WORLD TRAVELER - SCOTT SMITH

"I want to leave this world better than whenever I got here. Right? And the only way to do that is by staying positive, and supporting kids and communities." - Scott Smith, missionary, Missions For Hope, World Traveler

WATCH THIS SPECIAL CLIP FROM THE EPISODE

ABOUT SCOTT SMITH:

Welcome Scott Smith to the 165th episode of the podcast. Scott is a world traveler and missionary that has helped underprivileged kids and communities around the world, traveling to six different countries in 2019. In fact, Scott and a team of over 20 people climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for new schools and sports complexes for communities in Kenya. You can join in to help the cause at www.kili2020.com. He also took some of the World's Strongest Coffee to the top of the mountain as well. Hear Scott's inspiring story and learn how you can become a part of it.

TRANSCRIPT:

Jeff:
I kind of want to start off with how we got connected and then work our way back into that, because you have such an interesting story. And I really want to dig into it. But we got connected because you recently, just, god, a couple weeks ago, climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Scott:
Yeah.

Jeff:
Was this the first time you did this?

Scott:
It was the first time that I've ever done any kind of mountain climbing to that extent. I've done some pretty high altitude hiking. But I live in Maryland. So, the highest point in Maryland is like four or five thousand feet. Right?

Jeff:
Right.

Scott:
So, I'm feet above sea level. This was 19000 plus feet. So, yeah.

Jeff:
Wow, wow. And the reason why that caught my eye, not only because you did something incredible like that, but you also touched all of our hearts here. And you brought Death Wish Coffee up to the summit with you, too. You brought our brand new instant coffee with you. Did it help? Did it help the climb?

Scott:
Yeah. Yeah, I would say it totally helped. So, as you can imagine, there's limited strong coffee. Even in Kenya, there's great coffee. But in Tanzania, coffee's not something that they really think of. So, it was crazy, because I had just reached out to some friends of mine. And I was like, "Look, I've got to get some coffee for Kilimanjaro." I'm going to start like a shop on top of the mountain.

Scott:
So, they were like, "Yeah, go do it." And then, literally, like a day later, I got an email saying, "Hey, we came out with Death Wish Instant." So, I literally got like six boxes of this, took it all with me, and throughout the whole trip... So, it takes like four days to get up to the top.

Jeff:
Yeah.

Scott:
And for the four days, we were all hitting the Death Wish. In Tanzania, they still do have a lot of tea time and stuff. Like European [inaudible 00:02:02], right?

Jeff:
Yeah.

Scott:
So, we were downing the Death Wish Instant. And I am so glad. Seriously, I am so glad you guys came out with this stuff. Because you can't take a K-Cup, you can't take grounds. And I was freaking out, I was like, "What am I going to do for like three weeks if I can't have Death Wish?"

Scott:
So, it was like heaven sent that you guys came out with the instant. So, it was awesome.

Jeff:
That's awesome. Because, honestly, we developed this product when we originally sent it up to the Space Station, and then we really wanted to release it. Because there is such a need for it, for people like you, who are doing things like this. I mean, instant coffee is a big thing in the West as well. You know, like Asian culture, instant coffee is a big thing. And we wanted to break into those markets as well.

Jeff:
But there's so many people who are doing incredible things, like climbing a fricking mountain. You know? And you're definitely not bringing your French press, and your kettle, and all that other crap. Right?

Scott:
No, no. Exactly. There's no pour overs when you're on top of Killamanjaro. In fact, look, I want to show you, this is exactly how we did it. Because, also, water. I mean, to us, we can just turn on the fountain and we have water.

Jeff:
Right, right.

Scott:
So, clean water over there is like an issue. And then, also, you only can carry so much water in your pack. Right?

Jeff:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Scott:
So, you have a limited amount of water. So, we couldn't have full blown, make like 10, 12 cups. So, this is literally what we'd do. We'd have like a half a thing of water, like this, and we would just take the instant. And this was like our daily. Right? We just took the instant, put it in like that, put the top back on, shake it up, and that's how we made it.

Jeff:
I love it. I love it, I love it.

Scott:
And we would just down it.

Jeff:
That's great. I'm so glad that we were able to caffeinate you on such a journey. And I want to kind of start there, before we really unpack everything. Because to me, I play video games where I take people up to a top of the mountain and I'm winded. And you did this for real. You said it was the first time you've ever done anything like this. Did you prepare for it before going?

Scott:
Yeah. So, honestly, we start training like a year out. And by training, you can do like StairMaster, and you can walk on Treadmills, and that kind of stuff. But the piece of equipment that doesn't exist, because there's not really any good equipment to teach you how to walk down a mountain.

Scott:
So, I got into the gym, and I was like, "Hey, gym guy, can I use the StairMasters and just walk on it backwards?" And they were like, "No." And I was like, "Well, how do I simulate walking down?" And they were like, "I don't know. Go to a high building. Ride up the elevator. And then walk down the steps." And I'm like, "Okay."

Scott:
So, there's not... Here's the thing. You get to the top, right? You're only halfway done.

Jeff:
Yeah. You've got to get back.

Scott:
You've got to come down.

Jeff:
Oh my gosh.

Scott:
So, then there's no equipment that kind of like, does that. So, yeah, you train for a year out. But, quite honestly, the physical part, yeah, it's difficult. But the mental part of it is kind of really what you've got to... You can't just be strong physically. I mean, you've got to be strong mentally. Because on the summit day, after you've been hiking for like four days.

Jeff:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Scott:
On the summit day, you'd get up. They'd get you up at 11:30 at night to start hiking.

Jeff:
Oh my gosh.

Scott:
Yeah. So, you're hiking from 11:30 at night, until however long it takes you.

Jeff:
To make it, yeah.

Scott:
And there's a couple reasons why they do that. One, is because if you were to be able to see what you were doing, I don't think you'd do it.

Jeff:
Oh, wow. Wow.

Scott:
Yeah. Because you look up, and the people who are in front of you, they've got headlamps on. You look up and it's like, "Oh, those are people. Like, you know, up there."

Jeff:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Scott:
It kind of trips you out. So, mentally, your mental game has got to be just as strong as your physical game. And you've got to have grit. You know? You've just got to be able to like... You know, you're sleeping like crap, you're eating like crap. You know what I mean? And you have to be determined that, "Yeah, I'm going to make it."

Scott:
But you also can't be stupid about it. Because it is a life threatening thing.

Jeff:
Yeah.

Scott:
I mean, there are people who never summit. And they end up having major complications on the way down.

Jeff:
Wow, wow.

Scott:
Yeah. It's a thing.

Jeff:
And while looking at some of the pictures of your experience, one of the things just for someone like me, like I've said, I've never done anything like this either. I know that people climb this mountain. But really, you only see the most Instagramable moment, which is people on the summit being like, "Yay, we're here." Kind of thing.

Jeff:
I never knew the beginning of your trek, like the first couple days, you're really going through forests, and jungles, and stuff like that. Right?

Scott:
Yeah. Yeah, you go actually through like four different climates. You start off, and you're already at like rainforest climates. Right?

Jeff:
Right.

Scott:
So, we're hanging out with monkeys. Like, literally monkeys.

Jeff:
So cool.

Scott:
Running around, stealing your food. Right? In one of the huts, the guy was like, "No, man. You can't sleep outside because the monkeys will steal all your stuff."

Jeff:
Oh my god.

Scott:
I'm like, "Dude." How many times are you going to hear that sentence, right?

Jeff:
Right.

Scott:
So, I mean, yeah. Then you go through this moorland vegetation area, where everything's like lots of crazy plants. It looked like something like Dr. Seuss world. Because the plants aren't around here.

Jeff:
Right.

Scott:
Because of the way they've adapted. And how they change their environment is different. So, then you go to this desert after that. And it looks like, seriously, like something from Star Wars, where there's no vegetation. It's all ash, and rock, and they call it an alpine desert.

Jeff:
Wow.

Scott:
And then after the alpine desert, then you're in like straight rock climbing mode.

Jeff:
Wow, wow. And the other thing that surprised me, it seemed like, pretty much like, periodically you'd hit different base camps, right?

Scott:
Yeah.

Jeff:
That were setup on the trail and everything. And that's at least a respite from the trek that you're on, right?

Scott:
Yeah. So, our trek, we actually did have huts. There are some treks that you don't even have huts, that you're just sleeping in tents.

Jeff:
Wow, wow.

Scott:
Yeah. So, ours, we did have some bathrooms.

Jeff:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Scott:
And by that I mean we had running water. But, yeah, there weren't any showers for days.

Jeff:
Right. Yeah. Oh, yeah.

Scott:
So, it is what it is.

Jeff:
It is what it is. You're doing it, though, you're doing it.

Scott:
Yeah.

Jeff:
Is it a shock? You were talking about the mental, not only the physical. And, again, looking at the photos that you shared. Is it a huge shock when you're going from forest, and even into the ashy desert area and rocky area? To, now, you're in snow. Is it a huge shock, or is that a gradual kind of change?

Scott:
Yeah. So, just to put the icing on the cake, there's not always snow at the top of Killamanjaro. In fact, this time of the year, it's supposed to be a very mild time. Our guides that were with us, that they'd said they'd done this like 500 times, that this was one of the top five worst conditions that they have ever been in.

Jeff:
Oh my god.

Scott:
So, when we got to the top, we were in 40, 50 mile an hour sustained winds. It was whiteout conditions. Literally, you couldn't see 20 yards in front of you. So, you didn't really know how much further you had to go. You just put your head down and kept going, because you hadn't finished.

Jeff:
Wow.

Scott:
Yeah, it was pretty intense. So, there's not always snow. But, I mean, there's a lot of times there is snow there. But it's not always those same kind of conditions that we had.

Jeff:
Wow. And what's the elevation of the summit?

Scott:
19,300-and-some-change feet.

Jeff:
Wow.

Scott:
Yeah, yeah.

Jeff:
That's incredible. So, you make it up there. How long are you staying at the top before it's like, "All right. Pack it up. Let's go." How long is that?

Scott:
Great question. So, some of us were there longer. And then some of us are there for a real short time. So, here's the thing. It's such a weird experience. Because your lungs are working while you're up there. But you're breathing in, and there's no oxygen. Right?

Jeff:
Oh my gosh.

Scott:
So, your body is getting exhausted just sitting still, breathing. So, you can't stay up there for so long. There's just things, complications. So, the best way to explain it is like you get up there, and everything's fuzzy in your brain. It's almost like a lightheaded kind of feeling. Right?

Jeff:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Scott:
So, I would look at you, and I'd be like, "Oh, there's Jeff." But then there's nothing behind that thought.

Jeff:
Oh my god.

Scott:
You know what I mean? It's just like, very... Because your brain doesn't have enough oxygen to keep everything going.

Jeff:
Right.

Scott:
So, my friend, Chris, he started having complications up there. He forgot who he was, and why he was there, and where he was.

Jeff:
Oh my gosh.

Scott:
So, they had to rush him down. I mean, a couple other, like the dude who took those photos that I sent you.

Jeff:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Scott:
The photographer, Gary. He fell out, straight up dropped. They had to carry him to the finish line. And then he came to. And then he was like, "Oh, okay." But your body just like reacts. And every person there acts differently. Some people start puking the whole time.

Jeff:
Wow.

Scott:
From elevation sickness. And if they can't get it under control, they've got to go. So, yeah. A couple people from our... The 30 people that went, a couple people didn't finish the summit. Because the guide said, "No, it's too crazy. You've got to go back. We don't have enough people."

Scott:
Because when somebody drops, the guide has to go with them down.

Jeff:
Right. Now you have less guides.

Scott:
Now you have less guides.

Jeff:
Yeah.

Scott:
Right. So, you start losing too many people, and it gets like, you know. I couldn't imagine trying to be those guides. Because trying to be up there and thinking, and processing. And these guys literally are the people that keep you alive.

Jeff:
Yeah.

Scott:
I mean, I was so exhausted. My guide's name was Tomtom. And I was so exhausted just from being up from sleeping 20 minutes the night before, from not eating dinner. Because you don't have any appetite because you're so high up in elevation. I ate like three pieces of toast for dinner. In hindsight, terrible. Shouldn't have done that. I should have ate all the pasta food that they said to do it. I just wasn't feeling it. So, I was like, "All right. You know, screw it. I'll just eat toast and just be done."

Scott:
But I was just so exhausted. And I kept telling Tomtom, I was like, "Dude, I just need like a five minute break." I was like, "Come on. Let me just sit down for five minutes and take a break." And he kept saying, "You can't sleep here, brother." He's like, "It's dangerous. You can't sleep here. If I let you break, you're going to fall asleep. You've got to keep going."

Scott:
So, if he hadn't had been on his game, and if he said, "Okay, take a nap."

Jeff:
You could be dead.

Scott:
Yeah, you don't wake up.

Jeff:
Wow. Wow. Would you say it was harder then, going down the mountain, than it was going up?

Scott:
Yeah.

Jeff:
Yeah.

Scott:
Yeah, going down is like twice as fast. But going up is like, yeah. And it's not... Even the first four days, it's long, and it's tiring. But you're so pumped with adrenaline.

Jeff:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Scott:
You're just like, "Yeah." You know? Until the summit night, everything is cool, it's not that difficult. But then at summit night, you really kind of question, "Why am I doing this? This is definitely the most intense thing I've ever done." You know?

Jeff:
Wow.

Scott:
So, it definitely teaches you how to live. That's for sure.

Jeff:
That's incredible. And, normally, the normal answer, you talk to any mountain climber you know, and you ask them, "Why did you do this?" And I love that the romantic answer is, "Well, because it was there. And I have to go climb it." And all that stuff. And I'm sure you had a little bit of that, as well. But the other amazing and inspiring part of this story is you did this for a purpose.

Scott:
Yes.

Jeff:
You went up with 30 missionaries, you said. Right?

Scott:
Yeah.

Jeff:
Part of Missions of Hope.

Scott:
Yeah.

Jeff:
And by climbing this mountain, you raised over $200,000 for the community in Kenya.

Scott:
Yup. So, the 30 of us, and let me start off by saying, it was 29 plus 1. So, what happened was... And that's how every good story starts, right? Is, "Well, what happened was..."

Jeff:
Yeah, oh yeah.

Scott:
So, we were at the beginning of Kilimanjaro, and there's 29 of us. So, 29 people from across the country met in Kenya for the first time. Right? And there was this guy, and he was from Luxembourg. And his name was Cameron. And he said his friend was supposed to come with him, but bailed out. And he was like, "I wasn't going to bail. I'm determined to do this, even if it's by myself."

Jeff:
Right.

Scott:
So we were like, "Well, dude. Just come on with us." So, the whole trip it was like, 29 plus 1. So, yeah, 30 of us missionaries went, met in Kenya for Missions of Hope International. Which is a school in Kenya that takes, through child sponsorship, they take kids out of the slums in the Mathare Valley and give them an education, and give them food, and clean clothes, and purpose, and hope, and all the wonderful things that they can give them. And then recently they have been able to get that school approved for a community college, so that they can start getting some skills, some job training, some small business loans to start businesses so that these kids can have a future.

Scott:
So, one thing we noticed was that sports has a great way of connecting all kids.

Jeff:
Oh, totally.

Scott:
So, there's a saying in the missionary community, that, "You can't do with a budget, what you can't do with a ball." Right? So, what that means is, if you have a ball and you can create a following, and you go out there, and you create sports fields, and you create games, and you just create an atmosphere where kids come to learn, grow, have fun. You can't have a budget and fake that.

Scott:
So, you can't do with a budget, what you can't do with a ball. So, we say, let's start sports programs, start sports fields, so that these kids can come and start learning, and growing, and have a safe place to play. So, that's why we did it. We did it for the kids.

Jeff:
That's so inspiring. And you raised so much money for them. And you're right, though, what a cool way... Because being a part of missionary work like this, sometimes it must be really daunting to be like, "How do I reach these communities? How can we really enact positive change into these communities?"

Scott:
Yeah.

Jeff:
But when you said that all kids relate to sports, you're totally right. Because even the youngest kids, even if you don't... Are like, "I'm going to be a basketball star, or a soccer star, or whatever." Every kid, I don't care what kid it is, every kid loves to go outside and play with a ball, have fun with other kids. I don't care who you are.

Scott:
It's universal.

Jeff:
Yeah.

Scott:
It's universal. It transcends all language barriers, all social economic classes. It's everything.

Jeff:
Yeah.

Scott:
They make up their own sports.

Jeff:
Exactly.

Scott:
And if they don't have a ball, they make one. So, it's just that community. Right?

Jeff:
Yeah.

Scott:
So, we just want to give them a safe place to play. So, we all raised funds to do that, and we hiked Mount Killamanjaro as way to do that, and to be able to bless the school. And it was just an amazing experience to be a part of.

Jeff:
That's amazing. So, like you said, you did this with Missions of Hope, which is based in Kenya. But it's part of a larger thing, which is the... I have it written down so I don't forget. The Christian Missionary Fellowship, right?

Scott:
Yes, correct.

Jeff:
Which is what you're a part of. Which is basically doing that, but just on a global scale.

Scott:
That's right.

Jeff:
How did you get involved in this? Have you always been involved in this, or is this relatively new? Or how did you get involved with this?

Scott:
Yeah. So, great question. So, how I got involved, our church did the kid sponsorship weekend. So, you come out of service and they have on this big table, they have pictures of the kids, and a little bit of information about them, and that kind of stuff.

Jeff:
Yeah.

Scott:
So, you're looking at all these faces. And me and my wife, and my son, picked one up. And we intentionally picked one out because it was the same age as our son. So, we sponsored. His name's Jim. We sponsored him. And I can't say that we're the best letter writers ever to him. But we communicate through letters, right?

Jeff:
Yup.

Scott:
Constantly. So, Christmas, once a month, where he's writing us letters and we're writing him back. And all that is kind of administered through CMF. And then they get in touch with MOHI and see the needs, and start filling the needs. And so, that's how we got involved with CMF. Plus, a lot of my friends work for CMF or are missionaries all over the world. So, CMF is kind of like the engine that sends out to the other communities.

Scott:
And then when we went to Kenya and went to the school, I actually got to meet Jim.

Jeff:
Oh, wow.

Scott:
Yeah. Which was totally crazy. Because here's a kid that I've seen pictures of him since he's been like six.

Jeff:
Yeah.

Scott:
And then I see other kids that aren't in that school. And I'm like, "Man." You don't really realize just how much $35 a month makes an impact.

Jeff:
Wow.

Scott:
That's someone's life that was changed by sponsoring the kid. So, that's how we got involved in CMF and Missions of Hope. And missionary friends of ours are always encouraging, they're like, "Yeah, you should definitely go meet your sponsor kids if you can." So, yeah. Then I kind of caught the bug. And just been to a couple other countries now doing similar things, and helping churches, and helping communities, and I don't know.

Jeff:
That's so inspiring, and incredible. And I was looking at some of your posts. One of the most inspiring posts you wrote about was this whole last year, and how it's like really brought you back your perspective on life. And you have traveled in the last year to six different countries, you said. Cuba, Switzerland, England, Kenya, Tanzania, and Germany.

Scott:
Yeah.

Jeff:
Does it all blend together? Usually being able to go to one of those in a year, you're like, "Wow. What a whirlwind adventure." That's incredible.

Scott:
Yeah. It does. And that is kind of unfortunate, that it doesn't personally impact me as much as like one big, major trip was when you do a lot of the trips. But, I mean, I always tried to understand the local cultures, and communities, and kind of get the real flavor of it. Switzerland is way different than Cuba. Right?

Jeff:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Scott:
But the heart of the people is the same. And that's really kind of the blessing there, is getting to know the people, the locals, and see how they live. I think a lot of people will go on mission trips, or go on just excursions, and they try to Americanize the cultures. And they'll look at scenarios through our culture, and our lens. And you need to look at their cultures, and their problems, through their lens and through their eyes. Because what we may consider an easy fix through the American system, isn't necessarily going to be the same background and historical perspective as it relates to that culture.

Scott:
So, one of the things I did is I took like a 16 week college class called Perspectives.org. And that teaches you history of mission work, and how to not do that. So, when you got to other countries, or you want to look at situations and be immersed in their culture. So, through all of that, I try not to necessarily bring... I mean, yes, I do to some extent still do that. Because it's hard not to, being an American, to look at things and be like, "Well, why don't they just do this? That's such an easy fix."

Jeff:
Right.

Scott:
So, there's no canning, there's no glass jars. Right? And it seems like, okay, if you're going to preserve food in an area that doesn't have a lot of food, you want to preserve all the food that you can. Well, why don't you just get glass jars and can it, and just preserve your food? Or dehydrate your food, and make the shelf life a lot longer? Sounds really great, except, they don't have glass jars.

Jeff:
Right.

Scott:
They don't have dehydrators.

Jeff:
Wow.

Scott:
They don't have the education or an electrical system. So, it's like, yeah. It's not always as easy of a fix as, "Oh, let's just flip on the light switch here, we can make it all better." That's not how it works in reality.

Scott:
So, every culture's got its own problems.

Jeff:
Wow.

Scott:
Every culture's got its own beauty. And I try to experience that and experience the people, versus trying to make everything how I would like it to be.

Jeff:
That's so cool. That's so inspiring. Out of all your travels last year, outside of literally climbing to the top of Killamanjaro, did you have any other experience that was completely surprising to you? Going to a different country and something that you just weren't prepared for?

Scott:
Yeah, yeah. So, yeah. The first time this last year that I thought I was going to die was actually in Cuba. Yeah, it was actually in Cuba. So, we were on the roof of a church there, we were helping them. I think we were painting a roof and putting around a fence. So, they actually had their playgrounds on the roofs. So, we put up a fence around the roof so they could have playgrounds up there.

Scott:
So, we were up there. And I don't speak like a lick of Spanish. So, a friend of mine, Nathan, actually speaks Spanish. And he was a missionary in Mexico. So, he was with us. And he was kind of like my translator. Anyway, so, they came up and they were like, "Hey do you guys want juice?"

Scott:
Well, the juice that we've had in Cuba was amazing. We've had, I mean, all kinds of tropical fruits. And, I mean, just beautiful, like mangoes. And just wonderful fruits. Right? Passion fruit, you name it. I mean, just the best juices ever.

Scott:
So, when dude goes, "Hey do you want some juice?" We're like, "Yeah, bring it on. It's hot." Because Cuba's hot in January, right?

Jeff:
Yeah.

Scott:
So, what he brings to us, and we start drinking it, we're like, "Oh, this isn't juice." This was like Tang. Like, flavored juice, like Kool-Aid juice.

Jeff:
Right.

Scott:
But they had used the tap water.

Jeff:
Oh.

Scott:
Yeah. So, all of us, I think there were five or six of us on that trip. All of us got deathly ill, puking. For like three days, we were just wiped out. I remember being in this little bathroom in Cuba, praying to God. I was like, "I don't want to die in a little bathroom in Cuba."

Jeff:
Right.

Scott:
This is not how I want my story to end. So, yeah. That was the first time this year that I was like, "Wow. I could actually die doing this."

Jeff:
Wow. That's incredible. And the other thing I know about you, outside of doing all this with the missionary work, you were telling me that you also travel all over the world on behalf of the Scouts. Correct?

Scott:
Yeah, yeah.

Jeff:
Have you been a Scout since childhood?

Scott:
So, no. Actually, I wasn't a Scout at all.

Jeff:
Aha.

Scott:
My son, however, has been a Scout since Cub Scout days.

Jeff:
Yup.

Scott:
Since we homeschooled, so we used the Scouts as like a program that he could get some social interaction, and some skills that he wouldn't be learning otherwise. So, we just brought him up through the Scout program. So, I've always been around firearms. So, I just grew up around firearms. So, I became an NRA instructor for rifle and shotgun. I got a call out of nowhere, and they were like, "Hey. We're calling from the Transatlantic Council, and we need a firearms instructor in Switzerland this summer. Can you do it?"

Scott:
And I was like, I didn't even know the Transatlantic Council existed. Right? So, I was like, "This sounds kind of fishy." Right? So, they were like, "Well, look. If you can come over here, you've got the gig." So, I was like, "All right. I'm going to go check it out."

Scott:
So, I left Philly and flew to Zurich. And met a whole group of people. So, come to find out, The Boys Scouts of America, or BSA, as we know it, that is one branch of what Scouts is.

Jeff:
Oh.

Scott:
So, there's actually like eight different branches of Scouts. And it all goes under the World Scouting Movement. And that dude, Bear Grylls, is like the vice president of that. So, he's in charge of Scouts all over the world.

Jeff:
Oh.

Scott:
So, BSA is one branch of what Scouting is. Which is, so, the BSA has its own curriculum.

Jeff:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Scott:
Different from all of the other Scouting organizations. And BSA also in the United States, up until recently, was not coed. Right?

Jeff:
Right.

Scott:
Everywhere else in the world, Scouting is coed. Except in the United States. So, I went to Europe and I was like, "Oh. These are female Scouts with all the other Scouts." So, I was like, "Well, that's cool. I wonder why we don't have that in The States?" So, it was a big learning experience for me, as well.

Scott:
And then, yeah. And then the next year, I just brought my son with me. And we went to Italy. So, what it is, it's like... So, let's say the U.S. military families were from Missouri. Right?

Jeff:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Scott:
And they got stationed in Germany. Well, if they wanted their sons or daughters to go through the Scouting program, the Transatlantic Council exists as the group over in Europe so that they can continue their Scouting while they're in Europe.

Jeff:
Oh, wow.

Scott:
So, we get to hangout on military bases. Not all of the camps are in military bases. So, we get to go over there, drink espresso, and hangout, do Scout activities, stay in Switzerland, and Italy, and Croatia.

Jeff:
Wow.

Scott:
So, that's what I do in the summer time.

Jeff:
Wow, that is incredible. And it's really cool. I never knew, it makes a lot of sense, but I never knew that it was just all of these branches of the World Scouting Organization.

Scott:
Yeah.

Jeff:
That's just so, so cool. And that kind of, all of this, everything we've been talking to, brings me to the theme of this show. We are all fueled by Death. We all the finish line is there, thankfully it wasn't for you in a bathroom in Cuba. But we all know it's going to happen at some point. And we want to do our best to leave this world a little different before we hit that finish line. And your story is really inspiring, because you're traveling all over the world, and you're doing that.

Jeff:
What fuels you to keep doing that? What fuels you to keep working with the missionaries, and with the Scouts, and keep doing that year after year?

Scott:
So, I want to give kids and give the world better opportunities than what I had.

Jeff:
Yeah.

Scott:
That's in short. I want other kids to know someone loves them, even if they don't get to see that person every day. Quite honestly, I want to leave this world better than whenever I got here. Right? And the only way to do that is by staying positive, and supporting kids and communities. And doing the right thing, and helping them, and educating. And all the fruits of The Spirit that come with that.

Scott:
And that's why I do it. You know? There's an old, I think it was Black Flag, a punk rock band. And they said, "In order to live, you got to be ready to die." Right?

Jeff:
Black Flag, heck yeah.

Scott:
I mean, that's just how I've always lived. In order to live... Because, otherwise, I would be dead if I sat in a cubicle.

Jeff:
Yeah.

Scott:
I mean, if you can do that, by all means. Amen. More power to you. Some people, that's just not how we're wired. And that, to me, wouldn't be living. Now, to some other people, they couldn't handle or want to live the way that I live. Where it's like, okay, nomadic. And always on the go.

Jeff:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Scott:
So, in that sense, my life to them doesn't look good. So, not saying everyone's life has to look like mine. But for me, that's what keeps me going. Is, hey, I'm going to die one day.

Jeff:
Right.

Scott:
I don't want that to just be the dash between the time you were born and the date you died.

Jeff:
Right.

Scott:
I want there to be meaning in between those two dates.

Jeff:
That's so fricking inspiring. It really is. And you're right, we're all wired differently. Some of us would never want to go out and climb a mountain, or go travel the world, and stuff like that. But I think, like I said, what really unites us all is we all want to change the world a little bit. And you're doing it in a very, very inspiring way. Looking ahead towards 2020, is there anything planned between either the missionary work or the Scout work? Do you have anywhere that you're going already?

Scott:
Well, this has been... Had conversations between me and my wife. But, as you can imagine, there are some Canadian things that I'm probably going to do. And some Ecuador things that I'm probably going to do. So, through this in Kenya, Wallace was actually... Wallace is the school owner in Kenya. He actually climbed Mount Killamanjaro with us.

Jeff:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Scott:
So, I got to hangout with him for a couple days. And we started talking about how the school has become more of a college. And so we're like, "What kind of skills do you see a gap?" And so we started talking about real estate, which is what I do whenever I'm not doing all this.

Jeff:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Scott:
So, we started talking about real estate. And I was like, "Well, Wallace, who's teaching these kids if they are interested in getting their real estate license, or real estate investing? Who's teaching them how to do that?" And he's like, "Well, no one." So, I was like, "Oh, let's get on this."

Jeff:
Uh oh. So, you're going back to Kenya.

Scott:
Yeah. So, we've already some meetings about it. And I've already got some meetings here in the U.S. established, where we're going to be developing a real estate program in Kenya. So that the kids, once they graduate high school, can have an opportunity to get a real estate license, and go out there and start doing some brokeraging, or some real estate activity on the investment side so that they can have more opportunities available to them through generational wealth.

Jeff:
Yeah.

Scott:
So, that just seemed like a no brainer. Wallace was like, "Yeah. I love it. Let's do it." So, yeah. By all means, the funding is always needed. Right?

Jeff:
Right.

Scott:
So, the funding links are open.

Jeff:
Yeah.

Scott:
So, if anyone wants to donate to the school, by all means, they're available. You can go to Kili, K-I-L-I, 2020.com. And feel free, every bit helps, literally. Because it helps fund these kids getting opportunities in programs. So, yeah.

Jeff:
That's excellent-

Scott:
They'll pen you, probably.

Jeff:
I'll definitely put those links in here, along with the links of Mission of Hope and everything. Because, like I said, I mean, so many of us see what you do as inspiring. But it might not be for us, and we might not be jumping in a plane and going everywhere. But every little bit helps. And we could donate right from our own homes, as well, which is amazing.

Scott:
Yeah man, exactly. Yeah.