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| July 2008 |
Phone: 276-219-9294 |
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Dear Praying Friends, The dog days of summer are here for sure in Michigan. We hope this letter finds all of you doing well and busy. As is our norm, there is much going on and we have much to update you on. I know many of you are as busy if not busier that we are, but I hope you will take a few minutes and read what is going on so that when you pray for us you can pray more intelligently and effectively. Family Update Since our last letter we have had two birthdays in the family, neither of which was mine (praise the Lord!) In June Lena turned 17. It is so hard to believe that she is nearly grown up. She is working diligently at finishing her senior year of school and staying busy with piano and voice lessons as well. Emilee turned 13 on July 4th, so now all of our kids are now teenagers. Emilee had a few friends over for a surprise sleepover, saw the fireworks and generally had a good birthday. David II and Emilee are both off school for the summer. When they start back they will be in 10th and 8th grades respectively. Carmen is still struggling health wise which is frustrating and discouraging for her. We have tried numerous things including some herbal cleanses and nothing seems to help. We would certainly be grateful for your prayers for wisdom and healing. The word around the Iseminger household of late is camp. The kids will all be going to camp again the last week of July and I will be preaching in three of the evening services so all of us are in various stages of packing and preparation as I write this. I would ask you to pray for camp but I would imagine that it will be over before you get this letter.
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Ministry Update Since our last letter there are a number of things to report on. The end of April we held a 4 day meeting at our home church that went amazingly well. The meeting had a feel and spirit about it that is not often seen. God was very evidently working and we praise the Lord for what He did. We have also updated a few more of our supporting churches and gotten in to several new churches as well. As the way things normally work we are also hearing about churches in need. As our practice has always been when we hear about a church that may need help, we always make contact and if there is anything we can do to help In June we ventured to Cheboygan, MI to check things out at Blessed Hope Baptist Church. We had heard about this church from an evangelist at Lighthouse Baptist Church in Holland, MI when I was preaching there. This church in Cheboygan has been without a pastor for several months and has had 4 pastors in 12 years. Their building has some serious issues that need to be addressed as well. The few people who are there have no idea how to call a pastor, so I am helping them with their search. I have since heard from an old friend that is now looking for a church. At first glance the church and he seem to be a good match and we are praying that God will work it out so that this church can call a pastor soon. There are also several other churches we have been in contact with but as of this writing there is nothing major to report.
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General Thoughts & Observations Now more than ever I am concerned with the state of our churches and our country. I talk to pastors every week and the typical pastor has told me that his church is hurting. Here in Michigan, jobs are hard to find, gas is $4.10 a gallon, and the cost of everything is going up. It is amazing to me that gas is double what is was about two years ago. As you can probably imagine fuel is our number one expense on the road. The tank that used to cost $40.00 is now $80.00 (it was only $25.00 when we bought our van in 2002, but I try not to think about that.) We are seeing more apathy in our churches than we have in the past as well. I recently read a letter from a missionary who left his field and came home on furlough and felt as if no one in his supporting churches knew anything about him or his work. We recently spent several days with good friends who are veteran missionaries that expressed some of the same concerns. I find all of this hugely disturbing. I realize it is getting darker. I realize America is becoming more and more hostile to Bible Believers. I realize that the world is waxing worse and times are getting perilous (just as the Bible promised that it would) With all of that being said, I can’t find anywhere in the Bible that says we are to give up, give in and get along. I can’t find a text that tells us to accept things as they are, adapt and adjust. Please understand it is not time to give up on missions, evangelism, church planting and church rescue. What America needs more than ever is light, and what our churches seem to be producing less and less of is light. Pastors-keep preaching the truth, Church Members, commit and stay faithful, keep your missionaries on the field and reach your Jerusalem….much hangs in the Balance. Please continue to pray with us and for us that God would continue to sustain us and help us to raise the support that we so desperately need and to raise it quickly. Pray for our family, our safety, and the state of our churches. We are grateful for each of you and for your part in this ministry. We will look forward to writing again in a few months and updating you as to what God has been doing with us. Because of Calvary,
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