Italian Souls for Christ

Dear Brethren,

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. We appreciate all the encouraging cards as well as the birthday cards for Isaiah and me that we have received from our friends and supporting churches. We are thankful for the meetings in June and July that the Lord blessed us with in Florida, Alabama, Michigan, Ohio, and New York. We also praise the Lord for the three new churches that have started supporting us financially since our last prayer letter in June.

Last week I attended junior church camp with Isaiah. I praise God for the special time I was able to share with my son. Isaiah had the opportunity to preach his first sermon at camp. My heart rejoiced to see my son do his best to proclaim God’s word in front of his peers. It was a wonderful week spiritually and the Lord moved greatly in the midst of the camp. After the evening preaching I had the privilege to lead three boys to Christ whose names are Anthony, Mitchell, and Dakota. Please pray for their spiritual growth.

I read a passage recently in a book titled Repentance by J. Thornton that describes what I have experienced in sharing the gospel from “house to house” as well as in personal witnessing. He writes, “Though we warn them, admonish them, entreat them, and thunder aloud in their ears the threatenings of the law; though we show them the nearness of death, the certainty and solemnity of the last judgment, the transporting happiness of heaven, and the endless, unutterable misery of hell, they remain unaffected and unconcerned!” I’m ever reminded how much I need the power of God in dealing with men about their souls! Please pray that I would be effective in communicating the gospel and find people that are seeking truth, that are affected by the gospel, and that show concern for their souls, both now as we conclude deputation as well as when we reach Italy.

You can help us by praying for the following requests…
- Pray Sandy and I will get our visas approved when we apply with the Italian consulate in Detroit this November
- Pray I will find the right apartment for my family when I fly to Rome on November 12th
- Pray we will receive the remainder of our financial support as well as our start-up fund by the time we leave for Italy on December 28th
- Pray for our health and safety while we travel on deputation as well as for the upcoming flights to Italy
- Pray we will continue to learn the Italian language as we study on deputation and that we will find a good language school in Rome

On August 14th Sandy and I will celebrate our twelfth wedding anniversary. I am so thankful for a helpmeet that loves the Lord and her husband. We will be celebrating our Isaiah’s ninth birthday on August 23rd. He is such a happy little boy that has a tender heart to the things of God. We praise the Lord for entrusting us with him and Pearl. We have been blessed.

Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you.

Yours in Christ,
Stetson, Sandy, Isaiah, and Pearl Planck

Italy Start-up Fund

Outfit: $13,000
Passage: $4,000
Shipping Container: $4,500
Vehicle: $15,000
Misc.: $3,000

Total Amount Needed: $39,500
Amount Received: $11,050

Praise the Lord!

Dear Brethren,
                                                                                                                                           
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. We are excited to let you know that we have purchased our airfare to Rome, Italy. I have a round-trip flight on November 12th to secure an apartment and then we will fly to Rome as a family on December 28th of this year to begin our new life and ministry in Italy. Although we are gathering some preliminary information now for the visa process we will officially apply at the Italian consulate in Detroit when we return from meetings out West the first of November. Please be much in prayer that Sandy and I will get our visas approved without any difficulty.

While passing out gospel tracts in my neighborhood last Friday I had the opportunity to speak with a seventeen-year old named Michael. He was raised Catholic and trusted that his good works would be sufficient to merit the favor of God and eternal life. As we stood on his front porch I explained salvation by grace through faith. After about a 20-minute conversation his dad walked around the corner of the house with a beer in his hand and I thought my time with Michael was over. I explained to his father that I was talking to his son about the Lord and asked his permission to continue. I carried on about a five-minute casual conversation with Mike, Sr. to hopefully diffuse any potential problems and then I asked, “Will your son tell me honestly when he’s had enough? I can leave if he wants me to.” His dad left amicably and Michael said he wanted to hear more. Praise the Lord about five-minutes later

Last month at Isaiah’s home-school gym class I was able to witness to a Korean Catholic lady named Kyong. She asked if we could stay after class and discuss the Bible. I spent over two hours answering her questions from the word of God and presenting the gospel to her. She is deeply ingrained with the “justification by works” mentality and traditions of Catholicism. Please pray for Kyong’s salvation.

We are thankful for the meetings in April and May that the Lord blessed us with in New York, Ohio, Indiana, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Florida. We trust that the Lord will provide the remainder of our needed financial support before we leave for Italy from future meetings through October as well as those past meetings where churches have indicated their desire to support our ministry of reaching Italian souls for Christ.

Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you.

Yours in Christ,
Stetson, Sandy, Isaiah, and Pearl Planck

Italy Start-up Fund

Outfit: $13,000
Passage: $4,000
Shipping Container: $4,500
Vehicle: $15,000
Misc.: $3,000

Total Amount Needed: $39,500
Amount Received: $7,700

Praise the Lord!

Dear Brethren,

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. We are thankful for the meetings in February and March that the Lord blessed us with in Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York. We praise the Lord for the six new churches that have started supporting us financially since our last prayer letter in February.

While passing out gospel tracts in a neighborhood of Fort Myers, Florida I had the opportunity to speak at length with a Puerto Rican couple named Jose and Maria about their faith and what they were trusting on for eternal life. They both had a Catholic background but neither had been to church in several years. They considered themselves to be religious and seemed satisfied that their nightly prayers kept them in God’s favor. As we discussed God’s standard of righteousness, the Law brought them a knowledge of their sin and they found themselves guilty before a holy God. Their eyes were opened to the fact that Christ was their sin-bearer and they could have a new life because of His resurrection. Jose was the first to bow his head and receive Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. Soon after Maria also called upon the name of the Lord to be saved.

When I returned home to Ohio after this weekend meeting in Florida I mailed them a Bible and some discipleship material. I have also called to encourage them to visit the local church where I presented our ministry in Fort Myers and the pastor there has followed up with them as well. Please pray for their spiritual growth.

You can help us by praying for the following requests…
- Pray even now that when we arrive in Italy we will find Italians seeking truth and having a desire to know God personally
- Pray we will continue to learn the Italian language as we study on deputation
- Pray for our health and safety while we travel on deputation
- Pray I will be able to fill the remainder of our open dates for 2011
- Begin to pray that we will not have any difficulties obtaining our visas
- Please pray that more churches where we have already presented our burden for reaching Italian souls for Christ would be enabled to support our ministry financially

We will be celebrating our precious little Pearl Capri’s second birthday on April 22nd. She is such a sweet and happy little girl. We praise the Lord for entrusting us with her and Isaiah. They bring such joy to our lives.

Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you.

Yours in Christ,
Stetson, Sandy, Isaiah, and Pearl Planck

Italy Start-up Fund Summary

Outfit: $13,000
Passage: $4,000
Shipping Container: $4,500
Vehicle: $15,000
Misc.: $3,000

Total Amount Needed: $39,500
Amount Received: $6,100

Praise the Lord!