Hi Everyone,

Have you ever had something terrible happen and you feel like Habakkuk, wondering if God has forgot who He is or, at the very least, fails to remember His promises?  Of course not, we believers wouldn’t never question God, right?  Right?  However, we may have a moment or two where we have no idea what He is doing!  Remember this, God stories always finish well even if we don’t understand until eternity.  Amazingly, there are times that God let’s us see His blessings from disaster while we are still down here on earth.
 
I shared in our last Newsletter that I have been fighting different infections in my body for over six months now, one after another, and that these infections have forced me to cancel many ministry opportunities this year.  (There have been other health issues as well, and I have been seeing several doctors.  An MRI has shown a new cyst on my pancreas, but I am thankful that no cancer was detected at this point.  I have also twice weekly been going to physical therapy to reassemble my body since it keeps trying to fall apart!)
 
Anyway, back to my story about infections.  As I explained in the last Newsletter, the doctors gave me a very strong anti-biotic because of a stubborn infection that the normal anti-biotics were not effectively stopping.  After taking most of the medicine, I was hit with a serious side effect that almost hospitalized me.  My right side of my body burned hot like it had caught on fire, and I felt like I was paralyzed on that side from head to foot.  I could hardly move my right arm without severe pain…  Enough of that.  You already heard that sad story in our last Newsletter.
 
Here is the God twist.  It took over a week to start feeling better as the anti-biotic worked through my system, but since then (over a month) I have had no infections.  The anti-biotic about killed me, but it also killed all of the infections!  I am actually starting to feel better!  And it feels good to feel better!  Now, I am not going to write the script for God.  He may have other plans than what I would want to happen.  That’s okay!  After all, He is smarter than me, and wiser.  My motto now is one day at a time and let God deal with the future!
 
Just a reminder, if you plan to attend, please register as soon as possible for the BEM Small Church Conference next month.  The conference is being held at Milan Baptist Church Milan, Michigan.  The dates again are September 22-23, 2023.  (See information below.)  We will have the usual Friday Family Fun night plus the main conference taking place on Saturday.  As always there will be a program for children and for teens while the adults have their sessions.  There is no charge for the conference.  Instead, an offering is taken on Saturday morning to help with costs.  People who attend are free to give or not give.  We only ask is you consider what God would have you do!  The link to register online is:
 
BEM – Milan Conference Registration
 
Finally, Beabea and I want to thank all of you who have sent funds to our GiveSendGo account online.  It has truly helped with our finances during this last month.  What a blessing it has been to have that kind of love and support from friends, fellow servants, and people we don’t know.  We are grateful for the BEM board members that set it up for us.  Thanks, Chris and Rachel!  We had no idea that this kind of opportunity existed to share our needs.  We also want to thank those who sent extra by way of our BEM account.  The encouraging words written to us have been a wonderful comfort as well.  Thank you most of all for your prayers on our behalf!  It has been suggested that I include the link one more time for anyone who would still like to give using the GiveSendGo account.  So here it is:
 
GiveSendGo - John and Beabea Rogers
 
Please continue to pray for my health and for Beabea and all she does.  I am most certainly moving the right direction and look forward to speaking in churches once again as Christ’s servant.  I am scheduled to leave the middle of September and be gone through the middle of October.  Also, pray for the many counseling opportunities that have developed even though I have not been traveling.  The various methods God has been using are Skype or Zoom, phone, and amazingly, in person.
 
Thank you for your prayers.  As always, you are truly an encouragement to us!  God is using you!
 
John (and Beabea) Rogers
jtrbem@gmail.com