Our Ministry
The Struggles of a Broken Family in Searth of the Truth
by Cathy Benzler
I want to tell you a story about a family that recently joined our fellowship gatherings. This family has had its share of hardships, heartaches and trials in their life. Struggles with alcohol addiction, the loss of their children and a long battle to finally get them back, the loss of jobs, turmoil within the marriage; the list seems almost endless. In the midst of all these personal struggles, was a profound search for spiritual truth, and they looked everywhere for it.
Our reservation only has one small church on it and most of the people won’t attend or have much to do with it because of the inconsistencies in what it teaches; but, be that as it may this family tried this church for a short time. They then moved on to Native Spirituality. After that it was trying out one denomination after another. Then a church found them. They were so happy as they thought this was a genuine church that cared about them, until they were suffocated with visits from them to their home that would last 16 hours at a time. They couldn’t get them to leave until they helped themselves by rummaging through their cupboards and clearing out all the coffee, tea, soda and anything else considered sinful in the eyes of their church. Eventually, they turned to the TV evangelists until they found themselves virtually bankrupt and none of the claims and promises coming to pass made by these TV personalities.
One Saturday they were invited to one of our Bible studies. We hold these in individual homes on the reservation. Here they found that God cares about them as individuals. They discovered that He wants healthy and happy families that love each other and respect one another. He doesn’t care what’s in your cupboards, only what’s in your heart. How much money that is in your checkbook isn’t important as to how much you love Him and are willing to let Him love you. Many of the questions they had in their search for God’s will for them was starting to be revealed to them through His Word. This couple finally found the peace and truth they had been searching for and discovered that we don’t have to work for our salvation. It is ours free of charge. The debt we might have owed has been wiped out by Jesus Christ. The promises made to us by God always come to pass and we can live in confidence that He will never leave or forsake us.
We are so excited to see what God is doing in the lives of this family. Yes, this family still has problems they are working through; nothing is perfect. But to see God’s love and endless mercy working to restore this broken family and bring them to Him is a joy to experience! 
Ministry can be difficult and there are those times when you feel like you aren’t seeing the results you would like to see. Then, God brings you a family like this and you take a step back and look at the whole picture and see that God is in total control of everything you do in ministry. To see God working in this reservation community and other reservation communities in the Pacific Northwest makes it a joy to be part of His plan for His people. There is nothing more wonderful and fulfilling then seeing people draw close to Jesus as He reveals himself to them while healing their lives and the lives of their families.