From Living on Bare Minimum to Owning a Million-Dollar Business

Today, Melvin and Marilyn Olson are financially set thanks to the successful water company they started in Oregon.  Things haven’t always been easy, but no matter what they consistently tithed and taught their sons to live by the same biblical principle. 

Elijah Olson remembers, “One of the things that my parents always taught us was do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.”

Another son, Silas, adds, “We were trained to tithe.  I think we’ve always accepted on face value that it’s important to do.”

Matt chimes in, “We would pick strawberries, and we’d get a couple bucks or whatever, and we would do the math, and we would tithe on that.”

Even when Melvin was a farmer, money was tight and the family lived on hand-me-downs and stale bread, the Olsons still tithed. 

“We didn’t even know we were poor,” Matt says. “Growing up, my parents did a great job of just ‘this is life, and this how you work hard and eventually you become successful if you’re faithful in what you do and how you tithe.’”

Marilyn states, “What you tithe, you’re laying up your treasure in heaven, so it was just a joy for us to be obedient to Him.”

“I always felt that He would carry us through, and He’s never let us down,” her husband Melvin adds.

Melvin and Marilyn started giving to CBN in 1995 and through years of obedience, they say God meets all their needs, and then some. 

Melvin proudly shares, “There’s rewards with being faithful to God.”

One reward was the opportunity for Melvin to start Hiland Water, an over a million dollar business.  He says, “I have to give the credit to God because He’s the one that is growing the business now.  It’s not me.  I believe part of that is the result of how I handled the tithe and so forth.”

Marilyn contributes, “Sometimes I wake up in the morning, and I can’t believe where we are today compared to where we were before.  I’m amazed when I think how we can’t out give him.  But that laying a good foundation with our giving, it opened the doors so that God could bless us back.”

To this day, the Olsons and all of their sons still tithe and give, and the legacy lives on. 

“I have four kids,” Micah Olson says.   “And we’ve taught them, through a variety of different ways, the principle of tithing, and because they do that they are seeing the blessings of God in their own life.” 

Elijah Olson adds, “It’s what you do first, it’s the first check that you write.  Then you live on what’s left.”

“Whether you have a lot or a little, His principles work,” Marilyn says.  “But He tests you when you have a little.  You don’t say I’m going to wait until I have a whole lot of money that I’m going to give.  You start where you are at.” 

Melvin concludes, “Finances will turn around.  The Lord’s faithful, every time.”

Being obedient to God's truth made an incredible difference for the Olson family. They made themselves available for God's love to flow through them to others, and they are reaping a blessing themselves as well. Join them in partnering with CBN. You will make a difference in lives around the world, through medical missions, food and clothing programs, humanitarian outreaches and so much—all in the name of Jesus. Please join today.