_05That's four years.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, it is, and there's new rules in the Philippines. Kids can smoke, kids can drink. Kids can have if you have open paint there on a road, actually kids grab it and keep smelling it. The paint? Yeah, the paint. I was I remember we take out this paint and just like sniff it. Sniff it. And like our uh our head, it's gonna explode. It's so painful. And yet, this kid's just like getting it, and for some reason the adult doesn't really say anything.
SPEAKER_05I was just like, oh, you can do it, and because everybody, not not only as a kid, but it seems like probably the adults, everybody's just in survival mode.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, everybody is in the survival mode. So having those moments that you need to grow, there's nobody can teach you something uh special or different. Because you are imagine you are in the chickens, chicken coop. All of the chickens are there, you're not gonna act different than them. Your mindset is going to be exactly like the chicken. Although people may think, hey, you are actually an eagle put in the chicken coop. But because you're surrounded with chickens, you act like them, you behave like them, you eat like them. Right? It's until you discover who you are. I had an amazing imagination one time. It was like an eagle put in the chickens, and then the hatchet, the eagle didn't know that he was an eagle, and then he grows so fast where every chickens laughed at him and said, You're so ugly, look at your beak, it's bigger than us, longer than us, and you're the most ugliest chicken I ever have. One day he looked up and he saw exactly like his shape that size that can fly six miles up in the air, and he tried to flap his wings, and there he discovered, man, I'm not in the chicken. I'm actually an eagle. So human tend to do that with my with my uh life. I tend to have the identity in my childhood. Going to school, I barely passed grades. My wife is the opposite. She graduated at Tri-Village from elementary to college. She's always been a valedictorian. She went to Lee University in Tennessee, she's the same. So I was like, and you marry me for zero award at school, always late at school, get punishment at school. I mean, there's zero, you know, uh academic awards right there. Yeah. But then again, because I put myself as like this is it, school is just the escape for us so that we don't do uh tours or we entertain our friends as in the school. But we don't have, I don't have a capacity to like, I need to get a good grade.
SPEAKER_05So when does that change? Because there there eventually there's a little bit of a change in school, right? Yeah. So talk about that.
SPEAKER_07It
College Dreams And A System Of Poverty
SPEAKER_07is. I graduated high school.
SPEAKER_02This time And you're still in Ethiopia or you're you're still in the Philippines, right? Yeah, I'm still in the Philippines. So what what what's the difference between just as somebody that's completely oblivious to it? Like school in the Philippines, what does that look like?
SPEAKER_07So it's also like here in the US, we follow the US uh system of school. Okay, so it's about the same. It's about the same.
SPEAKER_05So you graduate in 12th grade, you're 17, 18 years old.
SPEAKER_07Okay. I graduated high school barely. Now I get diploma. Now the time is said, do I need to go to college? And then it hits me and said, Oh crap, I need a future. Probably I need to get my family soon. I I didn't have awards to show to college. And what do I do? It sparks in my brain that said, I need to go to college. Like, help me here. So my sister that is the oldest sister we have is went to uh she's still in Middle East. She's like, I'm gonna sponsor you for college. And I said, yeah, that it would be good. My first pick in college, I was like, I'm gonna, I'm going to pick a nautical school because it's a US-based salary. I was like, oh, this is so good because now I'm gonna go to seal in the oceans and I'm gonna go back here rich. Because that's what nautical in the Philippines, after six months of sailing, they have loads of money. And then they have this house is in the mountain that is beautiful. I mean it's that's every Filipino dreams. And if you have a money in the Philippines, your parents would not allow you to pick any of the degree. The parents would say I pay for your education you need to get a doctor to be a doctor or surgical person. Because the parents always said this is a lot of money. This is the way how you improve life. So the poor mentality is like you're forcing your kids no passion about his career career but you're forcing it for money because you think money can solve the problem but it's not in the Philippines we are all 90% is poor there's no class B there's no middle class like here it's either so poor and I was in that in that label or you're super rich like you own the airport you have jit planes and you own the shopping malls and you know there's no in-between so it's just hard to reach these people and that's the reason why poor is always going to be poor. That's a system.
SPEAKER_05Well and you said it so if 90% of the people in the Philippines are in that that poor status they were like you they're just in survival mode. It is so you can't you can't even think about getting ahead because all you're thinking about is surviving the day.
SPEAKER_07Yeah it is no plan. When I came here in the US it actually opened up my mind now we have to get a plan and then execute the plan there in the Philippines I do the opposite I execute all the time no plans but here and my wife helped me this and she's really amazing person that I become who I am today it's because of her teaching me said hey before you execute this make sure you have a plan it always came back a battle of I need to execute this now otherwise there's gonna not gonna be later so I'm the opposite of perfectionist perfectionist is always gonna be oh let's present this I share this presentation very nicely me no with all of the screenshots and who knows where's the organization in here but really the people around me is really helping me now back to uh Libby our neighbor she's part of the one that really impacted my life in high school I met a guy um his name is Larry and he mentored me for years he's the best translator in the Philippines so every time there's a US people would conduct a an event a conference he is the one that translated exactly to a Filipino dialect and I was looking at him and said I want to be like him so I approached him so he mentored me um for a year and then I meet a guy his name Santi and then this guy mentored me for two years and what he offered is just a different level of understanding like he's teaching me the fear of the Lord.
Mentors Faith And A Marine Prophecy
SPEAKER_07So he grow allows me to grow my relationship with the Lord this time and my brother-in-law so my sister married a pastor okay so every time I was in junior high that time every time he visited my house he would say Dennis you have to accept the Lord right now so I probably accepted the Lord seven to ten times and I have classmates that has a christian christian um christian background and they do the same and I said and then probably so many points there so what my point here is that if I'm gonna be reached out by one person it's i i'm not probably the person who I am today if it's only the one person touched my life and here comes Brian from United States he gave me everything he's a retired marine no you know no extra money and he said I'm I already paid your school books everything for your class I want you to go to Bible school and I was like no how did how did you how did that I mean how'd you meet Brian so Brian went to the Philippines every year and to do some evangelistic campaign. So he's very passionate about the Lord and that's how he led me to the Lord and invite me to the youth gathering and he said Dennis you and your friend you have to go on that church so I went there and as I walked in he said he pointed at me during the youth conference conference and I said you will be a pastor in United States that was 2004 2005 and I was like this dude is just creepy why would you say that I'm not even sold yet you know my mind is just like I'm gonna get a better degree this time you're still thinking survival money yes still drinking a little bit that time yeah but my sister I leave it with my sister right now that her husband is a pastor so I have to hide yeah right I have to do it in secret until until this guy changed my life and said I'm going to help you out here and so that was the time that I become committed to to the Lord change my life I'm like I'm not just gonna insert the Lord here somewhere I'm just gonna I will put everything in him give up everything for him because he got everything what I need and so that's and then Emily my wife 2012 she went to the Philippines to do a mission work that's how I met her and I work with so what her job is I that time in my mission is to create a massive evangelistic citywide event so I have to work with government people education our goal is really to target seven pillars of community businesses, education, science and technology, government and family but in order to do that event I need to gather leaders of the community to get together.
Meeting Emily And Moving To America
SPEAKER_07And that's how my wife also the same organization that she works here in the States and then when we meet in the Philippines I'm like she's very beautiful I need to get so I shake her hands in the office and I didn't let it go and just like dude let it go and so it was like you know love at first sight but she's not interested in me and I'm so aggressive so I have to like okay I think like like I have to think like like a bird let it go and then she'll come back I tried it but it didn't work so what I did is I added her in Facebook message her in Facebook and then I said give me your mom and dad's phone so every Saturday I have to call her mom and dad so it's a commitment to myself I'm like if I can convince this her mom and dad then it would be my friend yeah during Thanksgiving the mom and dad said Emily if you don't marry Dennis we will so in the Philippines culture you have to work with with your father-in-law future father-in-law stuff like that you have to please them you have to there's the sayings that you can't grab the apple without going to the trunk trunk are the parents and so I do it in the old ways and it did work. Okay yeah so that's the culture that is the culture and so 2014 we're like okay I need to come here so I have this bag that was you know t-shirts now in the Philippines we have two season hot and hotter so I have sleeve lace on shorts in my single bag uh she had to get me some jacket and stuff like that that was the February of 204 uh 14 and if you recall that was the 14 inches snow the first time I swam in the snow I didn't have my vocabulary yet of what is like uh skin freezer or whatever yeah frostbite frostbite frostbites I didn't have that in my vocabulary yet but I learned it in the hard way I swim to the snow so let me let me ask you a question so what did it feel like when you not only you know you meet Emily right yeah and and you fall in love and you win over the parents and and and you you've got that companionship that you that you're longing for but what's it like knowing that you're gonna be coming to America I was terrified scared Philippines back in the day that is two dollars a day if I work and I was a full-time missionary so I have to pay the rent my own food and I was like great now the plane ticket is eight hundred dollars and my visa is uh twelve hundred dollars where can I get this money i if i work that's not work because i have we only have six week uh six months to get this money so my my girlfriend Emily she was crying it's like where do I need to get this money I said no don't cry you know you live in the United States the land of milk and honey I live here I don't cry for that but my faith was so strong I said I can get this money then here's the thing uh my friends work with outsourcing so people that run ads Facebook ads Google ads do you think that you live here in the US?
Building A Marketing Agency From Nothing
SPEAKER_07No you live in the somewhere in the Philippines my friends work with a sourcing company so he got multiple skills I'm so I went to one of my events and then this lady walked in she owns a German restaurant and she said Dennis I heard that you are the marketing guy I need to have more people coming in to my paradise so it was a beautiful place it's hidden uh but all of the gardens it's in the ocean man it's such a gorgeous place but she needed marketing and I said I do yeah you heard it right no idea okay but I said I need the money she said okay tell me about the cost of it and I was thinking like okay let me think on that and just you don't have to answer that honey um just let me know and she said uh she wrote a check it was uh 36 00 pesos which is paid for my hotel and stuff like that and then she said is this gonna be enough I said oh yeah more than enough she gave it to me and she said tomorrow morning let's have a breakfast come back here and then I got a free lunching and she said I'm gonna give you another check she wrote another check like 80 000 which is enough for my blint ticket I called my wife one my girlfriend that day and said I have the blint ticket money I have the visa money she was like what what what did you do and said if I tell you you'll not believe this so it was just like amazing now the problem is how do I do this if I learn now I have two options I learn it by myself but learning is really take long and the execution I remember my friend I could hire them so they are the first hires of to my agency marketing agency they are the first hire and I present it to her after she built they built the website they build the graphic for her Facebook and then she was so happy about it and I was like I feel like whoa done and then I said wow that was a shortcut I need to do the some some more things like that yeah and then I met another guy he is an American California moved to the Philippines and he started a propane company and I said Dennis I need a marketing and I said we got you and then I do the same thing and I was like wow better than what I do work for $3 right yeah and so from there I I found a system to where like wow that was the birth of the system how to beat the nature of the system to where it limits you.
SPEAKER_05Right you go from survival mode to now it's like hey there's actually more to life than just trying to survive day by day. Yeah exactly that's great.
SPEAKER_07So you get the money come to come to America when when you land in America what's that feeling you still terrified I was terrified well it it did not because I was all of our movies are American right all of the movies are based in Hollywoods and I thought there's gonna be a city a big city so I landed in Cincinnati and I was looking around I was like man this is in the middle of somewhere it changed my perspective my my perspective and like okay now I can relax now I was worried about technology like you know those movies that that you know like you you press the button and the toilet would come to you yeah yeah far from reality but it did minimize my anxiety yeah uh that moment I land here and the people when I meet the people it's really nice to you know live we live in Cincinnati for five years and uh so that was that was good how old were you when you came to the US? 27 27 yeah and I'm now 40 years old 40 yeah so I was looking back if I can slap the young Dennis in my face I will but I would do it gently and I think one of the problem is is that the the people that wants to impact something they have this amazing vision but they never implement it to help others like they have something butterflies in their heart or in their stomach to help something but they never implement it because nobody talks to them or they never learn it from school but then when I realized like I was helped and I have thousands of dentists that is in that street I was in Cincinnati and I was working with medical air compressor and I was like we're good here I have a better life but then it hits me like what is the people the kids that is in that situation what do I do for them so I told my wife like hey can we get some maybe eight kids we'll start feed them and you know we'll go from there and it's like yeah we could do that but every salary I have every Saturday I'm like hey like I cannot grow this one I have to find some ways so my wife said well here's the thing if you can figure this thing out then I will support you and so when we move up here we uh I mean I just like so I have my clients and like I'm going to do exactly the same as in the Philippines back to marketing and she she she support me into that my clients are from Cincinnati and I hit my goal within a year.
Business Funding Kingdom Legacy Ministries
SPEAKER_07I said now I can we can do this together. And so she's in charge now of you know she loves it um paying the bills paying my guys make sure that they're happy and managing some projects and I have I'm surrounded with people that has so much to offer and I have guys part of my mission is give them jobs and so my wife and I put a since the business is there the idea of business is that the business would have a relationship uh with the nonprofit because nonprofit impacts life but see there the only thing is that we're relying on one-time donors but if you have a business that can support those nonprofits then that is a symbiotic relationship to put together so we have this big idea I'm like yeah let's do since we have a business let's do a nonprofit to do this program because you can't do without resource so every 10% or every client we have all 10% of that will go to a nonprofit as well. Now what nonprofit do is actually feeding 3500 kids a month. So my sister and her husband is now managing the volunteers we paid the volunteers as well to do all of this work on a weekly basis in the Philippines in the Philippines. And so that's how feeding it connects to Libby the one that I mentioned to you earlier our neighbor because she's the one who feed and I said if I can do that one then that's why feeding next is sending back to school okay Brian did it to me my sister gave it to me I can do this for them, but I don't have enough resources to do it. But if you have the vision, then go for it.
SPEAKER_06Yeah.
SPEAKER_07To now, we're now doing it like 100 kids every month. So every June, we send kids to school, 100 of them. And we're doing it for eight years now.
SPEAKER_05That's awesome.
SPEAKER_07And so, and now that's one part that we want to grow. We don't want to just hit one kid one time. We want them to grow. So we have now youth that actually teach, become a volunteer and teach the young kids just like them. So I want it to be replicated by this youth right now that is teaching. It's actually from that kid eight years ago. And so it's it's a model to where you can see that there's a changes right there. There's a transformation right there.
SPEAKER_05And hopefully get that 90% down, you know, every year as these kids come out of that and and get that education and and see that hope that's provided, you know, through um through your nonprofit and just just people having kind hearts to make that 85%, 80%. And then then you could eventually help to change the culture, yeah. Exactly.
Full Circle Pastoring And Choosing Forgiveness
SPEAKER_05So I want to back up one second because there was a full circle moment for you with uh the Marine. He had told you what he told you at that conference. Yeah. Did that happen when you got to the States?
SPEAKER_07Yes. So 2015, I was signing a become a senior pastor in the west side of Cincinnati. And as a way, as I was signing the paper, I called him and I said, Do you remember when you mentioned this? And he said, Yeah, it's still alive in my mind. I said, I'm actually now signing to be a pastor here in the United States. Wow. No voice on the phone. I said, Hello? Are you there? Knack knack. And I hear this hazing sound. And I was like, what are you doing? I thought you're happy with me, man. You're the one who told me this. The words came to life, man. And he said, Yeah, but this is the first prophecy that fulfills out of Allah. And I said, Well, then speak more. Yeah. Right? It takes us, uh it takes me about 10 to 14 years to fulfill it. But it did, right? That's the only thing. It fulfills it. The word is so powerful, you're gonna have it. Now, it's my choice, like my teachers. I never learned from them in high school, but elementary and high school, that's why my grades are so down. Because my heart is not right with them. I always think that they hated me. Because when kids is like, who does that? Who fart the room? They will point at me and then the teacher would actually believe another punishment. So I actually have contributed the teacher's pain in my heart and didn't know about that. They're just doing as a teacher's job, right? Right, it's an intentional pain. And so many of us have that in an intentional pain that never gets sold. My dad, I hugged my dad 2008. Said, Dad, I forgive you for the pain you cause in my life that I become sour. And he said, Oh, I didn't know that. Yes. Even though we're very nice people, but we have to words and actions are the most impactful, right? And as again, as I said, hurt people that hurt people too. Because you are not healed I don't want to hold a baggage. I don't want, I have that picture in my mind. Like, if I have that trash, okay, a garbage put in my shoulder, I don't need to carry that. I have to for through forgiveness. When I forgive my teacher, when I forgive my dad, it's like a biggest thorn that pulled out from my chest. It was the peaceful moment. Now I also have a peaceful moment when I receive Jesus, but this one it's just like the forgive. You know, when they said forgive, so that you will be forgiven. I have to implement that. And now I have peace to like to forgive. In all of those, you know, you go out there, you work, there's gonna be a people that unintentionally it would hurt you personally or anything. It's either you would take it personally, then you become a sour. So the riffle effect here is a big danger. If I accepted the what my dad said, or my teacher, I would be the most sour guy. Because I'm not heals from that. So the only thing is that to forgive any unintentional, you have to be cleansed. Because if you have that, then you're carrying like a biggest trash. If somebody gives you a trash or somebody throw at you, you would pull it back and said, Hey, I got two. But if you don't have that trash, you cannot push it back. The cycle ends, the ripple effect. Now it's either you're going to affect positively or negatively, and so it's your choice. The having to know as a leader, you know, there was a word that said leader or teacher are judge strictly, because they influence people, they influence how they behave, they influence how our community uh think. So strictly, and now that I become like one of the pillars of my business, and I want to be a better husband, I want to be a better father, I want to be a person that people can rely on. It takes knowledge, and that information we are overloaded with information right now, especially with AI. Yeah, but that information cannot transform your life without action. Faith without action is dead, and so you have to apply that in my life. I have to apply.
Identity Confidence And Action Over Information
SPEAKER_07So I wrote a book. Okay, last year I was writing in my journal, and I said, if this journal would it helps me, but then the next year I'm gonna put it in the trash. I will forget anything that I wrote with it. I was so impacted by it personally, and my mind was like, what if you could publish it, make it available to public so that they would think, they would see it, they would read it. And I said, Okay. So I published it on Amazon, and one of my non-believer clients, called me and said, Dennis, today, you know what? This is my first prayer of my life. And I was like, wow, that is amazing. I did not anticipate that this book can also be used for uh non-believers, but because I write it into a very clear, it's a lot of principles that came from my experience that I apply it here. Because a lot of people they think that information is what they need, where it's actually information came to um action, and then transformation come. And transformation would not really come just by hearing it, you have to apply it in your life as well. And so that's why I book wrote this book. Part of this book is the first chapter is I talk about identity. So this book is about your identity, your confidence. I don't have a confidence when I said I'm a poor from the town, birth from the poorest town in the country. What would you say? Like, oh, there's no pride in there, right? Yeah, my identity is always connected to that, and there that's the reason why I become just like I don't want my identity to be a poor dynast that can barely pass the pride subject, no accomplishment, right? You're always going to be poor. Then I realized and I thought having a success can change my life, it can change my confidence, and now you're dealing with chapter two of fake confidence because now the society are looking successful, we're putting a mask of tenure success or just accomplishment, and we're just like tying again our title. I remember this in Cincinnati. I wasn't in the pulpit that day, and I just realized now think about this. I'm I'm a Christian that time, okay? But I was like so sad because I cannot perform my duty, I can't be preaching today. I was so sad. Why? Now the title I associated my identity with title, right? But then the title, I just when I read the book of life, and I hear and I said your identity is never been your title. Title can be taken off from you. Who are you without it? Right? So you think, you ask, who am I without these titles and accomplishments and all of these badges? And so I just I taught that okay, well, I am the son of God. I inherited the kingdom of him, of his uh glory. So if you have that transform mind to where like yeah, I'm really a son, so I can I can be a good leader. I'm now separating myself from the success, the failures, the identity that I have before. Oh, you're a drunkard, yeah, right? Although I'm still, I'm still, you know, I want to be here with, you know, my liver is already damaged, okay? But you know, there's uh there's nothing to blame on that situation, so much I didn't realize that having a failed labor can go to multiple O2 immune autoimmune
Health Scares And The Tempered Glass Metaphor
SPEAKER_07disease. 2019, I have a hyperthyroidism. The doctor said, I need to get a surgery to take it out because you're losing weight. Like in 30 days, I lost 30 pounds. And I said, No, I I don't want to give me an alternative. I said, Well, we have this alternative to slow down your weight, losing weight, but then you have to take it out. And so I was looking, I said, okay, give me a year to do this or nine months before I agree. And then you have to say, what would be the what would be a chance if I take out my thyroid SM. Well, there was there was like 10% that I will not be able my to use my voice, and it scared the heck out of me. And I said, No. So, but then when the test comes with after the taking the medication, I take it off, and then another six months to test my hypo hyperthyroidism back to normal. So there was there was a healing there. Now I'm looking for the healing for you know rejuvenation of liver or something like that. So we have to be again be tempered. Tempered. All of the fire. What you shared today about the glass, uniqueness, characteristics of tempered glass, it almost like a very new information for me driving here and said, I need to ask Dan what's the difference between normal glass and the tempered glass. And you answered it. And so for listener today, you might be you know discouraged about man, I have this and I have that. Turned it around and said, I am becoming a tempered glass.
SPEAKER_05There you go.
SPEAKER_07You said four times four times stronger, stronger. Wow, you you got it.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, and to get that strength that has to go through a fire.
SPEAKER_07Yeah.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_07So that's that's amazing.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, pretty cool. What question do you have, man?
SPEAKER_02Um trying to process. So, man, is there so talk about your ministry a little bit actually about still going back there because you're still going back there and it that's part of feeding them,
Mission Trips Youth Training And Real Change
SPEAKER_02correct?
SPEAKER_07Yeah. So my sister and my brother-in-law are doing the day-to-day uh operation. But twice a year, we my wife and I, and we'll bring different people. If they want to experience Philippines for a week or two, they can set it up. Um, next month I'm going to the Philippines with other guys. Uh one of my board is coming with me to visit there. And so we're just giving it to people like, hey, if you want to maybe a short-term trip, uh contact me and we'll go there. So every year we schedule that so that people would like kind of like a mission trip almost. Like a mission trip. Yeah. Yeah. But we're focusing on the kids that is around at what we feed. Uh, and it's going to be uh it's good to see that they will see the situation there, and then they will come home and then kiss the land of the United States.
SPEAKER_02Be grateful.
SPEAKER_07Be grateful.
SPEAKER_02How is it now right over there? Like how is the Philippines right now? Has it changed, like culturally? Has it changed at all? Have you seen movement over there?
SPEAKER_07Yeah, it changes for sure. A lot of now older generation in the Philippines don't go to church. But I've seen younger generation like high school that start going to church. So there is a movement to where it almost like an opposite result in the United States. Older generation go to church, younger generation don't want to have to deal with the church of my grandpa. Because I don't understand why they do this, they do that. And it's just like a disconnect between their generation and the way how it looks. But in the Philippines, it's the opposite because younger generation can find purpose in a meeting. And they can grow their leadership, it can grow. Uh so last year, my our business sponsored a digital training for these kids that is really want to do Exil in technology. So we sponsor, and two of my developers are the ones who teach them how to do landing pages, hosting sites, how to create your Facebook ads. And then at the end of the day, at the end of three months training, they'll have a certification. Now, this certification is actually uh accredited to government approved. So they can bring that diploma from high school, and on top of that is the digital marketing um diploma or a certificate. And two of the guys are actually now working from another company, and so you can see that if this kids, if you provide opportunity, they're gonna do that. Like the guy, like Brian, came to the Philippines, give me an opportunity, it teach me, and so if there if you provide those opportunities, then people going to exil on that. And it's life-changing. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05What would you say was the most difficult or eye-opening thing you experienced when you came to the US?
Culture Shock Food Waste Driving
SPEAKER_05Like, what was one of the things that was like, this is this is tough?
SPEAKER_07Yes, so coming here, we didn't throw food in the Philippines, right? We eat trash. So my wife dropped a load of food to the trash because it's it's rotten. Like you can eat the ham that is expired. That was the first fight we have. I said, I need to wash that, cook it, wash it. And that was the tough challenge because I didn't understand, like, oh yeah, it is. I'm not not I'm not living in the Philippines now. I'm living in the US. And so food that is not good to eat that would hurt your stomach, then don't do it. I was I I tried it one time, didn't work. Even the water that I used to drink in the Philippines, uh not good, not good anymore in my system. So it's somehow it changed.
SPEAKER_06Yeah.
SPEAKER_07And so that was the most challenging. And my I don't drive in the Philippines. So my wife is the one who teaches me how to drive. That was the first test of our marriage.
SPEAKER_06I'm sure.
SPEAKER_07And until now, she's still teaching me how to drive. Is that with you too? Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_05That's good. So, on the flip side of that, what was the most amazing thing you get into America? What's like, wow, this is amazing. What was that?
SPEAKER_07Opportunity, man. It is uh lot wide. You can open your mind, and it's not copped like in the Philippines, where the system tried to just press you down. Here, it's a matter of planning, it's a matter of execution and hard work.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, that's great.
Gratitude For The Ones Who Helped
SPEAKER_05Last question. If you could sit on a park bench and have a conversation with someone living or deceased, who would it be and why?
SPEAKER_07Yes, I would I would say to Libby, I don't know if I don't have an update if she's still alive right now. But if I could say, I would say thank you so much for your investment for your food. It looks like small in the beginning, but you're actually creating the first ripple effect in my life positively. So I would say that one. And to you too, you are bringing this platform for people to share what they've experienced and contribute to the audience to have tools that being able to use a situation that is hard, day to day that. Is it's almost like there's no tomorrow and so thank you for creating this space, uh secure, safe space to be able to share to people and for a message from my mentors from Banjo, Lari, Santi, their carry, I would say thank you so much for investing your time and your knowledge in me. Mentoring it's not going it's not hard. I mean it is hard, but then the fruit, the fulfillment of what what I become without you guys, I probably not the person who I am today. And to my wife, I would say thank you so much for the support and love and she poured out in our marriage that I become a good father and a good husband. And to my son, two years and a half, I love you so much. So, and thank you guys for you know creating this space and more people to be touched, be tempered on the story.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, yeah. Well, thank you for being up here. And you know, I think it it goes back to what we hear a lot in in all these these testimonies and these stories is that at some point in time in an individual's life, there's someone who does something that may not seem like a whole lot. And in your instance, it was live, right? Yeah, provided some porridge, a cup of rice, and what, three cups of water? Yeah, that provided food that you didn't have. And from that small act, here you are, 40 some years old in the United States of America, doing similar things uh to the people in the Philippines, helping them. And that small act, look at what it's done and look at how many that that you're helping in return. And then hopefully that seed that you're planting with those kids does the same thing with through through the school, through the food that you're providing, through all those things to try to break those generational curses, you know, that are that are in the Philippines. So um I just think it's a testament to anyone out there who's ever done anything what they feel is big or small, yeah, that it can have an impact. You just never know how how it's gonna impact somebody. So thank you for sharing your your story. It's an amazing story. And I I truly hope, like we said in the beginning, I hope that what our listeners gain here is that uh we need to be grateful for all that we have, right? Because we have an abundance, you know, from someone who had nothing, not even a place to live, food to eat. You're here, you're grateful. You're not just in survival mode, right? You're in you're in servant mode, yes, which is awesome.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, we try to flip the coin to from survival to thriving. Surviving, thriving.
SPEAKER_06Yeah.
SPEAKER_05So I
How To Donate And Get The Book
SPEAKER_05want to do this. So for those out there who maybe want to to donate or learn more about your your nonprofit, give give that information so they can look you up. We'll link it to all of our stuff when this episode goes out. But give them any of that information uh about your book as well. Um tell tell our listeners about that stuff.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, uh, for those of you that is want to learn more, visit kingdomlegacymanistries.org, or you can just type Kingdom Legacy Ministries and uh we are there. For people that want to see the concept of this book, it's uh it's not 400 pages, so you can read it you know in two days or one time. It's easy to digest. Uh, you can type uh your identity, your confidence in Amazon, and that would be available for you.
SPEAKER_05Awesome. Any question I should have asked you that I didn't?
SPEAKER_07No, I think it's it's covered the whole the entire thing. I I did not expect that we even go farther from that. So it's it's really amazing. And thank you guys for providing this platform for people. And I think the birth I was just asking, I was just looking at some of your episodes that is uh very impactful. And for the audience that wants to serve, you know, I think that this is the time for them to say, okay, I need to do something.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_07For me, again, as I mentioned earlier, I'm 40 years old. If I'm allowed to leave 70, that means I only have 30 years to leave. And it's either I'm going to be sucked in with the work or enjoy my time with an impact. Just at the end of the day, the only question that I think what did I do? What do you do with the gift things, the talents I gave you? So I think we have to answer that. And again, our heart our heart is we are created to serve others.
SPEAKER_06Yeah.
SPEAKER_07And so people might be because of this podcast, might even actually start something ministries, non-profit being birth.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, never know.
SPEAKER_07Be tempered being nationwide. Oh well, it is right now with different audience. But again, it might be bringing to the next level to where people or audience like I wanna serve, I want to contribute something.
SPEAKER_06Yeah.
SPEAKER_07So here's the here's the platform for you. Yeah.
Final Charge To Serve
SPEAKER_05No, thank you. And that that's ultimately what we want. We want those out there who are, you know, feel that tug to want to help in some way, but they don't know what. You know, we've got a hundred and what is this 103?
SPEAKER_06Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_05103 episodes of all kinds of different walks of life, of people, of stories, of testimonies, where um almost every single one of them is giving back in some way. And so, you know, that would be ultimately our goal is to have that listener out there who hears your story and says, you know what, I want to get involved, whether it's through Kingdom Legacy Ministries or whether it's through their local church or doing something in their community or a food pantry or whatever. Um, there are a lot of organ good organizations out there who are trying to make an impact or trying to make our community better. And that's that's ultimately why we're doing what we're doing, and and is to hit that one person to uh, you know, to start that movement because you never know where little Dennis is out there eating his cup of porridge and and now look at him here in America trying to to do even more, you know, to help those kids back in the Philippines. So it's pretty awesome. Anything you got to add?
SPEAKER_02I appreciate you. Thank you. Appreciate you coming on here and sharing your story, you know, especially technology these days. I mean, there could be somebody in the Philippines that hears this story that's struggling with the same exact thing, and you gave them a roadmap, gave them hope. And at the end of the day, it's about reaching the one that we can help.
SPEAKER_05So exactly. All right, everybody, support Dennis. Uh, continue to like and share and do all those things that you're doing. We appreciate your ears and go out and be tempered.
SPEAKER_00Hi,
Closing Sponsor And Patreon Reminder
SPEAKER_00my name is Allie Schmidt. This is my dad Dan. He owns Catrin's Glass.
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SPEAKER_00Patrons Glass, a clear choice.
SPEAKER_04I want to share something that's become a big part of the Be Tempered mission: Patreon. Now, if you've never used it before, Patreon is a platform where we can build community together. It's not just about supporting the podcast, it's about having a space where we can connect on a deeper level, encourage one another, and walk this journey of faith, resilience, and perseverance side by side. Here's how it works. You can join as a free member and get access to daily posts, behind-the-scenes updates, encouragement, and some things I don't always put out on other platforms. And if you feel called to support the mission financially, there are different levels where you can do that too. That support helps us keep producing the podcasts, creating gear, hosting events, and sharing stories that we believe can truly impact lives. And here's the cool part. Patreon has a free app you can download right on your phone. It works just like Facebook or Instagram, but it's built specifically for our community. You'll be able to scroll through posts, watch videos, listen to content, and interact with others who are on the same journey. At the end of the day, this isn't just about content, it's about connection. It's about building something together. Not just me and Ben putting out episodes, but a family of people committed to growing stronger through real stories and real faith. So whether you just want to hop on as a free member or you feel called to support in a bigger way, Patreon is the door into that community. Because at the heart of Be Tempered has always been simple real stories, raw truth, resilient faith, so that even one person out there that hears what they need to hear, and Patreon helps make that possible.
