Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Monthly Update - October 2017

Making a difference update, from the recovery field – October 2017 edition…

Below are some bullet points of the highlights that happened in the Life Issues ministry over the last month:

· HBF’s and Life Issues’ contributions along with a matching gift enabled one of our woman students to get her dental work done in early October!

· Two of our leaders helped a former student move on 10-12.

· We took a group of 12 people down to Butler on 10-16, and three of us shared our testimonies at John Manning’s Christ Centered Recovery (CCR) group. There was wonderful singing provided that night, as well as good snacks and fellowship following the meeting.

· We got a man a ride home after being released from jail on 10-23

· I wrote a reference letter for a young woman on 10-27, to help her qualify for food stamps.

· Our group signed and sent two “Missing You” cards to a couple of our students who are currently incarcerated. A couple of our leaders are corresponding with 3-4 other inmates at this time.

· We had approximately 20 leaders & students participate in HBF’s annual Harvest Party on 10-28. Even though it was a brisk fall morning, I would guess that HBF had 80-100 people show up and we had about that many more from the community. Everyone there heard the gospel that day, and I was especially proud of how our church worked together in unity to provide a fun, powerful, and effective outreach to our community that day!

· We gave emergency housing to a family on 10-31.

· The Sunday night Bible Study that Pat Lee and Chris Coen are providing at Joshua House, has been fruitful, and has been an effective way to be more involved in the lives of some that we are trying to help make free.

· We heard a powerful testimony from Scott B. on 10-27! Before Scott was a missionary, he led a Celebrate Recovery group, and before he led the CR group, he had Life Issues that led him into addictions and legal problems. Scott gives all the glory to God for his recovery and for radically changing his life!

· Speaking of someone whose life has been radically changed; read the testimony of one of our students below!

o Let me start by saying that being an addict was not in my plans. I had a beautiful home, a wonderful husband, and an amazing family, but with the loss of my aunt and then the loss of my brother two years later, I was expectantly overwhelmed. I just wanted the pain to end, so while out with some friends one night, I decided to use methamphetamine, and I liked it.

o Soon my use of meth to cope with the pain became every weekend, until finally it because daily use. The weeks turned into months and it got harder and harder to hide; instead of relying on my husband to help me, I lied to him and denied using. Soon our marriage was over, then we lost our home; I lost myself, my faith, and the respect of my kids.

o By the end of my 4-year addiction, I just wanted to die. I didn’t want to be an addict anymore, but I didn’t want to ask for help and I didn’t want to admit that I was everything that I was accused of. I chose to put myself in situations that could have ended my life, but instead of something bad happening, God had another plan. I got arrested on a warrant and they found meth on me in the County Jail, but I got released on a PFI (signature bond).

o Even though I had a brush with the law, I continued to get high and ended up being pulled over in Kansas City and I had one of my sons with me. At that time I didn’t have any warrants but since I was acting suspicious, they searched me and I had a pipe in my pocket, and that was the first time that I had no choice but to admit to the officer and my son that I was using.

o After being handcuffed the officer told me to explain to my son why I was going to jail, and all I could do was to cry and say I was sorry. The officer didn’t end up taking me to jail, instead he gave me a ticket to appear in court for possession of paraphernalia. I really wanted to stop right then but I could not! Before I went to court in Kansas City, I got picked up on my warrant for my PSI out of Cass County. When I was arrested, I had 250 prescription pain pills that didn’t belong to me, in my possession.

o So, not only was I going to jail for 1 PSI, now I was going to get more time, and I had a $25,000 bond. Needless to say I spent the next 30 days in jail and I got served my second and third PFI while I was in jail. Now my bond was $75,000, so for the next 60 days I remained in Cass County Jail and I found my relationship with God again. I attended the church services that the Prisoners Of Hope (POH) provided from Heartland Baptist Fellowship. I learned about Life Issues from the POH folks, so when I was released from jail around the beginning of November (2015), I couldn’t wait for Friday evening, so that I could attend their meetings!

o When I first got out, I was living with my daughter and facing 21 years in prison, but all I knew is that there was something more important for me to worry about; I not only needed to stay clean, I needed to rebuild my family. Three days before Christmas, I moved into our home with my kids and in the Spring time (once I got settled), I got baptized and became a member of HBF.

o I was accepted into the Drug Court when I was 173 days clean, and now I am one of the top drug court participants and was actually chosen to go speak in the school system about the effects of drugs and recovery! We are getting ready to do our second school event this month and I am in the process of getting sole custody of my 13-year-old son!

o I have had a lot of trials and tribulations over the past year, but I am proud to say that there is no amount of stress nor struggles that I have been thinking of or going through that could break me. I was 784 days clean as of November 1st, 2017  !!


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




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