Staff Profile: Julia Sayles

With a deep love for family (especially her newborn nephew), a passion for live music, and a knack for bringing people together, Julia “Dovey” Sayles is ready to make you feel like a part of the Springs family. Get to know the Springs Associate Director as she shares stories from her time at Pine Cove and how she’s seen God’s sovereignty every step of the way! 

How did you get to Pine Cove initially?
I grew up as a camper at Camp Ozark, then did Young Life in high school. I went to UT in Chattanooga and Brooks “Uno” Howard and I were co-leaders on a Young Life team together, and he had done two summers at the Ranch. I got a text from JD “Rambus” Moore one day and it said, “Hey, this JD Moore. Brooks Howard gave me your number. Do you want to interview to work at Pine Cove this summer?” This was the first time Pine Cove had come that far southeast to recruit! So I said, “Sure, why not?” I went and interviewed with Ellie “Lunar Toons” Krejci, and left the coffee shop thinking, “I’m going to end up in Texas.” And I totally did! I worked as a counselor at the Ranch. Our whole friend group ended up working: Brooks, Caroline “Volly” Coon, Sydney “Vibes” Batten, and several others. 

You’ve been at the Springs since its first summer. How did you end up there?
I knew the then Springs director, Caleb Carter because he had previously been the Ranch director. When they were starting the Springs, they were looking for college leaders who had worked at Pine Cove previously and who were from the southeast. So Caleb called me! That was the summer I started full time as the women’s director. My parents were like, “Oh my gosh, what just happened?”

I know family is really important to you, so tell me about your family and your new nephew!
I grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee. My parents are amazing. They’re literally all the good things that I aspire to be. My dad’s a pilot and my mom is an accounting professor—they’re my best friends. 

I also have a brother named Jack. He’s actually deployed right now, so he’s serving in the Air Force in the Middle East. We got to welcome his first child, unfortunately without him. He comes home in about a month, so we’re all hands on deck until he’s back! He’s the first grandkid baby in our whole family, so we’re all on cloud nine. My camera roll has easily doubled since he got here. He is the cutest baby! 

I’ve heard that you are a big deal on a horse, and even had a riding career. Tell me more about this!
I grew up competing and riding horses! It started with me, just like every other five-year-old girl, wanting a pony. I was lucky enough to get one and never stopped riding since! I fell in love with the sport, and my parents would say that it taught me so many fundamental skills since I was taking care of an animal at such a young age. Soon enough I started competing in local shows, which then grew to me competing on a state level, and then a national level. I even competed once at a world level—it was crazy! If there’s a picture of my childhood, it’s me on a horse. That is how and why I am the way that I am. 

Outside of horses, what would you say is one of your favorite hobbies?
I love to travel! I was lucky enough to travel to significant parts of the world at a young age, which had a lot to do with my dad being a pilot, and my parents prioritizing traveling. Now I find myself looking for weekend flights any chance I get! I also picked up running in the past year along with photography, which has been really fun.

Are concerts a pretty big deal for you?
Oh my gosh, yes—big deal. The biggest deal. I love live music! I always have. If I don’t go to a concert at least once a month then something’s off. I’ve seen Harry Styles in concert on every single tour he’s ever been on at least once—I’ve even traveled to New York to see him. But there’s not a concert that I wouldn’t go to if someone invited me. I just love live music! Being in Atlanta made it easy to see plenty of popular musicians, and growing up in Knoxville definitely established my love of live music. 

Is it true that you have a whole closet at your house devoted to hosting items? And if so, what is it about hosting that you love so much?
Yes, I have a lot of closets in my bedroom, so I devoted one to being my hosting closet. I thrift and find things all the time: glassware, plateware, table runners, candles. It is truly one of my favorite things to do. This year I decided I’ll host a dinner party once a month and theme it differently each month, which has been the best. I genuinely love the space that’s cultivated around a table and the environment that it fosters for conversations and for sharing stories. So yes, having a closet full of silly decorations is fun, but really it’s to celebrate the bigger motive of having people around the table. I find a lot of joy in creating a space for people to commune, mainly because Jesus did so much ministry around the table. I want to reflect Him in being someone that’s hospitable and inviting. It’s so much fun to get dressed up and share a meal with people I love, so that’s what we do!

I’ve been told that you are notorious for having some pretty spicy hot takes. Are you willing to share a few of those?
Oh my gosh, the list is endless, mainly because I’m quick to tell people what I think. I do have some that come to mind though—I think pickles are the worst thing we’ve created as humans. I also don’t think Do Not Disturb should not exist on our phones. I’m just like, turn your ringer off or turn your phone off if you don’t want me to reach you. Also, Tennessee is easily the greatest state in the United States.

What’s a way that you’ve seen God move in the process of starting a camp from scratch?
God supplied the Springs with a unique sense of family. And I could go on and on about this. We were a small team from all different Pine Cove camps, and we were all there knowing it wouldn’t be easy, but knowing what God had envisioned for that place. This foundation led to a deeper level of community and service that was different than I’d ever experienced. 

And so to answer your question, the way that I saw God move was supplying the people that were there and the way He ordained since the beginning of time who should be in each role. Everything He did was intentional, and I’ve seen that continue in the way that the Spring team is continuously marked by feeling like a family. That’s something the full-time team really fights for, because when the people you’re serving with are unified and connected in that way, then the impact is limitless. And as we’ve grown, we haven’t lost that sense of family. That will be what I sing praises of for the rest of my days: how God provided, and how the Springs team became my family.

You’ve been at Pine Cove for a number of years now. Is there a meaningful memory that sticks out?
Two automatically come to my mind. The first is the overarching joy it is to work with Caroline Coon. She’s my cousin, my coworker, my friend, and my roommate. I can’t explain how much I love getting to experience this season with her as we work together and simultaneously go home for the holidays together—it’s the best of both worlds and I’m so grateful.  

Then there’s a specific recruiting story where I was at Clemson, which is obviously a predominantly southeast school, and we were handing out pizza and flyers on campus. I bumped shoulders with a girl named Kate Barrier—she had said no to a job from the Ridge, but the reasons she had said no were no longer reasons. So then, through a lot of conversations and prayer and talking with the Ridge team, she ended up coming to work at the Springs. The openhandedness from the Ridge was so awesome. 

We had a hole on our team that we had no idea what we were going to do about, and then to see her step into the Springs was so fun and so cool. But the story gets even sweeter because she is returning again this summer as a senior counselor. It’s encouraging because it reminds me that the Lord ordains my steps at every moment, not just during camp. He knew that I was going to bump into Kate and get to meet her, and He knew not only about needing to fill a media role, but also how she would continue to serve this summer. It makes me think, “Wow, Lord, thank you for letting me be a part of that.”

What’s something that God’s teaching you right now?
There’s so much I could say. I think honestly, the Lord is teaching me how to steward my gifts in the way that He designed for me to. If all good things in me are from the Lord, which they are, then to acknowledge that and walk in those things is not prideful, but actually obedient. 

At the same time, He’s teaching me an overwhelming sense of patience. And the word that’s been pressed upon my heart is wait. My prayer has been, “Lord, I don’t want to get ahead of you. I don’t want to outrun you. I want to first and foremost know exactly what you have for me in each and every moment.” Learning how He wants to use me and how to steward gifts He’s given me is going to come from me first being present.