[00:00:02] Speaker A: Welcome to RV Park Boss. This is a podcast for RV park owners. I'm your host, Jason Lafferty, and this is a show where we dive deep into the challenges and rewards of park ownership and some funny stories along the way. This is a podcast sponsored by RV Park Pros. 78% of all RV parks are self managed mom and pop operations. So aside from location, strong marketing, guest experience and proactive management, all those things are keys to success and profitability for any park.
So if you're still trying to do this all by yourself, there's a better way. RV Park Grows is a park property management system that helps you maximize your occupancy and profits while optimizing your guest experience and retention, all without you having to be involved in day to day. So to learn more about how we can streamline your park's operations, go to rvparkpros.com Again, that's RV parkpros.com Today's RV park boss is Justin Bourne. He's the son of God and brother to many. As a former teacher, a good friend of mine, and coach turned traveling minister, he has a passion for empowering young people in their spiritual journeys. Welcome to the show, sir. Thanks for your time and glad you're here, man.
[00:01:05] Speaker B: Praise God. It's such a blessing and honor to be here, my brother. My, my, my good friend. Yeah, Jason Lafferty. And man, we can tell you a whole bunch of stories. The good, the bad, the ugly. But we're just going to keep it simple. Thankful day, keep it Jesus.
And we don't want to put anybody in self condemnation.
Praise God. But man, I, I just want to tell you, Jason, I love you so much. Me and sweet Savannah angel, we count you in high court, high council.
And as I've shared with you, brother, you're in our circle and man, I'm just so proud of you.
You just continue to show off and show out because, you know, a lot of people will say they want to make great moves and they want to do great things, but they're not willing to do the work.
And, and you've done the work and you've done the work well. And a lot of others would have quit.
And so that looks great on you and Jesus, that sweet testimony there. And then also I would just encourage anybody, anybody and in any of their RV park developments or any of their RV park management.
Okay, anything RV park, okay, you, you need to get with Jason because man, he is doing amazing things out there and man, he is on the road and he will go wherever, whenever He's Johnny on the spot. And man, I've heard so many praise reports and what's happening with RV park pros and Jason Lafferty. So, man, it's an honor to be here today.
[00:02:36] Speaker A: Awesome. I appreciate that, as always. You're way too freaking kind.
[00:02:41] Speaker B: You make it easy, bro.
[00:02:44] Speaker A: And I'm due for another South Texas visit, man.
[00:02:46] Speaker B: Hey, we got your guest room ready, bro.
[00:02:48] Speaker A: Okay, good. I don't have to bring the camper then.
[00:02:50] Speaker B: Come on.
[00:02:52] Speaker A: Awesome. Well, I kick things off with a question, so let me hit you with one, okay?
Yeah. Yes, sir. So you yourself been at multiple RV parks. To you, what separates the parks feel like a community versus one that's just a place to park your rig, man?
[00:03:06] Speaker B: That's a good question. And I think that one hits, hits home runs.
I think it's all about relationship. I think it's all about climate and temperature. When I say that, I'm not talking about the Texas heat.
I'm talking about people.
I'm talking about management and leadership. Because attitude reflects leadership. As a former ballplayer, former coach, I can tell you real quick, you can go into a place of work, you can go into a building, you can go into an RV park, you can go into a locker room and you can, you can really sense, okay, in the spirit, what the temperature is, what the climate is, and if it's something that's going to one come back to you, a double portion, okay. And be a sweet reward or if it's going to be something that stinks and typically something that stinks. There's been a habitual season of that.
And, and it takes someone to come in and, and, and literally teach people how to lead and also teach management how to lead and also be a helpmate in that. And I'm not talking about scolding people. I'm talking about raising people up.
Being someone that, you know, I pretty much have lived a rural lifestyle most of my life since getting out of the concrete jungle up there in dfw. I was raised up in Grapevine, Texas, but you know, it was a little one horse town back then. It's not anymore. It's. It's been absorbed right. Part of Dallas and Fort Worth. It's funny to me because Dallas and Fort Worth people tell me they get out of the city to go to Grapevine.
[00:04:42] Speaker A: Now.
[00:04:43] Speaker B: It's kind of, that's kind of weird to me. But I'll just, I'll just say this. There was so much freedom, life that came whenever, you know, I stopped paying a Mortgage.
I had a big old house out in the country in a ranchette community and it was great. But I tell you, you live in your house, you don't live for your house.
Whenever I sold my house and I started moving in ministry, I bought a 38 foot travel trailer, a big Montana.
And let me tell you something, all of a sudden, my generational wealth, I ushered into it and I've never looked back.
I lived in that for four years while I did traveling ministry as well as when I pastored at two churches up there in dfw.
And then whenever I started moving more evangelistically, I just hitched up that travel trailer and went okay. And stayed in my parsonage until then at the church. And so it was a very smooth transition. And also it allowed me to, anytime, anywhere, any place I could just pick up and go if there was a need.
And that spoke to me. And then also, you know, I believe that we're called to, you know, be pilgrims, go and have new experiences, travel okay, Meet new people, make new friends, find things that we didn't know were the desires of our heart that came with that too.
And the biggest thing for me was in regards to the community aspect, everyone kind of had the same mindset.
They had kind of been through a similar experience.
And so we kind of shared in relationship that. That same testimony as well as in that same accord. There was no hoa, okay? There was. There was no community watch program.
There was no board of trustees or board of directors that I had to uphold to. I had sweet neighbors that looked out for me as joint heirs, okay, as brothers and sisters, lengthen the arms. And it was awesome. And I still have a lot of those sweet neighbors that are sweet friends today. And whenever I first started living in an rv, I moved out to Alboy, Texas.
Some North Texas Yankees will say alboard, but if you're out there in the Westerplex, they will correct you real quick.
It's Alboy, okay? A L V O R D. As an English teacher at Decatur Middle School, I had to learn real quick colloquialisms. And so you don't say alboard, you say alvoid. But I lived out right off the LBJ Federal Grasslands in Albert Oaks RV Park.
And I'm pretty sure you brokered a deal or help broker a deal whenever they sold that RV park, you got them with the right people. Little shameless plug right there for Jason Lafferty and RV park pros out there with, with Gary and Big Rob.
And let me tell you what it was so awesome because I actually got to move into a really great RV park with a really great community after hearing some horror stories from some folks that, you know, didn't do their homework
[00:07:50] Speaker A: about that park or just parks in general.
[00:07:53] Speaker B: Parks in general.
Some folks that had been taken advantage of, you know, they, they would get them in with the first month kind of thing.
And then all of a sudden there was upsell and all of a sudden there was all these other prices that were getting tacked on that weren't in their, you know, lease agreement, rental agreement, contract.
And. And so I had a great experience at Alvoy Oaks, Alvord Oaks, excuse me, RV park out there with Gary and Big Rob. And then I had some very, very amazing, sweet neighbors that, man, really kind of showed me the ins and outs of living okay, this nomadic lifestyle, so to speak. And man, I tell you what, there's a whole lot of good that comes with, man, I really, all I had to do was just general upkeep on my RV and I weathered out some, some pretty heavy tornadoes out there and I was safe and sound.
And I didn't have a whole lot of cleanup either afterwards like you would normally have in a residential. Okay. Or a ranchette community.
And so, man, again, freedom, life and that. And I'll say this, when it comes to the temperature and the climate of RV park, you'll find out real quick in response, those that, that are there to serve and those that are there to put people in self condemnation.
And so though I did not have that experience myself in regards to the latter, I do know a lot of folks in similar circles that did have a hiccup in those areas and did get taken advantage of. And so it's great to have an RV park developer guru like Jason that really does know the ins and outs. And he's lived it okay.
He's lived on sites that he's developed. He's got a history of raising up other leaders and management at RV parks all over this state as well as Oklahoma. And he's willing to take the time to build a relationship and to, you know, one, have racor and rapport and wanting to, you know, let's make this a better place for everybody, not just for self. And so you want people like that whenever you're living this type of lifestyle and you're living out rurally in an RV park. And so that way you don't have to deal with the scuttlebutt that comes along with sometimes just some slumlord millionaires that are out There that tend to just want to take advantage.
[00:10:33] Speaker A: Nickel dive. Well, a few things I think you really touched on the important sense of community on when you find like a park or a place to where it does have that kind of.
People give a crap about where they live and so they give a crap about their neighbors and so they're.
[00:10:50] Speaker B: Which is ultimate community.
[00:10:51] Speaker A: And the other side of that is the importance of, you know, when you do have a park, communities don't run themselves. So it's either the owner is on site and then the leadership and the kind of structure and how he treats people, or if the owner can't always be there, then that on site person is the very most next important thing of any park. Because that's the face of, of your park. That's the crack in the whip, hey, your dog's barking too much or hey, you need to pick up his trash. You know, like that, that kind of structure. And then when you have that, that all those pieces together, then that's how you can create a cool community.
[00:11:24] Speaker B: That'd be the.
I totally agree with you. And again, you know, you hit the nail right on the head. It's about relationship and community. And unfortunately, and I'm not throwing stones inside glass houses, but you don't get that anymore.
And the residential, the municipal, okay, you definitely don't get that nature way to a certain extent. In fact, you start living kind of a hired hand mentality, kind of a debtors mentality.
And we're not called to live that way.
We're called living freedom life. We're not called living debt. And I'm not just talking about money, okay? I'm talking about your time. And so to me, you know, it don't make no sense living in a big old house with five bedrooms and three baths, okay? Especially whenever it was just me and I wasn't ever there, but then I was paying like I was right? And. And then on top of that, I don't take it with me.
I would rather take my home with me and have experiences, have relationship, have community, and live in such a way in which I'm called to live and not again fall into this idea that, well, this is the American way, this is the American dream, so to speak. That's not the American way. An American dream for a lot of people. And I think we got to get past that concept.
Less is really more because our weakness is his strength.
Well put, well put.
[00:13:01] Speaker A: That's a whole lot of stuff you're throwing at us here, brother. I love it.
[00:13:04] Speaker B: Hey, little Change.
[00:13:07] Speaker A: Yeah, I know you keep coming too.
[00:13:10] Speaker B: I know you.
I love it.
[00:13:13] Speaker A: Love you too, man.
So we're getting a little bit close to wrapping up on this 30 minutes here.
So before we wrap up, so I don't forget, if somebody wants to catch up with you, hear more about what you got going on ministry wise or just in, in your life or anything, what's a good way they can reach out to you?
[00:13:33] Speaker B: You can always reach us at Living Water Ministries FL on that website. All of our resources, all of our training, all of our updates, blog as well as our podcast is available, as well as all of our social media platforms.
And to boot, we also took over in leadership at a local church down here in Bandera county out in Morton Dock. And it's a, it's very much a RV park community and man, it's real fresh and we just keep it. Jesus. And so if you're around this area, if you're around Bandera county or Medina county or even the outskirts of Bexar county, the hill country part of Centone, man, we'd love for you to join us at Walker Community Church, Bandera. You can reach
[email protected] and all of our resources are there for you as well as a way to reach out to us. And so, man, we look forward to hearing from you.
All of you that are listening in right now. I just want to again affirm that if, if you are living this way, if you are led to live this way, man, there's a whole lot of freedom in it now. There's a whole lot of good. But man, it is great to have mentors, okay, in relationship that, that kind of have walk the walk and talk the talk in this type of living.
And I can't encourage you enough to reach out to RV park pros and my good brother, okay, my good friend Jason Lafferty, because I can speak on his behalf, because I know he won't. He's very humble, but he has a heart for this. And you want to work with people that have a heart for this, that this is their passion, this is their desire of their heart.
I can show you that in scripture on how God loves to show off and show out in that. But I can just speak this.
The real measure of man is the measure of man. If you don't see it on them, then there's probably not any weight to that measure. And I see it on Jason greatly.
I have seen this amazing move that he made from whenever we first met at a brokerage in Fort worth selling health and life insurance to being led to live and to work and to, you know, chase those dreams and passions. And he's doing it. He's a profitable prophet in it. And he loves to work with people.
He loves to work in relationship. And he also likes to celebrate others.
And man, that is truly the measure of a man, and it's also the measure of just good business. And so, man, I just speak that over Jason and anyone that's tuning in right now, I encourage you to reach out to him with any of your RV park needs, especially in regards to development and management, where you're far too
[00:16:30] Speaker A: kind, as always, consistently.
[00:16:32] Speaker B: Right. You make it easy, man. I love you so much.
[00:16:35] Speaker A: I love you, too. So you touched on, you know, folks locally wanted to get with you on ministry wise.
[00:16:41] Speaker B: What, what?
[00:16:41] Speaker A: Tell us a little bit about your podcast and, like, who are you interviewing? Like, you know, who you're speaking to, kind of how they can find you,
[00:16:50] Speaker B: you know, that stuff, you know, hey, yeah, man, I appreciate you speaking on that because sometimes I. I'm a little bit touched in the head when it comes to. To all the things. But I came out of a healing season.
The last six years, I was diagnosed with heart failure three times.
And unfortunately, the heart failure was a byproduct of having Ms. And that didn't get diagnosed or found until last year after being in the hospital for about 10 months.
And we went through multiple. It was like a bleak for a while, brother. I was about to graduate and I knew where I was going. But he had so much more for me here and so much more to do. And so I put total trust and obeyed in the Lord. And I'm still working on not questioning his will and keeping my will out of it. But he loves me despite me and he uses me despite me. But I'll just say this. There was amazing miracle that happened.
You know, I had pastored for about four and a half years up in the metroplex. I had been moving as an evangelist and teacher ever since I met my sweet Savannah angel right after coming out of the mission field. The second time I had had heart failure in the mission field and he renewed me 110%. I was back teaching, coaching ball, serving our local churches, and just being, you know, a Jesus lover, being a soundboard and being a vessel. And then I went through this last season where I went back down again. And I can tell you from my own experience, you know, life is hills and valleys and it's not always about the mountaintop moments. Now they're great. But I found those to be few and far between. I've really had more growth in the valleys. A lot more of the desires of my heart have been answered in the valley. And a lot of times that's us having to choose within free will to do and not tune into season or not tune into, you know, world stuff because this is just a temporary launchpad anyways. Not saying it's not a beautiful place with beautiful things, with beautiful people. I'm just saying that sometimes we go through things, sometimes we go through seasons of dryness, seasons of fatigue. Okay. Seasons of lack. But Jesus takes up the slack. And so I'll just tell you this. I was given three months to live, okay, prior to March.
Okay. Of 2025.
And praise God, we did get with the right doctors and the right specialist and he blesses the heads and the hands there.
And I got the right diagnosis and I've been been treated for the wrong stuff for a long time. And it was killing me. It was killing me.
And as soon as we started getting the, you know, the right stuff and the right playbook with the right plays, man, I started doing a whole lot better.
And what came from this season is my business continued to flourish, my relationships continued to flourish, my marriage continued to flourish. And it's just like him. He loves to plant seeds in our desires that we didn't even know about. I never even saw myself stepping back in the pulpit again after moving evangelistically as an evangelist and honestly just as a Jesus lover.
But we're back in leadership and we're pastoring Walker Community Church and we just came out of a two week revival and man, we're seeing an amazing move of the Holy Spirit right here in Bandera, Texas, on all four corners and all four winds. And I truly believe, you know, a lot of this bad stuff that does happen in this world, a lot of this evil that begots evil, that's the difference maker in Pearson. Through that darkness, John 1:5 is we have to, we have to reflect it. We have to be that act of portrayal.
And to do that, we have to receive everything in him, achieve nothing. Not saying we can't achieve great things or do great things or be successful. All I know is whenever I chose to humble and humble myself and be less, he was so much more. And even whenever I went through seasons of lack physically in my health, he continued to provision the vision and everything that he touched through me was blessed and anointed.
And so I can say this, our investment portfolio has never been greater than wonderful. Our finances have never been greater. Our giving have never been greater.
In fact, those that give to us in our ministry.
Okay. Has never been greater. And it's always returned. It's been a sweet testimony, a double portion or more to those that choose to do. But I really don't care about the money. It's all his anyways. It's all about the time in him.
And in that time in him, we have to understand that's also part of our professional life.
We're called to be a mirrored example of him in our professional life, too. And do right.
And do right.
[00:21:46] Speaker A: Yeah. Do right.
[00:21:47] Speaker B: When they have a blessing, right? Because that's contagious, too. And also it blesses you and your business because it blesses your walk in him because he gets blessed. Our joy is his greatest joy.
[00:22:00] Speaker A: Well, I'll tell you one thing. I don't know if I told you before you.
[00:22:02] Speaker B: Oh, go ahead. I'm sorry.
[00:22:03] Speaker A: Yeah. You're truly blessed on the way that you put words together, my friend.
[00:22:06] Speaker B: That's, well, coming from a. Coming from a little country kid at Grapevine Lake that. You know, I was in speech therapy until high school because I had a horrible stutter. And I still stutter.
[00:22:18] Speaker A: I didn't know that times.
[00:22:18] Speaker B: And I still put my foot in my mouth and say all the wrong things. But he uses me despite me, and he's always had it. What did you get doing that with folks?
[00:22:29] Speaker A: You still get in the flow state. That little. I would say wisdom, but just that, you know, the flow state where just you start. Like for me, with parks, I start spitting. The next thing you know, I'm talking for 30 minutes. But. But you just get that it radiates off of you.
[00:22:41] Speaker B: Amen. That's. That's just operating spirit full. And it's every day, in every way. It. It's not just whenever we. We punch our time card, right? And, you know, I could say this. You know, when it comes to our skill set, our attributes, kind of where we hang our hat, okay? And what we know that. That we do well, okay? We are called to bless others with that. We are called to be a drink offering and poured out. Acts 20:24 tells us that, okay, we're called to run this race and run it well, okay? Until that trumpet sounds or we get graduated. But for anybody listening right now, okay? And I hope I'm not. I'm not touched, you know, I hope I'm not stepping on toes, but I do hope that we're touching hearts here.
You do have a father that loves you.
You do have a God that loves you.
And it doesn't matter. Wherever you are a hot mess like me every day that ends with why, okay?
It doesn't matter how much you miss, okay? He takes you just as you are. Matthew 11:28. He wants you to come as you are.
And whenever we choose to humble and humble ourselves and just receive everything in our inheritance and cross everything because of Jesus, we can live in such a way where we never go back to the old man, the old woman, okay, what we once were, we have a new conviction and we're convicted of that conviction. And man, it just literally flows off of us like sweet honey. And people get touched and you can move in such a way that, that you'll never want to go back to how you were before.
You'll always want to live this way.
And, and I can just speak on that from my own life, my own testimony, my, my own healing, my own deliverance, and it's continued. I'm still living and walking it out. There's. There's still stuff that, that, that he's still definitely working on me in. But I, but I know that my weaknesses again are his strength because he purchased it for me. And so if there's anybody that's tuning in and that speaks to your heart a little bit right now and you'd like to have a further conversation about that again, you can reach out to us, living water ministries, fl.com or wcc bandera.org and man, we would love to just have a healthy conversation in Jesus with you there is never any judgment. There's always love.
[00:25:05] Speaker A: Great person to do that with and, and man, hate to cut this conversation short, but.
[00:25:10] Speaker B: Oh no, I think that's a good. Gotta land the plane. Yeah, gotta land the plane.
[00:25:14] Speaker A: And it's good, good rolling place. And like I said, I've never had a bad conversation with you in eight years or so I've known you. So off. Off this little recording. Let's catch up soon as well. And I'm due for a visit again.
[00:25:24] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, I tell you, it's pretty awesome to be able to do this with, with not just a great friend but, but also someone that I count in high court and circle and, and to. To see what God has done with your heart for, for serving people in relationship and the RV park community, man, it's just huge. You make heaven shout.
I know that you've been through seasons too.
[00:25:52] Speaker A: Yes sir.
[00:25:53] Speaker B: It speaks for what he loves to continue to do is be faithful.
And, and on that same Accord.
Right before I got your phone call the other day and your text, I had just been looking at some pictures on my phone from about four and a half, five years ago whenever you and I went to an SMU football game. And I just want to tell you, I just had a sweet time in Jesus about it, man. I just loved it so much, and it's just like him to show off and show out because it wasn't. But I think a day or two later that. That I got a phone call, text from you, and you invited me on your podcast. And. And so I just want you to know, man, you're such a blessing.
[00:26:37] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:26:37] Speaker B: And we love you.
[00:26:38] Speaker A: And.
[00:26:38] Speaker B: And we always have a VIP spot for Jason down here at the Bourne cabin and at WCC Bandera. And, man, we got your. We got your seat in the river spot saved, too.
[00:26:51] Speaker A: Well, thank you, sir. Well, enjoyed the conversation.
Love you, too. We'll catch up with you soon. Offline, and thanks for your time and everything.
[00:26:59] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:27:00] Speaker A: Always.
Yes, sir. We'll catch up with you soon. Take care.
[00:27:03] Speaker B: Blessed day. Take care.
[00:27:04] Speaker A: You too. Bye.
