Dear Praying Friends,

 

I apologize for the delay in communications from us,  things have been crazy busy for us which seems to be the norm of late so I guess we should be used to it.  Here in the mountains things are going well and progress is being made, the family is all well and as far as I know there are no major complaints.  

 

On the family side of things, Since our last writing Emilee has turned 12 and David II has taken up the guitar.  Carmen is not feeling all that great.  Please pray for her, the diet has not changed but some of the old pain is creeping back so we are not sure what is going on but we are concerned about it.  Lena got to spend 3 weeks with her good friend in Michigan in July, she enjoyed herself but she is glad to be home, we are glad to have her back and the church is happy to have its piano player back.  I am fine, of late I have been able to find some of the balance I have been searching for, and am forcing myself to quit the 18 hour days and the one day off every other month or so, so far so good, but it is a recent change so please pray with us about this.

 

As far as the church here in Clintwood, things are moving forward.  Sunday school attendance is about triple what it was in March and the morning service is about double.  There has been a high attendance of 27 the am average is right at 20.  Sunday night and Wednesday night are both up but not by huge percentages.  The constitution is nearing completion, doors are being knocked every week, We have had salvation decisions and have baptized and added several new members as well.

 

The last week of July I loaded up my two youngest (Lena was already in MI) and one young man from here and headed to Charlotte, MI for the camp that our home church puts on every year.  Everyone had a blast, I preached twice at the camp as well as Wednesday night at the church.  It has been almost 2 years since I had been there, so it was good to see everyone and get a chance to report. 

 

Lena entered a story in the camp literary contest and won.  I thought I would share it with you since it is a good representation of what is going on here.  I heard her tell someone at camp.  “It’s all true, except where it says about the young preacher, that’s my dad”  The person in question is Larry Smith, who since has given up a case a day beer habit,  made things right with the Lord, joined the church, he does not miss church, he is teaching David II guitar (on a guitar that he bought as a gift for him), they did 2 specials in church yesterday.  Mr. Smith still needs your prayers but he is doing well.  I have attached a picture of he and I taken after church last night.

 

Please pray for us and the work here, thank you for doing your part.  There will be a prayer letter coming next month.

 

Because of Calvary,

The Iseminger family

David, Carmen

Lena, David II, Emilee

Romans 10:13-15

 

Here is Lena’s story:

 

 

The Miracle In The Mountain

Based on a true story by Lena Iseminger

 

Bom, bom, bom.  The church bell rang throughout the mountainside and everyone knew it was time for the Lord’s Day to begin.  As everyone gathered for the services no one’s thoughts drifted toward the little old man who preferred not to be seen.  How could it be that in a town so small and where everyone knew each other that someone could be left so miserable and desolate?  And for years it remained this way.  Everyone just busied themselves about the mountain, never stopping to say hello and have a chat.  No one ever acknowledging his existence.  Until one day when the new preacher came to the mountain to see what he through Christ could do to help the neglected people of this mountain.

Well it didn’t take long for the new preacher to knock on the elderly man’s door, and when he did, well, let’s just say it wasn’t the best visit he had ever made.  The elderly man didn’t want to hear anything of God, nor anything of people.  The elderly man said, “Why should I come to church?  No one cares for me. They are all nasty.  They take advantage of me and my things.  Never once wanting to know how I am.  I don’t even have anything to eat, but does anyone care? NO!  So why should I bother with anything of God? What has God ever done for me?”

Well, the young preacher couldn’t argue with him and he couldn’t even offer a reply.  He just wished him a good day and drove away.

As the days went on, the young preacher became more and more burdened for the old man who had been so rude upon their first meeting.  So he went and purchased a few bags of groceries and left them anonymously on the old man’s porch.  Before the sun had set the old, bitter man called the preacher and said, “I know it was you who left the groceries on my porch, and I just want to say—thank you.  That’s the first time in years anyone has bothered to care.”  The young preacher’s simple reply was, “God placed you on my heart and He’s the one to give the glory to, not me.”

As time passed, the preacher’s visits became closer together and phone calls were very frequent.  Before long, a large change could be seen in the elderly man—a soft and warm kind of change.  The elderly man kept opening up more and more.  The change was so amazing because only God could have done it. 

Then one Sunday evening, the elderly man came to the old mountain church, which was amazing because he had made a remark saying, “why should I go to church?  So I can act like all the hypocrites there?”  So you can only imagine the young preacher’s joy when he saw the elderly man sitting sheepishly on the back row, and how shocking it was to see such a large transformation in such a short time.  Soon the elderly man was coming quite regularly, and he was being blessed.  He was playing his guitar all the time actually fellowshipping with others after the services instead of rushing back to his complete desolation. 

How amazing it was for the whole mountain to witness such a magnificent change.  Before anyone knew it, the whole mountain was a buzz with the gossip of the elderly man.  The people didn’t understand how such a change could take place.  The people didn’t realize that God was working a miracle in the mountain.

I would like to tell you the end of the story now, but the truth is, this story is true and has just begun.  As I read it to you, such a thing is happening and so there is not yet an ending.  But I tell you this as a reminder, you may never know who will see Jesus in you.