~Her Story~

Beverly Jean Murch went home to be with the Lord on December 19, 2020, after a 6-month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 63 years old. She passed away in Bruce's arms, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She was laid to rest at the original Covenant Farm, near Red House, Virginia. Her victory over suicidal depression gave her 15 years more life to live.

I hope, as I know Bev would, that you would read her entire story, and know that you too, can beat depression, even long-term, deeply ingrained, suicidal depression.

Motherhood, ministry, and lifelong depression

Bev suffered from undiagnosed depression since she was in her teens. I just always described her as a "melancholy personality" when we were young. It was actually much worse than that. It speaks volumes about her character that she powered through that, to raise and homeschool nine children (that's right, nine) and keep a wonderful home full of love and joy, while suffering continually from feelings of sorrow, doubt, and worthlessness.

Bruce & Bev started out in full-time ministry almost immediately after marriage in 1981, becoming group-home parents for problem kids in Ontario, Canada. Bruce was associate pastor in several churches during the 1980s in Georgia and Massachusetts. In 1989, he founded Project Rescue of Western Massachusetts. This was an anti-abortion, street-level ministry that involved temporarily closing abortuaries, and having sidewalk counselors on site to offer help and alternatives to women and girls who showed up and could not get in. That resulted in Bruce being either in court or in jail for the next 7 years. Beverly was the rock during those years, the constant in the Murch Family. Many hundreds of unborn babies were saved, some of whom we held in our arms later. Bev was passionate about our work saving womb-children from death.

Beverly on Mother's Day 1987 in Stone Mountain, Georgia

Beginning in 2000, shortly after our move to Virginia in late 1999, our entire family undertook street ministry in tours all over the country with other like-minded Christians. Our homeschooled children grew up sharing their faith on college campuses, in rallies and on street corners.

No more fun and games

The ministry work ended in 2004, after 23 years, when Beverly's depression had developed to the point that she could no longer control it. It became so debilitating that Beverly would run away for entire days. We had to hide her car keys. One night we had to call the Sheriff's Department to come out and search for her. Her car was here, but she was gone. The dogs found her back in the corner of our 112-acre farm, curled up in a ball and covered with leaves and bugs.

The woman who had birthed nine children at home, raised and home-schooled those nine children, and been a consistent rock for me and for them,
was reduced to a fearful, scared, sad woman who believed she was "a demon in human form". This is not an exaggeration. She truly believed that, for nearly 18 months.

It was at this time also, to add yet more of a burden on Beverly, that she was diagnosed with Stage 3 uterine cancer. We actually discovered the cancer while trying to figure out a treatment for her depression. She underwent the natural protocol called The Gerson Therapy to fight the cancer, which was successful after nearly a year. She had surgery to remove her uterus, but by the time that happened, the cancer had all but disappeared.

We Almost Lost her.

In 2005, while visiting a ministry in Georgia that promised help for her depression, she took a bottle of pills while I was in the shower, in an attempt to end her life. I stepped out of the shower and realized something was wrong.

2005 - The last family photo with all 9 kids at home.

Bev ran out of the camper we were staying in, with me, half-naked, chasing her and trying to get her so I could make her throw up. I got somebody to call 911. An hour later I was in her hospital room, weeping over my beloved, with tubes coming out of her arms and face, having been treated just in the nick of time to save her.

She was involuntarily admitted to the state mental hospital until I could secure her release a few days later. The psych ward had her so hopped-up on anti-psychotic drugs, she had no recollection whatever of my daily visits to her. Thus began our concerted efforts to find a natural remedy for her depression, as pharmacueticals had actually made her more depressed.

One day, I was contacted by a minister friend of mine who was mindful of what Bev was going through. He had a parishioner that had also suffered from suicidal depression, and who was taking a natural supplement that had given her her life back. He ordered the first two bottles for us, as money was really tight since I had quit working for so long, fearful of leaving her (and losing her) if I left for work.

Within a couple of weeks there was noticeable improvement, within a month, major improvement. On the second bottle, she was in better mental condition than she had been in several years. She took this supplement for 15 years, until she passed. Two of our children, who have inherited the depression, take it as well.

By the second month, she had returned to church for the first time in over 18 months. She told me she no longer believed she was a demon. She was still struggling some, but her mental health would continue to improve. It was the beginning of a new and better life for Beverly, which she enjoyed until her untimely passing from cancer.

The Remedy: True Hope

The supplement Beverly was taking is called Empower Plus, developed by True Hope, a company based in Alberta, Canada.

Bruce & Beverly 2016

It was developed by a man who lost his wife to suicide, and whose children suffered from it as well. You can read his story on their web site using the link below.

Beverly ministered to many women and girls with depression for the next 15 years, and this referral page is an effort to extend her ministry of hope to folks she has never met, and long after her passing. It is part of her legacy.

What's available from True Hope

As a result of this outreach, I (Bruce) have become an affilliate of True Hope. When you use the link below, it lets us know how many, and which folks, have come to True Hope through Beverly. While affilliate status also gives me a small percentage of product that you order, I am not doing it for that reason, and intend to use any funds from this to get product for folks who are struggling financially, to get started.

The True Hope team offers free counseling when you order Empower Plus. If you are on anti-depressants now, I strongly recommend that you speak to them about how to wean yourself from the anti-depressants and move over to the Empower Plus. There is a website interface where you can keep a weekly journal of your progress, so you can see how much progress you have made as the weeks go by. The folks there are very kind and compassionate, and some of them have struggled with depression themselves, or have loved ones who do.

Beverly was taking the Empower Plus twice a day. In addition, she was taking Inositol powder, mixed in water (available at True Hope, or on Amazon). This is an excellent supplement to bring instant relief when stress is high. In later years, she had pretty much stopped using it, but it was very helpful in her mental balance early on. The Empower Plus costs about $75/month. It is worth every penny.

Please Do This!

I promise this will help you! I wish so much that this had been availabe earlier, and known about sooner for my sweet Bev. Don't let the darkness, the sadness, that helpless feeling continue to dictate the terms of your life.  Beverly had a new shot at a happy life when she started taking Empower Plus. This page is Beverly's gift to you, so you can have the same life-change that she enjoyed for the rest of her days. I thank God that He sent True Hope our way.

The Murch Family in the fall of 2019. Family photos are obsolete every few months.
As of December 2022, there are 30 grandchildren and three more due in 2023!