In Ep. 30, Rick Pino interviews Wesley Campbell, who tells his conversion of being an ‘all in’ Canadian freestyle skier and party guy to an unabashed preacher of the gospel.

Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s in British Columbia’s tourist hotspot, Wesley Campbell had a great life. Hot sands beaches in the summer and some of the best powder skiing in Canada in the winter.

Coming from a long line of lay preachers in the Plymouth Brethren movement, Wesley was made to go church almost every week – and he hated it! His earliest recollections include having to sit through three boring church meetings each Sunday. The only respite from Sunday church was in the summers when he worked at his family fruit markets 7 days a week for 10 to 15 hours a day.  When not working Wesley would much rather play sports, hang out with girls, and party, party, party!

However, during his last year of high school, Wesley’s mother was diagnosed with malignant bone cancer. Chemotherapy and radiation treatments could not stop the relentless advance of this disease. Every week looked worse than the last. Feeling awkward and not knowing how to deal with her impending death, Wesley would stay out night after night. He threw himself into the skiing and partying. 

As his mother grew worse, Wesley tried to put her declining health out of his mind.  Not wanting to miss the biggest North American Freestyle skiing competition of the year, Wesley decided to go to a ski hill three hours away. The skies were blue, the snow fantastic, and the parties wild. In the middle of a crowded bar, Wesley phoned home to find out how his mother was doing. The response was a shock – his mother had just died a few hours ago. It March 11th - two days before his 18th birthday.

After that Wesley stopped caring about everything. Whatever religious restraint he had held in the past was now gone. He went deeper into sports and partying. He got so bad that as he says, “I sinned myself into salvation.” Wrestling with sin and conviction, Wesley was becoming disgusted with who he had become.

Listen to the night of struggle when Wesley finally gave his life unreservedly to follow God . . . and go from partier to preacher.

Hear the conversion of Wesley Campbell as interviewed by worship leader Rick Pino.