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NEWS AND INFORMATION FROM THE ISEMINGER FAMILY SERVING AMERICA'S SMALL AND STRUGGLING CHURCHES SENT BY: Lincoln Ave. Baptist Church, Ionia Michigan, Darren M. Tharp, Pastor SERVING THROUGH: Shepherd's Staff World Baptist Mission, Chillicothe OH, Dr. Jerry Chaney, President
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| July 2004 |
Phone: 574-596-7574 |
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Dear Praying Friends & Supporters,
Greetings from the North East U.S. where we will be for the next 5 months. I am amazed at the fact that 2004 is more than half over. It has been a good year thus far thanks to God’s goodness and your prayers. We have been very busy as you will see from this letter.
News From the Road
Since our last report we have been in meetings in NM, TX, MS & GA. God has given us safe travel and good meetings.
We really enjoyed our stay in New Mexico and had good meetings there. The needs in the mountain west (especially on the Indian Reservations) are as bad if not worse than the needs in the North East. In Southern Colorado there is a Ute reservation with 10 towns and not one good church. We are looking forward to returning to this area in 2005 and being able to help some of these churches again. Good News Baptist church in Dulce, NM hosts tent meetings on reservations in the summer and has started one other reservation church and are looking to start more. We are seriously praying that we might be able to help with some of this but it does not look like we will be able to schedule it until 2006.
We spent 10 days with the Valley Baptist Church in Belen, NM and got much accomplished. Two students from Crown College were there when we arrived and the middle of the next week the Youth Pastor and 3 teenage boys from Anchor Baptist Church in Salt Lake City spent three days with us. We had a 6 day revival and knocked doors every day. In two weeks (starting 4 days before we arrived) We were able get the gospel to about 1500 homes. I would like to ask that you please keep this struggling church and its pastor in your prayers.
Our Vacation Bible schools are going well so far this year. Our theme for this summer is Super hero’s of the Bible. We are enjoying them and we have 4 new puppets, 3 of which the kids are working with.
Support Update
Perhaps you have noticed that in every letter we mention something about finances and support. There are 2 reasons for this:
Since our last letter God has added the following folks to our support team:
¨ Cothrin Family Royce City, TX ¨ Prowse Family Aztec, NM ¨ Aztec Baptist Church Aztec, NM Don Stackpole, Pastor ¨ One family that wishes to remain anonymous
This puts us at over 60% of our support goal, last year at this time we were under 35%. We are praying that we will be able to spend half of our time in 2005 in extended stays at churches and starting in 2006 we can be doing that full time. If God continues to do what He is doing with our support, it looks like that will happen. |
Family News
I guess the big family news is that we are now parents of a teenager. It baffles me how our kids are growing up so fast and Carmen and I don’t seem to be getting any older at all!! (we wish). Lena turned 13 in June, and Emilee will be 9 on the 4th of July which may have already happened by the time you get this.
As I mentioned earlier, we have 4 new puppets, three of which the kids are working with. It is so exciting to see them growing up and taking more of a role in our ministry. They have also taken an interest in learning to set up and tear down the camper, which I will not complain about any time soon. They are growing up so fast it is scary. They have started back to School after a short break and are in 7th, 5th & 3rd grades. They were really bored being off and glad to get to hit the books again.
Carmen is hanging in there, the truck doesn’t ride nearly as comfortable as the van did, so the traveling is harder on her, but she does get to sleep in her own bed every night so she has resolved to take the good with the bad.
My knee that I mentioned before is doing better. The day before father’s day while we were in Rockwall, TX I got to play golf before we left town with pastor Crane, his son and 2 men from his church. I hadn’t touched a club in almost 3 years but I hit it reasonably well and more important than that had a great time.
Our Itinerary
Click HERE for our most current schedule. I just received two cancellations so there are there two weeks open that we hope to fill in soon. Check our web site for the most current schedule information. As always, if you are coming to see us, please call or E-mail to confirm the information. Please continue to pray for our safe travel and for God’s Power and Grace in the meetings and for the churches and Pastors we are with. ******If you would be interested in having us where one of our cancellations occurred, the first is the last week of July in the New York, Pennsylvania area the second would be the last week in August in the Maryland, Pennsylvania area or within driving distance of either.
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Prayer Requests
As you pray for us and with us, we covet your prayers for the following specific things:
God’s Power, Wisdom and Grace in the Meetings
Safety as we travel (now more than ever, our rig is over 50 feet front to back and is not the easiest thing in the world to drive)
Our 2004 & 2005 Schedule
God’s wisdom & Provision for an updated truck when needed
Wisdom in scheduling church helps
Carmen’s health (especially as fall and the change in weather arrives)
Our monthly Support
Faith Baptist Hanover, PA and other churches without pastors
The Sale of our Van (financially we need this van to sell quickly)
Our finances as we adjust to traveling with the camper
Several churches and families that we are close with that are having huge turmoil.
Our next scheduled prayer letter is September which will still have us in the northeast. We will look forward to updating you then.
Thanks again for your prayers and participation in our ministry, we thank God for you daily.
Because of Calvary, The Iseminger Family David & Carmen Lena , Dylan & Emilee Romans 10:13-15
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