Staff Spotlight: Kris Wilson [By Jen]

The Rockside students completed a strenuous hike this month to a favorite local spot called Castle Crags. The hike is long and often in the past one or two students haven’t made it to the top. This month, however, they all made it, and one in particular surprised everyone when he bounded to the top with exuberant joy. This student had been a reluctant hiker, but one thing was different on this trip than before: new shoes. His Rockside Coach purchased him new shoes, as a father does his son, to motivate him to participate more fully in the weekend outdoor recreation activities at the ranch, and we were blown away by the difference it made. 

When we started the ranch, we couldn’t have imagined all the incredible people God would bring to serve here. We adore telling the stories of how God knits our hearts together with people all over the country and then somehow brings us together to serve him at the ranch. The coach I mentioned above is no exception, and I want to tell you his story. His name is Kris Wilson. 

In the early days of Rockside, the schedule consisted of mostly work outside and some outdoor recreation. It was amazing to see how impactful it was, but we realized quickly that we needed to incorporate medical appointments, medication management, and mental health support into our daily routines. As our program grew, driving to appointments felt like a full time job, and keeping all the logistical details of our students’ health in order felt like an overwhelming task. Little did we know that God was preparing someone to show up at the ranch who would be uniquely prepared to serve in this area.

Kris Wilson grew up in the Central Valley of California, and met his wife at Hume Lake Christian Camp. They were high school sweethearts who married shortly before Kris went on active duty in the Army in the year 2000. In October of 2001, Kris went on his first deployment to Afghanistan. It was desolate, like the Mojave Desert, and the wild camels did not appreciate trying to be ridden by young army soldiers. Though not an official mechanic, Kris learned how to fix vehicles by trial and error when the humvee would break down on patrol “one hundred plus miles” from base, and they had to figure out how to fix it. 

He was redeployed home from Afghanistan for four months and then his unit was ordered to deploy to Iraq where he served another year before coming home. He was home for a year after his second deployment, and was able to defer his third deployment an extra three weeks to be sure to be there for the birth of his second child. His third deployment was likely his hardest when he experienced intense urban combat in the Battle of Ramadi in Iraq. After a year in Iraq, he spent a year at home, then completed one final tour in Afghanistan. Kris’s army career continued after his deployments running training scenarios for soldiers and then becoming a drill sergeant. Over his years in the army, Kris and Terri had two kids that she bravely learned how to parent while Kris was deployed. They sacrificed courageously together in service to our country, and then God called them into ministry.

While Kris was running a basic training company after his deployments, he could feel the weight of the world on his soldiers’ shoulders. He saw broken young men, hurting even before any army service, trying to run away from their lives. Although the army provides psychiatric support, Kris saw that the hope of the Gospel of Jesus was the only way to truly fill in the hollow places in our lives, especially those that came after a hard deployment. As Kris was nearing retirement, his Brigade Chaplain spoke something over him that would come to pass in a way that Kris and Terri couldn’t even imagine at the time. 

While making plans to retire in Alaska, Kris’s brigade chaplain told him that he had a feeling Kris would be speaking life over troubled young men. Plans were not falling into place for Alaska as Kris hoped, and the prayers of family and friends seemed to be carving out a different future for them. Terri’s family lived in a little town called Etna in far northern California, and again and again, God confirmed for them that they should move to Etna too, despite all the logical and financial reasons to move to Alaska. Having no knowledge of Rockside Ranch, the prevailing theme of their life at this time was to move to Etna and to speak life over troubled young men.

Kris and Terri took a leap of faith and moved to Etna, even though they did not completely understand. Shortly after they arrived, they found themselves in a conversation with Bill Birch, our dear friend and mentor, who told them all about Rockside Ranch as Kris shared their calling to move to Etna and speak life over troubled young men. It didn’t take long for Kris to join the staff at Rockside as our Logistics Manager, a position that was desperately needed but never before filled.

Today Kris orders supplies and food, oversees medical appointments and medications, fixes vehicles, teaches classes, does one-on-one coaching with students, and any other tasks that need to be done. His army career gave him invaluable skills for this ministry, and he loves that he is learning to be a better listener and friend to the students. When asked about his favorite part of the Rockside program, Kris said that he loves that the Rockside program meets each student uniquely and individually. It helps them to see their struggle, face it head on, and to fight through it to resolution. Kris works hard to see the students realize that they are fully capable of accomplishing their goals, and he does this with a servant heart. 

Time and again, we are blown away by how God brings people to Rockside to serve together. As people come, often not realizing what they are getting themselves into, God teaches us all about service and sacrifice. There is a lot to be done day-to-day, but those who flourish here are the ones who take Jesus’ words seriously when He says, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28, emphasis mine)

We believe wholeheartedly in Jesus’ model of servant leadership, and we are so encouraged that Kris and Terri live out this model at Rockside Ranch. From the rural expanses of the Middle East to the rural expanses of tiny Etna, God knit our hearts together in a shared desire to see Gospel restoration come to fruition in the lives of young men. We marvel at God’s goodness and at the ways He is working powerfully in our day to build the church and His kingdom on earth, one new pair of shoes at a time.