Monthly Update - March & April 2025

Making a difference update, from the recovery field – March / April 2025 edition. Below are the highlights that happened in the Life Issues ministry over the last couple of months.


I. Benevolence

· Our church gave a week’s stay at a motel for one of our students in March

· Kelly R. took a lady to Heart and Hand in Belton on 3-12 to get necessities

· We gave a food box and gift cards to a couple of people on 3-16

· We gave transportation to court and back home to a lady on 4-2 and 5-7

· Our church helped one of our students get a new/er couch on 4-9

· We bought clothes and shoes for a lady, for her job on 4-18

· We helped a man with auto repair on 3-11 and 5-3

· We helped a lady with her electric bill on 3-14

· We helped a couple with their electric bill on 4-28

· We helped a lady with her rent on 5-14

· We gave several QT gas cards and Culver's gift cards in March & April

· Helped a family with 2 night’s stay at motel in April



II. Jail update

· I’m still corresponding with Justin W. who’s now in Jefferson City prison and going through discipleship but struggling so please pray for him.

· I talked to one of our men’s PO’s on 3-25, to verify his attendance.

· My friend Ted H. is scheduled to be released from Booneville prison on 6-3, and his home plan is to Kingdom House (by the plaza).

· Took Bibles to CCJ on 5-3 with Stan V. – see pic

· Sent money to inmate on 4-25

III. Church

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

o D1: These folks are in our one-on-one discipleship material –Tracy W. is with Pam J. (lesson #8), Kevin W. is with Pat L. (lesson #3), and Julie S. is with Mary W. (lesson #5)

o D2: Alana M., Brian R. Kelly T., and the Horton girls are going through D2 this year!

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

o TJH (The Journey Home): Tom M. is with Pat L. (lesson #9), Dane O. is with Brian R. (lesson #7), and Camille R. is with Linda J. (lesson #6), and Dana M. is with Mary W. (lesson #6), Nichole D. is with KJ (lesson #1)

· Sent program materials to Heath Sears (Pastor) in Texas on 3-11

· Vinnie and Megan Nigro gave powerful testimony on 4-11 – see pic

· I got to baptize Julie S. and Derek M. on 4-20 – see pic

IV. Recovery

· We gave 1 case of Bibles to Tommy McGee on 4-25, after he shared his testimony – see pic

· The Journey Home (TJH) update:

o TJH copyright registration was approved on 3-18-25

o We just finalized TJH workbook with formatting, fonts, addendums, etc. and are ready to send it electronically to others and also to a publisher!

· Kevin F. delivered a large group message on 3-14 – see pic

· One of our ladies was taken to detox on 3-17

· One of our men got a job with KFC on 3-18

· Another one of our men got a job in March tree trimming and is saving to buy a car!

· One of our ladies got a job on 4-9

· We helped connect Luke B. to a job on 3-10 and to housing on 4-6 – see pic

V. Events

· We took group pictures and break out pictures for our trifold on 3-29 – see pics

· Pat and Pam are going to lead a trauma recovery group series in June and July.

· We’re planning a group bowling day in July – outing to Raymore MO.

· Our annual Homecoming / Fundraiser event will be August 29th, 2025

o Fundraising has started and we’re at $1160, on our way to $12,000

o You can cut and paste the link below into your browser to donate:

shelbygiving.com/App/Form/10483664-de94-4aeb-9926-faf12deb2518





VI. People

· Derek & Christina were saved on 3-16

· Stan V. was saved on 5-3

· Camille R. testimony

"I have been involved with Life Issues now for 6 months or so (and am now over 5 months sober). When going thru The Journey Home, I am reminded that I'm not the only one that has struggles, and there are Bible verses that remind me to stay strong, and God will comfort me. And that thru prayer and reading the Bible will keep me in the path of righteousness. I have a great gal Linda (sponsor) that has been lifting me up and encouraging me spiritually with God's Word and prayer, and I’ve started attending church regularly near my home in KS. Linda’s a wonderful listener and truly has an amazing heart and she loves the Lord. I'm able to contact her anytime whether it's a simple text or phone call in between our meetings. I am extremely grateful for her and TJH."



VII. Prayer requests

· I’m going on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic with 2 other men from our church, we’ll be gone from June 17th thru June 23rd with 10 other folks from a church in Grain Valley, please pray for us.

· I’ve been meeting Charles. N. in Grandview for a few months, and he’s trying to get his wife away from meth, please pray for him / them.



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…

Monthly Update - January & February 2025

Making a difference update, from the recovery field – January / February 2025 edition. Below are the highlights that happened in the Life Issues ministry over the last couple of months.


I. Benevolence

· We paid for emergency housing for man and woman for 4 nights in early January

· We put up a man for 1 night on 1-13 and the same man another night in February

· We gave mom and daughter 2 night's stay on 2-16 and 2-17

· We gave 5 gas cards away in February

· We gave another lady a night's stay on 2-20

· We helped a lady get a phone card on 3-5, to keep her phone active



II. Jail update

· Justin W. got saved with the Chaplin in Saint Joseph prison on Dec. 19th with one of our Bibles, and wrote us to tell us, and is now going through discipleship with me!

· I visited an inmate who’s a friend of a friend, to encourage, witness, and pray with him on 3-5

· I also took a case of Bibles to Cass County Jail on 3-5, as well as a couple of Spanish Bibles.



III. Church

· Word First – Bible publishing ministry @ HBF, assembled 300 more Life Issues Bibles for us in February!

· 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 #6), Kevin W. is with Pat L. (lesson #2), and Julie S. is with Mary W. (lesson #1)

o D2: Alana M., Brian R. Kelly T., and the Horton girls are going through D2 this year!

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. (completed - December 2024), Tom M. is with Pat L. (lesson #7), Dane O. is with Brian R. (lesson #3), and Camille R. is with Linda J. (lesson #4), and Dana M. is with Mary W. (lesson #5)

· Midtown Baptist Temple started a Life Issues group in February and a drug dealer got saved at their first meeting.



IV. Recovery

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

· One of our folks got to stay on probation on 1-16, rather than jail / prison, he is going through The Journey Home now!

· We gave 44 hours Community service to a lady over the last 2 months

· Sent off copyright paperwork for The Journey Home on 1-15, and hope to get approval this month (March), so that we can send our material electronically to others.

· Several of our students and leaders qualified for “Alumni” status and were awarded as such on 2-28 

– Carol T. also achieved “Alumni” status on 3-7  

V. Events

· 2025 plans:

- Leadership meeting on February 22nd – see pic.

- Pat and Pam to lead group – trauma recovery in June and July

- Inmate gets released from prison on June 3rd.

- Bowling in July – group outing to Raymore MO.

- Homecoming / Fundraiser event will be August 29th, 2025

· We may have an opportunity to start another Life Issues group in Texas.



VI. People

· Two men (brothers) got saved after our meeting on 1-24 – PTL!

· Dottie B. shared an article with the group on 2-28 – see pic.

· Julie's testimony – 

" It's been close to 5 months since I lost my husband to cancer. I knew I'd need help getting thru the pain without drugs or alcohol. I knew I needed to be around other Christians that could help me grow my relationship with God. So, I came to Life Issues and started attending Sunday School and church services at Heartland Baptist Fellowship. Right away I felt seen and cared about. It strengthens my faith and fills me with hope and peace. I'm grateful someone took my hand and is leading me through discipleship. I'm just beginning but I'm getting excited about doing my part for the Lord and to be there for others as well. Thank you, Julie… "

· I got to go on a mission trip to Egypt and South Sudan in January, I’ve attached some pictures:

o Me on a camel @ the pyramids – see pic.

o Me with a dear lady who’s trying to work with the addicted in Cairo Egypt – see pic.

o Some pics of some dear saints in South Sudan – see pics.

VII. Miscellaneous

- Check out a couple new videos posted to our Life Issues YouTube Channel:

Life Issues Video : 2024 year in review

Introduction to Life Issues - Sullivan, MO

· Revised chart showing some Life Issus stats for 2024:

2024 Volunteer of the year	Linda Jones
Salvations in 2024	10
Baptisms in 2024	4
Life Issues graduates in 2024	2
LIM members involved in D1 in 2024	10
LIM members involved in D2 in 2024	5
LIM members involved in HBI in 2024	2
# of emergency nights provided	10
# of people benevolence help was given	20
# of people we’ve helped with rehab/detox	4
Morsels for Many – food boxes distributed in 2024	16
# of cases of bibles LIM has delivered to jails & prisons & shelters	16 (336 Bibles)
# of incarcerated folks LIM corresponded with	8
2024 - 12th annual fundraiser – Money raised	$13,000+
Average meeting attendance – 2024	26

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

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 -------