Monthly Update - September 2020

Making a difference update, from the recovery field – September 2020 edition… Below are some bullet points of the highlights that happened in the Life Issues ministry over the last month:

• THANK YOU for helping to make our 8th Annual Recovery Walk a huge success again this year! Our team of volunteers and students were able to collect a little over $15,000 this year (our most ever) and we had about 40 walkers and about 40 volunteers, and several more guests! We had a great post-walk program again this year too, with 2 great testimonies from our students and a great solo to end the evening. God gave us a great year in-spite of the COVID 19 virus, from great weather to great sponsors, we are truly blessed. We have listed all our sponsors at: http://www.lifeissuesonline.org/p/supporters.html, as a way to honor those businesses who donate to our cause. We couldn’t do what we do without you giving through us, so thanks again for believing in us and for “Making a Difference” in the lives of the addicted.

• Here’s a link to this year’s Recovery Walk video: https://youtu.be/khI6WP4z2-A
• I wrote to 2 people in prison last month and am excited to know that God’s working there too!
• Although our jail ministry is on hold due to COVID, Jim S. has been writing to one man for months and believes that he has given his heart to the Lord, so we rejoice with the angels in heaven – Luke 15:10.
• Pat interviewed Kevin during our month-end testimony (see pic), and they were able to lead a man to Christ at the conclusion! They also teamed up to witness to a friend of Kevin’s daughter and she also made a profession of faith, hallelujah!
• I also got to lead a couple of folks through God’s plan of salvation this month and one young lady accepted Christ into her heart with me on the phone (9-15) and is already starting discipleship, PTL!
• We currently have 4 folks involved in our D1 ministry (one-on-one discipleship), and 8 folks in our D2 ministry (9-month classroom discipleship), and 8 folks in our recovery program (The Journey Home – TJH).
• Pat wrote this about our current status (which I thought was insightful): We are very excited to see the people we have had this year, stick to the journey process! We seem to be experiencing good success working together all in one accord on Friday night and out of the Journey ABF (Sunday morning). This has really strengthened our people’s transition into the Christian life and the body of Christ. God is truly doing some amazing things among us and before our eyes… in these perilous times!
• Jim S has been working with a Hispanic couple’s son for a few months to help him get his green card, sometimes this process takes years, but after filing everything early in September it was approved the week of 9-14 (miraculous). We are excited about this victory and for all involved and look forward to welcoming this young man as a US citizen in God’s timing.
• Several of our folks helped with HBF’s Bible Conference this year (9-20 thru 9-23)
• Our group cleaned the church on 10-2 and I wasn’t even there to help / supervise (😊), I’m so thankful for group’s zeal to give back!
• Sara B. passed her Peer Support Specialist test on 9-17 and serves the Lord at Lily’s House by leading recovery groups (Sara is also a Life Issues Alumni)

Recently Sara was spotlighted and interviewed by Lily’s House: 

• In what capacity are you involved with Lily’s House and for how long have you been involved

I have been leading Recovery Groups for the Lily’s House since March 2020

• What great things have you seen accomplished at Lily’s House since you’ve been involved?

I have seen families reunited and women overcome addiction.

• How has serving at Lily’s House changed your life?

I have realized that I have been putting my passion of helping women step out of and end the cycle of addiction in their families on the side lines for too long.

• Can you give a specific example of a time when you saw something amazing happen in the life of one of our moms?

When they have overcome their past and then have a drive to give back to women in the same position, they were in.

• What would you like people to know about Lily’s House that they might not already know?

There is a community ready to rally around the broken and hurting, all you need to do is make the first step and reach out. When people are given the opportunity of long-term treatment with support and stability, they are more likely to succeed and break the chains of addiction!


Lastly, I (Steve talking now) wanted to share that I had rotator cuff surgery on 9-29 and I’m thankful for all the support and well wishes I’ve received! My wife has been a real trooper to get up in the nighttime and help me throughout the day with my medicine and equipment, etc.

God is teaching me about recovery through my own recovery and path back to being made whole. My body had some damaged members (4 torn tendons) due to an injury at work / event, and it took great physician to perform an operation to re-connect those damaged members to my body.
Although I can’t remember the name of those damaged members, they have affected everything that I’m able to do / not do.

As I thought about how these small and seemingly insignificant members affect my whole body, it occurred to me how some of the least known and seemingly insignificant members of our church body affect the whole body of Christ, and how vital they are to what gets done.
This type of knowledge and understanding propels me forward and motivates me reach more addicts with Christ-centered recovery. I wonder what Christ would have HBF to do for him that we’re unable to do because we haven’t been able to bring damaged members to The Great Physician for healing yet.

I’m sure that the body of Christ at HBF isn’t whole in many areas that have us handicapped and unable to function as he desires. Perhaps you’re reading this and are like one of the tendons that my doctor had to use an anchor to help restore my body with, but with you he’s the anchor and the physician!

Let me know if I can help restore you to Christ’s body at HBF or another local body; now that I’m on the mend I want to help others experience healing too!



Sincerely, Steve Fleshman – Life Issues pastor and founder, Proverbs 4:23…