Trusting God in Troubled Times

When Sky and Yonel Aris met, they were inseparable.

Sky explains, “He was a man of integrity, a man of honor. He was honest. He was upstanding.  As we prayed together and sought the Lord together and did work together, we fell in love.”

Yonel adds, “I knew it instantly. I was like, ‘Okay, Lord, this-this is the one.’”

Both came into the relationship with children from prior marriages and tried hard as single parents to make ends meet.  Sky had four kids and worked in insurance. The father of two, Yonel was an educator, writer/producer and part time real estate agent.  Because of a prior car accident, he knew that if he fell, he was at risk of paralysis.  Then 6 months into their courtship, he took a spill while teaching and ended up just as the doctors had warned: requiring emergency spinal cord surgery and rehab.

“Here we are now, six children. I'm on Workmen's Comp, and the bills just building and mounting up.” Yonel shares.  “I'm like, ‘Hey, you know, maybe we shouldn't get married right now because I didn’t know what challenges I would have later, and she was there every step of the way. You know, she was like, ‘No, trust God.’ And she was there every step of the way.”

So, with Yonel’s income down by 65%, they got married and chose to put God first and tithe.  

“We never stopped worshiping with the tithe because you can't out give God,” Sky  says.

Yonel adds, “That was a nonnegotiable for me.  I love the Lord. I'm a firm believer in-in just giving back.”

When he finally went back to work, the family was $50,000 in debt.  

Yonel explains, “I actually got more credit cards to pay my bills, you know, just basic necessities.”

Yonel remembers the day the lights were turned off.
 
He admits, “For-for a man, it was tough for me.  And I'm like, ‘Lord, I'm working this job. I'm here faithful. I'm here. I'm a tither, I'm a giver.’  And I’m like, ‘Lord, I want to be in a position where I can take care of my family.’ He said, ‘Increase your giving.’  And I took a step of faith.  And I shifted my mindset:‘The job's not my source, Lord, you're my source.’"
 
They increased their tithe to 11%.  Soon after that, their financial situation started to improve.  Yonel closed on a small house. Later as the couple was praying about what God wanted them to give in the new year…
 
“We both said the amount,” Sky shares.. “And it was everything we had in our account.  And we said, ‘Alright, let's do it.’ And we gave.”
 
The couple believed that as they gave more, God would take care of their financial situation.  Yonel even built a wall of debt.
 
Yonel says, “When I put the debt up, He said, “You’re going to put the scripture in the middle on the inside because it’s going to implode.’”

During this time, Yonel told God he wanted to leave teaching.   

He recalls, “I said, ‘Lord, if only I could make three times what I make in a year, then I'll leave,’ you know.  I was like, ‘Lord, I-I need an impossible miracle.’”

Shortly after, Yonel received a surprise call regarding a wealthy buyer looking for property in the area, and within a month and a half, he made a huge sale.  That one commission was three times his teaching salary.

“The commission that we got from that-that one deal took down that wall that we were speaking to,” Sky exclaims.   She smiles and continues, “The day that we got to call all the creditors to say, ‘We'd like the final pay off balance,’ it was so exhilarating.”

Yonel adds, “It was like the weight just-just fell off.”

They think this financial breakthrough was directly related to trusting God and giving what He’d told them to give.

“It was no other way it could happen,” Yonel says.  “No other way. The call, the phone call came out of nowhere.”

With a financial cushion from the commission, Yonel left teaching and started focusing on commercial real estate and his Christian productions, and business and income picked up even more. The couple continued to increase their tithe and give to other organizations, including CBN.
 
Yonel explains, “We want to be the hands and feet of Christ, and we believe that CBN is making an impact in the world and leaving the mark and definitely getting the Word out there. And we wanted to be able to give to that.”
 
Sky exclaims, “We love it. It's amazing. We high-five each other when we give. Like ‘Yay, we did that.’”
 
Today, Sky works in real estate with Yonel, and their income is 300% more than when they first married.  They’re now tithing 13% and counting and encourage others to dream big and give.
 
“If the Lord has your ear with giving, then He can speak to you about anything else,” Yonel says.  He adds, “Just try Him. He said, ‘Prove me, and see if I won't open up a window of Heaven and-and pour you out a blessing that you don't even have room enough to receive.’"  

“God is a multiplier,” Sky concludes, “and He'll take what little we give and turn it into much.”