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Hi, and welcome back to a walking with the chosen. I'm your host, Shey Keith. On today's episode, I'm introducing you to Katharine Katharine. I met through Instagram and she was gracious enough to say, yeah, I'll be on your show and tell me her story. I think you'll find it very interesting how much the show has impacted her life. She's a young gal and I got to meet her at Chosun con. So that was pretty exciting as well. She's also been an extra at the chosen and she got to participate in Fanly. Feud at the chosen. I wasn't jealous or anything. Anyway, let's get started. You get to hear all about Katharine and why the show is so special to her. And I'll come back at the end to wrap everything up. Welcome back to walking with the chosen on today's episode. I'm interviewing Katharine going to tell us all about why she loves the chosen and how it's impacted her life. Katharine, first off, welcome to the show.
Katharine:Thank you. I'm happy to be here. I'm excited to be here. This is actually the first podcast I've ever been on. So this is exciting.
Shey:Oh, I'm so glad to be the first one. I hope this goes good and smooth and that you have a great experience. You want to do some more of these. rine, just tell us a little bit about you. what do you do? Who are you? Just whatever you like to share about yourself.
Katharine:I I am a eighth grade English language arts teacher. I work at a charter school here in my state, which is the great Northern state of Minnesota. lived here my whole life. raised in a Christian household, gone to church for my entire life, very involved. My mom is the children's education director of my church, so grown up being at church almost every time it was open, volunteering, all that sort of stuff. So very involved in the whole Christian world.
Shey:Okay. You were saying earlier before we started recording that you felt like God was asking you, called you to be a teacher. Is that right?
Katharine:Yeah. It was actually during a sermon our pastor was giving, we have at our church a thing called a missions conference week, where our whole, the whole week is focused on missions and our missionaries that we support. And, I was in the back doing the slides for the sermon and he was talking about how when God taps you on your, on the, shoulder, you need to listen. You need to pay attention. I had said previously, cause I was just in my first year of college at the time, I had said, God, I don't want to go anywhere near a public school or any sort of public school. You're going to have to change my heart. I'm too scared to go into a public school, anything like that. And I probably shouldn't have said that because. During the sermon, our pastor said, if God's tapping you on the shoulder, speaking to you, you need to listen, you need to obey. And it wasn't an audible voice, but it definitely was that still small voice of, you're going to be my ambassador. You're going to be my witness. You're my light in the public schools and media, immediate waterworks. So I was like, okay, I don't want to do this, but you're saying I have to. So I'll do it.
Shey:That's so interesting to hear you say that because I know several months ago when I was, recording all the episodes from season one there right before I was doing the woman at the God was speaking to me about It was funny because that was just leading up to that episode that I needed to record but earlier in that week I kept hearing about you know living water and the woman at the well and kept repeating over and I watched that one of the things that hit me was like on the second day of all these repetitions I saw this thing on Instagram And she brought up the woman at the well and I was like, okay, I need to pay attention. God's trying to tell me something. And then she led into. we need to be called women of evangelism. Instantly, I'm like, No! And I started crying, I don't want to be an evangelist. That's not what I was called to do. So it's funny to hear you say that, because I had the same reaction of just crying. And now that a few more months have gone by, and I feel like God's asking me, study the Bible, understand it more, do more with the Word, and maybe He is leading me down that path, and I'm just trying to I'm not ready for it, but maybe he's leading me there. So it gives me confidence to hear you say that God led you there, and this is your first year of teaching, right?
Katharine:Yes, it is my 1st year. I graduated in May and this is my 1st year of teaching.
Shey:Is it everything you hoped it would be?
Katharine:and no. some areas, yes, some areas I'm like, I don't know if I can do this.
Shey:God will equip you, I'm quite sure,
Katharine:absolutely. Absolutely. And I have great support from the people, other teachers and the staff there. So I'm very well supported there.
Shey:That's great. So are you somebody, since you grew up in a Christian household, did you feel like you were saved at a young age?
Katharine:I was, I, don't remember it like picture perfect, but I was around four or five. I can't remember which one. I usually go with four, but it could have been five. I don't know. I was saved. I was lying in my bed with my mom. just talking and I think I asked something about angels or heaven or wanting to be an angel or something like that. And that led to the conversation of Lamb's Book of Life and all that sort of stuff. And that night I accepted Jesus and became a Christian. I've been a Christian ever since.
Shey:Oh, wow. So young and to know that's amazing. I love that. Some of us takes a lifetime to figure that out. Okay. So let's jump in and talk a little bit about the chosen. did you start watching the chosen from the very beginning when it first came out?
Katharine:No, I did not. So that's, a really interesting story. I, when we were talking earlier, I said, I love Jesus projects. The first Jesus project I remember seeing, I was probably around nine or 10 and I watched the gospel of Matthew with the, I believe his name is Bruce Marciano or however you say his last name, who plays Jesus. And he's like on record for the person who has played Jesus the most amount of times.
Shey:okay.
Katharine:And, I just remember being so fascinated and just loving. That movie or whatever you want to call it, that project, because it was, I'm a very visual person. I'm a very imaginative person. And so to have a visual depiction of the stories that I had grown up with, especially my favorite stories, the gospels are my favorite, particularly Jesus. so to have a visual representation of that, that I could picture, that I could, that could, it just let my imagination run wild and it gave me something to picture when I would hear the stories or read the stories. so back in, I want to say, I believe it was 2016, 2017. I'm leaning more towards 2016. my uncle, so my mom's brother posted a short film. I shared a link to a short film called The Shepherd, and I watched it, and then I watched the little message afterwards, and at that time, I had no clue who Dallas was. I had no clue who Derryl, Eves, any of those people were. I had no clue who they were, but I watched it, and I was like, Oh, this is really good. And I had watched the message saying, Hey, we're trying to turn this into a show. We're trying to turn this into a multi season show about Jesus. And so I clicked, I watched it, loved it, shared it. And that was back in, I think it was December cause I have it in my memories on Facebook. It was December of 2016 and I shared it and said, Ooh, this looks like it could be good. And then literally I forgot about it.
Shey:Ah.
Katharine:Fast forward to 2019. I'm in my first semester. No, second semester, of college, by the way, I went to the university that Dallas and his wife Amanda graduated from. So
Shey:Oh, cool.
Katharine:little fun fact. second semester of college. And, I keep seeing these ads for this show called The Chosen popping up on my Facebook feed and I see it's a Jesus project and, I don't really pay much attention to it because unfortunately, Hollywood sometimes, not sometimes, a lot of the time has a bad rap for doing biblical things, biblical projects, biblical shows, things like that. So I'm like, oh, this is going to be cheesy. It's going to be It's not well done. It's going to be low, very low budget. all those excuses. So it's I'm not going to pay much attention because I like things that are good quality. And so I was like, I don't want to watch another cheesy, poorly done show. So I ignore it, but it keeps popping up, And so I finally watched the trailer or whatever they had to promote it. Cause at the time I think it was, I think they had all eight episodes out. But it was like, like it was still in the very much you have to wait for someone to pay for, pay, it forward to watch the episodes. I'm like, okay, they have an app, which was, again, that was new to me. that was, I've never heard of a show having its own app. I probably November of 2019. December, November, December, somewhere around there, I down, I was at my dorm room and I'm like, okay, I'm going to download this app. I'm going to see what this is all about. So I'll download it, see the first episode, click on it, start watching it. First thought is where in the world is Jesus? I thought this was a Jesus show. I'm seeing these characters, I'm like, I know who Mary Magdalene is. I know who Simon Peter is. I know who Andrew and James and John and all these people are, but I'm like, Kate, you said this is a Jesus show where's the Jesus. And then we get to, of course we get to that very famous scene where Mary's at the end of her rope in the bar and the minute. The hand comes over hers. I get chills. I'm like, here we go. Here we go. This is what I've been waiting for. Here we go. And then Jonathan's beautiful face pops up on the screen. I'm like, okay, is different. I'm liking this. I'm liking this. And then. We, I watched the scene where he, frees her from the demons and I'm almost in tears and I'm just like, literally when the credits start rolling, I'm Oh my gosh. Oh my word. I'm like, I have to watch more. So I watched the next episode. And then again, it's like, where's Jesus? This is supposed to be a Jesus show. Where the heck is he? And then Oh, he pops up at the end. And then like, when he's joking back and forth with Barnaby and say, and he does that little wink with him. I'm like, Jesus is funny. He has a sense of humor. And then we get to. The episode 3, which is what really got me hooked in, because the first two episodes, I've heard from a number of people, they're a little hard to get through, like when you're first discovering the show, they're a little hard to get to. But once I got to episode 3, I was like, okay, I'm fully invested. I'm, like, this show is incredible, amazing. I'm, all, in. So episode 3 was what really draw, drew me in, because I'm seeing Jesus in a different way that I've never seen him before. Like I knew that he was fully human. I knew that he lived like us But there was some sort of disconnect from what I had been taught or seen portrayed to what really happened and so that episode 3 was like And this is what I've told people before. That, that episode was like, this is the Jesus that I have been looking for my whole life. This is the Jesus that I've been looking for. A Jesus who gets dirty, who sleeps outside, who has aches and pains, who got a cut and has to bandage it, who gets hungry, who knows how to make his own food, who gets sad, who Loves children, teases them, like all those things. And then, yeah, basically from then on the rest, like the rest, honestly, the rest is history.
Shey:Yeah, I know what you mean because the first, episode, when I watched Mary Magdalene, that one, like you said at the end, it gives you chills. And then for me, the tears started and I'm like, why am I crying over a TV show? But it just really, I don't know. It just, it moved me. And then watch the second one, but like you, I'm like, okay, there's not a lot of Jesus in this. And you get to the third one. And that's, Dallas's special episode that he does all the work on. And I love that episode, but I don't think I loved it as much in the beginning. It didn't quite click with me. It just felt off. Like, why do we have that here with the rest of all these episodes? But now that I've watched the seasons multiple times, and all three seasons, and I go back to that one, now that story just makes me smile. Like you said, the way he interacts with the kids, the way he makes all the little funny sounds, and he knows that they're hiding over there. I just, and I love the little girl, I think it was Abigail, I think is her name, and how
Katharine:Abigail. Yep.
Shey:she just talks to, she's so brave and she just goes right up and talks to him. And Joshua, the little boy that's scared, they, those kids are so good. And then of course we got to see them later on with season, or episode seven, I think, when they healed the paralyzed man. I think that
Katharine:No, it was episode six. Episode six season one.
Shey:That's right, because Nicodemus was in the episode, the next one. So yeah, it's just I, that show, it's funny how, I've told people I can go back and re watch The Chosen many times and I hear or pick up different things every time. So even though the episode didn't stand out to me in the beginning, now when I go back and watch it, I see other little things. And I love all their questions, I love how the kids are processing everything, and that's where I feel like I'm at. Being a newer Christian, in fact, I just bought this book the other day off of Amazon. It's, it's geared towards kids about how to have a relationship with Jesus. I'm like, I need that book. I need to learn how to do that. Come to him like a little child.
Katharine:yeah, the Bible says, and Jesus says, you need to have the faith of children. And he uses children again and again to show his disciples, you need to be like this child right here. You need be like them.
Shey:So since then, is that still the standout episode to you? Or have you found other episodes that move you more now?
Katharine:When I talk about like my overall journey with the chosen, that's the episode that I really focus on. there's been a couple other episodes that have moved me in different ways. think episode, which one is it? I'm thinking through all the seasons now. I came it's so funny to think like when I first discovered the show, it was just the one season. And now we have three soon to be for, season two. I think the episodes that moved the episode that moved me the most was, Episode three, again, where it's that sort of backstage look where Jesus is healing all these people and the disciples are just like, they're just having these really intense, deep thoughts about what did we sign up for? what is this going to look like? And then Jesus comes in almost falling on the floor, exhausted. He's dirty. He's all these things. And I remember because they had, it was, they had premiered episode two. And Dallas had mentioned that there was going to be a surprise at the end of episode two, and I was with my, college friend of mine. We were in her dorm room and we watched episode two, the live stream, and then we're getting, I'm like, we're like, this Dallas is talking the background. And of course it was, Oh, I don't really care what Dallas has say right now. And so I'm getting ready. I'm getting, ready to go. And I'm this was fun. And then all of a sudden he's yeah. And now we're going to watch episode three and both of us are flipping out. We're screaming. We're all, we're just freaking out. And so I'm calling my mom. I'm like, mom, are you watching this? It's yes, I'm watching this. I can't believe this happening. And so we watched the episode and the minute I hear that twig snap and then you hear really heavy breathing and then Jonathan appears on screen, I just lost it. I lost it because, again, like I knew Jesus got tired. I knew he got exhausted, all those things, but I'd never seen it portrayed that way or it wasn't really ever talked about that much. And so the minute I saw Jesus looking like that, I just started sobbing. And it was, again, it was that impact of he knows what it's like. He's gone through Working hard, doing a job that you get little or no thanks, and you're just exhausted at the end, and you're like, why? for me, sometimes for me, and I'm sure for other people, it's like, why am I doing this? what's the point? And that, yeah, I cried during that episode, and then
Shey:Me too.
Katharine:I'm trying to, I'm trying to think, another episode that really holds a special place in my heart from season two is the Sermon on the Mount because I actually got to be there. I got to be in a background extra there with my little sister, actually. So I have this sitting on my desk, so
Shey:Oh, awesome, I love that.
Katharine:me, there's my little sister, and then these are some friends of ours that we made friends with.
Shey:Oh, wow.
Katharine:that was, a very special memory. it was freezing cold. It's the coldest that Texas has ever been, but of course we're out there in Bible sandals and robes and stuff. So we have, we're like shivering and every time they cut, everybody's throwing their coats and mittens and hats and socks back on until they start filming again. So that has a special place in my heart. I'd also say that In season three, two, which is the conversation between,
Shey:Little
Katharine:Jesus and little James. I won't go into the whole story, but I have a, if any of you who are listening, if you've followed me for any amount of time, you know I have a hormonal disorder called PCOS, which causes a lot of really challenging health issues and struggles and things like that. And I was diagnosed with this when I was 13 and that's a lot for a 13 year old to take in and to process. it's really impacted my, I see myself, the way I look, like I look at myself, but it's had impact on like body image and my mental health and things like that. There were many times, even before The Chosen, I was just lying, I'd lie in my bed crying, or I'd lie, or I'd be in the shower crying, or in my car driving to work crying, and just say, God, why me? Why haven't you healed me? You can't, I know you can heal me. Why haven't you healed me? And this is, is this why I don't have a boyfriend? Is this why I XYZ, all these sorts of things.
Shey:Right.
Katharine:And I remember I was sitting in the theater cause I saw episode two in the theater with another really good college friend of mine. And the minute that Jesus and little James start talking, it's the waterworks. And seriously, it was like, it was seriously, it was two things. It was like, Jesus was speaking directly to me
Shey:Mmhmm.
Katharine:and walking away from that episode. I was like, that's an answer to the prayers that I have been praying for so long. That's, those are the, that's the answer to the prayers that I've been praying for so long. and then I bought this picture,
Shey:Oh.
Katharine:it's by artist on Instagram. So it's, Jonathan Rumi as Jesus, his portrayal, so Jesus, his, portrayal Jesus, and then he's carrying a woman who, teal is the color for PCOS awareness.
Shey:I didn't know that.
Katharine:yeah, PCOS, which is funny considering that the chosen is teal and then PCOS awareness is teal. but it's just this beautiful reminder of that Jesus has always been there and he's carrying me
Shey:Oh, wow. That's awesome.
Katharine:and then the last one that has really, that I, has a special place in my heart is feeding of the 5, 000 because again, I got to go down to Texas and I also got to be a part of that and the weather there was the exact opposite of Sermon on the Mount because it was blistering hot that, that time
Shey:So you got to do both. You went to the feeding of the 5, 000 and you did the other, the sermon on the Mount both.
Katharine:Yep. And then I was also in Utah filming for season four as well.
Shey:Oh, I know about that one. I am so excited. I have a friend that I met at podcast movement a few weeks ago and she was there and she told me she goes Oh yeah, I know. And it's I can't say anything.
Katharine:There's so much if the episodes had already come out, I would be spilling my guts right now. There's so much I could talk about.
Shey:we can talk about the ones you've already done. So I would love to go back in time and talk about the two extras because that I, I remember when they were raising money for the feeding the 5, 000 cause I didn't start watching the chosen until season one was already out. Season two actually might've already been out cause I think that came out around Easter, didn't it? And I didn't start watching the chosen until
Katharine:Yes, I think somewhere around there.
Shey:Yeah. And I didn't get to start watching it until August. So of course I started season one and. I didn't, I missed out on all the live stuff that Dallas did when he brought out that special episode. But from that point on, I was, when I found out they were doing that Christmas special, I was all over getting those tickets. I was there. I bought all the
Katharine:a story about that. I have a story about that, too, that I'll share about that.
Shey:Okay, sure. Share it now.
Katharine:it was the messengers that episode where they basically didn't, they like, seriously, nobody knew that they were filming this episode until Dallas announced it. when I was in college, I was part of this program called the chosen ambassadors. it was a group of, I want to say, probably. 10 other college students from around the United States, who had gone through this application process through Angel Studios and The Chosen. And if you got selected, you were to promote and help talk about The Chosen on your respected campuses. that was an easy thing for me because, one, my college is where Dallas is. Graduated from and there are a lot of professors and staff there who remember him and his wife and are very proud of who he is and, what he's doing currently. So that was an easy in. but so when they announced that they were doing this messengers thing, I was buying, I bought a ticket right, like right away to go see in theaters. But then a couple weeks later. I got a group text from the leader of the ambassador program, who was a college student at, Yale. And he's Hey, we need to have an emergency zoom meeting. He's everything's good. We just need to talk like right now. So I jump on the zoom meeting and we're all like, okay, what's going on? And he's okay, here's the deal. The chosen wants to fly all of us out to DC. Pay for our hotel, pay for our plane tickets, wants to fly us out to DC for, the weekend or or whenever we were able to get there, depending on what our schedules were like. And have us join them in a red carpet premiere of the Messengers, Christmas special at the Museum of the Bible in DC. And so all of us just start freaking out. And like we were told, like some of the actors are going to be there. There's going to be some social media influencers that will be there. There's going to be like all these different Christian people there, Matt Mahr, who, who wrote, who has been on there and has wrote a song inspired by the chosen was there. Yeah, just all these sorts of things and all of us are like, Oh my gosh, is this like actually happening? And so like it was, and it's also like cocktail attire. So we all had to go out and buy either buy a suit or a dress for the event and like all this sort of stuff. we go down to DC. We get to, do a little sightseeing because the event wasn't until the evening. So we're doing a little bit of sightseeing. We had lunch on the, the lawn by the, between the Washington monument and the capitol building. We go to the event. We're all hanging out. We got to all meet, all see Dallas. I already met Dallas before at sermon on the Mount. So he knew who I was and so did Amanda. So it was like, Oh, Hey, it's good to see you again. I got to meet several of the actors there. but the one that's the one that's the biggest, thing that I was never expecting to get the opportunity to was I got to meet Jonathan that night and we actually didn't know that he was going to be there. We had been, everybody probably except for Dallas and Derryl, nobody else knew that Jonathan was actually going to be there. So when Jonathan, all of a sudden, like you saw him in the crowd, I was like, wait, is that who I think it is? So I
Shey:wild.
Katharine:check. I got a chance to talk to him, to meet him, to give him a really big hug, to tell him, I had like probably five minutes to speak to him, just tell him much he has impacted me and how much his portrayal and all those things had impacted me. So that was incredible. That was so much fun. Yeah.
Shey:after seeing these guys portray, and I know they're just humans like the rest of us, but they, especially Jonathan, I know he does a lot of praying before he goes into his roles. He takes them very seriously. And it brought tears to my eyes even thinking about meeting him. I'd be like, I just start crying if I saw him.
Katharine:I cried. I cried. I definitely cried.
Shey:Oh, good. Glad to know I wouldn't be the only one. Geez, making me tear up, I wasn't expecting that. I'm curious, too, are you going to be at the Chosen Con?
Katharine:unfortunately can't.
Shey:Oh,
Katharine:I'm planning to get, I'm planning to get virtual tickets, hopefully. but just because it was, when it was announced, I was Oh, gosh, when, was it announced? It was announced sometime in the spring. I was right, like somewhere right before graduation. I didn't know what my job would look like. I didn't know have a job by the rolled around, but I was going on the assumption that I would have a job by then. And, but there was just a lot of unknowns that I just decided for my own personal sanity that, you know what? As much as I want to go, it's not a good choice right now at this time in life. So I would love to go. I wish I could, but it's just not going to work out. So next year though, next year I will be there. Oh, can count year. I will be there,
Shey:I
Katharine:but, not this year.
Shey:I think they said for next year, they're going to try to plan for 10, 000 people. I thought I saw. So that's going to be amazing. I'm going, so this is my first chosen event and I started to say earlier that a year ago when I found out that they were going to be doing the Sermon on the Mount, like I think it was a thousand dollar donation or whatever. I had the money, but I had just moved and I was still working on my condo, trying to get it fixed up. And I'm like, I just, I don't know if I should, I, part of me is you should just do it. And I'm, I didn't necessarily hear God tell me one way or the other. And I guess if he would have said, you should go, I probably would have gone. But, I wish I would have, because the opportunities to meet other believers and people. I know we all love the show, but I think it's because we're all believers and it brings us all together and share our excitement and, how much the show has impacted each of our lives. And that's why everybody's there, right? Isn't that what you experienced when you met everybody?
Katharine:Oh, absolutely. The three times that I've been there. First off, I just want to, before I go into talking about other believers, I just want to give a shout out if any of the chosen cast or crew happened to be, specifically the crew happened to hear, watch this or listen to this, you all are amazing. You guys take, they took so, they took such great care of us. They're just, they're some of the kindest, Sweetest people ever. They take such good care of their background extras and their fans whenever there's some big event. They're, again, just some of the sweetest, hardest working people that you can ever meet. And they made us all feel so loved, so welcome. Like again, the three times that I've been there fed us amazing food, like the food I've had at the three times I've been there has been amazing. It's been so good. and then just always like making sure, like when we're Sermon on the mount, it was freezing cold, making sure that everybody was staying warm, passing out hand warmers. Checking in on people, making sure that we were getting up and moving to get the blood flowing in between shots. when it was feeding of the 5, 000, it was that scorching hot, telling us, reminding us, stay in the shade as much as possible. Don't exert your, don't exert yourself too much. drink as much water as possible. They had volunteers who were literally just filling huge bags, and just, every time they yelled, cut, and they were moving to another scene, literally, like Army of blue shirts that were just running around saying anybody needed water. Anybody need a Gatorade? And then when I was in Utah, it was hot, but it was a dry heat. So it was more bearable than the humidity heat But still they were like everybody they were always checking in on us. are you wearing sunscreen? Are you? Making sure that you, when we're not filming your umbrella, you have an umbrella up over you who needs a water, who needs a Gatorade, like all this stuff and not just the crew, but also the fans themselves, we were always checking in on each other, reminding ourselves to re- apply sunscreen, to drink water, to chug a Gatorade when we could, put the umbrellas up, find shade when we weren't, when the cameras weren't rolling, all those sorts of things. So it's just, it's amazing to see how much like. These are people we've never met. Like we may know some people from like online interactions, but the majority of us, we don't know each other. The only connection we have is we love Jesus and we love the chosen. And we don't even have to know each other to just feel this connection and want to make sure that we're all be all taking care of each other and making sure that we're doing what we need to do to make this experience the best thing possible.
Shey:What a great place to be, surrounded by a Christian family like that. the love and the Holy Spirit both had to be so strong there, I would think.
Katharine:Oh, it, was amazing. Cause Feeding of the 5, 000. And then when I was there in Utah, they just split us up into color groups. And so when one color group or two color groups were out filming however many people they needed, the rest of us were in a holding tent. I'm specifically talking about Utah this time. We're in a holding tent and we would just sit there and wait for, Whenever they, one group came back and they need to switch out and stuff like that. And we would just sit around and there was like, the atmosphere was just so joyful. everybody was happy. people got tired because we're out in the heat and we're, we were considered working extras. We didn't get paid, but that's what we were considered is working extras. There wasn't like a big event like they had for Sermon on the Mount and Feeding of the 5, 000. but everybody was so happy. I got to, I made several, a handful of new friends who now I keep in contact with over social media. got to share my testimony, got to hear other people's stories and testimonies. The chosen was a constant thing we talked about. Yeah, just this is again, you didn't have to know this person that you were sitting at this table with you just, but you could just bond almost immediately because again, you love the chosen. You love Jesus. There's plenty to talk about right there.
Shey:it's funny, before I was a Christian, you may not know what this is since you were saved at such a young age, but before I became a Christian, You just go through life. You just meet people come and go, whatever. But it's as soon as I started, as soon as I was saved and I started meeting all the Christian people, it's I don't want to let go of those connections because of the way I feel when I'm around them, the way they support me, they love me. they encourage me. Don't give up on that podcast. Keep doing it. And I just, I never expected that. So I'm sure when you meet these people, when you're at these events that the bonds that you have with them probably become unbreakable bonds. They're probably, that's what I would imagine, right?
Katharine:Yeah, and the Bible talks about how we are brothers and sisters through our through art through Christ So I see these people whether I've talked to them for five minutes or I've known them for several days or known them for years I view them because we have that bond of, we both love Jesus. We're both part of his family. I see them as family, not in the blood sense, but in this, we have this connection. We have a, heavenly father. We have, we're both, we both have a savior who came to this earth and died for us. And so that makes us family and we can, this is the thing I tell people, as long as you agree that Jesus was God, Jesus was the son of God. Came to this earth, was fully God, fully human, died on the cross to save us, rose again three days later, is in heaven, went back to heaven and is preparing a place for us and he's going to come back and get us very soon. As long as we agree on those, five, five or six things, we're good. The other things are minor things that we can agree to disagree or agree on. But long as we're those major things, I honestly don't care what denomination you are or religious backgrounds. as long as we agree on those things, because those are the, for me personally, those are the core things, we're good. We're good. I don't care if you're Lutheran, Catholic, whatever it is. as long as we can have an agreement on those things, I will talk all day with you about the Chosen or Jesus or whatever you want.
Shey:I just feel bad for all those people that don't know what it's like. It's like there was the old Shey and there's the new Shey, just like Mary says, the thing that happened between was him and the people that are still the old versions and they haven't become the new versions. They don't realize what they're missing out on. And I'm so thankful for the chosen because it was a major seed in my life. There were other seeds that were planted, but it was like that turning point for me. And, I would just wish that if anybody that's. So if you're just listening or watching this and they have not found Jesus yet, they just happened to stumble across this video, man, I would just watch the chosen, watch every episode, watch it multiple times, do whatever it takes and read the Bible and just get into it because you're missing out on people that will just love you and bring you to Jesus. And, then of course, the ultimate when we finally get to meet Jesus in person. what, was your more favorite? Did you have a favorite between the three events that you attended? Oh,
Katharine:say Utah, for reasons I can't talk about, unfortunately.
Shey:does it have anything to do with the scene that you were recording?
Katharine:Yes.
Shey:Yeah. Oh, I can
Katharine:that and the Yeah, the scene, the several scenes we filmed, and then also because The Chosen is now more well known and I've made friends and gotten to know a lot more people through The Chosen and like The Chosen has now had experience with large groups of extras, this felt a lot more, it felt a lot more organized and it felt I felt a lot more comfortable being on set. I knew the routines. I knew what was expected. I knew all these things. So there wasn't, I wasn't ever, wondering, what are we doing now or anything like that. It was just, Oh, I know what we're doing. I know what is expected. We're just going to go with it. So it felt a lot more smoother. And I was just like, it was like riding a bike, Oh, I'm here. This is what I expected. Let's go.
Shey:So just curious, cause I don't know what it's like when you go there, do you have to bring your own kind of attire or do they provide all that for you? What about makeup, hair, all that
Katharine:you. You have to do your own costume. You have to create it and bring it yourself. If you are what is a regular extra or a veteran extra where you have gone through an agency and you're one of the regulars that the Chosen calls upon to come be just background, in a scene, that's when you get to go through all the costume makeup stuff. But if you're just a fan who's gotten this experience you have to make your own costume, but, and this is another thing that Chosen has done so well, and another way that they chase, they just take such good care of their fans and, background. Their costume team, for each of the three events that have happened so far, put together an extensive PDF document about, alright, Here are the materials. Here are the colors. Here's the do's and don'ts. Here's how you should style your hair for women and men. Here's how you should style your clothes for women and men. Here's the jewelry you can wear. Here's the jewelry you can't. Here's the customs for dress back then for men and women. here's the colors you want to avoid. Here's links to Amazon places where you can buy. Garments and clothing that look like the look we're going for. here's where you can buy sandals or here's what sandals styles are appropriate to wear while on set. And then not just that, but there's a Facebook page, it's called the chosen extras. And it's where everybody who's been an extra before, has gathered and they just sharing tips and tricks and tutorials and things like that and what worked and what didn't. and we've just taken such good care of each other. So by the third time that we've done this, we've just got it down. okay, here's what we need to do. And then for the newcomers, okay, here's what you need to do. Here's what you need to expect. But so I was, I've been blessed enough to be able to raid my church's costume box and use the costumes that they have to create my looks that I, wore for that, for Utah when I was down there and then also for feeding the 5, 000 and sermon on the mount. So I was very blessed in that way. And then I also, the other like minor few things that I was still missing that I couldn't find in that costume box. I either found at Goodwill or,
Shey:Okay. So how much, how expensive is it for somebody as a fan, not including the, whatever it requires to make a donation or whatever, but as far as buying your own clothes, your ticket, your place to stay, how much do you think a fan would have to pay? Is it like a thousand dollars
Katharine:it depends how thrifty you are. I've been very, I was raised in a very, not extremely frugal, but thrifty frugal household. So I'm like all the tips and tricks about how to find the cheapest airline prices, how to find the cheapest car rentals, cheapest hotels. I'd probably say altogether between, depending again, depending on where you're flying from. Cause that again, that affects airplane prices and things like that. my experience has been anywhere between 500 to maybe 800 maybe leaning towards a thousand. So anywhere between there, The time I went for Sermon on the Mount, I actually didn't pay for anything because God does what he does and friends paid for our hotel and friends paid for our plane tickets. So we just paid for the rental car and food. That was all we had pay for. But when I went down for Texas for a feeding of the 5, 000, I was by myself that time. I think plane ticket, rental car and hotel ended up probably being. Around, probably between 500, 800. And then this time in Utah, I think Because I stay, it helps to stay with friends. So if you have friends that you're going with, or if you've made chosen friends, and they want to like, hey, let's just stay together, do that. Because that is a money, that's a money saver. I think it was probably around the same amount as when I went to feeding the 5, seriously, Goodwill is your friend or any thrift store. honestly, talk to your church. If you have a church, a home church, or if you know of a church around your area that maybe does Easter shows or Bible, some sort of like Christmas or Easter production, just go to the, just email someone and just say, Hey, I'm going to be an extra on a biblical show called the chosen. I need to put together my own costume. Are you willing to let me borrow this? It'll be returned to you washed and all that sort of stuff. Are you willing to let me borrow the costume? Maybe see if they want, maybe to have you pay them to just borrow it or something like that. And then if you, or if a lot of people, if you have a talented friend who is a seamstress or a tailor, see if they're willing to make you a costume and all you have to do is just pay for the materials. there's a lot of ways to do it so it's not costing you an arm and a leg.
Shey:It's good to know, cause I'm sure there are people that are going to be listening and are curious. what does it take to be on the show? And I know, the last time around the friend that I've met at podcast movement, she had to, raise money by sharing the link and getting people to pay. And
Katharine:that's, that was me too.
Shey:yeah, so I should have done that one too. I feel like such a slacker compared to all you guys, I'll be ready this
Katharine:it's okay there. I can say this. I have insider information.
Shey:Oh, good.
Katharine:There's probably going to be probably two or three. I can't pro, I'm not pro making promise and don't hold me to this, but there's, there is possibly gonna be two or three more opportunities
Shey:That's what I was
Katharine:be an
Shey:for. Yeah.
Katharine:they're not quite done with that yet. They're not quite done with that yet.
Shey:Oh, I was thinking about, one of the major times we're probably going to need extras is when we get to season six. And, people are yelling, crucify him. I don't know if I want to be in that
Katharine:even.
Shey:How
Katharine:too. And also for when Jesus flips tables. So we're going need, we're going to need lots of people for that.
Shey:many people, extras did they bring for Utah?
Katharine:there was about 600, 700 of us.
Shey:So not as many as the other two then.
Katharine:No. Yeah, it was definitely smaller.
Shey:I am so excited. I cannot wait until season four gets here. I hate the fact that they waited until February and you go see it in movie theater. It's I thought they would bring it back around November of this year like they did the year.
Katharine:I did too. And hey, maybe depend, depending on how quickly they're able to get stuff done, we might get it earlier. I'm, I think they're just, I think they're just playing it safe, giving themselves enough time to do it really well. Dallas has said they felt a little rushed last time. So I think they're just giving themselves enough time to do it well, but it's, I'm like, I think it's entirely possible that we could get it earlier if things go well. I'm not saying I know anything, but I think it's a possibility that we could get it earlier.
Shey:it's so funny because when I talk to my friends, I know secrets about the Chosen, and they're like, then we all kind of joke around, it's all in the Bible, But it's not the same!
Katharine:yeah, it's not.
Shey:There's so many scenes, I keep wondering, are they gonna do this scene? Are they gonna do that scene? I'm just so curious to see You know, everything they do, I just, I love this show. I think it is just so life changing. I don't, I know that we talked a little bit, before I started recording, you said there were some life changing moments. Was that the little, James? Am I missing anything? I don't want to miss out if there's something important you want to share.
Katharine:so that, that wasn't, it was life changing in a way, but there's an overall life changing thing that happened. So it goes back to growing up in a Christian home. and forgive my croaky voice and sniffles occasionally. I'm currently on the end of a very bad sinus infection. and I had to, I had it while teaching. So put teaching on top of trying to get over a cold. It's just not a good combination. But anyway, so like I said, I grew up in a Christian home, been a Christian since I was around four or five. For a long time, especially during elementary and middle school ish, my faith was very much just f Copying my parents, going to church, Sunday school, VBS, and don't get me wrong. I loved all those things. I loved going to church. I still love going to church. I love Sunday school. I love VBS. I love all those things, but it was very much just doing whatever my parents did, and it was around high end of middle school through high school and then through college where I really started to, make my faith my own. It wasn't just something that my parents had passed down to me. It was, okay, why do I believe what I believe? Why am I a Christian? Why did I decide to follow Christ at four years old? why do I go to church? Why do I believe in One God and an invisible God who I can't see, who I can't hear, all these, things. And some of those questions I really struggled with. I actually got mad about some of these things because I didn't know the answer. but God was gracious and he's put so many amazing, Christian people in my life, my mom, my dad, my pastors, youth pastor, people at my family at church, like all these different people who have been able to guide me, teach me along the way, answer my questions. and so really started to make my faith my own end of middle school into high school. And then when I got into college. My faith really started to become dry. it was more of just a routine. I still loved Jesus and all that sort of stuff, but it started feeling more of, a routine that I would just do. And, to be honest, I hadn't picked up my Bible for several months. wasn't really reading my Bible. Would try to start reading my Bible, but just Got distracted or forgot about it or things like that. just wasn't really feeling close to God. I'd see other people. I did a Bible study with the women at my church, by Beth Moore. And I would see how she would, just talk about God and talk about things. things in the Bible and, like just how God has impacted her and her relationship with God. And I was like, I want a faith like hers. I want a relationship like hers. And I'd see other people like that in my life, whether it's people I knew or just Chris famous celebrity Christians, it sounds weird saying that, but, Billy Graham or people like that. I was like, God, I want a faith like theirs. I want it where it's you're my best friend. You're someone that I just talk to. It's natural to just talk to you and all that sort of stuff. And I would, write that in my prayer journals, I can go back in my prayer journals and point out places where I would just ask God, I would sometimes beg him, I want this relationship. And I was like, I don't care how you do it, I don't care what method you use, just, I want this faith that, where you're my closest friend, where I feel your presence with me every day, all that stuff. My second semester, my first and second semesters at, my college were really rough. I was homesick. It was my first time living away from home. I didn't really have a lot of friends because I was, new to the school, so I hadn't made a lot of friends yet. it was like, it was just a major life change and I was just like a fish out of water or something like that.
Shey:Yep.
Katharine:I was, it was during, and God definitely used my time at my college to shape me. It was a Christian college and God definitely used the people and situations there to help grow me, to help shape me, draw me close, draw me closer to him. But. And I just I just figured this out last year. this is recent discovery. I was reflecting and I actually, it was, no, it wasn't just last year. It was, I think it was this past winter spring, actually. No, it was just this past winter spring that I figured this out. I was, cause I was getting ready to graduate. I was reflecting on my time at my college and things like that. It all of a sudden hit me. It was like, God, you use the chosen as an answer to those prayers that I was praying. Cause I remember like the days and weeks leading up to when I discovered the chosen, I was just not doing too good. just feeling really distant from God. and it's going to sound cheesy cliche, as I've, as I was, have been processing through this and thinking about this, I can look at my faith, my life, but more so my faith before I had the chosen in my life before I'd had watched the chosen. And I can look at it after I've watched the chosen and they are two. Very, different things. And like it, when I figured of course, when I like it clicked for me, I just started sobbing again. I was like, Oh my gosh, I was like, God, you use the chosen to the, as an answer to this prayer that I've been praying of deepening my faith, because the chosen got me reading my Bible more. It got me. connecting with his word more. It got me to pray more. It got me, it literally has changed my relationship with Jesus. Like I don't, see him as some all powerful. he is an all powerful God, but I don't see him as this all powerful God who is on a white cloud somewhere up in the sky, ready these, who's so distant and far away and is just ready to smite anyone who Disobeys. he's become my friend. He's my savior. He's someone who I love with every ounce of my being and who I know loves me more than I can imagine. He's someone that I can talk to whenever, like I can be in my car, I can be in my bed, I can be in the shower, like wherever, whenever I can talk to him and he's there listening. and I just have, I'm a lot more joyful and a happier person too. I've had teachers, I've had friends, I've had coworkers, I've had multiple people tell me it's you're so joyful, you're so happy. You just have this happy, joyful brightness about you. know that's because I've had this change in my relationship with Jesus and it's made me, it's the chosen has made me love him more, has brought me closer to him. And I do want to say that if the chosen hadn't existed, this still would have happened. Jesus would have had used something to draw me closer to him. But in this instance, it just so happened to be the chosen. And I am forever. grateful and in debt to Dallas and Amanda and the actors and the crew for the impact that their work, no matter how small everyone from production to editing, to costumes, to lighting, to sets like everyone, everything and everyone in between. I'm so grateful for them because their work Again, no matter how small the job that they've had, their work has changed my life and my faith.
Shey:I totally can relate everything you just said. I'm so happy for you that you were able to watch the show and were open to it. Cause some people are like, I can't watch that. That's all heresy or whatever, So I'm glad you were open to it and that it led you and it's brought you on. It sounds like a pretty amazing journey with getting to attend these events. Be so well, I don't know what the word is. you're well into the community of other chosen fans. And, that's, I think it's amazing. I'm so thankful that you decided to be on the show today and share this amazing story with my listeners. I can't wait to share this. I'm just curious, cause you're obviously of that millennial age and I've seen the millennial show that Dallas did. Do you find, when you were in college, do you find that a lot of those, that age group really is connecting with this
Katharine:I would say yes. my like core group of friends who have seen the show and, who love it. one of, one of my best friends, she was just as big of a fan as I was. And so that's how we bonded basically when we met was over the chosen. And I would, say yes. I do know that there is a number of people who my age, who haven't seen it yet. And I hope that The Chosen keeps putting out efforts to draw that audience in because I've had friends. And family members go through some pretty rough stuff. And the only thing that has gotten them or gotten us through it has been our relationship with Jesus. And our faith. And I think that especially people my age and even a little younger, we're still in that. Seeking, trying to figure out who we are, trying to figure out who God is, trying to figure out what our faith even is. And I think especially for kids or young adults who have grown up in churches where maybe Jesus isn't portrayed the way he is in the chosen. I think this would, I definitely think the chosen would help many people who have misconceptions about who Jesus is. I think it would really help them to see, no, this is who Jesus is. He's not some God who is going to, who is frowning at you and who is far off and distant and is just watching for you to make a mistake. He's a God, he's, a God who literally became one of us and loved us so much that he, left his glory, came to earth, lived as one of us, and then died the most horrible death you can imagine just so that we could live with him someday. And so I think, again, I think the chosen would be really helpful drawing people in who have been hurt by the church or hurt by family members, or maybe have been turned off by the church and Jesus. I think it would really help them. And I also think for those of us, for those of us who have had good. Experiences with the church and with Christianity. It would help us. It helps us to deepen our faith and think about things that maybe we've never thought about before.
Shey:I think the way you just said all that was the best way we could end this conversation today. exactly what you just said about what he did for us. When I stop and meditate on that, that he left his glory. She came here, lived as one of us and died for us. It just, if I think about that too much, I'll start crying. It's pretty amazing. So what you said was on. And that's probably where she, we should wrap up this interview. if people are interested in following you, I know you're on Instagram. Do you want to share that?
Katharine:Yes. my, I have a private one, which is just for me and close friends, but then I also have a public one that is. from when I was an ambassador, but now I've just continued it on as a fan page promoting Chosen, so it's Chosen, it's all, it's one word, ChosenAmbassador underscore MN for Minnesota, where I live, so ChosenAmbassador underscore MN. So yeah, I'm there too. And then honestly, guys, please go follow the chosen on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, all the places that is where you're going to stay up to date with the show. That's where you're going to get behind the scenes looks at things. it's where you're going to get all the information and also where you can connect with other fans like myself That's how I've made so many of my friends that I have now is because I met them on the fan page on Facebook and we just clicked and just got to know each other. And again, the rest of the rest is history. The rest is history.
Shey:rine. so much for being here and everybody, please go follow her on Instagram and learn all about the chosen and go to all the sites that she just said.
Katharine:Thank you so much for having me, Shey. it's been a blast. I've loved being able to have this conversation.
So, what did you think of that interview with Catherine? Meaning? Isn't that fantastic how God spoke to her at such a young age. And she was saved very early on. Later on in her life, she rebuilt that connection with Jesus. And she said that show had a big part of that as part of her life. I love that story. Catherine. Thank you so much for being here. I really enjoy talking to you. It's nice to have a chance to talk to people of different ages, to see how different people are impacted by the chosen. If you like to keep up with what's going on with my show, you can join my Facebook. At walking with the chosen and you can also find me on Instagram at walking with the chosen. I believe it's underscore podcast, but I will have it here on the video for sure. I always forget to look to make sure I know what. I actually called it. And soon I'm going to be creating a Facebook page for walking with the chosen as well. Cause I'm hoping I can start pushing. Seeing the show out to even more people and letting them find it. I would love to have more stories to share. I'm going to be going back into the routine of reviewing seasons two and seasons three, and having my recap on here going forward. But I have just a couple more interviews left to bring you guys, and I may have something extra special coming soon.