I. Benevolence
· Gave a box of food to lady on 3-27, and another box to a man on 5-4.
· Helped a man and his wife pay for their meds while husband was in jail.
· HBF helped a Casey's worker with they’re electric bill on 4-20.
II. Jail update
· We’re still writing to Ted while he’s incarcerated and sending him lesson #2 of discipleship soon. Ted is set to be released in September and he has a job lined up, so he will need help with lodging and transportation, etc.
· We sent a Bible to an inmate on 3-29.
· We sent a box of Bibles to a Chaplin in women's prison in Vandalia on 4-4-23, and another box to a Chaplin at Tipton Correctional Center on 4-17-23!
· We have also worked out a plan with an officer at the Cass County Jail in Harrisonville MO, to hand deliver a box of Bibles to them every other month and we began on 5-9, hallelujah!
III. Church
· Our recovery group cleaned the church on 3-31 & again on 5-12!
· Two folks joined HBF from our recovery group 4-16, Nichole and Kayla (and husband, Justin) – see pic. Nicole’s daughter, Mia, prayed to be saved on 3-31 with us!
· Several of our students and leaders are involved in discipleship:
o D1: These folks are in our one-on-one continue discipleship material – Krystal W. is with Kelly T.; Chuck H. with Dave B., Ed M. with Chris C., Brian R. with Pat L., Kalee R with Linda J.; Sarah J. with Pam J.
o D2: Suzanne R. and Pam A. are in D2 and are about a third of the way through this 9-month class!
o HBI: One of our lady leaders, Pam J., is taking all 4 classes, so pray for her to press towards the mark.
o TJH (The Journey Home): Kayla C. is on lesson #8 with Pam J., and Nichole D. is on lesson #1 with Suzanne R. , and Conner F is on lesson #5 with Pat L.!
IV. Recovery
· We just ordered 8 new Wounded Spirits books (PTSD) on 5-9, to use as a resource for veterans; we are currently in contact with a man who is in the VA getting treatment.
· One of our former leaders is getting married this summer and is planning to adopt his finance’s son and is petitioning the governor for a pardon for his past offenses; I wrote him a reference letter on 4-25 to assist, please pray that his request is granted.
· Heather became a “Certified Peer Specialist” on 4-12 (see pic) and she also graduated from the Drug Court (DC) on 5-9, we are so proud of her!
· Heartland Baptist Fellowship received an online testimony on 3-22-23 that I wanted to share:
"It was good for me to hear your story. I had a similar struggle. The thing that hurt me the most was the doubt that drinking created about my faith. I would think... How can I continue to live in sin if I truly have faith and truly have the Holy Spirit? It would have been good if I could have heard you speak about your struggle a long time ago. I have since thought of my experience as being caught in a trap. When God says that the Devil is roaming like a roaring lion seeking those that he can devour... to me I get the sense that we (Christians) take it lightly that there are real traps out there and if we are not diligent in our faith, we could find ourselves caught in a serious trap that some never escape. God rescued me from the trap in 2015. I want to encourage you to continue to share your experience. If there is anything I could do to help you, I would be happy to help. David D."
V. Events
· We had a Life Issues leadership meeting at our house on 3-13 – pic.
· HBF had a workday on March 18th, and some of our folks helped in the effort – pic.
· Life Issues took our annual group picture on 3-31, see attached picture of the whole group as well as a couple of smaller groups of our superstar students – see 2 small group pics.
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VI. People
· Two of our leaders were installed as deacons at our church on 5-7 – pic.
· Debbie Corum's post: Glimpses of Greatness (debbiecorum.com) Debbie is Bill’s wife, and both of these folks are prolific speakers and friends of our ministry (Bill will be at Life Issues on July 28th, 2023), and we are trying to enlarge Debbie’s reader base, so feel free to pull up her blog and subscribe to it!
- My dad got his left knee replaced on 5-10 and is doing as well as can be expected for an elderly gentleman – see pic.
· Here’s another great testimony from one of our students, Conner F.
"My Journey of Recovery: I started going to Life Issues at the beginning of this year when I was at one of the lowest points of my life. Coming to Life Issues regularly has been a game-changing experience that has changed the trajectory of my life. I was able to see for maybe the first time that I am not the only person that struggles with similar addictions. Both Pat and Steve have invested a lot in me over the past few months, and it’s been very profitable to receive some of their wisdom every week in small groups, which I can then apply to my journey of recovery.
About a month ago I started going through The Journey Home (TJH) program with Pat Lee. Going through this program has given me an abundance of wisdom in how to strengthen my faith, and in the process allow Jesus to transform my life from the inside out. It is very helpful because each week’s lesson gives you some scriptures which are chosen to help address different aspects of recovery. So far, I have been learning about how to be honest with myself, and others, about my addiction; how to use Godly Judgement to set biblical boundaries as guardrails for my recovery. I learned about the power that leads to recovery without relapse that happens in a real relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It hasn’t been an instant change in my life, as recovery usually isn’t at first, but it’s been a fruitful process. I have been faithfully going through (TJH) day by day which is helping me make progress in my journey to recovery. God has truly blessed the ministry of Life Issues as there is no other local ministry that has been accomplishing such life-changing work that transforms lives to such a visible extent. I strive to see myself fully recover from my addiction through the power of Christ by the end of this year. If you could keep me in your prayers that would be greatly appreciated. Stay Strong, Conner F.! "
· Please pray for God to use us mightily in 2023, 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…
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