our faith journey - one step at a time

The Gelatts - ministering in Kansas City w/ FAMILYLIFE Summer 2012

Hog Wallow. Goobertown. Bullfrog Valley. Goat Gap. Seed Tick. Turkey Scratch...Booger Hollow...and Toad Suck. If you havent guessed yet, we just returned home from our trip to Arkansas, and these are some of the very interesting place names in The Natural State. It was a great week of remembering how beautiful the state is. But most importantly, it was a splendid week of being reminded of our mission as a ministry. By Gods grace, we are seeing homes being built and rebuilt. We are seeing beauty rising from the ashes in some Kansas City families we have ministered to.

It is God who does the building...we just use the tools...and your prayers and nancial gifts make our home building work possible. You are an invaluable part in our ministry, and we thank you!
Every Burmese home a Godly home

We hope you had a great time celebrating Independence Day! During that week, we directed a huge outreach to members of the Burmese refugee community here in K.C. We celebrated their new lives here in the safety of the U.S. where they are free from persecution. Yet they are not free from the issues that plague every family everywhere - us included!

We also partnered with an army of volunteers as we conducted a VBS for the Burmese children, a discipleship outreach to Burmese teenagers, and a Bible Study and discipleship class for Burmese mothers. We have many stories from that week to tell, but let me give a quick summary by the numbers to give you a glimpse at how busy (and amazing!) that week was: # of Burmese who attended: 116 # of Burmese ladies: 28 # of Burmese teenagers: 21 # of total volunteers: 87 # of churches involved: 7

But the most exciting number is 3. Because 3 Burmese children received salvation that week! Wow! We are now putting together a 12 month plan for local volunteers to minister to the Burmese on an ongoing basis, and we continue to meet more people wanting to help!

Homeschool Conference / Marriage Workshop I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little strength, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Kansas City Homeschool Conference (April)
Met a husband who cried like a baby in my (Micahs) arms. He wanted to turn his life around, and he kept asking me is it too late to lead my family? We gave him some free resources, prayed with him, and now Micah is set to meet with him on a regular basis for discipleship.

St. Louis Homeschool Conference (June)

We met a lady whose husband and brother did not know the Lord. We encouraged her to share Christ with them. Guess what? They now both know Christ as Savior!

Ever since God placed us in Kansas City to minister, our prayer has been Revelation 3:8 - that God would continually set before us open doors...open doors that no person here on Earth could shut. Further, we have prayed that with what little strength we have, we would walk through those doors, keep His word, and tell others about His name. Well, God has opened many doors for us recently....and we were able to speak at 2 large Home School Conferences in April and June - in K.C. and St. Louis. Johanna and I taught at both events, and were able to speak Gods truth about marriage to over 165 people. In addition, we met a few hundred couples, many of whom were hurting and struggling in their marriage. We were able to speak truth, pray with them, and listen to them. And, 236 of our ministries resources (books, CDs, etc.) are now in the hands of those who need to use them! Will you be praying that God would continue to use those Biblical resources in the lives of those couples. Our work at these events is not done as we have been working to personally follow up with over 200 couples that we met there. We desire to love them, minister to them, and connect them with strong couples who are willing to disciple them in their marriage and family life. One couple we met (lets call them Steve and Karen) has separated, and is considering divorce. Through Gods grace, we were able to connect them with a spiritually mature pastor and his wife in their area who are more than willing to disciple and counsel them. Be praying for this couple if you would. The prayers of the righteous can accomplish much (James 5:16)! You might think it strange that we would want to speak at a Home School Conference. After all, arent they all a bunch of Christians? Dont they all have great marriages? Well, no...and um...no! We met several couples who did not profess Christ, and we further met many, many couples who said they were Christians, but their marriage was going down the drain. So, our experience in homeschooling combined with our passion for Godly marriages has been a wonderful way to connect with so many of these couples that need to hear and live out Gods truth...for their marriage...and their family. We have opportunity to speak at other Home School Conferences coming up in Springeld, Wichita, Omaha, and Colorado Springs. Please be praying that we would choose well the opportunities placed before us. We desire to minister effectively and use our time and energy wisely. We thank you for the opportunity we have to serve and to minister to others.
Micah and Johanna Gelatt - 17912 E. 171st St, Pleasant Hill, MO 64080 - gelatts@gmail.com 785.231.9478 (M) 785.817.3997 (J) Campus Crusade Staff Account # - 0613754