About Us

What We Do

At Soul Survivor Outdoor, we deliver the gospel to every active duty military service member who joins us. By taking service members off base and into the outdoors —through activities like rock climbing, whitewater rafting, skydiving, and more—we immerse them in God’s creation, creating a setting for real, life-changing experiences. Our program aligns with Department of Defense goals for building resiliency, spiritual fitness, and unit readiness by making the requirements for mental, spiritual, physical, emotional, and social fitness practical and engaging, moving beyond the classroom.

How We Do it

Our Christ-centered adventures with service members break down walls, build camaraderie, and open the door to honest discussions about identity, purpose, and seeing themselves through God’s eyes. Through impactful testimonies from active duty personnel or veterans with a strong faith foundation, we create real connections resulting in meaningful conversations.

Why It Works

Fully engaging the mind, body, and spirit in these outdoor adventures makes an impact that sticks. Service members explore faith, life, and what a personal relationship with Christ can mean in a real way. Our team is authentic and dedicated, quickly earning trust. By witnessing the transformation of others who have built their lives on Jesus’ foundation from Luke 6:47-49, they’re inspired to think about anchoring their own lives to Christ.

The Proof

The results speak for themselves. Senior military leaders and chaplains see the impact and keep coming back, knowing this is a unique way to promote holistic wellness and connect service members with faith. Typically 30-40%, and sometimes even 100%, of participants walk away with a renewed or newfound desire to know God, deepen their faith, or rebuild their relationship with Him.

Feedback

The feedback says it all! A U.S. Army Green Beret Sergeant First Class shared, “It was the most beneficial religious engagement I have had in my 17 years of service. I shot skeet, relaxed, ate delicious Mission BBQ, and received an uplifting message of hope while dealing with the chaos in my own life. I needed this and recommend it for anyone going through profound struggles…”

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“I want to say THANK YOU! You have no idea the impact you make. You saved me without even realizing it.”

Jose Flores - GySgt USMC
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“Soul Survivor Outdoor helped me come back from a dark place and saved me during a time I needed it. You could do one thing for me and keep doing what you’re doing for service members like me. My chaplain and your program helped me and I know I can’t be the only one. I appreciate it more than I could ever express.”

SGT Alexander Baran, U.S. Army
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“SSO was amazing. They provided useful tools for spiritual resiliency and fitness. They allowed the opportunity for people to accept God or recommit to faith. The conversations had ignited a light in me… but the outdoor activities were a bonus.”

SSG Olivia Butler, U.S. Army
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“As a man who attempts but fails many times to maintain a relationship with God, over 6 years and 4 deployments in the Marine Corps, life can be hard and maintaining that relationship can be especially hard. SSO provided an opportunity to renew my relationship with the Lord that I wasn’t even aware I needed until today. As simple as I can put it, what they do is awesome. . .  I am extremely happy I had the opportunity to attend.”

Cpl Wayne Campbell, U.S. Marine Corps
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“They’re fantastic. . . In 22 years of active duty service I’ve never seen such a wonderful resource to get soldiers away from the unit but still bonding and getting that cohesion that you don’t normally get until you’re kind of under stressful situations or a hard core training event.  but this is the fun part of making friends and sharing testimony. You guys are so fantastic and I’m happy to be here and blessed to be a part of it.“

CW3 Jason Rutherford, U.S. Army Apache Pilot
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“As a twenty-year active-duty Navy Corpsman, I’ve seen my fair share of organizations stepping up to support military members. But I’ve never experienced anything quite like this. This program was life-changing in every sense: mentally, physically, and spiritually. . . The impact on me was profound; it’s something I’ll carry with me forever.”

Petty Officer Third Class Sam Goodwin, U.S. Navy Corpsman
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“This event was tremendously impactful and allowed my Soldiers and myself to share and communicate outside of the typical work environment. Great event with a lot to offer and will push hard to get everyone possible to take advantage of this faith-based approach to nourishment and sustainment.”

1SGT Brandon Casey, U.S. Army
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“The BEST experience of my life! So grateful for the opportunity and the amazing staff!”

LCpl Alexis Dea, U.S. Marine Corps
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“This group is providing everything that our soldiers are missing! Community, Faith and Spiritual Fitness! Thank you for making an impact on our young soldiers.”

CPT Kenneth Harrison, U.S. Army
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“The freaking best thing hands down! Loved every bit of it!”

Petty Officer Third Class Heidy Salmeron, U.S. Navy
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“I came out of this event spiritually, mentally and emotionally refreshed and refitted for my unit’s mission! I would definitely do another event like this and encourage my Soldiers to attend!”

CW3 Jacob Cowen, U.S. Army
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 “I loved the trip they had us take with them, and their stories they had to share I was very grateful to listen to. Even if you consider yourself a secular person it’s a wonderful opportunity to work on a spiritual side and connect with that part of ourselves that we as a society lack in. Definitely take the trip if given the chance.”

PFC Justin Kirschner, U.S. Marine Corps
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“Soul Survivor Outdoor provides some of the best practical/tangible support to active duty military service members through outdoor adventures. . . each event creates a positive environment and esprit de corps that is engaging and opens up an aspect of outdoor life too easily neglected in the grind of deployment and training cycles. SSO is a must for any unit who desires their service members to have a revitalizing experience.”  

SFC Jacob Schanck, U.S. Army
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“Real resilient training with practicable life applications lessons to draw from. Thanks to . . . Mr. Garcia and his team.”

1LT Henry Onwughai, Chaplain, U.S. Army
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“Amazing experience and fantastic staff. . . the experience can be enjoyed regardless of your religious preference . . .  I would highly recommend the organization to anyone who’s looking to better themselves or simply have an amazing time with an extraordinary community that truly cares for the people it serves regardless of opinion or background.”

Sgt Bo Olson, U.S. Marine Corps
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“Top notch ability to connect with active duty soldiers and provide free resources that really engage the soldier.”

MSG Kristopher Small, U.S. Army
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“The best spiritual event I’ve ever been to, great time and felt more connected to God when I left!”

LCpl Caleb Cook, U.S. Marine Corps
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“I recently took the opportunity to go to a SSO rock climbing event and we all had a blast! The events themselves were super fun and opened up some new hobbies for me. But more importantly we all gathered together and got to talk about our relationship with God and received some great information to guide us with our spiritual journey.”

Cpl Emmanuel Garcia, U.S. Marine Corps
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Rick and his team have genuine care and concern for our service members and I hope to get to experience more with them and support them in any way I can. SSO represents what’s best in people and I’m excited for what they hold for the future.”

1stLt Damon Alvarez, U.S. Marine Corps

Testimonials

They Deserve Our Support

Our freedom is secured by the men and women who sacrifice to protect it, shouldering stress and hardship so we don’t have to. They deserve our unwavering support and gratitude.