We were introduced to Freedom House through 2Rivers Church. Freedom House directors, Gary and Susan Smith, are aunt and uncle to our lovely sister-in-law Jenny, too! Over the past few years we’ve had the opportunity to coordinate donations to support them and visited Holcomb, MO where Freedom House is located.
Talk about Something Good! Life change - genuine, life altering, death-defying change. That is good, indeed. Susan and Gary share stories and the heart behind the mission. Some unique things you’ll hear about in this episode:
The message is clear. Developing a faith in Jesus and resetting one’s world view to become Christ centered is the key to life changing transformation. That is the story of Freedom House.
If you or someone you know is in desperate need of a life change call: 573-371-2020
JOIN US BY DONATING
We challenge you to give to Freedom House. As Susan mentioned on the podcast they are 100% supported by donations. With a 90% success rate and countless lives changed the least we can do is give up a fancy coffee to help someone get their life back.
**
Discover more about Freedom House
https://www.freedomhousembtc.com/
https://www.facebook.com/freedomhousembtc
For life change opportunities speak to a Freedom House overseer at 573-371-2020
**
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pqwNbMvNnrw
Share your thoughts: podcast@sarahgood.com
Now That's Something Good Podcast by Sarah Good is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Show notes may contain affiliate links. This is at no extra cost to you but does help support telling more stories that bring more good. Now that is something good! Thank you for your kind support.
We were introduced to Freedom House through 2Rivers Church. Freedom House directors, Gary and Susan Smith, are aunt and uncle to our lovely sister-in-law Jenny, too! Over the past few years we’ve had the opportunity to coordinate donations to support them and visited Holcomb, MO where Freedom House is located.
Talk about Something Good! Life change - genuine, life altering, death-defying change. That is good, indeed. Susan and Gary share stories and the heart behind the mission. Some unique things you’ll hear about in this episode:
The message is clear. Developing a faith in Jesus and resetting one’s world view to become Christ centered is the key to life changing transformation. That is the story of Freedom House.
If you or someone you know is in desperate need of a life change call: 573-371-2020
JOIN US BY DONATING
We challenge you to give to Freedom House. As Susan mentioned on the podcast they are 100% supported by donations. With a 90% success rate and countless lives changed the least we can do is give up a fancy coffee to help someone get their life back.
**
Discover more about Freedom House
https://www.freedomhousembtc.com/
https://www.facebook.com/freedomhousembtc
For life change opportunities speak to a Freedom House overseer at 573-371-2020
**
View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pqwNbMvNnrw
Share your thoughts: podcast@sarahgood.com
Now That's Something Good Podcast by Sarah Good is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Show notes may contain affiliate links. This is at no extra cost to you but does help support telling more stories that bring more good. Now that is something good! Thank you for your kind support.
Sarah:
[2:16] Hey guys welcome back to now that's something good podcast today is a really special day we don't have just one guest not
to guest I have five guest with me today
it's so exciting we have some good friends from Freedom House they're going to tell you a lot more but they're here and this is also a first for the podcast because not only do we have multiple guests we are actually have a live studio audience can you all say hi.
Weirdest knocking all kinds of first with you guys so thanks for coming along being here I'm going to start with Gary and Susan I want you guys if you can,
introduce yourself so everybody can kind of hear your voice and I think they'll tell the difference between your two voices but I didn't apply who's talking that will help us so Gary won't you you start us off tell us a little bit about who you are.
Gary:
[3:03] I'm Gary Smith I'm the assistant executive director of freedom house and I'm thankful to be in here tonight to share a little bit about what the Lord has done in my life.
Susan:
[3:14] And I am Susan Smith and I am Gary's other half and just blessed to be like the house Mom of the ministry is really my main role and I'm blessed,
every every day and I just can't believe that the lord gave me the life that he gave me and it's awesome.
Sarah:
[3:35] I love it will take us back and tell us Gary and Susan and however you want to share tell us a little bit about what Freedom houses for people listening they're like we don't know what it is tell us what it is and its purpose.
Susan:
[3:45] Okay so we are part of a bigger Ministry called Mission teens it's been around for 53 years it's we've got several of these
we call him an eight to ten month Christian discipleship training program an easier term for people,
the don't understand that as maybe like a Christian rehab,
and so we help people that are 18 and older that have drug alcohol emotional problems anybody that has just hit the bottom and then says I need something different and we know what that is and that different is Jesus he's the fixer,
he's the answer and if they're willing to come to our program than we've built this wonderful house and safe place where they can just shut out the world and commit to,
learning about themselves and who God created them to be,
learning who they are in Christ and learning life skills.
[4:43] But not just like how to do dishes or how to make a bed but how to look to the Lord when you're frustrated about having to make your bed so we just direct everyone to Jesus it's a free program it's,
it's in a little town called Holcomb Missouri,
only like 500 people in the town and what the lord we opened in 2016 and what he's done and the past five years is,
amazing it's a miracle all glory to God that we've had over 400 people come through and,
not all of them have graduated but seeds were planted and the Lord's going to water them and where it's just amazing.
Sarah:
[5:22] Yeah you said 400 people since 2016 I mean that that is that's.
Is a huge number Gary I'm going to ask you I know you guys have your own story to how you got to Freedom House so why don't I start with you and then we'll get to where you're in Susan's life kind of comes together,
if you're willing to tell us just a little bit about your pastor life and how you got to where you're at now.
Gary:
[5:46] Well I'd love to back in 2005 I come from a broken family.
Who later come to know the Lord and kind of prayed for me and I found the Lord but it was started the whole thing was I spent most of my life thinking that I didn't have a purpose and always thought that I was a mistake and,
I cried out to the Lord and wound up on a bus going down to Fort Lauderdale Florida we have a center down there and I went down there and after I was there for about three days,
I felt like I heard the Lord say in my heart that he just wanted to love me,
and you know it's been all these years later and he still loving me and the guy that directed that centers name was Bill Murphy and his wife's name was Terry and after I was there for about two or three weeks I looked and I said.
That's what I want I want what they have and you know we're supposed to reflect who Christ is,
and I saw the Jesus and them and that's what I wanted and I said Lord I want what they have and so I walked to a lot of things and a lot of discipline and follow,
learn to get a relationship with Jesus and as as I spent my two and a half years there the Lord moved me to Paragould Arkansas.
[7:04] Under some people there and I spent about I think it was nine years there and I didn't know that I had,
music Talent so that the lady and her husband that ran the place would sing a lot and she would have me come up and sing with her and she said do you think you could play a guitar and I'm like well I don't know,
because my dad was a musician and my grandma's a musician.
And so at dressing a little bit she said well why don't you try this and well you know I naturally I didn't want anything to do with it at first because I didn't you know back then when I was around my family I didn't know the Lord,
and so as I fell in love with the Lord I picked the guitar up and you just start plaid just started playing,
and didn't know that I had that type of a gift and God is using that and then you know I believe when I told the Lord I won't what
they have he put Susan in my life I waited a long long time for
a beautiful godly woman and when he put her in my life it's one of the best things that's ever happened to me we were asked to pray about going in opening a Ministry and Holcomb Missouri
and you know what we said let us pray about it and we'll get back to you and we had some circumstances it came up and.
[8:23] Well nevertheless we prayed through it and we agreed to do it so we came over here and we're going to make the best of this with the Lord.
And it wasn't no time God started showing up there and you know I can remember after we first got there,
we had went over to a church service and then each day when we would get up we would go to the end of the driveway and we would pray and we say God show us what we're supposed to do and you know we would just turn right and go down and speak to people and tell them what we were doing there,
and so one day we got back home and we were just sitting here thinking and I said you know what maybe we ought to pull the stuff out of the,
closet and see what we have so we did we pulled out some stuff in the closet and you want to talk about faith I think we said we were going to have a house count of what 30.
Our 40 so we had like I think it was I don't know maybe 30 something forks and 30 spoons and 30 knives and look we left and went down the road and came back and somebody bought a whole new.
The exact number of the knives and forks that we needed and they were hanging on the door and we're like.
Sarah:
[9:29] I love it yeah.
Gary:
[9:31] So God's all about the detail.
And you know what it's an open door I found out about the ministry through somebody else who had been in the ministry.
And we have people that come in all the time and they come in they get fed
we expose them to the Gospel of Jesus Christ
and they leave they go tell others about it and then they come it's by word of mouth and since 1969 we've had probably I'm going to say at least twenty-five twenty-six thousand people have come to the Lord
and a big number of them who have reported back still doing good so that's kind of how I got to it I wanted the Jesus that someone else had and I got it,
and he blessed my life.
Sarah:
[10:14] That's amazing Gary I got to ask you you said something at the beginning when you're sharing your story that you weren't sure if you had a purpose or what your purpose was and I think,
every one of us comes to a point where we struggle with that we don't know
like we just don't know whether we've walk with the Lord whether we've grown up in a house with Lord whether we not ever heard the name of the Lord or know Jesus we struggle with our purpose to somebody listening to this wherever they're listening to it whatever listen to it that's like
I just I don't know I identify with that like I don't know what my purpose is what encouragement would you give to them or what would you share with them to just kind of help from your own story of you coming to figure out your purpose.
Gary:
[10:50] Well I would suggest if you're unsure or if you're listening tonight and you feel that you have no purpose.
There's one who does does love you and his name is Jesus saying sometimes you have to go through things in life to come to the end of yourself,
so you can find the Lord and that's what had to happen to me and so I would encourage anybody that's listening just know this tonight that there is a savior and his name is Jesus and he really loves you and if you're going through something and I don't give up.
Just keep pushing through and and your blessing this is right before you.
Sarah:
[11:26] Yeah that's good Gary so I got switch gears and ask you about the music thing because one of my favorite things about when I've gotten to come visit you at the Freedom House is your guitar collection
so just pivot for a second and talk about telling me how many guitars you have and some of the other engines you have quite the instrument collection,
Freedom House.
Gary:
[11:46] I do most of those I have acquired through prayer and I have a wife that loves me a whole lot and I have the Lord he just really loves me and He blesses me.
And so you know I have this one that I have it's it's the exotic wood Ibanez and I prayed like for 15 years for this,
and all of a sudden I wound up with it and I'm like you know I had to wait a long time and pray a long time but I collect guitars I love them I love the I look for the richness of the sound.
I collect them at I take really good care of them and I glorify the Lord with.
And I also had the tendency to bless them to other people at times.
Sarah:
[12:29] I think that's cool yeah I love it well Gary you or I've gotten to be in with you guys leading worship and it's always just a blessing to me and such an encouragement to my soul and my spirit what you guys do and you really do have a great gift so.
Gary:
[12:42] There is a scripture I want to add to that you know the word says that if you delight yourself in the Lord he will give you the desires of your heart,
and if you're seeking and diligently seeking the Lord he will give you that and I would say tonight if if you delight yourself in the Lord you'll want the desires of his heart.
Sarah:
[13:00] Yes as good as that's really good Gary they're clapping in a minute.
Susan:
[13:03] Studio.
Sarah:
[13:06] Can't hear it on the I love it okay Susan tell us coming to you tell us a little bit of your back story and how you got to freedom house and just some of the things the Lord has done in your life over the years.
Susan:
[13:16] Well I feel I guess I would say that I was raised right.
Sarah:
[13:24] Her hits.
Susan:
[13:26] And I don't know just some things.
We allowed it to happen like now I know that all things work to the good for those,
that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose but when you walk through some things it doesn't look good,
and so anyway I think I spent a lot of years mad at God and you know we always say at the mission that,
everybody has a story of how they came there and and everybody's bottom is different but.
[14:05] I came to the mission and I had a drug problem but I didn't have a drug problem I had a Jesus problem because I knew who Jesus was and I didn't want to I didn't want anything to do with Jesus but he wanted something to do with me,
and so,
I spent a lot of years trying to heal hurt and pain and rejection and bitterness and unforgiveness with with things of the world that were only temporary,
until until it really consumed me and then I got to the bottom my bottom,
and he had to say I need help and that's how I got to Mission teens and and there was no Freedom House when I got to Mission teens that came later but,
you know it's just really an act of like surrender every day you know to say I want something better I want something more,
I want that life that's abundant and and that's death looks different for everyone,
but the life that that that I have now with you know the husband that loves me today's our 10-year anniversary.
Sarah:
[15:17] Yay.
Susan:
[15:18] Who would who would ever thought you know but but it's just great you know and my heart is,
my heart is for the ministry I love what I do not you're going to talk to some of the staff nobody gets paid we do this because this is what we are called to do and that that's like that's that's a big deal because,
not because we're saying how we went out we won't need some money or somewhere saying that because we just wanted you to know that our heart is to help,
and we see people that come in and some of them,
make the program all the way through and they get the life change that they need and some people just come for a day and say I don't want to be here and it's super heartbreaking because it's there's just so we have open beds in there so many hurting people,
and there's there's a way to not hurt anymore and it's Jesus you know and I just if I could if I could say that to everyone like so everybody knows somebody and look there's your not hopeless.
You know you're not hopeless There's Hope in Jesus and I think a lot of people hear that voice and their head there so just give up your hopeless and it's a lie.
Sarah:
[16:31] Yeah yeah it is.
Susan:
[16:32] You know it's a lie and so I guess if I had to say something encouraging it would be to say Jesus loves everyone.
No matter what you've done no matter what your past no matter what your story is he still loves you.
Sarah:
[16:46] Yeah yeah.
Susan:
[16:46] And he has a plan for you.
Sarah:
[16:49] Absolutely.
Susan:
[16:49] Self anyway.
Sarah:
[16:51] That's good Susan tell a little more I love you've said this but I want to hone in on this because I love this the heart of Freedom House is that you are not just a normal
Rehabilitation Center you've said that you know every everybody's biggest problem everybody's biggest addiction it could look like
drugs or codependency or mental illness or fill in the blank with anything that we anybody can struggle with but our greatest needed in the day is we need Jesus and we need to save your but can you just talk a little more about how,
the program at Freedom House is different than just a normal any other rehab center that you're going to call or reach.
Susan:
[17:28] Well our program is different because one is it's super structured,
wait we tell you when you when you're we're going to tell you what time you got to wake up,
that you had to make your bed you can only have this many clothes we just want to keep everything super simple and and like for example they have to exercise in the morning it's 15 minutes and they walk around the building,
they hate it.
They hate it and it's not like they're you know doing calisthenics and getting a real workout it's just really more of an act of obedience to like first thing in the morning do something that you hate because you have to let us die to your flesh.
Right early in the morning and set the tone for the rest of the day because there's a lot of times that there's right and there's wrong and wrong is easier.
So You Gotta Die to your flesh and you got to learn to look to the Lord and it's 15 minutes of your day it's not that big a deal,
however you know we had to give a lot of Council on its 15 minutes of your day what else are you going to do you.
Sarah:
[18:31] Right right.
Susan:
[18:31] So it's just really structured it's just really structured.
Sarah:
[18:36] I think you just hit on something for a minute because it's like none of that we're like it's 15 minutes and you're like why 15 minutes on Instagram sounds more fun than 50 minutes of walking or more than 15 minutes of getting in God's word and it's just getting our priorities in the right.
Susan:
[18:51] Way tell them that they have to read their Proverbs every day there's 31 Proverbs there's,
30 or 31 days in each month so you know today you read Proverbs 6 and tomorrow and you just keep doing it over and over for the rest of your life you know that you're at that's your instructions and read your new testament get to know who Jesus is,
and that's a requirement in our program they get five and a half hours of Bible study and they learned life skills because they get they don't have anything to do when they get there they just got to like kind of defrag and figure out what we are
you know what's going on here and then we start giving them a little bit more responsibility that adds pressure,
and then the further they get along the more responsibility and the more privileges they get so it's just all it was it was dictated,
fifty-three Years Ago by the Holy Spirit we still do the same thing today the same schedules and it works and we have a 90% success rate,
and I decided a little research if you let me throw some numbers.
Sarah:
[19:52] Please do yeah.
Susan:
[19:52] Okay so like a detox is 300 to 900 dollars a day and and and people think they need to detox and you know we just pray over them.
I'll give you really want your life right let's just pray over you and it's free okay and.
Sarah:
[20:11] Prayer is free.
Susan:
[20:12] Yeah and Rehab is between 12.
A hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars for 28 days and they have a success rate of 4%.
Sarah:
[20:26] Four percent.
Susan:
[20:28] So if you are mean if you just look at like what is the problem the problem is not drugs its you need Jesus so we're going to keep directing you to Jesus you're going to ask what they ask what you know can I do this and we say pray about it,
and boy everyone gets mad but then at some point they start to pray about it and they see that God answers prayers even if sometimes God answers no.
Sarah:
[20:49] Yeah right.
Susan:
[20:52] Because he knows what's best for us but we have people that come in that are mothers and they've never cooked a meal.
Sarah:
[21:01] Mmm Yeah.
Susan:
[21:02] And we have people that come in that are you know.
Clearly adult and they've never made their bed so we want to teach them life skills we want to teach them just to dig it that the Bible has all of the answers,
and just just a better way to live and then some people feel the call to stay on with us which we need that.
Sarah:
[21:23] Mmm Yeah.
Susan:
[21:25] To help run the program all of these guys with us today have super important job
and we we couldn't do what we do without all the people that stay but but the other goal is that you get your life change and you go back home and and everybody that you see says,
Look What the Lord Has Done,
you know like people maybe that weren't good that say there's something different and I need to know what that is.
Sarah:
[21:52] Yeah yeah I love that.
Susan:
[21:54] Sound.
Sarah:
[21:55] Such a cool cool story and testimony Gary ya go.
Gary:
[21:58] One more small thing you just asking me while ago about,
how was that I came to the Lord and how hard it was for me that would encourage somebody tonight,
there may be somebody that might be listening that says well maybe the Lord doesn't understand what I'm going.
Sarah:
[22:14] Hmm.
Gary:
[22:15] Or maybe you just don't understand but let me tell you something he does understand he became us on the cross,
he died for all of our iniquities he died for all of our sins so God understands what you may be going through so that would be what I would like to really release.
Sarah:
[22:30] No that's good Gary thank you for coming back and saying that is good word.
Susan:
[22:34] And the program is different because everybody that runs the program has been in the program,
every single person so you know sometimes the girls are gossiping or something in there like you don't understand what it's like living in this room and taken
you know having only seven changes of clothes and I can say I do understand because you know I I did that to you know so I think that's kind of unique too
Freedom House or Mission teens as well.
Sarah:
[23:01] Yeah that's great so you guys shared that today is your 10-year wedding anniversary which I'm how awesome that you're spending it with us we feel,
raising here on the show so happy anniversary,
but tell us whichever one of you by filling the story we love relationship stories around here and just good stories in general so tell us just how you guys met because this is I love this story so.
Everybody else listening to here at so tell us how this happen because you were not in the same missions Tina.
Susan:
[23:32] Me to tell it whee-hee.
Sarah:
[23:36] Hahaha.
Susan:
[23:38] Like we,
you know I came in the ministry looking I mean now that wasn't my goal but I did spend a season where I was like oh is that him is that him like I would just want to like go to church and it just seemed like the pews were made perfectly for the
guy to put his arm around a wife you know and I'm like oh that would be fun you know and anyway the Lord was like
I need to be enough and in the end that he was enough and whenever I really said in my heart like you're enough
Lord if there's no one besides me and you forever I'm okay with that then he threw Gary in the mix and wake up,
we kept running into each other at different Banquets and worship conferences,
and I I really didn't like Gary and he didn't really like me and then then one of them,
somebody in the ministry donated our sister mission in Kentucky like like 30 steer and so we always say we met over killing cows and.
Sarah:
[24:39] Yeah I need you to really tell the story because this is not a normal like when she was telling me I had think I had to ask him like wait 30 Stewart like you meet you mean real cows like this was not like figurative like some this is not some part of speech.
Susan:
[24:52] House and and and and the mission like things are Supernatural like you know building a house with tools that,
that only work if you stand on one foot you know like that's that's really great,
that's what we do and so if you say to in the mission because people are always want to do new things like does anybody know how to take a motor out of a car like five people raised their hand and the truth is like somebody saw their dad do it,
somebody like watched used to watch Hot Rod shows but nobody really has ever taken a motor out so that's where we were at when we said does anybody know how to butcher a cow and everybody was like yeah I do and so we,
we all like seven centers get to this place with the cows and what we ended up with was like a coloring book page,
cow with numbers like one on the thigh and two online,
the brass it was crazy but but it worked and that's though but it's what we did and we have little buckets with numbers and.
Sarah:
[25:51] So Susan I'm sorry to interrupt you but I got a knot like so this is the people listening to this podcast for a while be like I know Sarah's got it,
so like you mean to tell me and I don't want to get too graphic or Gurion a PG podcast but like you literally like you yourself was actually cutting into this animal-like.
Susan:
[26:10] Kill the cows they were really old and everybody had their part.
Sarah:
[26:14] For animal lovers yet they were getting you.
Susan:
[26:17] Somebody was like the gun person and somebody was like the hacksaw person and I was the driver for a while like I drove him from the site back to the mission.
Sarah:
[26:26] That was a good job choice.
Susan:
[26:27] We had freezer paper that was and that was really the only real thing that we had that,
we needed and then we had a bunch of dull knives and a church they didn't donate but they let us borrow a meat grinder that was like just like when you would use at home.
And I think we ground up like 8,000 pounds of meat and it would smoke and we would lay hands on it and by the end.
Yeah everybody and there was like.
Rocks and grass and we were like just grind it up you know and.
It wasn't good it wasn't it that was not something good and but through that process I think Gary and I developed a different friendship through laughter of this is never going to work and.
Sarah:
[27:15] Nothing to bring you together like that experience I feel like if you could survive through that it was meant to be.
Susan:
[27:23] We did.
Gary:
[27:24] It let me add to that.
Now this is really good I'm going to tell a good part of it and that's good too but the great thing about it was is you know something that people like these guys that are here tonight everybody,
won't somebody,
and when you come into a Ministry like this and God deals with you for a couple of years and helps you deal with all your garbage and stuff you develop this sense of hey I would love to have somebody in my life you know.
Sarah:
[27:52] Mmm Yeah.
Gary:
[27:53] And one of the things that I learned from my authority they said your picker is.
Sarah:
[27:59] Your picker is.
Gary:
[28:01] Picker is broke and look it rung true in my spirit because I was trying to pick this one in that one and God.
Whenever I stop trying to play I want this I want that.
Sarah:
[28:13] Yeah.
Gary:
[28:14] God put her in my life when I put my eyes on the Lord and it was beautiful and you know what she is without any doubt a proverbs 31 wife.
Without any doubt.
Sarah:
[28:26] Yeah I love.
Gary:
[28:27] Every every every word of proverbs 31 Rings true in.
Sarah:
[28:31] That's that's great that's a good compliment Susan that's good that's something good right there that's all of it so you guys bonded is solidified it a little bit of a relationship over the cow incident.
Susan:
[28:44] And then I was in and I was in a commitment of running the house which we caught the overseer and Kentucky and,
anyway I was I would hear a song and think about Gary and I'm like I'm supposed to pray for him like I don't understand it but then it kept happening and then I'm like oh my gosh like,
do I like Gary you know and anyway we ran into each other again and we were everyone in the mission is super like oh so good to see you hugging everybody,
me and Gary wouldn't wouldn't look each other in the eye and he like shook hands and anyway Then I then I had that we both had to ask permission but I was in this commitment so we had we had to wait five and a half,
months and you know like we wanted the Lord's blessing we never talk.
About liking each other which was super strange but we both knew in our spirit what the Lord was doing,
and I was like well can we just get one message to him and they were like know if it's from the Lord then you have to have faith and trust the Lord,
and so we walked through which seemed like forever but 10 years ago you know I mean when you put it in perspective it wasn't that long.
Sarah:
[29:58] Right right.
Susan:
[29:58] And I was worth it because we wanted the blessing of the Lord and we wanted to be obedient and and then we began talking and we moved to the same Center,
and got engaged and got married and,
and in our super blasted the Freedom House we've been blessed with being able to expand and build a home for Gary and I but,
you know my stand on verse I said it earlier is 1st Timothy 6:6 that godliness with contentment is great gain,
and I realized that my whole life I was never content in any situation and now I can honestly say that I'm content
I mean if you want me to sleep on the couch that's cool I don't care if you want to eat this food it and none of it really matters at the end of the day and and we spent almost our whole marriage living in a room and that was okay
you know and I didn't really know that what the Lord was going to do but he's just blessed us tremendously.
And where and where we say we're blast but we really want to portray is that we're grateful.
Sarah:
[31:02] Mmm that's I love it well I would love for you guys to share and these are stories to brag on God and you guys are always so great about,
pointing all the glory to him but I love you guys do just have such an example of faithfulness,
and what it looks like what a life looks like to be surrendered to the Lord to have him come in and restore and redeem
parts of our life to really be the healer there's such a story of faith that I told you before we started hitting record that are hurt with the podcast that we want to share stories because we're all just
Ordinary People and that's not a,
derogatory mean term about us it's just that that's who God is but God chooses Ordinary People to do extraordinary things and to live a life of faithfulness and I think we are encouraged we encourage one another when we hear stories of what God has done
is doing and of his faithfulness and you guys I'm know we could sit here and probably record for 3 months Non-Stop
of stories and testimony that you guys have had about how God has just provided when there seems like there's no way it didn't make sense out of the blue would you just take a moment and share
couple stories with us of just how you seen God work and move at the Freedom House and like I said I know we could you could share a bazillion of them but a couple that maybe stand out to you.
Gary:
[32:22] Yes can I start with this.
Sarah:
[32:24] Absolutely Gary yeah.
Gary:
[32:25] One of the things that is beautiful about what happens in Freedom House's when people come into the ministry you see them,
um they come in the first day with her head hung Dao you see them set up on the front row during our worship sessions and stuff and they had their head hung down
and then it's like they're like there's no hope you know and they're there for two days and then you kind of look and then you see them,
you say them with our head up looking around.
This is different this is what I've been looking for my whole life and then after they're there for like three days we'll do like another worship service we do want every night and after that third day you see them they're in there with their hands
raised and lift it up and that to me that's a story of Faith it's an illustration because I believe in that 3-day thing I believe that he died he rose again I believe that with all my heart,
and I believe that God is raising up dead and dead men and dead women everyday.
Sarah:
[33:20] Amen yeah.
Gary:
[33:21] That's faith.
Sarah:
[33:22] I love it and what a cool you just get a front row seat to that over and over again I was amazing.
Susan:
[33:29] Wait we see him move like especially the newest people there we always say if we need we have a need tell the newest,
person we come probies tell the probies to pray for that need and so we decided like on a whim just because we're fun you know let's have taco Tuesday every week so you know we got to have something on them,
so we have taco Tuesday which we have taco meat but that's about it so what does that look like I don't know we'll just,
whatever and so we said Taco Tuesday and literally the next day we didn't say anything to anybody else but the Lord brought how many burrito shells like 500 so.
[34:13] These things happen a lot you know and but anyway we tell will say oh you know there's something special and,
we have people all the time that they'll say I was praying for this and I didn't even tell anyone,
that's pretty cool too you know and I mean it may be like a pair of purple shoes with yellow shoelaces,
who would pray for that right but there's the Lord just to encourage the faith in that person but when we started freedom house for about nine months we had 732 dollars and one vehicle and no food,
and a vision and to see what the Lord has done,
wait providing beds and bedding and and everything everything and help over the past five years is every day is a miracle like I just sometimes walk around the property and say when we didn't have rose bushes here before and,
how beautiful they are and.
This is everything everything that we do he's always right on time we say we need to go here Gary had a vision from the Lord to go to the impoverished areas of the parks.
Sarah:
[35:23] Yeah yeah.
Susan:
[35:24] Locally because he metal detects and I want to steal his
Thunder but he managed attacks and talks to the Lord and he was over in a park and there's just a lot of Darkness around and he
so we need to bring some light here and we partnered up with some different local churches and we had our first event last month and the Malden Park and 12 people came to know the Lord and we got to get food away.
Sarah:
[35:47] That's amazing.
Susan:
[35:48] Played music for four hours and then we have one and seen as Missouri and then we have one in Kennett Missouri so the whole summer we're going to do these evangelism events and and watch the Lord move.
Gary:
[36:00] Let me say this to you.
Sarah:
[36:01] Yeah Gary absolutely.
Gary:
[36:03] One of the scriptures that inspired that,
is second Peter 3 5 Second Peter 3 5 I believe where he says a day is like a thousand and a thousand is like today the Lord is not being slow about his promise as some of us might think but he's being patient,
giving all those a chance to come to repentance and they had the opportunity to come to him and so I believe that when God shows us things like that we should take every opportunity to remember that he was patient with me.
And he waited on me and so I believe that it's an open door for us to be able to go and expose people to the gospel and.
Sarah:
[36:42] Love it with such.
Gary:
[36:43] Win souls for the Lord.
Sarah:
[36:45] That's amazing Susan I want you to uses in their really important when you're just about the prayers and building faith and sometimes God will answer specifically purple shoes with yellow shoe strings can you talk about that I think
to all of us listening I think we all Wrestle with does God hear me I'm praying for these things is he listening for whether we've walked with the Lord a long time or whether we're newer in a walk with him or maybe we've walked away can you just,
give some encouragement to share a little more about just the importance of praying for things and just how God hears us or just anything that you want to share a.
Susan:
[37:20] There's a scripture that scripture that says that he bends down,
tell listen to us and I just always have that Vision whenever I'm talking to the Lord like wow I just can't even believe that he would been down and listen to me but he does he does and I would say the biggest.
The biggest thing that I know of that happened is that my sister prayed for me.
For over 20 years and she just prayed Lord give me my sister back,
and now I'm running a Ministry married to a preacher and it just surpasses our prayers when we're just faithful like we just wait on the Lord his timing is perfect,
he he breathing moon the stars he knows like the perfect timing for everything but we could talk about financial blessings and food blessings and clothing blessings but it just happens every day that you know we,
we get a lot of people that come with just the clothes on their back,
and you know we got a lot of large and extra-large is but when you get that size 48,
it's a little more like of a challenge and so we have this little area where we keep stuff going to say like oh Lord you know what we need and,
and you open the door and it's like I didn't even know we had these put back but look at that it's everything we needed and that that happens often you know.
Sarah:
[38:49] I love that so to anybody listening whatever it is big or small prayers keep keep at it God does hear you he is bending down and the answer might not always look it would often never really looks like our timing I feel like,
but in the answer is not always how we might want it to be but he is faithful and he hears us and he wants to give good gifts to his kids and bless.
Susan:
[39:10] And he knows what's best in cell what sometimes whenever he's saying now it's because he has something so much better,
and store are in the plan if you just keep keep your eyes on him like and you know don't get discouraged if he's you feel like he's not answering your prayer because he's hearing and he's orchestrating this perfect plan,
tagged it because he loves you and he just wants to bless you and just give you this great life you.
Sarah:
[39:36] I love it
Gary and Susan whoever wants to tell if somebody is listening you said like there's not a lot of advertisement for Freedom House it's a lot of Word of Mouth
and Susan I know you've shared many times that everybody knows somebody so if somebody is listening and they need help or know someone that needs help what is a good way for them to,
get in contact where do they go where can they find or if they want to know more information about Freedom House in.
Susan:
[40:01] Well that the easiest way is we can use the internet so that you could kind of maybe he's just see like what I just want to know more about that so we have a website that's Freedom House MB T see,
dot-com which is stands for Mission Bible training center and then we also have a Facebook page and an Instagram page and all of those things will direct you to our phone number two directions,
to the right place to like see if this is a fit for you,
are your loved one or to get the information to your loved one you know and and the Lord will orchestrate that at just the right time like we could just keep talking about,
plant that seed you know we do a lot of social media mainly just to just we just want to put up smiling faces,
smiling changed faces that have the light of Jesus and we know what it's like to be and that dark place at three in the morning,
on the internet and maybe that'll come through and that's that's the time you know we do,
well we never know but we've had a lot of people that got to know more about us through these outlets and so anyway Freedom House on on and whole come on Facebook or you can go to the website.
Sarah:
[41:20] Awesome and we'll make sure to Lincoln for you guys listening in our show notes will have the links if you want to find more is there anything before I switch over to our other friends have been patiently waiting over here,
in studio session is there anything else that you want to share that we did that I didn't ask about or anything else you want to cover.
YouTube before yeah that guarantees and yeah it's okay if not this one.
Gary:
[41:43] You asked one more thing.
Sarah:
[41:44] Yeah it's good no it's good Gary.
Gary:
[41:46] All right look you is asking about the faithfulness part of it when she was talking about this Vision to go to the parks and stuff.
When we when the Lord showed that sin and we moved on it and started sitting and talking with the other churches can you would you believe that it wasn't like a few days later and we had all the sound equipment show up that we didn't have.
To go into the parks to be able to amplify it where people could hear.
Sarah:
[42:12] Yeah I.
Gary:
[42:12] He sent speakers amplifiers and it was just this church that was that had no more need for it and it was just what we needed to be able to do that.
Sarah:
[42:22] That's great I love.
Gary:
[42:23] You know we moved on the faith and he moved to provide.
Sarah:
[42:28] So I hope that's good when you're obedient just stepping out and he'll it will provide.
Gary:
[42:33] I didn't want to leave that out.
Sarah:
[42:34] No I love that Gary that's great so I'm going to ask you guys this and then I'm going to give you guys a precursor that you know I'm going to ask you in a minute over here but Gary and Susan
the show is called now that something good and so the last thing we like to ask everybody when we bring them on the show is what tell us something use are assured with us so many good things but just tell us one more good thing it can be anything until there's no qualifier it could be.
A good product a good show a good thing a store anything good there's no but tell us one more good thing each of you something good that's.
Susan:
[43:05] Let's say now that that what is what it I know that now that's something good is is seeing lives changed and the,
the people that look like that they're throwaways,
you know I kind of said that they've been working on a room in the church and I said they had the or the throwaways,
you know and that's pretty cool that God God never turned his back so anyway we just want to encourage people all the time that there's something good in you.
Sarah:
[43:39] Yeah that's great.
Susan:
[43:40] And there's something good in you and there's something good in you and there's something good in you and don't you forget it do you let the devil steal that and lie to you anymore because the Lord is good.
And he's within us.
Sarah:
[43:54] Yeah that's good Susan Gary.
Gary:
[43:57] I would say something good is what's happening right now,
God has given us an opportunity to be with you guys and you guys are like an extended family to us and we want to thank you guys and the it's good to be able to do what we're doing right now to glorify the Lord,
and as Susan said there's something good in each of us and each of us have a story and that's good.
Sarah:
[44:22] That is good that is definitely something good awesome well thank you guys.