Going Hungry to Pay the Bills

CBN.com - Mike and Ellen Martinez had just moved to a tiny house in a new city and struggled to provide for their two little children.

Mike remembers, "We're new parents, we're out here on our own, we don't know anybody in Houston. We had to balance health insurance and food and bills and a car and house and, you know just making it all work."

So to cut corners they skimped on food and lowered the house temperature during winter.

Ellen recalls, "Emme was sitting on the floor in the house with a thick knitted sweater and a thick hat pulled down over her ears and a scarf around her neck and we had to put that on every morning because it was cold."

They were living paycheck to paycheck with no end in sight.

Mike says, "We just had to learn and just had to adapt and we had the lord there."

Years before, Mike and Ellen had met while backpacking in India. Ellen was a Hindu before Mike introduced her to Jesus Christ. He grew up with his mom watching The 700 Club.

Mike recalls, " God was there and working through CBN in her life and in my life."

Ellen adds, "That blessed my husband, who led me to the Lord."

Mike remembered that his mother taught him about giving and the young couple was eager to put these biblical principles into practice. But it took a giant step of faith to give from the little they had!

Mike explains, "We let go of the money. It looked like it was our smallest time of giving, from a natural perspective, but I believe spiritually, from God's perspective, it was our greatest time of giving, when we gave the most, when we gave out of our lack and not our abundance.

Ellen says, "We started really tithing and-and being consistent in our tithe and knowing that God wants this from us and then things started moving.

The Martinez's saw an immediate change. Their own practical needs were being met. Sometimes through people they didn't even know!

Mike recounts, "It wasn't always money. But it was always provision somehow to get us through financially."

Then he was offered a new job for a company that makes and sells high precision ball bearings. A year later he asked for a huge raise.

Mike remembers, "I presented this proposal, this paper to them, what I had done and what raise I wanted. He told me, 'You know some people would lose their job asking for 15 percent raise.' Then my boss said, 'Here's what we want to do. I want to put you on a commission base to your salary. And based on the percentage of profit and-and that comes in we'll add that to your salary'. And it ended up becoming a 25 percent raise."

Ellen says, "Pretty soon after that we moved to a two-bedroom house where our children could have their own room, we could have our own room. And we had a big backyard where they could play. Just the thing like that, was like, wow, what a blessing. Such a blessing to just be able to give them that and, you know all of it came at once."

The Martinez's wanted to give back! They chose CBN as a way to honor the support Mike's mom got from The 700 Club when he was growing up.

Mike states, "God says, 'I want to bless you abundantly.' He's saying, 'I love you'. It's about how much are you going to trust Him?"

Being obedient to God's truth made an incredible difference for Mike and Ellen. 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.