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Wed Jan 18 12:40:56 2012

Hello everyone,

Well, we now own the campus house!!! Glory to Jesus!!! After the bumps and His faithfulness through the whole thing, the deal is done. We actually closed the loan on the campus house on December 29th! We are amazed every time we look at this house how wonderful it is and how perfect it is for what God is going to do here at MSU!

Johnathan has been busy painting, fixing (mostly minor things), cleaning and getting everything "up to speed" so our friends, Art and Karen, who are part of the ministry, can move in temporarily until the summer when we will fill it with 5 students. The students of the ministry are so excited and are busy helping with everything. They are getting the vision and excited about what God is going to do!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your faithful prayers, support and believing with us! We are blessed above and beyond what we could ever ask or think!!! Keep praying for us for wisdom as we are stewards of this house and as we become "landlords" for Jesus. Please say a prayer of thanksgiving to God with us!!! He made a way!

Blessings and love,
Heather

p.s. We will get a newsletter out with a full update and pictures in the near future!

Fri Dec 23 22:23:30 2011

Dear Friends!

Attached you will find our Christmas newsletter, Christmas photo, and a special year overview (written by Heather) that she does every year for our family. We are very close to closing on the campus house...it is likely that it will happen on the 28th or 29th of December. Please keep praying!

We pray that you have a Christ-centered Christmas and the holidays give you opportunity to glorify His name! We are blessed and thankful for all of you and know that your prayers and financial giving availeth much at Minnesota State University, Mankato!!!

Love and blessings always,
Johnathan & Heather

Tue Dec 6 12:38:58 2011

Blessings to you all!

Thank you so much for continued prayer for this house! God is answering and making a way where there seemed to be no way!!!

Last week, we got news that our original bank we were working with was not going to fund the load due to some "red tape" in the loan process, although we had met all the requirements they had put before us to get the loan. After much prayer, counsel, and the Lord's leading, Johnathan "pounded the pavement" and spoke with 3 other banks last week. Finally, on Thursday, we were able to find a local bank here that is more than willing to take the loan and has assured us that the loan can be done. Glory to JESUS!

However, the closing date would be on or before January 15 (the delay due to the need for another appraisal). We were nervous that the seller would not agree to this due to the lateness of the date. However, this morning we received word that the seller has signed the purchase agreement addendum, agreeing to this deal!!! Praise God for favor and His grace on this process! Our new loan officer seems to have a lot of experience (20+ years) and through him we were given much favor with the seller's realtor. He is also working to get the closing date much closer to the end of December.

Please keep this in prayer. In the natural and the spiritual, we have much peace right now. We are so thankful to God for His leading in this process and how He has confirmed time and again that this house is HIS. Please take a moment to thank Him with us :)

We will keep you updated as needed, but we believe the next update will be with the new closing date and the subject will be "SOLD"-to US for HIS kingdom!

Thank you again, for your faithful standing with us! God is hearing you!
Blessings and love,
Johnathan & Heather

Wed Nov 30 18:22:28 2011

Hello dear friends!
We need your prayers for this campus house!!! Some of you may already know that our closing date was to be November 18th, however, that has been delayed due to several issues with the title company, the seller, and our lender. As of the 18th, the underwriter had not even looked at the paperwork because of being so behind! As of now, the issues with the title company and seller have been settled. However, we discovered just today that although we satisfied all the requirements that the lender put before us in applying for the loan, the lender is hesitating in allowing for the approval now! Please, please pray for favor for us with the lender and for wisdom as to how to proceed. We are not taking "no" for an answer, and we believe this house is still in God's will for us here at MSU. This is just another "faith hiccup" in the process of finally obtaining ownership of this house and taking territory for Jesus here at MSU. Please stand in faith with us in these next few days as we work this through so that we can have the closing for the loan before Johnathan leaves for El Salvador on Dec. 12. Let's keep praying this house into the Kingdom!!!

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support! We will let you know when there is any news!
Johnathan & Heather

Sun Nov 13 21:01:38 2011

Hello dear friends!

As promised, here is our newsletter (attached) with all the updates of the amazing things God is doing in our midst here at MSU. We are also attaching information on a trip that Johnathan is taking to El Salvador, and an opportunity for you to be a part of that, as well. We are blessed above and beyond what we could ever ask or think, and there is even more on the horizon. We are so thankful to Him, and all glory, honor and praise to Jesus! As I type this e-mail, the roof on the new campus house is being worked on, just in time for the closing on Friday! We are gearing up for our Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday, November 19th, and soon we'll be planning the Christmas party. It's all going to happen fast from here on out to the end of the semester, and we're just holding on for the ride! Thank you for keeping us in prayer! We'll send one more newsletter, with our annual family picture before the end of 2011.

Blessings and love in Christ,

Johnathan & Heather

Wed Nov 9 12:34:50 2011

Dear friends,
I just realized that I never sent out the update about the campus house and what is happening with the money for the downpayment! Please forgive me! I'm sure you're all wondering.... Well... (drum roll please...)

Praise the Lord we did receive all the money needed by the very latest deadline to get the loan application process moving! Thank you to all of you who prayed and gave so generously. God is multiplying your faith and $$!!! At the time when we were getting close to the deadline, we learned that we will be also getting the siding and roof fixed (hail damage) with insurance money from the seller's insurance before the sale of the house AND later we learned that the appraisal came in at an appropriate figure for the amount that we will be paying for the house!!!

God is really blessing this and moving things along quite smoothly. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your prayers and support! God is so faithful, and we are seeing His hand all over this purchase. As things look now, we are set to close on the house on November 18th, as planned. That is just 10 days away!! Please keep us in prayer for all to go through, against any attacks or problems to "pop up".

We will also be sending out our newsletter very soon, so keep an eye out for that in your "inbox". Glory to Jesus!!! Words cannot express how thankful and amazed we are at what He is doing, not only with the purchase of this house, but in the ministry and in the hearts of the students here on the campus. More on that in the newsletter... :) He is building His church here, in the people of God!

Blessings,
Johnathan & Heather

Wed Oct 12 11:33:05 2011

Hello all,
Well, we are in a "holding pattern". We have not heard any more news of more funds coming in for the house, so we are still sitting at $6,000 still needed for our MINIMUM downpayment for the house and loan to go through. Our time is running very short. Thank you, Jesus, for bringing us this far. We trust you, Lord, for your perfect provision and your perfect timing. Speak to those people that you would have sow into this campus house here at MSU. We know YOU are our provider, and we desire for YOU to be glorified in and through this campus house. We pray you get all the glory for making this happen!

Thank you for standing in faith with us!
Blessings,
Johnathan & Heather

Sat Sep 24 18:01:51 2011

See their recent newsletter.

Sat Sep 24 18:01:25 2011

See their recent newsletter.

Fri May 13 13:02:45 2011

See their latest newsletter.

Fri Mar 18 15:33:13 2011

Hello Tom and the missions committee at Windy City,

We are so excited to send this e-mail...God is really doing some great things here at MSU, and attached we have a "Special Request" newsletter detailing the plans for the purchase of a "campus house" for the ministry here. Please read it for all the details.

As things are falling into place, we are in total rest and the peace of the Lord as He has been directing our steps and aligning the details for us, even before we knew it! We greatly appreciate all your prayers as we walk through this process!!!

We are humbled and grateful for your prayers and support!!! Thank you so much!!

Blessings and love in Christ,

Johnathan and Heather

Fri Feb 18 14:14:25 2011

Hello dear friends!

Blessings in Christ to all of you! We pray you are doing well. We are holding down the fort here, so to speak, and doing well now that everyone is healthy (we had a stretch of colds going around after Christmas). Praise God for His goodness and all that He has given us. We are thankful for all of you, for your prayers and support! It means a lot to us as we are in the "battle of ideas" here at MSU.

Attached you will find our newsletter and updates of happenings here! Drop us a note if you get a chance or let us know how we can pray for YOU :)

Blessings and love in Christ,

Johnathan & Heather

Thu Dec 9 15:29:30 2010

Hello dear friends!

We pray that you are all well and excited for this upcoming holiday season, celebrating our Savior's birth! We look forward to hearing from many of you as you send out your annual holiday correspondence. The kids especially love to count the Christmas cards and letters we receive each day. We enjoy sitting down together as a family to hear everyone's news and see pictures of everyone! Attached you will find our December newsletter and our Christmas card.

There is never a dull moment on the campus as God is moving in ways that we cannot always predict or expect. We hope this newsletter encourages you to believe God for great things in 2011 and always!

Blessings and love,

Johnathan & Heather

Mon Sep 27 14:06:34 2010

Hello dear friends and family,

Attached you will find our newsletter update on what has been happening here at MSU!!

BUT, before you read that, we want to give you just a quick update on our most recent event:

We are excited about the awesome time we had just last night hosting "African Night" in our home! We had around 40 students in attendance with authentic African food, games, and a fire in our backyard! Although it had been raining for about 2 days, the Lord cleared up the skies and turned up the wind all day Friday to dry things out and have a beautiful, starry night for our backyard fire! Praise Jesus!

One of the members of our ministry, John (who is from Kenya), lead this effort and planned the entire meal and organized the kitchen crew. There were many interested in the ministry, and we gave away 3 Bibles to students who are really searching and wanting to know more about Christ. One of the Bibles went to a young Japanese woman who is friends with one of the members of our ministry, Sachi (also from Japan). Sachi has been planting seeds with this young lady and was very excited that she had such a great time at the event and is opening up more to the Gospel. Glory to God!

More exciting news to come soon...

Love and blessings,

Johnathan & Heather

Sat Aug 21 15:27:03 2010


Hello dear family and friends!
We pray that this newsletter finds you well and encouraged in the Lord! As always, we have exciting news to report in our newsletter. God continues to move here at MSU and in our family, and He is so worthy of all the glory! Please read the attached newsletter.

We are gearing up for the start of school August 23rd and the energy is building on the campus. This fall we're beginning a new meeting called Discovering Christianity, and we are hoping it will meet the needs of those international students that are seeking to learn more about Christianity. Each week we will cover a different topic related to the foundations of biblical Christianity. There will be a short presentation, questions/answers, and fellowship. Please pray especially for open hearts and minds at these meetings.

We are also attaching a special need request related to our ministry van. Please pray and see if the Lord would have you help us in this area, as well!

Love and blessings from all of us!
Johnathan & Heather

Tue Jun 22 13:21:56 2010

See their June Newsletter.

Thu Apr 8 15:16:06 2010

See their April Newsletter.

Fri Feb 5 15:59:24 2010

See their latest newsletter.

Fri Dec 11 16:10:46 2009

See their 2009 Christmas card.

Fri Dec 11 16:09:42 2009

See their December newsletter.

Fri Oct 23 14:28:05 2009

See their October Newsletter.

Fri Sep 4 16:03:27 2009

See their September Newsletter.

Tue Jul 21 14:47:37 2009

See their July Newsletter.

Tue May 19 16:35:10 2009

See their May Newsletter and request for special donations.

Wed Mar 25 15:52:33 2009

See the March Newsletter.

Mon Feb 9 16:37:04 2009

See their February newsletter.

Tue Dec 16 16:47:11 2008

See their December Newsletter.

and

their Family Update

and

their Christmas Card.

Sat Sep 6 14:28:18 2008

See their September Newsletter.

Mon Aug 11 19:01:17 2008

August 1, 2008
Hello family and friends,

I know you are all absolutely impatiently awaiting the first photos of our darling little son, Isaiah John Bislew! See the attached announcement.

His name "Isaiah" means "Jehovah saves" and "John" means "God's gracious gift". God's gracious gift is salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ! He is also named John after Johnathan's father.

Scriptures that the Holy Spirit spoke to me (Heather) for him before he was born:
~Romans 5:20-21 "The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reighn through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
~Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Real strong labor was only about 2 hours, and by the grace of God, I was able to deliver without medications, which was my prayer. He has been a hungry man from the start, nursing well, and sleeping well, too. The girls absolutely love their little brother, and they fight over who gets to hold him. We have to fend them off from smothering him with hugs and kisses. We are so thankful for a handsome, healthy and strong little boy:)

Johnathan and I both sensed that we were having a boy this time. We kept praying and asking the Lord for a girls' name, and up until about 2 weeks prior to his birth, still did not have a strong sense in our spirit of a name for a girl. We did come to an agreement on a girl's name, however, it still did not seem "right". April 6th during worship at church, I asked the Lord if He was ever going to give us a boy, and the Holy Spirit spoke to me, "I've already done it." That is when I had a strong sense that this was our Isaiah John. We have had this name for our boy since before Evangeline was born.

We believe his name is also prophetic of what God is going to do here in Mankato this school year. Just this Tuesday, a young man (mows the neighbor's lawn) from the Sudan gave his heart to Jesus after talking with Johnathan.

Thank you for sharing in the joy of the arrival of our son! Johnathan couldn't be more proud and excited :) He is happy to have a little man in the house, and so am I.
Love you all,
Heather

Wed Aug 6 00:22:52 2008

See the recent good news.

Tue Jul 1 20:14:20 2008

See their June Newsletter.

Sat May 10 17:56:57 2008

See their May Newsletter.

Tue Mar 11 18:50:58 2008

See the Special Announcement Newsletter and a special request for funding.

Tue Feb 5 19:26:22 2008

See the February 2008 Newsletter.

Thu Dec 13 19:24:39 2007

See the December Newsletter.

Mon Oct 22 15:14:50 2007

See the October Newsletter.

Tue Oct 2 20:04:00 2007

See the August 2007 Newsletter.

Tue Oct 2 15:49:33 2007

Campus Missions International
A ministry of Maranatha Christian Church where John is on staff.
At the University of Minnesota & Minnesota state University, Mankato

In 1988, Johnathan heard the call from the Lord to minister at the University of Minnesota. Then in the summer of 1989 Johnathan began raising finances to become a full-time campus missionary and evangelist. Since 1993 he has also been an assistant pastor at Maranatha Christian Church, an on-campus church. Johnathan also felt the Lord calling him to begin a campus ministry at Minnesota State University, Mankato, in 1996. Since then, he has been ministering one day a week at MSU during the school year. They have three children and plan for two more.

They will lead a missions trip to the University of Costa Rica from August 10-20.
Minnesota is a top liberal university in the country therefore they must allow Christian organizations along with all other religions to be represented.
Minnesota has a six week freshman orientation which Johnathan mans a table four days a week, M T W & F, from 10:00 until 3:00. They interact with about 60 students a day.
Thursday night they conduct meetings and look for one-on-one training.

Biography