Monthly Update - November & December 2024

Making a difference update, from the recovery field – November / December 2024 edition. Below are the highlights that happened in the Life Issues ministry over the last couple of months.


I. Benevolence

· Gave gas card to men on 11-24, and 12-5

· Paid car insurance for a lady on 11-26

· Life Issues paid to have a man’s furnace fixed on 12-2




II. Jail update

· Sent letters to 2 inmates on 12-2-24

· Jim dropped off a case of Bibles on 12-17 to CCJ

· I’m attaching Ted Harper’s testimony to the end of this update ..




III. Church

· We ordered 300 more Bibles in January 2025 from the Word First publishing ministry @ HBF, in hopes of getting them by Summer.

· Several of our students and leaders are involved in discipleship:

o D1: These folks are in our one-on-one discipleship material – Julie N. is with Bobbie W. (lesson #2)., Larry O. is with Brady B. (lesson #14), Tracy W. is with Pam J. (lesson #4), Cheryl S. started D1 with Paula G. (lesson #1), Kevin W. is with Pat L. (lesson #1), and Kalee R. is working with Linda J.

o D2: Alana M., Dave and Shannon B., Brian R., and Kelly T., are going through D2 this year, and we’re very proud of them!

o HBI: Pam J., and Mary W. are both taking classes in our 4-year Bible Institute – HBI.

o TJH (The Journey Home): Ted H. finished with Steve F. on 12-5, Tom M. is with Pat L. (lesson #4), Dana M. is with Mary W. (lesson #1), and Camille is with Linda J. (lesson #1).

· Tracy W. got baptized on 12-7  - see pic

V. Recovery

· The man who led me to Christ in 1992 gave his testimony on 11-22, which was special to me and helpful to all who heard it – see pic!

· We had a lady from Minnesota contact us after reading one of our testimonies online, here is her feedback… "I was blessed to read David's testimony online. I live in Minnesota and have struggled so much with nicotine addiction. I realize also it is not a matter of prayer and Bible study, but surrender. I came to that point about a month ago when I was three weeks quit and started to smoke a little again. I needed to hear David's testimony to remind me again of what helped me. Thank you, and God bless you, David! "

· Dana M. received her 6-month sobriety tag on 12-27, see pic of her and Ryan.

· The Blue Springs Life Issues group is hoping to start their next 8-week outreach soon.

· The Monmouth Illinois church has had a couple of leadership meetings and have a key man to lead the Life Issues group there, in hopes of starting their outreach meetings in March 2025!



V. Events

· Life Issues fed about 50 people for Thanksgiving (11-22), and gave 3 awards – We have 2 ladies that are 1 year clean / sober, and another lady who recently got saved – pic

· Our church collected food from its members and distributed 20 Christmas boxes / bags to families in need on 12-22; many of them went to our Life Issues students and families.

VI. People

· Angel S. got a job on 11-14 and is working diligently, we’re very proud of her!

· We helped donate a Thanksgiving Day meal to a lady's sober living house on 11-26.

· I had 2 anonymous donors who gave Life Issues cash that we distributed to 3 different families to help at the end of the year (almost $700), it is always special for me to help in these types of gifts and to help those in need!




VII. Miscellaneous

· 2024 stats – chart:

	2024 Statistic	Comment
2024 Volunteer of the year	Linda Jones	Pam J. 2023, and Kelly T. 2022
Salvations in 2024	10
Baptisms in 2024	5	1 or 2 others transferred by letter
LIM members who complete TJH in 2024	2
# of emergency nights provided	6
# of people benevolence help was given	20+
# of people we’ve helped with rehab/detox	4
Morsels for Many – boxes distributed in 2024	16	Our average is ~21 boxes per year
Average meeting attendance in 2024	26-27
Average number of visitors per week	4-5	210 for the year
# of cases of bibles LIM has delivered to jails & prisons & shelters	16	16x21=336 bibles!
# of incarcerated folks LIM corresponded with	8
2024 - 12th annual fundraiser raised	$13,000+	75 people in attendance, 1 salvation
# of new Life Issues groups started in 2024	2	Sullivan MO & Blue Springs MO

· Please pray for God to use us mightily in 2025, for without him we can do nothing, but through Him we can do all things! Sincerely, Steve Fleshman – Life Issues pastor and founder, Proverbs 4:23…

---- Ted H. Testimony -------

Monthly Update : September & October 2024

Making a difference update, from the recovery field – September / October 2024 edition. Below are the highlights that happened in the Life Issues ministry over the last couple of months.

I. Benevolence

· Helped a lady get some furniture on 9-20.

· Helped a lady get her electric turned back on 9-29.

· Helped a lady with her doctor appointment fees on 10-16.

· Helped man pay for alignment on his vehicle on 10-13.



II. Jail update

· We picked up a man from the jail in Butler MO on 9-10 and took him home. He is now working a job and going through a separate program than ours but doing good – see pic.

· Jim S. drops off Bibles at the Cass County Jail faithfully every couple of months, as he did on 10-10 – see pic.

· Chuck R. got out of prison and is now in the Salvation Army men’s home and is going through their ARC program.

III. Church

· We ordered 500 more Bibles in October from the Word First publishing ministry @ HBF, in hopes of getting them by next Summer.

· Several of our students and leaders are involved in discipleship:

o D1: These folks are in our one-on-one discipleship material – Julie N. is with Bobbie W. (lesson #1)., Larry O. is with Brady B. (lesson #14), Tracy W. is with Pam J. (lesson #4), Cheryl S. started D1 with Paula G. (lesson #1), and Kalee R. is working with Linda J.

o D2: Alana M. is going through D2 this year, we’re very proud of her!

o HBI: Pam J., and Mary W. are both taking classes in our 4-year Bible Institute – HBI.

o TJH (The Journey Home): Ted H. is with Steve F. (lesson #8), Tom M. is with Pat L. (lesson #2).

· Angel S. got saved at our Homecoming event and baptized on 10-13 – see pic.

IV. Recovery

· Gave 2 cases of Bibles to Tommy McGee on 9-12, to distribute at his “Recovery Auto” car dealership in Independence MO.

· We heard a great testimony on 9-20 from KJ, she has been coming to our group for a few months and is a blessing and an example of how God brings people through trials – see pic.

 

















· Eric Y gave a great testimony on 11-8 - see pic.

· Our missionaries to the Dominican Republic (Lee and Heather Carter) led out group on 10-18 – see men’s small group pic.

· We’re excited that the Blue Springs church is now meeting weekly to reach the addicted in that part of Kansas City and look forward

· We’re also excited to announce that Pat L. & Brian R. went to Monmouth Illinois on 11-9 to help start yet another LIM group! There will be more to come about this group, but Pat said that God showed up and that the pastor’s house was packed out with people interested in starting a Life Issues group there, and that the testimonies given were spirit led the 4–5-hour meeting!


V. Events

· Larry and Belinda maned a Life Issues booth @ Hallelujah Palooza in Butler MO on 9-28, hosted by the Cowboy Church there - see pic.

· Our Life Issues group helped with HBF set up for its annual Bible conference, see pics of our tent crew and of Kevin F. getting stacks of Bible signatures prepped.

· We will be hosting a Thanksgiving feast on 11-22 for whosoever will 

VI. People

· Kevin F. got his license back on 9-13, and got a vehicle in early October, PTL!

· Tom M. got a job on 9-25 and a vehicle in early October, here is Tom’s testimony: 

"My name is Thomas M., and I am nothing without Christ. Let me tell you why….

I came back to Heartland Baptist 5 months ago after repeating the same mistake for what seems to be the hundredth time. I had lost my job, my house, my car, broken over another woman who I thought meant the world to me.

God showing me an amazing abundance of mercy and grace!

I never went without the basic necessities. I now have a job and am back to work. I have a pretty decent car to get me back and forth to that job. I have a roof over my head just when my time ran out at my mother’s place. I never had to worry about whether or not I would eat, or drink.

It goes even further than taking care of my basic needs. God has even blessed me by answering my prayers in ways that you couldn’t deny his presence. He has also been doing work in me that is also undeniable. Like how all sin is connected, sin is sin. I also feel completely different both inside and when it comes to making decisions that I would normally make that would lead me into bad situations like before. Now I’m more open and vocal about a savior that loves me and has been pulling me out of the wreckage that was my past but has tossed all of those sins and mistakes as far as the east is from the west. All praise and glory be to God Amen!"


VII. Miscellaneous

· We ordered 500 ink pens on 10-22 for guest bags, they look great! We’re trying to order more literature about recovery, but it isn’t in stock right now.

· We sent out 51 Thank You cards on 10-18, to businesses that donated to our Homecoming event! It thrills me that we have over 50 businesses that support us in combating addiction in our community!

· We had a couple of men make professions of faith in October and one lady accept Christ after church on 11-10, please pray for these new converts.



· Please pray for God to use us mightily in 2024, for without him we can do nothing, but through Him we can do all things! Sincerely, Steve Fleshman – Life Issues pastor and founder, Proverbs 4:23…

Monthly Update : July & August 2024

Making a difference update, from the recovery field – July / August 2024 edition. Below are the highlights that happened in the Life Issues ministry over the last couple of months.


I. Benevolence

· We helped transport a couple and their belongings from Harrisonville to Butler on 7-24.

· We provided emergency housing for a lady on 7-25 and gave emergency housing to another lady on 8-12 and also to a man on 8-20.

· We paid to have a man’s bicycle tire / wheel fixed on 8-9, so that he could get to and from work.

· We purchased hearing aids for a man on 8-23, he was born nearly deaf and struggled with communicating with anyone.

· We purchased a phone card for homeless man to help him with employment on 9-1.


II. Jail update

· One of the people that we correspond with should be getting out of prison in September, he plans to go into the Salvation Army, into their 6-month program.

· A man in Bates County jail has been reaching out to us recently, who has attended our meetings in the past, please pray for him to be broken.

· We mailed a box of Bibles to the Chaplin at the Saint Joseph Mo prison on 7-31.

· We put money into the accounts of 3 different inmate’s books in mid-August, so that we could keep in communication with them.

· I mailed an inmate on 8-5.

· Larry C. and another man visited an inmate in Butler jail on 9-6; we’re trying to support this man. Larry talked to one of the deputies who goes to our church and he will be taking a box of Bible with him to the jail next week, PTL!


III. Church

· Several of our students and leaders are involved in discipleship:

o D1: These folks are in our one-on-one continue discipleship material – Julie N. is with Bobbie W. (lesson #1), Alana M. completed discipleship with Betty A., Larry O. is working with Brady B. (lesson #14), and Dean L. completed discipleship with Dale N.

o HBI: Pam J., and Mary W. are both taking a full load of classes in HBI.

o TJH (The Journey Home): Ted H. is with Steve F. (lesson #5).

· Brian R. received his “How to disciple” certificate on 7-26 – see pic.

· Our church worked at the Harrisonville food pantry on 8-2, with several of our students and leaders helping there, I’m thankful for Cammie S. heading up this effort.

IV. Recovery

· Charlotte H. just celebrated her 1-year sobriety on 7-26 – see pic.

· We’ve been helping to transport a man to his probation officer appointment each month.

· We are working with a church in Blue Springs to help them start up a Life Issues group, I plan to go up there and speak on October 9th, please pray for them and the new work of God.


V. Events

· We had a church workday on 8-17 and several of our Life Issues folks helped with that

· Homecoming praises – we had over 75 people present and raised nearly $13,000 for our ministry and heard great testimonies from several students and leaders, and a powerful message from Mike Blake, and I think that 3 people received Christ as savior!

o I failed to get many pics of the homecoming, but I did get one of Brian R. and his moving testimony, as well as Mike Blake as he preached – see pics.

o Les B. graduated from our program @ homecoming on 8-30-24, and Tracy W. and Dana M. got some milestone tags for being born again!

o Linda Jones received our first ever “Compassion Award” for her years of service and devotion to Life Issues – see pic of award.

 

o We also rolled out our “Storyboard” image at our Homecoming, this is the culmination of many hours of work for Chris Coen over the last year or more. The attached pic tells the story of what Life Issues does in a picture form.

VI. People

· Cheryl’s testimony: 

"I was "unfortunate", or should I say "fortunate" enough to meet a man that claimed he was a "pastor" because he would quote from the Bible. I wondered about those quotes; he gave me the incentive to read the Bible and learn more. I have been a believer all my life, but not a Christian. After reading the Bible, I asked God to walk with me, repented of my sins, told God how I believed in his son and that he died for us. I was reborn and was saved in May 2024 while I was in jail, and I was "baptized" by the so-called pastor in jail; that was not a true baptism. So, here I am on July 14th, 2024, getting baptized Biblically and ready and willing to have God completely in control of my life. Cheryl S."

· Dana M. has been coming to meetings for a couple of months now as we as church and on 8-25, she accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior and just got baptized this morning, see pic.

· Brian R. rejoices that his 2 daughters accepted Christ on 8-25 after a church service.

· Please pray for God to use us mightily in 2024, for without him we can do nothing, but through Him we can do all things! Sincerely, Steve Fleshman – Life Issues pastor and founder, Proverbs 4:23…