Jim: You've tuned in to iWork4Him, the voice of collaboration for the faith and work movement.

Martha: We are your hosts, Jim and Martha Brangenberg, and our mission is to transform the workplace of every Christian into a mission field. What could that look like in your workplace? Let's find out right now.

Jim: How does a basketball playing young man from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, end up in Meridian, Idaho? It's a God story for sure. How does this story college basketball career end up leading him into a business tree of coaching teens about sports and character, bringing value and purpose to their lives? Gotta be God.

Ro Wiggins is a head coach and he's a mentor to many. His secret talent is living out his faith in his work within the public school system and in his community. Ro Wiggins may have started out in the bayous of Louisiana, but Idaho is his home today. Ro Wiggins, welcome to iWork4Him.

Ro Wiggins: Thank you for having me, so much. I really appreciate being here.

Jim: All right, so Ro, we always, we want to hear your story and we're going to capture your story today, but we always start up with how did you become a follower of Jesus?

Ro Wiggins: You know being raised in Louisiana is something extremely important to my culture down there but more importantly my mom. She was in the choir, never missed a Wednesday, never missed a Sunday. We were physically naturally there all the time. And it was only until I went through like my own like trials and tribulations in my life to where I became an actual follower. So I was in the building, as they would say, but as far as being spirit led, that didn't happen until like my teenage years.

So that's a big testament to my mom and her always wanting us to be in the word. So that's how I became a follower through my mom putting it in front of us and then us doing the information and the work ourselves.

Jim: Single mom, right?

Ro Wiggins: Yes, sir.

Jim: And would you have a grandma in your life too?

Ro Wiggins: Very much she was definitely the go to babysitter.

Jim: A praying grandma - nothing more, no more powerful force on the universe than a praying grandma.

Ro Wiggins: That is a fact, man. I'm super thankful for her as well.

Martha: I love that you clarified, because a lot of people may have grown up in the church but never really established a relationship with Jesus. So you mentioned briefly that it happened in your teen years. So from then on, have you always been serious about your faith?

Ro Wiggins: So I would say, just being full transparent. I've always been serious about it. I'm also understanding that all journeys and paths come with their hiccups and distractions and what have you.

I feel like anything that I've ever went through always drew me back to the source, just keeping like the main thing. I've never truly tried to go through any situation in my life alone without going to God. And if I did try it for maybe a week or two, it was not going to work. I would have always had to have gone back to the source. So I would say I became a follower at a young age. My faith grew stronger and my belief in Christ grew stronger as I matured.

Jim: And that's part of your story because God took you from, it was Baton Rouge, right? I had that right? I always love to say Baton Rouge.

Ro Wiggins: It's Shreveport but it's all the same.

Jim: yeah, but it's not near as much fun to say Shreveport is this to say Baton Rouge. (laughter) But God moved you from louisiana to idaho. What's that story? Tell us that story. Cause that's fun.

Ro Wiggins: Man. So it actually started with me going to school in Wyoming at first at a junior college at 21. I graduated high school at 17, but I stayed and worked at a call center. I'll never forget it, for four years, because my mom had recently divorced my stepdad. So it was her first time being a sole income earner and she had to get back on her feet, even at an older age. And I'm a mama's boy through and through. I'm always do what I can. So I gave up my basketball dreams to go into the call center and to just get a quick job. I'm a very communicative person. So that felt like something I was good to do.

Fast forward four years, 2018 from 2014. She said, Hey, we're back on our feet. You're good to move out or pursue or whatever. And I was like I'm only 21. I'm still fit to go with basketball. Busting my butt off. And then I actually got the connection to a college by going to a Wednesday night church group where we happened to play basketball as well.

That connection got me to look to a junior college called central Wyoming college in Riverton. And the rest is history with that. And Idaho just happened to be like a neighboring place that kind of gave me city vibes and Wyoming vibes. When I stumbled upon over here, it was already a booming place. It was already a lot going on.

But I took the most random jobs ever: security guard, Walgreens worker, but I knew that I had a good knack for working with people, not really more so kids in general yet, but I knew just, I was a people person. I knew the game of basketball and I just knew how to quickly earn people's like safe space if that means like, Hey, this guy is good to be around me type of energy. So Idaho became the home.

Martha: That's awesome. So, there's so much I would love to know in more detail, but we want to get to what God has you doing today. But in the midst of all of that college. Social life, all of that, you met your wife there and you have a family, right?

Ro Wiggins: Yeah. So just full transparency, yes. As I said in my earlier years, I had a lot of figuring out to do, just living the fast life, so to speak, and not making the right decisions and having to be held accountable for those decisions. So I have six children. I love all my children. They're all well taken care of, but when I think about the journey as to how I got to this point, where I am today, it's certain things just have to happen.

And I will, first of all say, my mom raised me the best that she could to be a gentleman, to be respectful. But I will say, outside of my spiritual father, not having a dad around to guide me, to mold me, to tell me the ins and outs of life and the decisions to make, I would say I had that chip on my shoulder, I just really would have appreciate that guidance. With that being said, even from moving from Louisiana to Wyoming to Idaho, I had already had four children at the time.

So I have two daughters with my wife and four children previous of her. Meeting her, I truly believe is a complete act of God. First I had to get over the fact of I'm not deserving of a person like this. And when I say person like this, just faith driven, pure, kind. When I say baggage, I'm not calling my kids baggage, but I'm saying got her whole life ahead of her, no children, none of those things. And JC at the time, who was my going to be my girlfriend, she didn't know these things about me.

So once I started fully focusing on my program and serving these kids, that's how I met who was her aunt. At the time I was training her kids. They got a gym at their house. And three, four weeks go by and she's just my kids love you. They love you. And I don't want to pry. I just don't see a ring on your finger. And I'm just curious because I got this niece and you two would be so perfect. I'm just like, okay, I'm way past the hookup phase and all of those things, but yeah, we can go grab lunch or something.

We ended up going to get just some ice cream because it was COVID time, 2020. And God just has a funny way of doing things that he wants to do. Cause I kid you not, for the first time in my life, and I'm talking about 20 something plus years, there was a four month span where I wasn't talking to a single female, not even as a friend, not flirting, not dating, fully focused on serving these kids.

I run across this family and then that's how I got connected with JC and we started talking about faith and future and just all the things. And it was only up until I got a fifth date, that's when I felt it in my heart. I was like, I can see myself spending the rest of my life with this woman. Now, just imagine the weight that I felt because she was on the pre dating honeymoon high and I was as well, but she was not aware of what's about to come with me. Because when it come to my children, as any person, I hold them very near and dear to my heart. If you're just going to be some like rotating door person, I won't even let you know they exist. You don't deserve that information.

I was like, you know what? I feel like this is the one. And if she is, she'll be more than okay with this. She will accept me as I am. And I just remember saying the longest run on sentence ever. So I just feel like it's the perfect time for me to let you know that I got four kids I already had before I met you. It was a very crazy thing, just hooking up with people and this, that, and the other. They're well taken care of. I'm not on no child support, nothing like that. I got great relationship with the moms and no baby mama drama, nothing like that. And she was just like, breathe, show me pictures. Oh my gosh.

And when she was like, Oh my gosh, they're adorable. I was just like, Oh, I got more. That woman in that situation, because full transparency, again, I've always been the person to withhold information that would ruin my chances of showing people who I was when they met me. I like almost forced people to meet me where I'm at versus I don't want to give you no ideas for you to paint this picture of something that I'm not and don't give me a chance to show you who I am. So that ended up happening. I proposed. She said, yes, we had two kids after that.

And I will say, for anybody that's watching, any young kid that's watching, it's just a beautiful feeling to do it the right way. Now, obviously my story is completely different. But it did feel phenomenal seeing my first daughter being born with my wife and my second daughter being born with my wife. It just felt so spirit filled, like as far as on the inside of me. Very much so I was happy to be a father to all of my sons, cause I have four boys and two daughters, but doing it the right way, man, it's just, it's nothing better and that's what I'll teach my kids.

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Martha: So Ro, one of the things I love in your story is you keep alluding to like these kids that you're working with. And so we want to dig into that a little bit because God obviously has equipped you for where you're at right now, through circumstances, you probably never saw them as stepping stones, but I can already hear that in your story as we're laying it out. But you went from being a basketball player to being a coach, and then you have now Grow with Ro. How did all of that happen and get started?

Ro Wiggins: Starting off with my little brother, he wanted to play football and I started training him because we couldn't afford football training like back in 2015, 16. But long story short, he ended up becoming a valedictorian, state champion. He's currently at UT Martin right now, a civil engineer major. And looking back on it, I used to always just wonder. Was it a very good, just me being a good big brother role model, or do I have a gift of working with people?

So fast forward to my college days in Wyoming, in Riverton, Wyoming, there's an Indian reservation called the Wind River Indian Reservation. It was actually my first time encountering Native Americans, period. And just being completely honest, what I was taught about the Native American community growing up in inner city, Louisiana - pilgrims, Indians, Thanksgiving, the whole nine, the dressed up, all this stuff.

I moved there. I'm completely enlightened on another side, another story that turns out to be the actual truth. And it gravitated me to them. I see my little inner city kid self, single parent home, gang violence, drug related things going on in families. I seen that in these kids and they all had basketballs in their hands. So I just use basketball as a bridge, which I'm very much good at teaching that game, but it's also mentorship. Motivating these kids, speaking light into their lives. So I started on that Indian reservation, went to one in Montana.

Fast forward, now I'm not only working with Native Americans, but all races and ethnicities. And I've worked with probably 40 plus tribes in 32 states, just since 2017. Tens of thousands of kids, some of which I annually receive graduation invites to, when I even haven't seen them in freaking four and five years. And just to get this out there, there was a young lady had to be about three months ago, she messaged me and was just like, Hey, I don't know if you remember me, but I came to so and so camp and I'm not going to lie, I was a little knucklehead and walked out of your camp. But I just wanted you to know, at the time, I appreciated your patience. I'm working a job now. I'm getting ready to go to cosmetology school.

And I just want you to know, you helped me in more ways than you can imagine. I couldn't see it at the time, but looking back on it, I just want to thank you. And I'm just like, that's going to be better than any player getting drafted to some NBA or WNBA because it's just the marinating effect, like sometimes things gotta sit with people for it to truly like resonate over time. It's just those people were in my corner. So yeah, that's how gROw became a thing. And I'm just serving my purpose with these kids.

Martha: I love that. You know what? I just want to speak to our listeners right now, because Jim and I were just having this same discussion last night. And so I want our listeners to hear, because, all of us have had people that have walked life with us, that have impacted us, and have we ever taken the time to do what that girl did and reach out and say thank you? And to really show how important that person's role was in your life and appreciating them. Doesn't mean they have to send you a fruit basket. Just a note.

Jim: Fruitcake at Christmas is a good idea. (laughter)

Martha: Jim's up for any kind of food gift.

Jim: Fruitcake, P. O. Box 518, Marionville, Missouri, 65705.

Martha: You're terrible. (laughing)

Jim: All right, sorry.

Martha: But I think that this is an area where we all fall short. We have had people speak into our lives that have challenged us. We may not have appreciated it, like that girl, but you said it marinated with her and she saw that was a pivotal moment. So everybody, as we approach Thanksgiving and this time where we're thinking more about being thankful, let's do that. Let's make an act of reaching out to at least one person who made a difference in your life and spoke into you and that you maybe have never taken the time to really show appreciation.

It goes a long way, Ro, because you could have had three months of frustration in your work, but you get one note like that and you're like, let's go. I got this. You just gotta keep reading it. Put it up on your mirror or whatever. I just think that's so important.

Jim: I think it was a great point, Martha. Ro, it's important to, these are not, you're not dealing with Christian kids. This is not in a church environment. You're bringing your faith wherever these kids are at, right?

Ro Wiggins: I am. That is true. And I will say that one of my mentors has told me, I remember having Bible study with him and he was just like, Ro, I'm not sure if you realize it, the impact you having on these kids. Yeah, you're not throwing scriptures at them, this is your ministry, correct? That is your audience. It's you and 40, 50, sometimes 60 plus kids. That is your ministry and the words you decide to say and the lessons you decide to pour into them, it's pivotal. And this is why I pray every time before I even start a camp, anytime before I even lace my shoes up, the same way you pray for us in the intro.

Lord, Father God, please use my hands, my body, my tongue, my eyes to see, to hear these kids, to speak life into them. Use me in whatever way you will, whether it be through basketball or through the messages in between the drills. And some great moment always comes out of some camp.

Jim: How often do you get a chance - in your Grow with Ro program, we'll have your website plugged in the notes on the show, but how often do you actually get to feed truth, the truth, Jesus truth, into these kids? Cause you're having lots of interaction with them. You're doing drills and you're hearing, you're seeing patterns in these kids. And I'm sure some of these kids are coming from broken homes where they're struggling. How often do you get a chance to be real with them and share who Jesus is in you?

Ro Wiggins: So I will say intentionality is usually probably about 25 percent of the time based on the community. For example I was just in Beach, North Dakota, and it was some kids I had basketball camp with there, and I was just passing through, headed to fly out of Bismark, which there's two hour difference, but I was just passing through, stopped in to see if they were having practice or something. They actually turned out to be going to Bible study. So it depends on like the place because see, I literally spoke at the Bible study and we talked about the word of God.

Now with that being said, these programs that bring me in, whether it be for diabetes prevention or drug awareness or those things, I usually cover the scope of what those grant funds are for. And if something is within me, though, I've never withheld it. Now I will say this, because God is my witness, I don't say the words, I don't say the names from the Bibles. I don't say the scripture verses, but I do send the message. I do send the message. And I will say at times it's been a struggle for me because I would never say that I've been fake ever, but it's just okay, I'm giving them that knowledge, but what if this is just like a treat, like a tease, like what have they crave more?

What's that fine line between Hey man, don't be bringing that Jesus stuff over here. Or, you know what I'm saying? But I'm also staying true to me. If I feel a message or I feel a word, I cater it, I adapt to who's in front of me. I get the message out. As far as honoring your parents, honoring authority figures, I do my best.

Jim: So but you've got social media where your personal social media can espouse all that stuff. And so you can be real on your social media. So if they're following you, you can get all of 'em as friends.

Ro Wiggins: My personal, I do. Yeah. My personal, I do from stories and posts and all my personal I do, and a lot of these kids do. They look, thousands a day. If I post it, they're looking now. Some interact or most times it's I needed this. Dang, coach. Never thought about it that way. Dang, I really needed to see this. Thank you so much. Now, after they say that, I don't respond back and be like, and here's also a link, iWork4Him, where you can find more information about, you know what I'm saying?

 (laughter)

Jim: I'm trying to figure out why you wouldn't do that. (laughter)

Now, this interview just came to a completion. Thanks for listening to iWork4Him. (laughter)

Martha: I love what you said, though, because you're making, teasing an appetite, but in a healthy way, and you're giving them truth. And we really love at iWork4Him to feed truth into people.

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Jim: All right. So Ro, as we finish up today, you're also coaching. I think I've read a news article. Is it a private school or is it a public school, but you just got hired as what is it?

Ro Wiggins: It's a public school. It's called Middleton high school in Middleton, Idaho, about 10 minutes away from where I live out here in Meridian. Marianne Blackwell is actually the head coach. I'm not gonna lie. I consider myself like a co head, but I'm labeled an assistant, but I'm thankful that she definitely pries my brain for all and any and every information. We're a really good left hand duo, the best left hand duo. We got a lot of kids there, a lot of girls that work hard. We're in our second year. And we're expecting to have a great one.

Jim: But what about game time basketball? I found this thing that you're fifth grade girls basketball head coach for the 24, 25 season. I found that on the internet. Your name's all over the internet. You're like famous coach.

Ro Wiggins: Yeah, that's actually a Nike program with travel basketball club located here in the Valley, which is usually on ice for me during the winter months, because I'm solely focused on school basketball. So that's more spring and summer, but yes, GTS. Game time basketball is definitely a very up and coming thriving girls basketball program. Got very dedicated trainers, coaches and players over there as well. Just really good student athletes. People looking to learn.

Martha: I'm hearing you say something several times that I really see as part of what makes you so successful working with the kids. And that's that you say, I'm not going to lie, I'm transparent. I'm going to tell you this truth, whatever. Kids value that so much because they just want you to lay it out there. Actually, we all value it. I just don't think that we respect the kids enough to give them the truth all the time. And so I love seeing that in your personality. And that is probably why these kids, just one of the many reasons that they flock and they actually listen to what you have to say, because you're speaking out to them in a way that they need.

But I'm curious, is it harder to coach the kids or to handle the parents?

Ro Wiggins: Oh man. So I would definitely say ... I have to say it's harder to coach the kids, which in which there's no difficulty there as far as comparing the two. I got to choose the kids. And here's why: the parents are going to be who the parents are. I definitely can't change a parent in a sense of I'm with the kids hours on end of the day. I see them over and over. It's a personable space. I can put myself in numerous positions to gain their trust or lose their trust. Speaking of the kids versus the parents, they'll more than likely be stuck in their way of thinking and of parenting.

For example, if some parent messaged me, which it happens rarely, but it does happen. Hey, my son said that, he got in the car crying, said that you set him out of the camp. I'm so vulnerable and open with these people. Actually, I didn't set him out the camp. He was deciding to make a decision that would only benefit him and hurt the team. Said, when you decide you want to come back and be a team player, you can rejoin us. I'm opening a line of communication. Would you like to come back? He chose the choice to not communicate with me. He chose to sit over there on the side.

And I think it hits parents in a sense of your kid, if they shut down, if they do communicate, if they talk back, all these things, but I make sure that I follow it up with a positive such as, but your son has also attended my camp four to five times in the past and I've never had an issue with them, but in that same breath, this was the only time and the first time I had to hold them accountable. So he will remember my patience doing that. Now, whether he was too embarrassed or not to join back, he will know he didn't curse me out. He didn't yell. He said, I can come back when I was ready. That's how you actually say that's marinating a safe space. It didn't happen in that moment, but when I return, I bet he'll be the first one in the gym.

Martha: Yep. That's so good. You know what? Okay. I'm going to speak to listeners one more time because it's the parents that are listening right now.

So we need to establish relationship with those that are leading our kids and give them the benefit of the doubt. Because why would you do this if you weren't in it for the good of the kids, right? This is not, it's hard work doing what you're doing and being so intentional. So I just, adults, we do need to give those other teachers, leaders, coach, the benefit of the doubt, be their support and their encouragement because you can speak truth into the kids that sometimes parents don't get that opportunity to do because they're not listening as well. So there you go. There's my encouragement to all the listeners today.

I love your intentionality with every different child that you are touching right now because it sounds like there's a gamut of them and you have so many different focuses. But I'm grateful that God has you right where he has you.

Jim: All right. So as we close out today's interview, Ro, what's one thing that you've always wanted to say to a national audience who we're all trying to figure out How do I live out my faith in my work? What's one thing you'd love to say to them today?

Ro Wiggins: Real. His love is real. His power is real. It's no different than somebody pulling out some tool and not wanting to read the instructions. In this case being how to live your life and thinking you can just go about it and figure it out as you go.

The scripture is the directions and it will order the steps that you need to take. I will always unapologetically claim my faith in the public eye because there is no other person, no other being, no other entity that could put me where I'm at today based on where I was, and looking back on my life for all the times that I've had a chip on my shoulder for not having this person around or not having these resources to do that, he never left me. Never.

So I will just say, God is real. Pursue him, allow him to pursue you and trust in him completely, truly. That's what I want to say. Find him, keep him, because that's one thing I know for sure. We can lose sight of him, get distracted, go our own way. He never takes his sights off of us. And you cannot say that about any physical person on this earth. Omnipresent and always thinking of you and your best intentions. It's just, God is real, that's all I gotta say, and I'm thankful for the life that he's given me and the platform he's given me.

Martha: Awesome.

Jim: Ro Wiggins from Meridian, Ohio - Idaho, oh, Iowa, maybe Iowa.

Ro Wiggins: Gonna lose that fruitcake.

Jim: There goes my fruitcake opportunity. Ro Wiggins from Meridian, Idaho. Thanks for being on iWork4Him today. Make sure you check out Ro online, Facebook, Grow Sports Training. Check him out. You'll not regret it. Ro, thank you very much.

Ro Wiggins: Thank you for having me. Thank you all for your time.

Martha: If this episode has been helpful to you, be sure to subscribe to stay informed and share it with a friend.

Jim: You've been listening to iWork4Him with your host, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. We're Christ followers, our workplace, it's our mission field, but ultimately, iWork4Him.