When Ed and Shelley Panas started dating, both were in the midst of financial challenges. Ed was drowning in debt from a divorce and going through a career change from a management position earning 6-figures into a technology career, barely bringing in $1000 a month. 

“I was in no position to provide for Shelly,” Ed admits. “There was just a lot of reservations financially because of that.”

Meanwhile, Shelley was a self-proclaimed spender.  

“I wasn't smart with my money,” she confesses. “You know, I never met a pair of shoes I didn't like. 80-90% of my meals were out. I traveled a lot, had a really nice house, had a great muscle car. I just spent like it was an unending faucet I could just turn on and money would come out.”

Outside of a 401k, she didn’t have much savings. So, when she decided to go from being a C.O.O to a realtor, she put most of her business and living expenses on credit. Still, Shelley and Ed eventually married, with a combined debt of $280,000. Then just months into their marriage, Shelley found out she had breast cancer and needed surgery.

She says, “I felt guilty. My husband was having to take care of me. It was hard. It was humbling.”

Ed adds, “And I don't even have the money to like even keep our basic cost of living covered while she's recovering. I just felt like complete failure.” He continues, “We were upside-down at least $2000 a month. I just wrote letters to the credit card companies and just said, ‘I can give you 25 bucks a month.’ I just kept picturing the Titanic. I was seeing the iceberg, and there was no steering. It was too late. I was convinced by 2019, we were going to be in bankruptcy. I was just waiting for any moment for us to be homeless. I was at the end of my rope.”

As their debt continued to grow, the couple started going to church and making small donations.

Ed explains, “I felt guilty because they're giving me free coffee. I was like, ‘I can't just come here and take, I've got to give something back.'"

Shelley shares, “We had to put all trust in that God was going to take care of us, that God was going to stop the storm so that the boat wouldn't capsize.”

They were surprised to see what happened when they gave.

“We would give $20 one week and then all of a sudden I'd get like some $38 check in the mail for some class action lawsuit that I didn't even know I was a member of,” Ed recalls.

Shelley shares, “I instantly felt God's hand in my life. I felt Him going, ‘You're being obedient. I've got you.’”

Ed got a few temporary jobs, while they regularly made weekly contributions to their church. And soon, Shelley’s health started to improve. Then, the couple took a class on biblical money management and started learning what the bible says about tithing.

Ed exclaims, “It's not our money. We’re just here temporarily. The money’s passing through our hands. It's just blessings God gives us. So, we're not donating to the church. We're not giving money to a charity or, you know, whatnot. We're bringing our tithe; we’re bringing it as an act of obedience.”

Shelley and Ed kept giving until they were tithing a full 10%. They stopped eating out, sold extra possessions, shared one car, and asked God to help them pay off their now $400,000 of debt.  

Shelley says, “I started praying, ‘God, I need contracts.’”

Shelley got them, and her income skyrocketed. Meanwhile, Ed got a great web development job, with raises. And in 3 ½ years, their debt was completely wiped-out.

“The reason that we were able to get out of debt, it wasn't because, just because we were giving tithes,” Ed offers. “It was because for the first of my life, I actually felt obedient to God.”

Money has taken on a new meaning for the couple.

“The person I used to be felt that money was an object to achieve, that it was a status symbol,” Shelley confesses. “Now I don't look at it in terms of what it can do for me, but what I can use it for to help other people.”

Today, Ed and Shelley teach others about giving.

“You can't just sit around thinking or reading books and just hoping things work out. You have to take action,” Ed says. He concludes, “So even if you’re in debt, if you can give a little something to start and then kind of build that as you go, you're going to find that generosity and giving is probably going to be the favorite thing you can do with money, because I know it's mine and Shelley's for sure.”

When Israel came under attack on October 7th, thousands of Israelis were forced to evacuate their homes. The war, the trauma, and the lack of routine affected everyone, especially the children who were displaced, along with their families.

One little girl said, “What I felt until now was fear. Because in Ashkelon, they would not stop shooting. I felt very anxious, and I did not know what to do. Today, all we think about is fear and war.”

A man said, “Missiles nonstop. The attacks kept coming. We are quite used to these situations, but it is very difficult for the children.”

CBN Israel set out to relieve the trauma and stress for these families. With a mobile food truck that brought meals to displaced people, CBN Israel went throughout the country meeting evacuees where they were at with food and other essential items.

Talya said, “We’re thankful for all the help from CBN hosting us here. We can see their logo all around the hotel. To see them here now, it warms my heart that there are people who care for us, who think of ways to make it easier for us in this strange situation, in this dark situation. I really can’t express how thankful I am. Words won’t be enough for the amount of appreciation I have for your work.”

With your support, CBN Israel was also able to host families from war zones for fun festivals, featuring SuperBook at 30 locations across the country. The kids got to play on bouncy castles and enjoy carnival food. CBN Israel gave families vouchers for food and clothing.

Amos said, “One of the best things to get out of trauma, to deal with the sadness, especially for kids, is physical activity and movement. It’s not the phone screens that kids sit in front of all the time. It’s jumping on trampolines and doing sports activities and other fun activities and games. We took them out of their rooms, so they could have a change of scenery, and it was a big success. The parents wouldn’t stop thanking us. This would not be possible without CBN and SuperBook.” 

Thanks to you, hundreds of families were able to experience joy and happiness again after difficult months of trauma and their uncertain future. 

One man said, “You brought us here. For all those who donated, we really don’t know how to thank you. It is changing the lives of these children.”

A young girl said, “I just want to thank everyone. Thank you so much for all your help and support.  I love you.” 

Partnering with CBN means more than just giving—you’re helping feed and clothe families, providing medical aid to those without access to hospitals and doctors, and helping provide clean water for the thirsty. Your faithful giving brings hope to the hopeless and the truth of God’s Word to millions of homes through The 700 Club! Help bring the love of Christ to the world when you become a CBN partner today!

Jerry and Rebecca Kosko, from Apple Valley, California have a comfortable life filled with fun and family. However, life wasn’t always so good. As a second marriage for both, they each brought two kids into the union. The family expenses quickly piled up and credit cards seemed like the best solution.

Fifteen years into their marriage, Jerry and Rebecca found themselves over seventy thousand dollars in debt. Jerry says about debt, “You’re on this hamster wheel. You just go, okay, what else can I do to backfill that hole that I’ve created? I would work a second job on the weekend but the more you, you, you work, the, the, it seems like you'd try to break even or get the even. And it was, it was pretty tough. If I double the payment or triple the payment, it was still gonna take, you know, 10, 15, 20 years to pay this, uh, this balance off.” Rebecca recalls, “The amount of debt was growing and it was seeming overwhelming to how much we really could pay off.”

As Christians, Jerry and Rebecca knew that giving to the church should be a part of their budget however, it usually came after the bills…if at all. Rebecca says, “It was more of an afterthought that if there was money left over, then we probably should do that.” And Jerry recalls, “With the mounting debt, that was being accrued and acquired, you didn't see a light at the end of the tunnel. And it, it created a lot of stress and a lot of, uh, anxiety.” Knowing God wanted them to be free from financial stress, Jerry and Rebecca enrolled in a financial course at their church in 2003. Jerry says, “We were hoping to find some of those nuggets, if you will, or keys to freeing ourself from that, you know, the bonds of being in debt.”

One key they learned was to put God first and tithe before paying anything else. Rebecca says, “It's a trust factor, it's obedience, it's faith, it's all of those things bound up together to know that, okay, I don't have to worry about this. I do my part and then God does the rest.” So, they made tithing first a priority. Right away the Koskos started to see their money go further and soon they were paying extra towards their debt. Rebecca recalls, “The money did materialize and sometimes again, we just had no idea how or why it materialized, but it did.”

Over the next few years they even increased their giving as they saw God’s faithfulness carry them through tough economic times. Jerry says, “It seemed like the more we’d give, the more the Lord would bless.” The Koskos were able to pay off their debt and along the way, they also helped other family members with financial issues. Today, they are semi-retired, yet giving more than they did when they both were working full time. Rebecca says, “It doesn't make sense that we were able to give more being in the retired state than we ever did before when we were making these larger professional wages. It doesn't make sense with any of that, but it still is how God provided.”

Over the years Jerry and Rebecca have enjoyed The 700 Club and in 2018 they became 700 Club partners, excited to see their money go towards helping people in need. Rebecca says, “When there's a disaster and we see the response that CBN has or the opportunity to partner with him financially with that, um, it immediately stirs in my heart. We’re there helping. It's the arms and hands of Christ reaching out in a way that I can't reach.” Jerry says, “It's hard to comprehend, but the more you trust in the Lord, the more you experience His love and blessings.” Rebecca encourages others, “Tithing has always been a challenge because again, it doesn't make sense. Just trust and do it.”
 

Today it’s hard to get Zixian to slow down.  It’s a big change from how she used to be.

Her mother recalls, “She didn’t have good resistance.  She got really high fevers and was weak.  Sometimes, her body was full of tubes.”

Zixian’s sister Ranran adds, “My mother said there was a hole in her heart.”

Zixian often had pneumonia and had to get injections.

“It was hard for nurses to give her the injections because she was so small,” weeps Mrs. Zhou.  “I couldn’t stop crying.  It felt like the needle was piercing my heart.  Her doctor told me that her heart disease combined with pneumonia was serious.  Her ongoing high fevers could cause brain damage and leave her a vegetable, or she could die.”

The Zhous are poor.  Mrs. Zhou stays home, while her husband works out of town.  So Ranran helps her mother take care of Zixian.

“She must have heard us talk about how we couldn’t save enough money for surgery,” recalls Mrs. Zhou.

Ranran shares, “I gave my piggy bank to my mom.  I just wanted my sister to get better.”

Instead, Zixian kept getting sick.

Her mother says, “Sometimes she clenched her fist, like she was fighting.  It seemed like the only thing we could do was watch her die.  I felt helpless.”

One time when Zixian was getting injections, a woman invited Mrs. Zhou to church, where she heard about Operation Blessing.  And soon, you helped make it possible for Zixian to get heart surgery.

Mrs. Zhou exclaims, “Her immune system is so much better now, so she’s developing well.  She has a lot of strength to run and jump.”

Ranran adds, “My little sister has changed a lot. Now she’s very happy.” 

“Because of your help, I feel that there really is a God in this world,” says Mrs. Zhou.  “I am very grateful for you.  You are like light from God.”

Zixian joyfully concludes, “Thank you to everyone from Operation Blessing. I love you all!”

Do you know that CBN partners can reach people around the world for Christ every day? We invite you to join us in ministry together as we provide financial support to those in need through our life-giving surgeries, food and clothing programs, humanitarian aid, and so much more! When you give today and become a CBN partner, you’ll help transform lives in the name of Jesus Christ! Join us now!