Whitley Dykes dropped out of college once, the same as a few other well-known dropouts, before finding his way back to UAB to study international relations. A 2008 encounter with God changed the direction of everything that followed. While studying abroad in Shanghai, he felt pulled toward full-time ministry--even though he had no real template yet for what that would look like. That pull carried him to China for almost eight years, where he met his wife, Kunyu, and started building a life around calling instead of convention.
Back in the U.S., Whitley and Kunyu turned a 12-foot food trailer into Dumps Like a Truck, then into a full restaurant, The Irritable Bao, then another, 'drome in Seaside, Florida. Along the way they launched Kaiyan Global, a nonprofit using their businesses to fund education, mentorship, and opportunity for kids overseas and families closer to home. For Whitley, none of it was a departure from ministry. It was ministry, just with a new address.
Join us October 7th for an evening with Whitley as he shares how a college dropout ended up running restaurants on two continents while trying to stay obedient to a voice he first heard in China. Expect good stories, honest faith, and a room full of guys wrestling with what it looks like to build something that actually matters.
Doors open at 7pm. Come early, grab a drink, and meet some new faces before the talk begins.
Whitley Dykes dropped out of college once, the same as a few other well-known dropouts, before finding his way back to UAB to study international relations. A 2008 encounter with God changed the direction of everything that followed. While studying abroad in Shanghai, he felt pulled toward full-time ministry--even though he had no real template yet for what that would look like. That pull carried him to China for almost eight years, where he met his wife, Kunyu, and started building a life around calling instead of convention.
Back in the U.S., Whitley and Kunyu turned a 12-foot food trailer into Dumps Like a Truck, then into a full restaurant, The Irritable Bao, then another, 'drome in Seaside, Florida. Along the way they launched Kaiyan Global, a nonprofit using their businesses to fund education, mentorship, and opportunity for kids overseas and families closer to home. For Whitley, none of it was a departure from ministry. It was ministry, just with a new address.
Join us October 7th for an evening with Whitley as he shares how a college dropout ended up running restaurants on two continents while trying to stay obedient to a voice he first heard in China. Expect good stories, honest faith, and a room full of guys wrestling with what it looks like to build something that actually matters.
Doors open at 7pm. Come early, grab a drink, and meet some new faces before the talk begins.