david@isemingerfamily.org

Phone:  276-219-9294

Dear Praying Friends, .

Greetings once again from Southwest VA.  We are alive and well and staying quite busy doing what God has for us to do here.  As usual we have much to report on so I hope you will take a few minutes and read what is happening with us.

The Virginia Church

Things here are progressing forward in all areas.  As is the norm, nothing is moving at the speed which I want it to but it is all   moving none the less.   

Looking at the attendance numbers from March (the first month we were here) to August reveal that Sunday School attendance has just about tripled, the AM service has about doubled, the PM service is getting close to double and Wednesday prayer meeting is up marginally.  There has been some natural attrition that you always have in situations like this but God is working and building His church. 

We are staying quite busy with all that is going on and there is only one day of the week that there is never anything going on.  We are playing basketball with the teen boys every Monday night.  Tuesdays I am in the office all day trying to get a jump on everything and every three weeks on Tuesday there is a ladies Bible Study, Wednesday is Prayer Meeting, Thursday is generally a busy day with an afternoon meeting and some visitation happening, Friday is the only day that I am going out of my way to keep free for time with the family, Saturday starts with men’s fellowship at 8:00am followed by church cleaning, music practice and visitation and of course Sunday we have services all day. 

While things are progressing, they are not doing so without difficulties and trials.  This has been and continues to be a challenge on many fronts.  This area is more culturally different than any place we have been.  Nor have we ever been anywhere where the historic and Biblically correct Baptist positions that we hold to, has been and continues  to be held in such disdain by the general public and majority of other churches.  There are a few other churches of like faith but certainly not many. 

As you may or may not have assumed, when you step into a church that is 27 years old with virtually no congregation, you go in with the assumption that there must be some internal problems.  Internal problems are almost always harder to correct than external problems.  It didn’t take much time at all to identify these problems and set about trying to fix them.  As of this writing the jury is still out on whether or not we will be able to fix them.  It is pretty clear that if these things cannot be set right, there is little to nothing we can do to turn this church around.  In fact, I have delayed writing this prayer letter for almost a month because I was hoping that the die would be cast one way or another.  How ever we are still trying to work through some of these things but the outcome has yet to be determined.  Hopefully by our next writing we will have cut out the disease that plagues this church and be joyfully pressing forward with a happy healthy thriving church.

Camp Trip

The last week of July I loaded up  David II, Emilee and one teenager from the church and took off for MI for the camp that our church puts on. (Lena was already up there, visiting friends) The trip was uneventful and Camp was great as usual.  Everyone had a good time.  John Mullins (the boy who went with us) got saved, I got to preach a couple times at camp and Wednesday night at our church.  It was my first time there in two years, so I was glad to be able to update folks and let them know we were all still alive.

 Family Update

I guess the biggest of the family news is that school is back in session.  David II and Emilee joined Lena (she started back early) the Monday after labor day.  It is hard to believe that our kids are now in 7th, 9th & 11th grades. 

Carmen and I have both been sick (Carmen is still sick, but I am pretty well over it)  The local folks call it the grip, but it is pretty well the same stuff that was called the Georgia Crud when we were down there.  I was miserable for the better part of  a week and she is going on two but is making some slow but sure improvement.

David II is still progressing well on the guitar he definitely has a love for those strings.  I have been playing Bass with him and two other men in the church who play guitar.   We are trying to practice together regularly and have started playing in church fairly regular.  We are all enjoying it and the church folks are at least pretending to enjoy it.

Lena is still the churches piano player but enjoys the breaks the new guitar group gives her.  She is enjoying her new 80 year old piano teacher, gleaning all the wisdom she can get.  She is now taking hour long lessons and excited about it. 

Emilee  is growing like a weed and maturing rapidly, it is hard on us knowing there are no more babies in the house.  The other two are glad she is now taking on more responsibility and claiming some of their chores.

I ask that you keep each of us in your prayers, that God would keep us close to Him and each other.  Life here is very intense and hard on each of us in  different ways. 

Repair Central

As of late we have been doing a lot of repairs on things.  In July the Blower motor for our AC in the van needed to be replaced and I managed to do it myself.  More recently we have had to replace the cooling unit on the refrigerator in the 5th wheel and put new pads and rotors up front on the van.  By the time you get this we will have had a front end alignment done as well as at least two of the four new tires we need.  If we only get two we will get the other two next month.

Thank God for sending along some extra money and some help for these repairs.  I am sure glad he always knows what we need and works accordingly.

Pray for Us

There is nothing about our present task that is easy.  Between  the isolation of the area, the Opposition from the strongholds of all the false religion in the area along with the internal struggles of the church and helping these people who seem to have major problems trying to become functioning normal members of society.  This has been and continues to be a difficult situation.

We know that God has sent us here and we know that He can and will see us through.  Now more than ever we covet your prayers.

We will look forward to our next report and being able to share the victories God has given us with you.

We are grateful for your prayers, support and participation in this ministry, we truly couldn’t do it with out you.

Because of Calvary,

The Iseminger Family

David & Carmen
Lena, David II and Emilee

Romans 10:13-15