The People Project:
Justin Kelley
By Ashley & Andrew LeSaicherre | July 23, 2022
Meet Justin Kelley!
Justin grew up in Ponchatoula and is the middle child of three boys. He graduated from Ponchatoula High School in 2001, then enlisted in Army Infantry School. September 11th happened, and he was deployed as a snipper for 4 and a half years in the Middle East and in the horn of Africa. Once he was out of the military, he worked in the natural gas industry for about a decade.
He married Crystal, who was literally the girl next door. They have 4 daughters, Taylor (13), Reese (11), Skyler (7) and Slone (3). They also have 2 female dogs and 4 female parakeets. "I am surrounded by females!"
Justin and Crystal also founded Renewed Ministries, which raises funds for the local community and also around the world. One way they raise the majority of the funds is their store, Renewed Thrift Store. The profits made from the store assist in a variety of projects, but the main focus is their orphanage located in Narus, South Sudan. They currently take care of 107 orphans with the help of John Duot Duong, who lives with the children. He uses the funds Justin and Crystal send to better the lives of these children with proper beds, food, and basic necessities we take for granted daily.
We want to thank Justin for spending some time with us and letting us get to know about his life and his love of the area.
Q: What led you to your current career?
A: Our family had a large garage sale, and all the things that weren't sold got me thinking. What can I do with this stuff to help and bless the community? I asked my Dad to hold on to it for a few days while I prayed and thought about it, and Crystal and I decided to open a thrift store and sell items to fund projects to help others. We opened Renew Thrift Store in October of 2021, and we have been able to give back to 10 nations and to our local community. We operate only on donations. So, anything from furniture, housewares, clothes, baby items, collectables, we will gladly accept. We will even pick up items! Just call us, and we will be there.
Another part of our ministry is our orphanage. In January of this year, Crystal told me she wanted to find an orphanage to partner with and see them thrive. I reached out to my best friend, Joel (Dicharry), who operates Commission Mankind, to see if he knew of any orphanages we could help. Turns out he had JUST posted about one less than an hour prior to me calling him. So, we have partnered with John, who takes care of the children in Sudan. They were sleeping on dirt floors, where insects are a large problem. We were able to hire an engineer who welded them bunk beds, getting the children education, feeding them, and getting them proper medicine they need. We started with 64 kids, and now we are up to 107 kids, they range from 20 months to 14 years old. The conflicts there are sadly increasing the number of orphans every day. One of our goals is to build dormitories for the children.
Q: What is your favorite restaurant in the area, and what do you like to get there?
A: I like Nola Mia Pizza Food Truck! I order the pepperoni or the Porky pizza.
Q: What is your favorite childhood memory?
A: When I was in junior high, we went to Washington D.C., and one of our stops was the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I knew then that I wanted to be in the military. It was a powerful visit.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be? And why?
A: Narus, South Sudan definitely. I want to go to our orphanage.
Q: What is your favorite movie?
A: I really like Gladiator and The Count of the Monte Cristo.
Q: Do you have a favorite book? What do you love about it?
A: Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills. It is the story of Carlos Hathcock, a soldier in the Vietnam War. He came from very humble beginnings and seeing the heroism he had is inspiring. I read it before going into the military.
I also love The Bible.
Q: What advice would you give a group of people?
A: Seek God. Believe in yourself. I find the quote, "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right." by Henry Ford to be true.
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
A: Visit all 195 countries.
Q: What is your favorite music or an artist or band that you would like to see?
A: It depends on my mood. I like to listen to praise and adoration music to connect with God.
Q: What current or former business makes you the most nostalgic about the area?
A: Paul's Cafe and Mr. B's Pizza. We would have birthday parties there, and go there after baseball and football games.
Q: If you could choose one person to go to lunch with that you’ve never met, who is it?
A: Chris Kyle, and we would grill steaks.
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique that you love about the area?
A: I love our access to the water here. I can start fishing quickly.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
A: Hopefully there will be 20 Renewed Thrift Store locations. I would have liked to have rescued and fostered thousands of orphans.
Q: What is something interesting that most people don’t know about you (even friends or family)?
A: In 2003, when I was deployed, I was almost killed by a herd of baboons in the horn of Africa.
Q: What is a word or phrase that comes to mind when you think of the word “Home”?
A: Peace.
Q: If you could have a full-time staff member that is fully paid for, what would that be? (Chef, housekeeper, driver, coach, personal trainer, etc.)
A: A chef!
Q: If you had to choose one type of cuisine to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
A: Cajun creole.
Q: What do you do when you are alone in your car?
A: Either silence and listen to God for direction or guidance or totally rock out.
Q: What is the last gift you gave and received?
A: The last gift I gave was a knife to Ben (a friend and employee) and the last gift I received was a Spartan statue from my friend Jennifer.
Q: What are you known for?
A: Depends on when in my life you knew me! I would like to say that I am known for loving God and loving people.
Q: What is your favorite 90s jam?
A: Something by the Chili Peppers.
Q: If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
A: Being able to fly. I love seeing things from the bird's eye view. When I fly, I cannot sleep. I just want to watch outside.
Q: What are some of your hobbies?
A: Fishing, traveling, soccer, and shooting guns are some.
Q: What is your most commonly used emoji?
A: Praying hands.
Q: What is something you are most proud of?
A: My family and our staff. I am also proud of the community. They have stepped up and been so generous to us.
Q: What two items would you take with you if you shipwrecked on a deserted island where food and water were taken care of?
A: My Bible and a hammock.
Q: What is the funniest thing that happened to you recently?
A: We were picking up donations from a house where the resident had recently been evicted, and they had left a dog. So, we grabbed the dog, and I assumed it was a male dog, so I started calling it Stealth. I brought him to the vet, and asked them to get him updated on vaccines, deworm him, the works. When we went back to pick Stealth up, we were told he was a she. So, we renamed her to Stella. We all had a good laugh.
Q: If you won the lottery, what would you purchase or spend money on?
A: I would start construction of the orphanage dorms today. I would fund some wells for Commission Mankind and I would buy land for a farm with lots of horses and cows.
Q: What do you want your legacy to be?
A: I would like to see my daughters carry the torch of what we have started. Not that the exact work has to stay the same, but the mission would be the same. I would like to be known for being generous.
Justin was nominated by Shea Verbois
He nominated Kim Walker
Who would YOU like for us to get to know?
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