Lutheran Indian Ministries is a Native-led ministry sharing the Gospel with Native American and Alaska Native people. We build lasting relationships rooted in trust, healing, and hope.
We share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with Native people and encourage them to spread Christ's message to others. We find, train, and equip Native Christian leaders — and support healing in their communities.
Every nation, tribe, and people comes to know the Father's love — finding forgiveness, knowing their God-given worth, thriving in healthy communities, and honoring the culture God gave them.
We listen before we speak. We walk alongside people and build real trust — not transactions. If Native people can't see Jesus in what we do, they won't listen to what we say. We come only by invitation, following tribal customs and showing deep respect.
"There before me was a great multitude no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and the Lamb, crying out, 'Salvation belongs to our God.'"
— Revelation 7:9–10
Founded in 1985, Lutheran Indian Ministries is an independent nonprofit with no church funding. We are supported entirely by people who believe in this work. We serve Native American and Alaska Native communities across the United States.
LIM is led by Native people who know the stories, the traditions, the culture, and the humor. With 575 federally recognized tribes — 229 in Alaska alone — we travel by road, plane, boat, and snowmachine to reach communities wherever they are. We don't show up with answers. We arrive with open hearts.
"There is a place where faith meets tradition, where God's healing touches the deepest wounds, and where hope rises from generations of silence. That place… is Lutheran Indian Ministries."
Led by Robert Heffle, Iñupiaq Eskimo and Executive Director of LIM, our ministry is built on one conviction: that all healing comes from God, and that love is an action — not just an emotion.
Robert's mother was from Kotzebue, Alaska — 35 miles above the Arctic Circle. This story is personal. It is ours.
LIM's work rests on three core commitments. Each one supports the others.
Sharing the Gospel in ways rooted in Native culture — honoring Native traditions as vessels of God's grace. God speaks to Native hearts in Native ways. We travel by road, plane, boat, and snowmachine — going only by invitation.
Developing Native leaders through campus ministry at Haskell Indian Nations University — serving students representing 575 tribes. A home away from home: meals, Bible studies, mentorship, and the reminder that you don't have to change to be loved by God.
A Bible-based small group program for deep wounds from boarding schools, family separation, and generations of loss. Sessions offered at reservations, villages, cities, and online across Native communities.
These are not programs. These are people. And God is moving — one life, one relationship, one scripture at a time.
"I wish I could have done Healing the Wounds of Trauma decades ago… but we experience freedom when the time is right. I got to let go of deep hurts and disappointments I've had my entire life. Talk about freedom. Oh, the freedom. I have a hard time putting into words how you feel so much lighter — how you are not shackled anymore."
Leo visited Haskell LIGHT and met director Pola Farve — herself a Haskell graduate. One day, Leo asked for a Bible. Touched by the moment, he shared it on social media. Leo began reading — and didn't stop. Today, Leo walks a new path guided by faith. What starts as comfort becomes a calling.
Lutheran Indian Ministries began in 1985 — first called the Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots. We were renamed in 2010 to better reflect the people we serve. For 40 years, we have walked with Native people not as outsiders, but as partners, learners, and friends.
Haskell's roots. Haskell Indian Nations University founded as a boarding school during forced assimilation. Today a federally funded university — and a symbol of cultural resilience serving students from 100+ tribes.
Founded as the Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots — a ministry rooted in reaching remote Native communities, traveling by small plane across Alaska and the rural West.
Renamed to Lutheran Indian Ministries — more accurately reflecting the breadth of Native communities we serve, continuing the relational, people-first nature of the work.
Actively serving Native communities — proclaiming the Gospel, discipling leaders at Haskell, and bringing healing groups to reservations, villages, urban centers, and online.
LIM is led by Native people and supported by partners who share a deep commitment to Native communities.
Our healing groups are open to all Native people — free to attend, rooted in scripture, and led by people who know what you carry.
LIM is funded entirely through the generosity of individuals, churches, and ministry partners. Your gift directly supports Native-led Gospel ministry.
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$100 sponsors a full healing group participant — all 6 sessions, rooted in God's Word.
Robert Heffle is Iñupiaq, born and raised in Fairbanks and now living in North Pole, Alaska. His mother was raised in Kotzebue — 35 miles above the Arctic Circle; his father was from Buffalo, New York. The youngest of five, Robert has a large family across the Fairbanks area, including the four children he is raising — and a dog named Charlie who, he'll tell you, would be offended to be left out.
He holds a Master's in Social Work from the University of Alaska Anchorage and brings some 25 years directing behavioral health programs that primarily serve Alaska Native and American Indian people. He became LIM's Executive Director in 2021 — a calling he says he didn't fully recognize at the time.
"As God's will unfolds, sometimes when you look back we can see we're exactly where we're supposed to be for this season."
Robert's ministry rests on a single, freeing conviction he returns to again and again:
"People don't have to change to be a Christian — God accepts them exactly where they are, and that can be the starting point for a relationship with Christ."
Rather than going into a community to do something for or to people and then leaving, LIM works alongside them — training and equipping people to reach others. He's quick to name where the credit belongs:
"God uses people who say yes, and then He equips them. At LIM, we're a team who says yes — even if it looks impossible."
What he treasures most is watching healing and restoration take hold — when someone understands that what was done to them does not define them, and carries that freedom home to their family and community. Off the clock, Robert is most often out with his kids on the four-wheelers and side-by-side through the long daylight of an Alaska summer, or reading through the Bible in a year. He keeps his eyes on what lasts: not the newer truck or the bigger house, but people, relationships, and time well spent. His hope for anyone who meets LIM is simple:
"Keep Lutheran Indian Ministries in your prayers — that we remain in God's will, and that the gospel is proclaimed in a way that's respectful to the people who hear it."
Jaylene Peterson-Nyren is of Yup'ik and Athabascan descent, raised in a small village on the Yukon River reachable only by small plane or boat. There she was brought up to love God, respect the land, and honor her elders — and to help gather and prepare traditional subsistence foods. Today she lives near Kasilof, Alaska, where she and her husband, Michael, raised three children.
As LIM's Director of Operations, Jaylene oversees the ministry's day-to-day work with an emphasis on staff support, fundraising, finance, policy, and systems improvement. She brings more than 30 years serving tribal organizations in health, behavioral healthcare, and wellness. In a prior Executive Director role, she led the strategic oversight to create a comprehensive, integrated healthcare system and to sustain tribal court, tribal government, environmental, and educational programs.
She cares deeply about the wellbeing of Native people — and has experienced firsthand the caring relationships strengthened by culture, tradition, and God's promises of purpose, hope, peace, and strength for current and future generations.
Jaylene holds a BA in Organizational Management from Alaska Pacific University and an Executive MBA from Washington State University. Away from work she enjoys reading, gardening, and gathering and preparing traditional subsistence foods — and, always, learning something new.
She looks forward to connecting with people to further LIM's mission — to proclaim the Gospel, develop leadership in ministry, and heal the wounds of trauma in Native communities — through relationship and the authentic reciprocity that comes with accepting the gifts of love, humbleness, and the spiritual awakening participants experience every time they gather in God's Word.
Roberta "Kitigruq" Richardson lives in Anchorage, Alaska, with her husband — her best friend — and their spoiled-rotten dog and cat. She is of Inupiaq descent and grew up in both rural and urban Alaska. Born into a family who loves Jesus, her late grandfather was a beloved pastor and superintendent of Friends Church, and her late grandmother faithfully supported his calling across the cities and villages of Alaska. Her great-grandmother worked to translate the Bible into pictograph images to help people understand the Word in Northwest Alaska in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Roberta joined LIM in July 2023 and serves as Lead Ministry Coordinator. Before LIM, her career included family wellness programs and a long career in Human Resources, where she earned her SPHR, GPHR, and SHRM-SCP designations. She credits the work experiences God led her through with bringing her to ministry — a role she never imagined she would hold, and one she is deeply grateful for.
The joy of the Lord is her strength, and she loves to laugh.
Seeing the Holy Spirit free people from lies and generational harm through Biblical truth fills her cup again and again. She values people wherever they are, loves meeting new friends, and is in constant awe of Jesus.
Roberta loves family time, caring for her pets, and learning, reading, traveling, and trying new foods with her husband. Her very favorite thing is laughter — shared with family, friends, her pets, and anyone willing to laugh along. She feels incredibly blessed to work with a team who love the Lord, and she's excited to see what God has in store for this ministry.
Join a healing group and experience it for yourself.
Suzette Shreffler lives in Busby with her husband, Scott. She was raised on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, where she lived until age 19, then moved to Seattle and raised her five children. In 2007 she began a personal relationship with Jesus Christ — a decision that transformed her life — and in 2009 she returned to the reservation with renewed faith and a desire to serve her community.
As Ministry Coordinator for Montana, Suzette coordinates trauma healing groups alongside the mentors and volunteers who serve with her. With about 16 years of ministry experience, she is deeply committed to helping people find healing and hope through a relationship with Jesus Christ — walking with them as they process past wounds, discover God's truth, and experience spiritual and emotional restoration.
Her compassion flows from her own story. There was a time she felt lost and without hope, but through a life-changing relationship with Christ she found healing, restoration, and new purpose.
Because of what He has done in her life, she carries a burden to see Native people experience the same freedom and hope — and to raise up leaders who strengthen families and build a foundation of faith for future generations.
Outside of ministry, Suzette enjoys baking, arts and crafts, and beading with her grandchildren — especially making traditional regalia for powwows and watching them dance.
Beading is her favorite hobby and a sacred time of prayer: with each bead she lifts up the people on her heart, asking Jesus to bring them healing, strength, and hope.
Pola Farve is Cupi'ik, a member of the Native Village of Mekoryuk, born in Anchorage, Alaska. God blessed her with a God-fearing family: her grandparents and mother instilled Christian values while carrying on traditional strength and character.
She grew up in two worlds — one where scholastic and financial achievement created status, and the other where subsistence and culture fed the community through the seasons.
Pola attended Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU), where she met and later married her husband, and went on to earn a Master of Education from Western Governors University. Together they raised three daughters in Alaska — each of whom has since gone on to HINU in her own way.
Today Pola leads Haskell LIGHT, a Lutheran Indian Ministries student center beside the HINU campus. She brings over 20 years in instructional design, curriculum development, and training, and built the Haskell LIGHT Student Outreach Coordinator Onboarding Program. For the students, campus staff, and school she serves, the aim is simple:
A safe place for students to find support, guidance, spiritual awareness, and a helping hand in times of need.
A life-long Alaskan, Pola honors both non-profit and government structures and traditional cultural ways of being. Through a prestigious grant, she will join her mother to learn how to harvest and preserve grass in rural Alaska — a practice gifted to her that she plans to pass on to her children.
Dan Kempin currently serves as the senior pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Midland, Michigan. He strives to follow the Lutheran heritage of missions — a heritage that longs to see every people group and culture experience the power of the Gospel and the freedom that comes in God's own proclamation of love, forgiveness, and healing, free in Jesus alone.
Dan is very excited about the new things God is doing and the doors that are opening for ministry through Lutheran Indian Ministries.
Richard "Dick" Baranzini is a member of Light of the Desert Lutheran Church in Phoenix, Arizona. He presently serves as an Assistant Professor and Director of the BS Degree in Fire Administration Program at the Helms School of Government at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.
He is retired from three careers — as a police chief and town marshal in law enforcement, a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, and an elected fire district commissioner in the fire service.
Dick's mother grew up on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Throughout his law enforcement career, he was deeply involved in working with and advocating for Indian tribes on reservation law enforcement issues, and has written and spoken at state and national conferences on reservation jurisdictional issues.
He and his wife have been active in mission trips, including to Poland, Germany, India, Mexico, and American Indian reservations.
He has supported Lutheran Indian Ministries ever since learning, as a teen, about the work of our founder, Don Johnson, on the Makah Reservation in Washington State.
Ted Kober serves as Senior Ambassador Emeritus for Ambassadors of Reconciliation (AoR). Since AoR's founding, he served as President until 2015. Retiring from Ambassadors of Reconciliation in 2021 to be a caregiver for his wife, Ted continues consulting, speaking, and reconciling as Ted Kober, LLC.
A Certified Christian Conciliator™ since 1992, Ted consults and conciliates in cases ranging from personal disputes to lawsuits and church conflicts. He has published articles, Bible studies, devotions, training courses, and books — including Confession & Forgiveness, Conflict Resolution vs. Reconciliation, Built on the Rock: The Healthy Congregation, and Reconciling Under the Cross. He co-authored his most recent book, Unforgivable? How God's Forgiveness Transforms Our Lives.
He teaches in congregations, conferences, schools, universities, and seminaries throughout the world, having equipped church leaders from more than 40 countries, with his work translated into more than 15 languages. In 2021, Concordia Seminary in St. Louis awarded Ted a Doctor of Letters degree, honoris causa, for his writing, speaking, and impact on the global Church.
He lives in Billings, Montana. Ted's wife, Sonja, now lives in heaven. They have one son and three grandchildren.
