Monthly Update - May & June 2024

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



I. Benevolence

· We worked with HBF to help a lady pay her rent on 5-29.

· We helped a lady move on 6-3, and got her drier installed a couple of weeks later.

· We helped a lady with emergency housing on 6-21, and then got her into permanent housing on 6-29! This lady has been coming to meetings and church and got baptized on 7-14 - see pic

· We worked with HBF to help a man pay for his rent on 7-8.

· We donated 2 big boxes of food to a lady with 6 kids on 7-10 to help as she goes through some family issues.



II. Jail update

· Pat Lee led Chuck R. to Christ over the phone in prison on 5-13-24!

· One of our ladies wrote to a lady inmate on 6-10.

· One of the men I wrote to last month wrote me back, so I sent him a second letter on 6-23.

· I’m still communicating with an inmate @ Boonville MO (Ted), his out date got delayed a year (June 2025), so that was disappointing, but I’m going through our recovery material with him now, he’s in lesson #2.

· Life Issues dropped off a case of Bibles @ CCJ on 7-8-24.



III. Church

· Many of our leaders and students helped with HBF’s VBS the week of July 8th!

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

o D1: These folks are in our one-on-one continue discipleship material – Matt L. is with Steve F. (lesson #8), Alana M. is with Betty A. and are on lesson #13, Larry O. is working with Brady B. (lesson #10), and Dean is with Dale N. and they are on lesson #9.

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

o TJH (The Journey Home): Les B. completed TJH on June 21st and is working on writing out his testimony!

o Brian R. completed HBF’s 10-week “How To Disciple” class in June and will graduate 7-21.



IV. Recovery

· We have been providing community service for a teen with a DWI charge (40 hours needed), I think he has completed about half thus far.

· Ray V. completed IOP classes (15 sessions X 3 hours each) on 5-17

· Gave 4 boxes of Bibles to Welcome House (men’s sober living – 98 residents) on 5-26 – see pic.

· We sent a 9-year-old attendance form to a former student’s lawyer on 6-3, so he can prove to a judge that he worked our program at that time, this request surprised me but made me glad that Life Issues keeps good records!

· Noelle C. earned her 3-year tag – see pic.

· Most of you reading this remember that a church in Sullivan MO started a Life Issues recovery ministry in January of this year, here’s a testimony from Pastor Josh Wright:

"We just celebrated 6 months this year! We had a first-time guest not long ago and they came back a second time! A young man just gave an incredible testimony this past week about this program coming along at just the right time in his life. He said he had gone through a few of the 12 steps in the past but nothing like we are doing with a Biblical emphasis. He said it has been so helpful to him. I can probably count on one hand the number of times everybody involved in the program has missed. We still have 6-7 people every Thursday night.

We all came into the program thinking we would help other people and have benefited so much from the program ourselves. We have really opened up to one another and drawn closer to each other and the Lord. "

· We sent documents to a church in Blue Springs on 6-3, to help them start a recovery group as well, and Pat Lee and I met with their leadership group on 6-11 to answer questions and hand deliver some documents, and meet some of the folks who will be potentially leading their recovery group, it was encouraging and a blessing for Pat and I to discuss things on this level.

· Larry C. and Anthony B. have been coming around for about a year now and both are committed to the Lord and our pathway to recovery and were given their “Born Again” Life Issues tags on 6-28 – See pic.

V. Events

· Two young men prayed to be saved @ the end of the Ride for Revival on 6-1!

· We’re kind of late getting started this year but I want to announce our Homecoming fundraiser event:

  Check out our new YouTube video !!   

  It describes our upcoming event on Friday August 30th, 2024  

  Here's our "Homecoming cover letter"   

  This has additional details about Life Issues and our event  

o We will have pledge forms and literature available on Friday night for distribution.



VI. People

· I performed a wedding on 5-25 for Mark and Karanita Hite, it was a pleasure working with this couple and I’m excited for them and glad they found love – see pic.

· We helped a 75-year-old homeless lady (Denise J.) get emergency housing on 6-17 and into more permanent housing in Clinton MO on 6-18. Denise wrote a nice thank you note to me:

“I want to thank you from my heart for everything you did for me I am so grateful Pastor… and I am so glad I met you and God bless you too 😍.”

· Roger G. and I drove one of our ladies to the airport on 7-11 so she could get back home to her family in Texas and gave her a Bible – see pic.

· Kevin and I dropped off a case of Bibles to a Recovery Auto in Independence MO, the owner there is a recovered addict who gave his testimony at our meeting awhile back, and he serves in a recovery ministry, and wants to give a Bible to people when they buy a car from him!

· 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 - March & April 2024

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


I. Benevolence

· We paid for a struggling couple to attend our church's marriage conference in early March.

· We worked with HBF to help a man pay for a man’s assessment and SATOP classes in late February, so that he can get his license back.

· Purchased sheetrock and painting supplies to help remodel a man’s house, who’s letting a couple of our men stay with him on 3-15, one of our men is donating their time to perform the work.

· We paid to fix the AC at this same home on 4-22, for him and the men staying with him.

· We gave a box of food to man on 4-26, as well as 2 others this season.

· We paid a lady’s electric bill on 4-26, before they got shut off.



II. Jail update

· I’m still communicating with an inmate @ Boonville MO (Ted), he now hopes to be out by June of this year, please pray for that and for his home plan. Below is a testimony from Ted…

" Greetings!! 

Hello to all you at Heartland Baptist/Life Issues. I am writing to you all from Boonville Correctional Center where I am currently serving time for poor choices I made in the past. 

I praise God for the time I am serving though, as I truly have a relationship with Jesus now and through this time God has saved not only my temporal life but most important, my soul. I truly want all those reading my message at this moment to know that GOD FORGIVES!! GOD LOVES YOU!! So, I plead with you to choose HIM, walk away from your past, because HE has so many beautiful things in store for you. I promise you that. He will wipe the fog off the lenses that you see life through. I speak of these things because I am living the Miracle of restoration through Jesus Christ. 

I look forward to meeting all of you very soon, and telling you more about my life in person, but for now this prison is my Mission Field. 

I am happy to share with you that I have been able to lead three men to the Lord and that they are now faithfully serving our awesome GOD!! I want to end this note by speaking to those who are reading this at this moment that do not know Jesus. I plead with you to get to know Him. Only through HIM can you find the peace you are seeking. HE WILL set you free from addictions and hangups and renew your strength. 

I also want to include a special thanks to Pastor Steve and Brother Jim Stovall, your love and support truly mirrors the Love of Christ and I truly believe you bring a smile to HIS face. I love you all."

· I prayed with man who was on his way to court on 4-2, and the judge sentenced him to 2 years’ probation and NO JAIL time, PTL!

· I wrote to 3 inmates on 4-16 and hope to hear back from them soon.

· Jim S. dropped off a case of Bibles @ CCJ the last week of April!



III. Church

· Our group helped clean the church on 3-22 – see attached picture of a cute team!

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

o D1: These folks are in our one-on-one continue discipleship material – Matt L. is with Steve F. (lesson #7), Alana M. is with Betty A. and are on lesson #13. Conner F. is with Rich Huber @ Harvest Baptist (lesson #12), Larry O. is working with Brady B. (lesson #9), and Dennis is with Dale N. and they are on lesson #8.

o D2: Belinda completed D2 on 5-5 – see pic!

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

o TJH (The Journey Home): Les B. is working with Pat L. and are on lesson #5. Anthony B. just applied to go through TJH and we are assigning him a sponsor now!

o Brian Rinker is taking a 10-week “How To Disciple” class, that began several weeks ago, he has 3 weeks left!



IV. Recovery

· Helped Marissa L. get detoxed and into treatment facility on 3-12, but she left and is back in her addiction – please pray for her.

· Chris C. just completed Step #6 on the road to recovery, using the Life Recovery Bible’s 12 steps – check out our YouTube channel.    https://www.youtube.com/@stevefleshman9824

· I gave our rehab info to a friend of a friend on 3-25.

· We placed RU order for booklets on 4-1, for our students to be able to read about their addiction.

· We offer pornography accountability / online accountability through Covenant Eyes (CE) for anyone desiring purity on their electronic devices. We recently purchased (4-24) a one time / lifetime subscription to CE that will pay for itself after 4 years. We offer this service to whosoever will and it is free for you to add this level of accountability to your online activities.

o Many a man (or woman) has been held captive by the snare of porn, so please reach out to me privately if this is something you want / need help with (816-896-5621).

V. Events

· We took our group pic on 3-22, in preparation to make a new trifold for this year’s Homecoming / fundraiser event – see pic.

o We will begin our fundraising in June and the Homecoming event will be on Aug. 30th.

o Mike Blake will be our speaker this year, he’s a pastor and leader of their jail ministry.

· We had 48 adults and 8 children @ our last of the month testimony meeting on 4-26! We also had a good testimony on 3-22 with Kristina C. – see attached picture of her and Lauren.

· Dave McCown is having his first ever Ride For Revival fundraiser for all motorcycle riders, and all proceeds will be divided between Life Issues and his local church. This could potentially be a large event and will be starting at Gail’s Harley Davidson dealership in Grandview MO and will end in Cole Camp MO with several stops along the way – see attached fliers!

o We will be providing some printing for this event as well as a booth @ Lone Jack MO, let me know if you want to help with that.

VI. People

· Tracy W. accepted Christ on 3-14 and memorized the first verse of her life @ 48, PTL!

· Chuck H. participates each year in the special Olympics, and he wears his medals proudly, see attached picture of him at one of the ceremonies.

· Larry O. is over 12 years sober and is coming up on 1 year saved. Larry has become a servant of the Lord and volunteers at church and in our group in many ways. One of those ways is his desire to help with cooking and food prep and Jim S. recently got him his own personalized apron, and he was overjoyed – see pic.

· 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…