Dear Praying Friends,
 
Ready or not 2012 is here. We hope you are all well, and that you had a good Christmas holiday. We did and are off to a good start to the year and as usual we have a lot to update you on. I hope you will take a minute to read this letter and catch up with what we are up to.

Special Thanks

Let me start with a special note of thanks to all who sent along extra support or a monetary gift in December. Christmas can be a difficult time for everyone and missionaries on a very tight budget are certainly no exception to this. Every year we are amazed how God provides for all of the extra expenses of this time of year, we had a great holiday and it was nice to slow down a bit and enjoy some family time.

I also wanted to mention that the people here at Needmore surprised us with a nice wedding anniversary gift and check for Christmas as well. It seems that notes were being passed and plans were being made to surprise us for our anniversary which they certainly did. We are certainly grateful for their thoughtfulness and generosity.

Ministry Update

The efforts at Needmore Ind. Baptist continue. Unfortunately this time of year it is hard to get a lot of things done and the pace slows somewhat. Fortunately we got a good number of things done in the fall before winter set it. We did some more work inside the parsonage and it is really taking shape and looking nice. We had been debating and discussing a handicapped ramp for the better part of the year and it is now done, praise the Lord.

As far as people go, the faithful people are still faithful and a family that was getting on board at our last writing is quite regular now and already being a blessing to the church. Its wonderful in small struggling works when folks come in and say what can we do not what can you do for me. We are still praying for visitors, Carmen has as her prayer goal for this year two new faithful families to be added to the work here. That would really go a long way toward getting things here where they need to be for a stable future.

The van route has been struggling a bit lately. We are looking for new riders, encouraging the old ones and considering another route.

Since our last writing we did go over and preach one night of the missions conference at our home church. It was good to see everyone and be able to give them an update on our work. Things seem to be going well and we enjoyed being there.

We also continue with our ministry in the Lansing City Rescue Mission. We go in and preach twice a month (I preach once and David II preaches once) and on one of those days we also help serve the meal as well. I always enjoy our time there and thank God for the work that gets done.

As we look at and prepare for 2012 I can’t help but reflect just a little bit. 1994 we started our first church planting efforts and in 1995 we helped our first struggling church in Chaneysville, PA. That makes 2012 year 18 for Iseminger Family Ministries. As I look back I am amazed at what God has allowed us to be part of and how good He has been to us for what is closing in on 2 decades in His service. As I look ahead I see bigger needs, bigger challenges and much more work to be done. The need in our country is bigger than ever, the fight is more important than ever and I believe that the very culture and identity of our country are on the line.

Please join us as we pray for laborers and continue to do what we can for this cause.
 

Family Update

For the most part we are all doing pretty well and as I have already mentioned we enjoyed the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. My dad came to visit for Thanksgiving and we enjoyed having him here. It was a year ago that my mom passed away and I was glad that he could be with us during that time as well.

My counseling classes that I mentioned in the last letter continue. It is a pretty slow pace because it is low on the priority list but they are going well. I am also working on getting on top of some health things. I have clearly lost a step and between my advancing age and 17 years on the road I was really struggling to do what needed done. I am happy to report that strict diet and regular exercise is having a positive effect. My knee issues that have been plaguing me for the last year and a half is all but gone and I am feeling better than I have in some time. Please pray that I will continue and not give up so that I can get done all that I need to get done.

Winter is clearly the time when Carmen struggles the most as you probably know. As I write this she is struggling more than usual because the Dr. recommended she try something different that could end up taking 2 to 4 weeks to help her pain and already it is making her very nauseated and causing her blood pressure to be pretty high. She has nothing to help her with pain in the mean time and we are not sure if this will even help in the long run. Please keep praying and pray especially that this new medication will in time help her.

David II is still plugging away at school, working several odd jobs and preaching every chance he gets. He is on track to finish his degree next year (the benefits of being able to spend 30 hours a week or so on school) and is planning for his future life and ministry. Please pray much for him as things take shape and he continues to plan and prepare.

Lena is also working some odd jobs helping people out and has picked up yet another piano student. She is very involved in the music at church, and continues to work with the choir she has organized as well.

Emilee continues with her schooling (all A’s on her last grade report) and is thriving with her piano teacher (we think she has turned into a bit of a teachers pet). It is hard to come to grips with her growing up but clearly she is although she still relishes her position in the family as the baby.

Transportation Update

I had told myself I wasn’t going to include this section in the letter but here we are. If I had to summarize the transportation issue I would say we are making do with what God has given us at this point. The caravan is now at 305,000 and change. It got new brakes recently and is fixing to get a new muffler and I am also praying about replacing the transmission but up to this point God has not allowed us to find one. The big Ford has 128,000 and has been problem free since God gave it to us in July. It is showing its Louisiana upbringing and is not a fan of Michigan winters so it is seeing pretty limited use, but it is certainly a favorite if we have to go much more than 50 miles or so, it’s a much more comfortable ride for Carmen especially and loves to run down the interstate.

We are praying and weighing our options and considering possible solutions to fix our transportation needs and when God shows us and gives us the go ahead we will happily make the move, until then He continues to make what we have keep running and serving our needs.

If we have learned anything from our years in the ministry it is that we want what God wants and will make no move without his leading. Please pray with us about this as well.

Prayer Requests

Carmen's health issues

Please pray for healing and continued progress. Also for patience as she deals sometimes minute by minute with the pain she struggles with.

Needmore Ind Baptist Church

Please pray that God will continue to work, that God would continue to move and the church will continue to make progress and grow. Pray for faithfulness through the winter and for the two new families that we are asking for. A new roof on the old part of the church is also a need that is being planed for this year and now a furnace compressor has burned up and is needing replaced as well.

Pray for Churches

Satan’s attack on America’s churches Is rolling on. Churches continue to struggle and close and complacency among Christians continues.  As Is the norm, we are aware of multiple churches with struggles and issues as well as areas that need churches. Please pray for the spiritual condition of our country and its churches.

Support

Recently we had a set back in one area financially but instantly God made it up in another area, it amazes us still that if we stay focused on His needs that He is faithful at staying focused on our needs. We remain very under supported and have difficulty rationalizing a concerted effort to raise support when the work of the ministry is so pressing. Please pray God continues to provide daily for our needs and also long term with the support we need.

 

We continue to be grateful for each of you and for your part in all that we do. We hope your year is off to a great start and God does great things with you and through you this year.

Because of Calvary,
The Iseminger Family
David & Carmen
Lena, David II and Emilee
Romans 10:13-15