Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY200005A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:29 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:08 Hello, friends, welcome to 3ABN Today. 01:11 Yes, this is John Lomacang with a new voice. 01:14 This is called a cold voice, but don't worry about that, 01:16 we have a tremendously exciting program today. 01:19 And it is about ministry. 01:22 Now you know 3ABN is a ministry, 01:24 we've been around for 01:25 a number of years, more than three decades. 01:27 And God has blessed tremendously. 01:30 But we always have guests on our program that 01:32 God has impressed to begin ministries. 01:35 And we have known, 01:36 as we have seen through the years, 01:38 God has opened doors in so many ways, 01:40 in so many lives, on so many continents. 01:43 And we believe and have seen lives 01:45 transformed and changed by the people 01:47 that has been impressed by God to start a ministry. 01:50 And our guest today is one 01:52 who is not a stranger to our network. 01:55 She's been a part of our family for some time, 01:57 and today we're going to talk about 01:59 ministry in a place that I'm excited about. 02:02 I'm not gonna tell you right now, 02:03 because I don't want to preempt her story, 02:04 which is gonna be a great one. 02:06 But you may be thinking about 02:08 ministry in your own life wondering, 02:09 what does God have in store for me? 02:11 How can I be an impact to the kingdom? 02:14 How can I advance the cause of God? 02:16 And you might say, I just don't know how to do it. 02:18 Well, today, 02:19 our guest is going to talk about 02:21 how God impressed, how God led, 02:22 how He opens doors, 02:24 and how you can participate in a movement 02:28 that God is now involved in, in her life. 02:31 And I know it's going to be a great program. 02:33 So you might want to hit the record button. 02:34 But do sit down and enjoy the program that is going 02:38 to encourage and inspire your life. 02:40 To know that no matter what, 02:42 each one of us can do something 02:43 to advance the Kingdom of God. 02:45 I want to thank you for your prayers 02:46 and your financial support of this network 02:48 as we continue going and growing, 02:50 getting ready for the coming of the Lord. 02:52 And if you have come to volunteer, 02:54 thank you, if it's just through prayer and donations, 02:57 every little bit helps and it keeps the doors open, 03:00 but it also keeps the gospel light on. 03:02 And we thank you very much for that. 03:05 Before we introduce our guest, though, 03:07 I want to let you know about our music today, 03:09 another person who's not a stranger. 03:10 And I think the song sets the stage 03:13 because when you're involved in ministry, the song title is, 03:16 "No One Ever Cared for Me like Jesus", 03:18 and it's going to be ministered to us 03:20 by a good friend of ours, Jeff Pearles. 03:39 I would love to tell you what 03:43 I think of Jesus 03:47 Since I found in Him a friend 03:51 so kind and true 03:54 I would tell you how 03:56 He changed my life completely 04:02 He did something that 04:04 No other friend could do 04:12 No one ever cared for me 04:20 Like Jesus 04:24 There's no other friend 04:29 so kind as He 04:37 No one else could take 04:42 The sin and darkness from me 04:51 O how much 04:54 He cared for me 05:04 Ev'ry day He comes to me 05:08 with new assurance 05:11 More and more I understand His words of love 05:18 But I'll never know 05:20 Just why He came to save me 05:25 Till that day I reached my blessed home above 05:35 No one ever cared for me 05:43 Like Jesus 05:48 There's no other friend 05:52 so kind as He 05:59 No one else could take 06:04 The sin and darkness from me 06:13 O how much He cared for me 06:26 O how much He cared for me 06:59 Thank you so much, Jeff. 07:01 That's a wonderful segue into our program 07:03 because ministry is about Jesus caring 07:07 for everyone that He brings to His throne of grace. 07:10 On that note, let's meet our guest today. 07:13 Pamela Benton, good to have you. 07:14 I'll just stretch my hand over and shake yours. 07:16 Thank you. 07:17 Yes, you know, you're not a stranger 07:19 to the 3ABN family. 07:21 And your family has been involved in the ministry 07:23 of 3ABN for a number of years. 07:25 But there may be somebody watching or listening 07:27 to the program that might say, I don't know Pamela Benton. 07:30 Give us some of your background, 07:32 and I will eventually get it to your daughters 07:33 and kind of how God has led in your life, 07:36 but just kind of, where are you from? 07:37 What do you do right now? 07:40 From right now Weaverville. Okay. 07:42 But we were from Lakeport 07:44 when we were working with 3ABN... 07:46 California. 07:47 In California, back in the 1990s. 07:51 And it was the Benton sisters, the girls had started doing 07:56 cooking schools and somebody video them 07:59 and send it to 3ABN. 08:01 And 3ABN picked up on it and aired them. 08:05 The girls did quite a few programs with 3ABN. 08:10 And then, of course, we got calls from churches 08:15 around the United States and spent, 08:18 we thought we're going to be just one little trip 08:22 ended up lasting nine years, 08:25 touring the United States doing cooking schools, 08:29 which ended up being 08:31 a lifestyle improvement program. 08:33 Okay. Yeah. 08:35 So the, you know, 08:36 the song writer says it only takes 08:37 a spark to get a fire going. 08:40 And your girls were very much 08:42 part of this ministry for some time. 08:44 Now, do they also sing? Yes. 08:46 I thought so. Yes. 08:47 Yeah. 08:49 So on a weekend when we go to a church, 08:51 they would do Sabbath school church service, 08:54 singing in all the divisions. 08:56 Then do an evening concert and then on Sunday, 09:00 we would do breakfast, lunch and desert, 09:04 an all day seminar. 09:07 They were always smiling when they were on the program. 09:09 Very, very infectious personalities, 09:13 people were drawn to them in their ministry. 09:15 But you were the dynamo behind that 09:17 because you're the mom with only three girls, no sons. 09:21 No sons. 09:22 But I do have three son-in-laws now. 09:25 Okay. And three grandsons. 09:27 Good. So... 09:28 Wow. 09:30 So the ministry of the Benton Sisters 09:31 has spanned a number of years. 09:35 Yes, it was 17 years all together, 09:37 first it was concerts, 09:38 just the concerts and it moved into the... 09:43 Cooking part? 09:44 Yeah, health improvement program, 09:46 cooking schools. 09:47 Okay. Yeah. 09:48 Wow. 09:50 The Lord bless us with over 400 recipes 09:51 that were no refined fats or sugars. 09:56 Just like your old favorites, the girls used to say 09:58 but without the heart attack ingredients. 10:02 You know, that's a good point 10:03 because today we live in a world 10:04 with a lot of heart attack ingredients. 10:06 Yeah. 10:07 It's hard to find things that are natural. 10:10 Even many things that are natural 10:11 have been augmented and has been a... 10:14 What's that word or the acronym GMO? 10:16 Yeah. 10:18 Genetically modified organism so to speak. 10:20 But it's good to have you here again. 10:22 Thank you. And you're here on your own. 10:25 But we want to talk about your ministry today. 10:28 And you mentioned you're Californian. 10:30 Yes. Okay. Born and raised? 10:32 No, born in Nebraska. Okay. 10:35 But I was only three 10:37 when we moved to California, so. 10:38 Okay, and you didn't drive in other words. 10:40 Nope. 10:42 But California is the place the ministry 10:44 that you're going to talk about today 10:45 is in a location that has a place 10:48 in my heart and my wife's heart. 10:50 We were in... 10:52 Let's just talk about that before we talk about the place. 10:54 Talk about how God inspires because, 10:57 you know, many times we're not thinking about 10:59 starting a ministry, but God has plans for us, 11:02 you know, Jeremiah 29:11 to 13. 11:04 He always has plans. 11:05 And He impresses us, but talk about that briefly, 11:09 where the idea came from, 11:10 for the Eden Renew International Wellness Center. 11:14 Let's talk about that? Well, can I back up? 11:16 Sure, you do that. 11:17 And I would like to express 11:21 what happened with our daughter Amberly. 11:23 Okay. 11:24 Because I know there was so many 11:26 that have been praying for her. 11:28 Yes. 11:29 And to our shock, she got a brain tumor. 11:33 Hmm. 11:34 Never expect in a million years that a member of our family 11:38 would get a brain tumor. 11:40 But it happened. 11:41 Sometimes it happens and we don't know why, 11:44 but we prayed that was for to glory of God, right? 11:48 And she had two surgeries. 11:52 The first one was thus, the surgeon cut the tumor out 11:57 but he could only get like two-thirds of it. 12:00 And in nine months, it grew back. 12:05 And they wouldn't do another surgery. 12:07 And so they put her on drugs to shrink it. 12:12 And we were busy praying for a miracle. 12:17 And, of course, and God showed Himself strong 12:21 so many times in Amberly's behalf. 12:23 Amen. 12:25 And 12:28 it was a few months after that episode, 12:32 when we were praying that God led us to a doctor 12:36 in Santa Monica, Daniel Kelly, who was able to... 12:41 In fact, he videoed Amberly's entire surgery, 12:45 and has been traveling around the world 12:47 teaching other surgeons how to do it. 12:49 And apparently, I mean, he was the one 12:52 that invented this whole process 12:55 and he just sent 12:59 a tool in through her eyebrow 13:02 and put dye in which picked up the entire tumor 13:06 including the roots. 13:08 And then he set another tool and, of course, 13:10 he's looking with a camera on the outside. 13:13 And he... 13:15 the tools sucked up the entire brain tumor, 13:17 the entire thing. 13:19 And it was really big. 13:21 And he came back and he told Amberly 13:24 after she woke and he says, I got all the dye. 13:29 I got all the dye out. 13:31 And he goes, "I'm not supposed to tell you, 13:33 I got 100% of it. 13:35 But I can only tell you, I got 99.99. 13:41 But, you know, they did an MRI 13:43 on her every month for quite some time 13:48 and it never, never showed up, it never came back. 13:52 And so it was totally gone for a whole 14 months 13:57 before she passed, 13:58 and so she did not pass of cancer or a brain tumor. 14:02 And, but before I tell you what happened, 14:06 how she passed, I want to tell you 14:08 of a miracle that happened. 14:10 One of the times when she was in the hospital, 14:13 we had rushed her down to Santa Monica 14:14 because she started having headaches 14:16 and we didn't know why. 14:17 And we didn't know if the tumor was coming back or what it was. 14:21 And she was not responding. 14:28 She was in ER, and I think she was in a coma. 14:33 And they told me that 14:38 she wasn't going to pull out of it. 14:39 A nurse came in and told me that and I saw, you know, 14:44 I don't, I was just thinking, you know, God is miracle. 14:49 He does miracles. 14:51 And so I queued into my phone... 14:58 What's that song? 15:00 To God be the glory, my tribute. 15:03 And I put it up by her ear, and she sang it. 15:08 And she sang it out loud, really loud. 15:10 And she was supposed to been in a coma. 15:12 And afterwards, when the song ended, 15:17 I put another song on, 15:18 and I kept playing songs like that 15:21 her favorite religious music. 15:24 And the doctors came in and says, by the next morning, 15:28 she's recovering. 15:29 We had emergency surgery planned, 15:31 because we can't, you know, and we're canceling it. 15:35 And she continued to recover. 15:37 And so I just played songs all night. 15:39 Wow. 15:41 And, you know, God did a miracle. 15:45 She never remembered singing that song. 15:49 That I believe that God did it 15:51 and I was the only one that heard it. 15:53 So it was a huge blessing to me. 15:55 But she, you know, 15:58 we don't understand why she passed, 16:01 the doctors don't even know except one thing 16:04 that was told to us is that 16:06 she had gotten cranial pneumonia. 16:10 And we were told that cranial pneumonia 16:14 can take a person that has had brain surgery, 16:17 before the doctors even can figure out 16:19 what's going on. 16:21 Wow. And if she had... 16:23 If we would have been 16:24 able to get her to Santa Monica, 16:27 things might have been different, 16:28 but we weren't. 16:30 You know, the fire had just come through Lake County, 16:33 if anybody remembers 16:36 of the trauma of last year, 16:39 of all the fires and all the land 16:41 that got burned up, 16:43 the fire was just an eighth of a mile 16:46 from where she was. 16:48 And she was there, taking care of all the guys 16:51 that were there, you know, protecting the property. 16:55 And before I want to, I want to say a couple of weeks 16:59 before she passed, 17:01 she was at Leoni Meadows Family Camp. 17:04 And she drove the go-karts. 17:09 She went on the zip line. 17:11 I don't know if you, one of those things, 17:14 those ropes that are real high in the sky 17:17 that you walk on through a maze and everything. 17:19 She did that too. I didn't. 17:22 I was not brave enough to do it, but she did. 17:24 She was feeling really good. 17:27 And the doctors felt like 17:29 they didn't even need to see her regularly. 17:32 Wow. 17:33 And then, you know, 17:35 there's really no explanation other than I think 17:38 it was the fumes from the fire. 17:41 Wow. 17:42 Somehow affected her and 17:47 made her brain swell. 17:49 And the hospitals were evacuated, 17:53 the hospital in our town. 17:57 So we had to take her to, you know, a neighboring town, 18:01 and she had gone into a coma. 18:05 And she died shortly after she got to the hospital. 18:10 Wow. And, well, that has been a... 18:13 I mean, as you're walking through, 18:15 I'm listening carefully, you're going from victory to, 18:18 I don't know, to what's going to happen next. 18:21 And then all of a sudden, you lose your daughter. 18:23 I know. 18:24 You know, Pam, when we think about moments like this, 18:26 you know, what would we do if we didn't have 18:28 the hope of the resurrection, what will you do? 18:31 I know, and God gave me something very, very special. 18:34 I was trapped up in Trinity 18:36 and couldn't get down to where she was... 18:38 That's Trinity County. 18:40 Trinity County, and the highways 18:43 were blocked off. 18:45 So, you know, my husband was able to get down 18:47 to help with the fire but he had left, 18:49 and I was not able to come with her. 18:54 But when I was able to leave that day 18:57 when they let me know that there was something 19:00 not good happening with Amberly, 19:02 and they're rushing her to ER. 19:05 I got in the van and I took off, 19:07 and I got like two-thirds of the way to Eureka on 99 19:11 going west from Junction City, 19:16 and a thought came into my mind. 19:21 I know it was the Lord. 19:22 You know, you just know those things 19:24 when certain thoughts come into your mind. 19:28 And it's in words that you wouldn't ordinarily use, 19:30 you know, especially you think, where'd that come from? 19:35 But, and I'll be talking about some of that soon. 19:37 Sure. 19:39 But the thought came with be at peace, she sleepeth. 19:44 That's right. 19:47 And what was the other? 19:50 Be at piece and she sleepeth. 19:53 At first I thought, well, you know, 19:54 she, maybe you know, this is good. 19:57 She'll be okay. 19:58 We can take her home and then I started thinking, 20:02 God's character and the way He speaks in the Bible, 20:05 when He speaks of somebody sleepeth, 20:09 they passed. 20:10 Okay. 20:11 And so I just go, she, I think she's passed. 20:17 And, you know, that was my first, 20:19 but the peace that I got was that 20:22 he was telling me that be at peace. 20:26 And you know, if somebody is not saved, 20:27 you're not at peace. 20:28 That's right. That's right. 20:30 And so being at peace meant, she was saved, 20:32 and He was giving me that hope that I will see her someday. 20:35 That's right. 20:36 And the Benton Sisters as a trio 20:38 will sing again in the kingdom of glory. 20:41 How blessed that is. 20:43 You know, if Paul said, 20:44 "If we only had hope in this life, 20:47 we will be of all people most miserable." 20:49 But this is not the end of the story. 20:51 This is just a part of our journey. 20:53 And those who are resting in Jesus, 20:54 we know will come forth. 20:56 So praise God for that, but her life, 20:58 you know, Amberly's life was a tremendous blessing 21:00 and all the work that she did. 21:02 I know through her other two sisters 21:04 and the programs that they've done go on to, 21:06 as the Bible says their works continue 21:08 to follow and bless other lives. 21:11 And, you know, Amberly never complained 21:13 through this whole thing. 21:15 She would... 21:16 She took the whole thing so graciously. 21:21 And as public as this situation was, 21:25 there are many people praying. 21:26 You know, I want to address this part real quickly 21:28 because she brought it out. 21:30 A lot of times we pray and we wonder, Lord, 21:34 we're praying, people are praying. 21:37 Why don't You heal my daughter? 21:38 Why don't You spare her life? 21:40 I remember a number of years ago, 21:42 something similar happened to a person 21:44 that I knew very well. 21:45 That just started 21:46 with a melanoma cancer on the foot 21:49 and at 36 years old and end up claiming her life. 21:52 But when she passed away, 21:55 50 minutes after she was declared dead, 21:57 she woke up again. 21:59 So it was crazy situation. 22:01 And my brother with Stacey was his wife. 22:05 And he said, "Well, we've been praying for you to be healed." 22:08 And she says, "I have been." 22:10 She said, "The Lord is allowing me to go to sleep." 22:13 He knows this is the best time. 22:15 Because if I'm healed, I may, 22:17 my life may go in the wrong direction. 22:19 She actually said that? She actually said that. 22:20 Oh, my. 22:21 Fifty minutes after she passed away. 22:23 So, you know, the Lord knows. 22:24 And here's the thing that I think one of our, 22:26 Mollie Steenson who used to be 22:27 our general manager said, she said, 22:30 she struggled through her cancer. 22:32 Her doctor said, she said, 22:35 "I will be healed either in this life, 22:38 or in the life to come." 22:40 Right. 22:41 But God is, God is not a God who cannot. 22:44 But His sovereignty sees the longer picture 22:48 better than we do. 22:49 And the beautiful thing about it, 22:50 as you just mentioned, she's just resting, 22:53 waiting for the Lord to come forth, 22:56 to come back, and she'll come forth perfect. 23:00 No tumors, nothing to be even consider. 23:03 I know she would say things like, 23:05 "Oh mom, you know, dying isn't that bad. 23:09 The next face I will see will be Jesus." 23:12 I go, "Don't say that I can't have you dying." 23:16 Of course, momma would say that. 23:18 You know, children aren't supposed to die before you. 23:22 That's very hard. 23:23 I've seen so many parents endure that, yeah. 23:25 But here you are still carrying the flame. 23:27 I've been backstage mom and being in front 23:30 is not my cup of tea. 23:32 But you know what? 23:34 If God is for you, who could be against you? 23:36 There's nothing difficult. 23:38 I want to dive into because you mentioned Trinity County 23:40 and I'll let our viewers and listeners know. 23:42 Trinity County in this particular context 23:45 is a beautiful Alpine city Weaverville 23:50 in Northern California, about 50 miles west of Redding, 23:53 and about 90 miles east of Eureka. 23:57 Maybe a little more than that, but it's beautiful up there. 24:00 My wife and I had a chance 24:02 to live up there for a couple years. 24:04 If you ever seen a postcard when it snows, 24:06 where you wake up in the morning 24:08 and the snow has covered everything, 24:10 and you're the first one to put a footprint in it. 24:12 You know, once we went into the forest, 24:15 on the day when the snow has just fallen, 24:17 and everything look like 24:18 a just a perfect winter wonderland. 24:20 And we went through the forest 24:22 and it sounded like we were in a closet. 24:25 They were so dense from snow, it was just muted. 24:29 And, but that's where God has chosen to direct you 24:32 to start a ministry 24:34 called Eden Renew International Wellness Center. 24:37 Talk about that? How does this impression come? 24:40 And where does a person 24:41 who likes to be in the background 24:44 step out to be in the foreground? 24:47 Well, you know, maybe it was 24:48 because of to dry my tears, you know, 24:52 and pull me away from my sorrow 24:55 that God has brought me on a journey this year 24:59 that was intense but yet I had peace 25:03 and is exciting. 25:06 And I would like to share it with you. 25:08 And it all started with... 25:12 My friend is in real estate. 25:15 And she sent me an email of pictures of a hotel 25:18 that was for sale. 25:20 And I was like, 25:21 "I'm not interested in buying a hotel. 25:24 What are you sending these for?" 25:26 And she said, "Just look at the pictures. 25:28 This is stunning place." 25:30 And so I looked at the pictures and, 25:32 you know, how you think the pictures are going to be 25:35 so much better than the reality, 25:39 you know, so curiosity got the best of me. 25:41 But I wanted to say 25:43 one little thing about the hotel. 25:44 It was first built in the mid 1800s 25:48 and recently restored recapturing 25:50 much of its original charm 25:52 and historical ambience, 25:54 with antiques in all seven 25:55 of his guest rooms and a beautifully furnished 25:58 old fashioned parlor. 26:00 And I saw the pictures and I go, okay, so we... 26:05 Since it's right there in our town, 26:07 I couldn't resist so my husband and I took a tour. 26:11 Curiosity got the best. 26:14 I'm intrigued by the sale price. 26:16 It started with, 26:17 I think a million and a quarter, 26:19 then it came down to seven something, 26:22 and then I've had it. 26:27 I quote that was, I asked if they would accept 26:32 this certain amount and they said yes, 26:33 but we can't tell you officially that we will. 26:37 Off the record. 26:38 Yeah, but I'm getting the cart 26:40 before the horse so I better back up. 26:42 So anyway, we looked at it, and then I asked for 26:46 his three year profit and loss statement. 26:49 And I thought, you know, 26:51 why in the world would this beautiful place 26:53 be on the market for four years and not sold? 26:57 And why are they selling it, you know? 27:00 And I looked, took a quick glance 27:02 at the profit and loss statement and said, 27:05 "Wow, Lord," 27:07 which I often talk like that to the Lord. 27:10 It's a beautiful place, 27:11 but it looks like a financial disaster. 27:14 And I was happy to lay it aside and go on my life 27:17 and never give it another thought. 27:20 You know, like, 27:21 but I was struck with a thought, 27:24 yes, but not for a health center. 27:29 And that's what started this whole ball rolling. 27:33 Was that God answering me? 27:36 Was He choosing this as a health center for Himself? 27:41 Did I stumble upon this by accident or by divine plan? 27:45 Okay. 27:46 And that is what my testimony is going to be about 27:50 for the rest of the program. 27:51 Okay. 27:53 And you know, I know exactly what hotel you're talking about 27:55 'cause this is on Main Street, one on Main Street? 27:58 Mm-hmm. Yeah, it's beautiful. 27:59 Right there at the end, 28:01 on the west end, right next to the Gazebo. 28:03 Okay, yeah, I know where that is. 28:05 Yes. Wow, I mean, Weaverville. 28:07 Now you're bringing all these pictures 28:08 back to my mind, 'cause I can see myself. 28:11 When I moved to Weaverville, I bought a motorcycle 28:13 'cause there's beautiful mountains up there, 28:15 nice beautiful roads. 28:16 It's gorgeous. But it's amazing. 28:18 So let's talk about that. 28:19 So the Lord is saying, Pam, this is not, 28:21 I don't want you to start a hotel. 28:22 I don't want you to continue a hotel 28:24 because it's not really good up here. 28:26 Because it's such a unique location, 28:28 that it's not a high volume market 28:31 for people to be filling up the hotel all the time. 28:34 Right. But God had other plans. 28:35 Let's talk about that. 28:37 Yes, and if anybody wants to look at the hotel, 28:40 just type in Weaverville Hotel Trinity, California, 28:44 and it will come up and you can see a video 28:47 of the entire place. 28:50 And so I recommend go ahead and do that. 28:53 But, yes, and so, you know, 28:56 it had been growing in intensity this hotel. 29:02 And I wasn't able to get free of it. 29:04 And so I thought, well, you know what? 29:05 Maybe I need to just research 29:09 some of the council given by Ellen White 29:12 to our church about health centers, thinking, 29:15 well, maybe I would come across something 29:16 that would put the whole thing at rest. 29:19 And because, you know, I thought the health centers 29:21 were supposed to be in the country. 29:23 This isn't, this is a little tiny town in the country, 29:27 but it's in a city, you know. 29:28 At the city part of the country, right. 29:30 Yeah, city part. 29:31 And so I thought, well, you know, I wasn't sure. 29:34 And so I researched it and found out, 29:36 yeah, they are supposed to be in the city, 29:38 as well as in the country 29:39 and there are two different ministries, 29:41 and they work, they complement each other. 29:43 But moving farther forward, 29:46 I saw a prophecy that God's people 29:50 would see property for sale 29:55 far below its value, 29:57 and they would secure it for his service. 30:00 And that was a quote from Ellen White. 30:02 And so I thought, 30:04 I wonder if this is one of those places. 30:07 And so it started in February when I first saw the email. 30:12 So now we're getting into April, 30:15 and I'm not getting peace from this. 30:18 And so I'm going, okay, it's growing in intensity. 30:23 And I go, "Okay, Lord, 30:26 I have no resources to make this happen." 30:28 So maybe my part is to just tell 30:30 God's people about it. 30:32 And then God's people will take the ball 30:34 and run with it. 30:35 And I go, "But, Lord, how do I do that? 30:39 Who could help me with this?" 30:40 And then, of course, 30:42 Danny Shelton's name came up in my mind. 30:44 And I thought, of course he knows, everybody. 30:47 And he surely will know somebody that has a heart 30:51 for health evangelism that could, 30:53 you know, secure this valuable piece of property for the Lord. 30:56 And so, and you know, 30:59 he had history with Benton Sisters ministry, 31:04 our health ministry. 31:05 And so, I felt comfortable talking to him about it. 31:08 And he said, "No, the Lord has laid this on your heart. 31:14 You need to let the Lord open the doors for you." 31:18 And he invited me to come to 3ABN 31:19 and give the Lord 31:21 and God's people that opportunity 31:23 to make this happen. 31:25 And that's why you're here. And that's why I'm here. 31:27 But that happened clear about last April. 31:29 So what in the world, why all this time elapsed? 31:33 That's next part of the story. 31:35 I wasn't ready to hear that. 31:37 You know, to come that it would be my, 31:40 on my shoulders, on my heart. 31:42 You know, I'm going, okay. 31:44 I needed to have confirmation more than just 31:48 this thought that I thought comes from the Lord. 31:50 I needed to have real heavy strong confirmation. 31:53 You had a Gideon moment. Okay. 31:55 Yes, I want it fleeces. Right. 31:58 And so, anyway, 32:03 before I was even ready for the doors 32:06 to start opening with very short time. 32:10 I saw a friend I hadn't seen in a long time. 32:13 And she asked me, "So what's new?" 32:17 And, of course, what's on my mind, 32:20 this hotel health center. 32:22 And so I expressed to her 32:25 what was on my heart and thinking, 32:28 well, she might have something to say that 32:30 would put everything in perspective 32:32 and it would all go away. 32:34 She gave me money to come to 3ABN. 32:38 In other words, you're saying, I'm looking for help, 32:40 but you guys keep pushing me to the front of the line. 32:42 I know. I know. 32:44 And so, I said, "Well, you know, 32:46 there's a lot of hurdles, 32:47 I need to go over before I'm ready to go to 3ABN." 32:49 Right. 32:50 And so, I said, I will put this away 32:52 for safekeeping and if God doesn't answer 32:54 all my fleece prayers, 32:57 then I will give it back to you. 33:00 And so, my first fleece was that 33:05 my husband would be supportive. 33:07 That was number one. 33:09 I told God if he isn't supportive, 33:12 I am not going to do it. 33:14 And so, he has said only supporting words 33:19 to me about it. 33:20 He has never said anything negative. 33:23 And so, oh, wow. And so, then I go, okay. 33:28 I had fallen and hurt my hip in 2015 33:33 and I was left with a painful limp. 33:37 And I just go, Lord, 33:39 I cannot run a health center with this painful limp. 33:44 There's stairs, I couldn't even get 33:45 to the top of the stairs. 33:47 You know, if You are calling me to buy 33:49 this specific hotel for health center, 33:54 please help me with my hip. 33:56 Prayers hadn't helped before. 33:58 I mean, you know, God hears our prayers, 34:00 but He doesn't always answer them 34:01 the way we want Him to, right? 34:03 And so... 34:05 Sometimes in our weakness His strength is revealed, yeah. 34:07 Right. 34:08 And so, right after I prayed that, 34:11 I see laying there a handheld massager that 34:15 my daughter had told me 34:17 I needed to buy several months before 34:19 and I finally had gotten it, 34:21 and I thought, oh, my goodness, 34:24 and the thought also came before you call, I will answer. 34:28 And there he had, I had, so I grabbed that massager. 34:32 And I just put it on the pain 34:34 as I walked and I paced because it didn't have, 34:36 it was a battery. 34:38 So I could get away from the chord, 34:40 and I did that and the pain would release. 34:43 And I would, I repeatedly did that for several weeks. 34:48 And it went away and it has never come back. 34:50 Amen. You know what a relief that is. 34:53 When I would go to the grocery store, 34:56 just the thought of going to the back 34:58 of the store was like, 35:01 "Where's the grocery cart?" 35:03 It's like an old lady, you know, and so it's gone. 35:08 And it's just so wonderful. 35:10 The second one was, I had a painful left foot, 35:16 like, I don't know if you've ever experienced. 35:19 It's like coals of fire burning, 35:21 coals of fire on your bottom of your foot 35:23 when you're walking. 35:24 It's horrible. 35:26 For a whole year, I had been doing 35:29 natural remedies thinking I was going to be able 35:31 to get to the bottom of this and Lord help me 35:33 which one should I try this, this time and so on. 35:36 And, and then 35:40 after a year of the suffering 35:42 for this burning foot, I finally went to a doctor. 35:46 His remedy didn't work either. 35:48 And so, I had my prayer, the same as before, 35:53 if You are calling me for buying this specific hotel 35:57 for a health center, Father, please fix my foot. 36:02 I can't run a health center if I have this problem. 36:05 And you know, with a very short time 36:07 after I prayed that, I saw a YouTube video 36:10 with a person saying, 36:13 "Doctors often diagnose burning feet 36:17 as plantar fasciitis 36:19 when it's really your liver." 36:22 And I was so shocked. 36:25 I would have never guessed that I had a liver problem. 36:29 And I just like, you gotta be kidding. 36:32 And so I started addressing, 36:34 I knew how to do that address my liver, 36:38 and it went away. 36:39 Wow. 36:40 And I just kept, repeatedly kept doing this 36:43 and working on it until I figured out 36:45 what was causing the problem 36:48 and eliminated that the best I can out of my world. 36:53 And that's the second, 36:56 no the third fleece that was answered. 36:58 Okay? God's really working on you. 37:01 I know, and so I felt like 37:07 I was gaining conviction. 37:10 But there was some questions in my heart that I had 37:14 and was asking God during these weeks 37:16 where these prayers were getting answered, okay? 37:20 While this was going on, 37:22 I would, my troubling thoughts were such as, Lord, 37:28 You have several wonderful health centers 37:31 across the United States. 37:34 Am I misunderstanding You? Do you really want another one? 37:40 Then He would lead me to counsel that Ellen White 37:43 has given to us on research on health centers, 37:48 and I find that He says, He wants them in every city. 37:51 Wow. Wow. 37:53 And I'm going okay. 37:55 And I go, but we have churches in every city 37:58 and there was wonderful health ministers 38:00 and the churches 38:01 that are doing a wonderful work. 38:03 And then He lead me to find a quote that said that 38:08 He wants every member of the church 38:11 to be involved in medical ministry work. 38:15 And so then I go well, 38:17 surely it's too close to the end of the time 38:20 to buy a hotel and put it into a health center. 38:26 And He would lead me to see 38:30 that soon there will be no work done ministerial lines, 38:34 only medical ministry work. 38:37 And I'm thinking we still have our pastors, 38:40 we still have our churches. 38:43 So that means we have time. 38:45 That's where my thoughts win. Right? 38:47 And, and so, I mean, I can't outguess God. 38:52 True. 38:53 And so I go, but how do I know it's going to be a success. 38:58 And he... I gotta read this one to you. 39:01 Surely, share that quote. 39:03 It says, "It is not the power that emanates from men 39:07 that makes the work successful. 39:09 It is the power of the heavenly intelligence, 39:12 working with the human agent 39:14 that brings the work to perfection." 39:16 Christian Service, page 260. 39:19 "Not once should we even think of failure." 39:21 Okay. 39:23 "We are to cooperate with one who knows no failure." 39:26 That's right. I like that quote. 39:28 I've used that to encourage people. 39:30 You know, we do evangelism, we do outreach and people say, 39:33 well, does he going to succeed. 39:34 Well, you know, once again, is there any failure with God? 39:37 Yes. Yes. And the answer is no. 39:39 So the Lord is pushing you now, He's saying, Pam, come on. 39:42 Now, Pam, I've given you, I've given you one fleece, 39:45 I've given you two fleeces, I've given you three fleeces. 39:48 And so how have you moved on? 39:49 I mean, let's talk about what's He told you. 39:51 Okay, now, is, I told him I wanted my prayers answered 39:54 by my birthday in May. 39:57 Do I dare push the Lord like that? 40:00 But you know, I didn't want it to drag on and on and on 40:03 wondering if God isn't going to answer it, 40:05 I wanted to have a cut off time. 40:07 Right. 40:08 Well, for my birthday, I got my... 40:11 my two prayers answered. 40:15 And that was huge. 40:17 And then all these questions that I had were being answered 40:22 during this time as well. 40:24 And I was, I had conviction now, 40:28 but I didn't have a passion. 40:31 And I go, God, I need a passion for this 40:34 because I'm gonna need it to do it. 40:39 So give me a passion, Laodicea was heavy on me. 40:42 You're not gonna have time with your grandchildren 40:44 and all that kind of stuff, you know? 40:46 Right, all the thoughts or the tormenting thoughts 40:48 of how this is going to happen. 40:49 Yeah. 40:50 You know, my grandma, I got grandchildren. 40:52 My family has needs. 40:54 But why at this stage of my life 40:55 are You going to, you know, direct me to start a ministry? 40:58 But you know, some of the greatest things 40:59 that happen in life happened were not because of age, 41:03 but because when God opens a door, 41:05 there is no failure. 41:06 Right. 41:08 And so you're probably lighting a torch 41:10 that God wants to be laid at a particular time. 41:13 And when I know, 41:14 I'm talking about going back to Weaverville now, 41:16 it's a beautiful, beautiful piece of property, 41:18 wonderful hotel. 41:19 And Lord wants that. 41:20 And very quickly for the population, 41:23 because you know what I like about Weaverville, 41:25 Trinity County is, you know, when we were driving, 41:28 and I don't know if the sign is still there 41:29 it talks about 2,500 feet above sea level. 41:32 That's the altitude of the city and... 41:36 There's 3,000 people in the city itself. 41:39 That's right. Okay? 41:41 And then some of the mountains around. 41:42 And I think there is, yeah, 13,000 in the entire city. 41:46 You know what? 41:47 I maybe should look high in the county and see, 41:51 close, something like that. 41:52 But when you live up there, you don't see 13,000 people, 41:55 they're hidden, it's so beautiful. 41:56 Yeah, everybody's is all far flung, 41:59 and it's a huge county. 42:00 That's right. 42:01 And it's perfect because 42:03 it's surrounded by counties also, 42:06 that can be reached by this ministry. 42:08 And in the county itself, 42:10 there isn't really anything except 42:11 two really small churches. 42:13 Hayfork is quite some ways away, 42:16 is a little bigger, nice, sweet, wonderful little church. 42:20 And then the Weaverville churches, 42:22 one family church with like 20 people come on, 42:26 you know, when the pastor comes, 42:29 and it's a wonderful group of people, 42:32 wonderful, loving, loving people, 42:34 but it's very, very small. 42:36 And you know, 42:37 there is a great need for a work to be done 42:42 in that area. 42:43 Now let's talk about some of the things 42:44 that will help people 42:46 that are listening to the program 42:47 and watching understand how they can participate. 42:49 Do you have a business plan? 42:50 What kind of idea do you have? Yes, I do have a business plan. 42:53 Okay. 42:54 And, but before I get to that, I wanted to tell 42:58 how God helped me test the waters. 43:00 Okay. 43:01 I want before coming to 3ABN, I wanted to test the waters, 43:04 and you know what I mean by that, right? 43:06 Find out what the temperature gauge of the people 43:10 and how they felt about it 43:11 and see if they're supportive of this whole thing. 43:13 Also I wanted... 43:15 We're told to gain counsel 43:17 from a multitude of God's people. 43:20 And I felt that was important for me. 43:22 And so I asked God, how do I do that? 43:26 He gave me a name, Zachary Mandachi. 43:29 Okay. And he was an officer in ASI. 43:33 And so I'm going, okay, 43:35 I need to figure out how to get hold of him, 43:37 did some acrobatics, and I got hold of him. 43:40 And I told him about it. 43:42 He and his wife right away went 43:44 and saw the hotel and became supportive. 43:47 Amen. 43:48 They in turn shared it with their friends 43:52 who went to see the hotel and became supportive. 43:55 You know, amazing thing about it. 43:56 You can't just go to see the hotel, 43:58 you gotta really want to go there. 43:59 I know 'cause it's out of the way. 44:01 It's like an hour and a half drive from Redding. 44:04 From Redding, yeah. Or something like that. 44:06 And so, then he gave me the contact information. 44:11 He approached the health ministry's director 44:14 of the Pacific Union, Dr. Lorraine Barton. 44:17 And she was wanting to talk to me about it too. 44:19 So I talked to her. 44:20 She has given me 44:22 so much counsel and encouragement. 44:24 Amen. She has stayed in the hotel. 44:26 So she was very familiar with it. 44:28 And she was very supportive, excited about it. 44:32 And so then, you know, Calvin Thrash from Uchee Pines? 44:36 Yes, yes. Past president of Uchee Pines. 44:39 He has given me a whole bunch of quotes 44:42 from Ellen White on moving forward. 44:45 You know, when your feet are in the... 44:48 appear to be in the Red Sea 44:49 and the armies behind you move forward, 44:52 don't be discouraged, you know, so many encouraging quotes. 44:55 He has been a huge blessing of support for me. 44:59 But I wanna get to the crux of it now 45:00 because we have about a little bit of time left, 45:03 but I want those who are listening to know 45:05 how they could participate briefly 45:07 the business plan you have. 45:08 Okay. The business plan. 45:11 Okay, in June is when I got familiar with, 45:15 God brought this attention to the people. 45:17 And then in July, I got 5000 given to me, 45:21 and so now I realized I needed to have a way 45:25 to give people tax deductible receipts. 45:26 Yes. 45:28 So Dr. Barton told me to put my application 45:30 in with Josiah ministries from ASI. 45:34 And they accepted in September my application. 45:37 Amen. 45:38 And so if you send a donation 45:41 to TJM in care of Weaverville Hotel 45:46 written on the check, and then send it to my address, 45:53 Pamela Benton on the outside of the envelope. 45:55 And we'll let them know how to do that specifically. 45:57 Okay, and then I will in turn, 45:59 turn the checks over to Josiah ministries. 46:02 So you have a support in. 46:03 And they will give tax receipts for me. 46:07 So that's the catalyst 46:09 that's going to be able to start moving 46:11 this project forward. 46:12 That was another fleece. Okay. 46:14 So God has done one after another doors 46:16 He opened for me, yes. 46:19 And so, but my business plan as far as my financial plan is, 46:25 I took the, from the profit and loss scale sheet, 46:30 the fixed expenses that 46:32 the hotel has just for being itself, 46:35 like the insurance, the gas, 46:37 you know, the electricity and all of that. 46:40 And I did some research on health centers 46:43 and what the costs of running them are. 46:45 And I added it to the fixed expenses 46:49 and divided it by eight because I don't want to have 46:52 to be responsible for the winter months 46:55 when it could be covered with snow. 46:57 That's right. That's right. 46:58 Yeah, and so, and then we have 47:01 with live in workshops six times a year, 47:07 we will have a balance left over for improvements. 47:10 Amen. 47:11 And so that's all written out for any investors that are, 47:15 want to move forward on this. 47:19 And you know the other thing I want to bring out about, 47:20 when you talk about Eden Renew International Wellness Center. 47:25 You know, wellness centers are literally focused on, 47:28 in many cases sometimes helping a person through challenges, 47:32 health challenges in life 47:34 that can be remedied based on natural things. 47:37 By no means discouraging people 47:39 from being participating in if pharmaceuticals 47:43 they have to take, 47:44 but the health retreat centers, 47:46 specifically in the Adventist Church 47:48 have seen such a success. 47:50 Like you mentioned Uchee Pines, we have Black Hills, 47:54 we have so many different other wellness centers, 47:57 but the Lord encouraged you to put one in this city. 48:00 And I want to tell you, I'll tell you in just a moment, 48:03 the promise and encouragement to go forward. 48:06 So right now you're at the place 48:08 where what's left to be done. 48:11 What's left to be done is, there is a whole bunch more. 48:15 I could tell you about doors that the Lord opened 48:18 and direction on how to run it and what He wants done. 48:22 And oh, one thing I've got to tell you. 48:25 Okay. Is the parlor. 48:27 I saw in a dream, the parlor 48:31 and we had a big screen TV 48:35 where health videos 48:37 were going on throughout the day, 48:40 and people were coming in and watching them, 48:42 but this specific part of the dream, 48:45 we, the doors of the parlor 48:48 were open to the street and singing. 48:52 I heard singing, trickling down the street, 48:56 and I saw going past the windows angels 49:00 walking back and forth, bringing people in for worship. 49:05 Amen. 49:06 And I'm going, well, that's what the parlor is for, 49:10 for worship. 49:11 So Lord is showing you 49:12 how to be able to segment this out and to put, 49:15 and to use each of the rooms 49:16 in an effective way to reach people. 49:18 Yes, I don't want to have a hotel 49:20 and not know what to do with it. 49:21 I told Him, "I got to know every little detail 49:24 on what You want done with this." 49:26 And, you know, I asked Him, Lord, 49:29 "Why are You asking me to do this?" 49:33 And He said in thought, 49:37 I didn't hear any audible voice. 49:38 Right. 49:39 Because I've blessed you with good health. 49:43 I have given you over 400 recipes 49:45 that address chronic diseases. 49:48 Wow. 49:49 And He said, "I have impressed people 49:51 to get you through education, train you in this area." 49:57 And I go, "But why didn't You have me do this 49:59 when I first got out of school." 50:01 And he said, "Because I wanted you to know who's in charge." 50:07 Right, to everything there is a season. 50:08 Yes. 50:10 For everything there's a season. 50:11 Yeah. 50:12 And so, you're poised now to catapult to Eden Renewal, 50:15 or Eden Renew International Wellness Center. 50:18 Just before I go to the address role, 50:19 I want to reiterate 50:20 what Pamela Benton talked about, 50:22 because you might be saying, 50:23 well, I want to participate financially. 50:25 Now, if you mail anything, 50:27 if you mail anything to this ministry, 50:29 send it to Pamela Benton, 50:31 and we'll give the address in just a moment here. 50:33 And, but if you want to write checks, 50:36 don't write Pamela Benton, 50:37 don't write Eden Renew International, 50:39 write TJM on the check, care of Weaverville Hotel, 50:46 and that's how the check will be 50:47 able to be segmented out 50:49 and you'll be able to get a tax deductible receipt 50:51 to cover any expenses that will 50:53 contribute toward the ministry. 50:55 As a matter of fact, what I want to do, Pam, 50:57 I want to go to the address role right now, 50:59 and on the other side of the news break, 51:01 we'll get a chance to wrap it up. 51:02 But I want those who are watching the program 51:04 and listening to be able to get the information 51:06 that they need in order to participate in this vision 51:10 and this ministry, 51:11 Eden Renew International Wellness Center. 51:14 Here's the information that you're going to need. 51:23 If you'd like to find out more about 51:24 the Eden Renew International Wellness Center, 51:27 you may email Pamela Benton at EdenRenew@iCloud.com. 51:31 That's EdenRenew@iCloud.com. 51:34 If you would like to support this ministry, 51:36 please send your tax deductible donation 51:38 to Eden Renew International Wellness Center, 51:41 PO Box 393, Junction City, California 96048. 51:47 However, it is important to make your checks payable 51:50 to TJM in care of Weaverville Hotel. 51:54 That's TJM in care of Weaverville Hotel. |
Revised 2020-03-06