First Day Completed - Outreach To Come Shortly

Well, a lot has happened in the last few days. In fact Kels and I have already completed our first full day of training and let me just say it was intense. Nerve wracking, sweat producing, and intimidating were only just a few ways to describe the madness/chaos that would ensue. As Kels said it was like they pushed us off a 100ft cliff into deep water expecting us to be just fine and not freak out. But it was so good. For our first session we basically did simple evangelism unto one another, granted everyone in the room is following Jesus to the best of their ability, but we still didn't know anyone, so sharing the simple truths of the gospel with one another was a little intimidating. 

Basically the simple gospel boils down to this: God is Holy, He is Love, and He is Just. We have all rebelled against Him, because even one sin is enough to separate us from Him and His requirement of us to be with Him is that we be made perfect not by our own strength but by the grace of Jesus Christ who poured out His blood on the cross for us. Nothing that we can do will ever get us close enough, only through belief and relationship in Jesus can we be saved. 

But the whole point is that this is good news, there is joy laced all through it because its not about us at all its about what He did. The lost do want Jesus, they are not opposed to Him everyone wants a King & friend like Jesus, but they are opposed to religion which can be defined as a detached knowledge of God that is void of the heart of God. (More to come on this topic later)

Last night Lou Engle came and spoke to us about the word Ekballo which is basically how Jesus told the the disciples to pray to God about sending workers into the harvest. That He would thrust workers into the world because the harvest is plenty but the workers are few. But in order to do this we need to have a passion for souls, that at all costs we would see the Lord's compassion for the masses in Matthew 9:35-38 to pray that The Lord of the Harvest would send laborers into the harvest. That we would have His heart for the lost so that He could receive the reward for His suffering.  

More to come soon (audios might not be available till later) pray for us as we are about to out into Kansas City in a few minutes and tomorrow at the same time to see the lost returned to their Papa

WOW.

We are shocked, absolutely amazed and incredibly blessed by all of you. Not only did we raise all the money needed to take Kelsey and I to the school of the Circuit Riders for 1 week in Kansas City. But the overflow of over 1300+ dollars is what is so fantastic. This extra blessing, as we have shared with you before, is going directly to Bound For Freedom to see this other portion of our ministry here in Southwest Michigan grow and expand. For those who have not heard currently B4F is invested in over 13 different freedom, life and hope bringing organizations around the world that rescue women, children, and families from the clutches of sex trafficking, poverty, child soldiering, and more all the while raising awareness for issues like suicide prevention, human trafficking, fair labor, and lack of education, dental care, & hygienic care. These extra blessings from you will be used to invest in more organizations like these that help bring freedom to people across the globe. Thank you so much for all of your generosity. We are truly blessed. May the riches that you have so generously poured on us be heaped upon you 10 fold. Keep checking back for more updates/posts from us while we are at Circuit Riders.

Sending the Bocks to the School of the Circuit Riders!

Written By Kelsey - Hello! As you all may know, Austin & I have been pursuing a fair trade & social justice movement through business called Bound For Freedom --www.boundforfreedom.org -- & are continuing to grow ministry in corporate prayer & the youth at our church here in St. Joseph. We have gotten into several fairs this summer & have a couple more lined up for September & October. So, we are excited & so blessed to have the opportunity to further the stories & causes we're partnering with.

One thing I have noticed after getting married & having settled here this past year without any plans to move or travel (which is something, in the Lord, I'm learning to die to) is that my desire to understand Who the Lord is, is not only showing me how little I know, but it's increasing my hunger for Him so immensely that I can't help but feel antsy & stir crazy at times. Don't get me wrong, deciding to move to Austin's hometown & settle awhile before heading back to Japan is something that has become so awesome to me. I love this place, I love the people & I love the beach! :) 

But this is all to say that that hunger to be further equipped for ministry & knowing the Lord even more has led Austin & I to apply for a spot as a student in YWAM/I-HOP's School of the Circuit Riders. This "school" is a one week intensive for those that hunger after the Lord & want to learn more. There are classes, speakers, ministry opportunities & a jam-packed week of allowing the Holy Spirit to move in our lives as well as those all around us. 

So, we applied. And last week on Austin's birthday, we got an email congratulating us on our acceptance into this one-week program, which happens to be NEXT week, August 11-16th!! We are beyond ecstatic to drive down to Kansas City, MO for six days to see what The Lord has in store, but we need to be sent! For the both of us to get further training in this, we will need to raise $1000 by SATURDAY!! We fully believe The Lord opened doors for this to even be a possibility, & fully believe The Lord will provide the means to get there. We would enthusiastically appreciate any form of support! We both are incredibly uncomfortable asking for financial support from people, but know this is what the body is all about. The school itself is $200 per person, the gas money for the round trip will amount to about $200, the housing & food expenses gets the rest.

Like I said, we are extremely grateful for literally any kind of support in this. Any money that we raise beyond the $1000 is going to go directly to our business Bound For Freedom

An UP side for all those that are moved to send us to KC is that there are perks to your giving!

50.00 = Handwritten artsy thank you letter from the BOTH of us.

75.00 = Artsy/antique home made soy candle made by me or an 8x10 print of one of Austin's Lighthouse Photos

100.00 = A Smiles For the People Toothbrush & a bar of SoapBox Soaps (LemonGrass, Lavender, Orange, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, Spearmint, Unscented & Black that smells like tropical licorice) from two of our awesome partner organizations 

150.00 & over = Bound For Freedom TSHIRT (blue or gray)

To donate simply click on the "Donate" Paypal button to the left of this blog post that can be found on the blog home page here blog home page link and follow the instructions, don't forget to include which item you would like in return for donating the correlating amount (sizes, scents, etc.)

If you have any questions please call myself 317-473-2230 or austin 269-930-9330 or email us at info@boundforfreedom.org. We are so thankful for all of you and for what the Lord is doing.

We love you all so much, be BLESSED!!! Kelsey

Ps heres a little video about the school of the Circuit Riders, so AWESOME!!!