Pastor Charles Sharpe and the Heartland Community recently had the privilege of sending Paul and Gloria Mitchell to a new assignment on the Native American reservations in South Dakota. They will join the work of an established ministry in Rapid City, led by pastors Larry & Dale Salaway.
Poverty and abuse are serious issues on the South Dakota reservations, where 98% of the people follow ancient spiritual rituals. The suicide rate for teenagers and young adults is three to five times the national average. Life expectancy is short, and unemployment is 85%.
Paul is no stranger to these problems. He came to the Heartland Men’s Recovery Center in 2004 battered and abused by his own drug abuse and alcoholism. His life had been wrecked, and his family had been broken. He had decided to try and overcome his addictions. But, he soon learned trying to do it on his own would never work.
“It was going to take a supernatural love and devotion from God to do the healing that I needed,” he says. “By loving God I would instinctively move away from the addiction and see it for what it really was.”
Paul soon found victory through Jesus, and he immediately wanted to help other people. After graduation, he went to work at the Heartland Creamery and became an award-winning cheese maker while encouraging other men in recovery.
Gloria had graduated from Heartland Christian College just as Paul arrived at Heartland. She soon put her own God-given talent for ballet and dance to use, teaching both youngsters and adults. She also taught in the school and served on the worship team. The Mitchells married a few years later and became the parents of a young son named Micah.
As a Native American, Paul is eager to return to his roots and help bring the light of Jesus Christ into that darkness. Although the work will be hard, the Heartland Community is confident the Mitchells will make a great contribution, as they have in countless lives here.
Pastor Charles Sharpe says, “We are very excited about sending Paul and Gloria out to represent our Lord and Savior to Paul’s people on the reservation. I know that they will be a blessing.”
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