Monday, September 9, 2024

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…

Monday, September 2, 2024

THANK YOU MESSAGE FROM PASTOR STEVE & LIFE ISSUES

A big THANKS to our Life Issues friends, family, and supporters !!

Our 2024 Homecoming Fundraiser was a big success. We are still processing and counting donations, but it looks like we will meet or exceed our fundraising goals.

Life Issues would like to publicly thank our business sponsors. Through the generous donations of our many sponsors & supporters, Life Issues can continue to "Make a difference" in the lives of those struggling with addictions.

We appreciate the outpouring of community support !

Thank you to all who donate, support, and pray for the Life Issues Addiction Recovery Program.












Tuesday, July 16, 2024

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…