Lessons for Life
“He loves the Lord," says Linda Wallendorf of her husband Ted. "He’s like our strongman around here, you know, gets the family together and we pray. I just knew, way back then in the ‘70s when I first met him, I knew there was something great in him.” And she thanks God daily for him.
But years ago, Ted feels God helped him learn a lesson, a lesson about giving to others.
“We were definitely Christians,” says Ted. “We gave, but we gave inconsistently. We gave when we had opportunities to give or maybe we had a need to give, but we didn’t give consistently. So we really weren’t in obedience to the Lord that way.”
In the spring of 1998 Ted says his lesson began. He started to experience intense pain.
“I was just weak, and got weaker and weaker and weaker,” describes Ted of his ordeal. “And then I started getting a pins and needles [feeling] on the side of my head. I started getting pins and needles in my right thigh. I’d look down; my feet and my hands would be shaking.”
“It was difficult for me seeing him on the bed all those weeks and then taking him to the doctors and helping him get out of the car. He’s a big man and here I am trying to help him get out. He couldn’t even walk, his knees were so wobbly,” says Linda.
"We were used to doing pretty well and then we went down to almost nothing in income,” says Ted. "And then, because I was bedridden for six weeks and couldn’t work for about six months, my income dropped down to almost nothing.”
Money was so tight Linda didn’t have enough to pay the monthly bills.
“It was very difficult back then,” remembers Linda. “We didn’t even have a dollar for gas to mow our lawn. The phone bill was behind. I remember our car payment being behind and hoping that they wouldn’t come and ask to take it back. Everything was behind. Groceries were hard to buy.”
Ted spent a lot of time watching TV, in particular, a show called The 700 Club. He learned that giving to the Lord is an act of obedience. So he decided to give despite their tremendous financial needs.
“So we started out, out of our need,” says Ted. “Sometimes we might have $10 left in our checkbook and so I said, ‘well, I’m not sure what $10 is going to do to feed the poor’, but we sought out ministries that the Lord put in our heart that fed the poor and preached the gospel and we tried to give small seeds out of our need to those type of ministries.”
And one of those ministries was The 700 Club!
“I love Operation Blessing,” says Linda. “Giving to the needy and the kids at school; when they have no tennis shoes or school books and you can see them shopping at Wal-Mart or something. I love being a part of that.”
But even as Ted and Linda began to give, his health declined. Doctors were baffled over Ted’s condition. Yet through prayer and a change in his diet, Ted says God healed him of his debilitating sickness.
“Honest-to-goodness, I’m stronger now than I was at age 35 -- and healthier,” says Ted.
Ted was soon able to return to work and the Wallendorfs’ finances began to turn around too! He says Pat’s teachings on the Law of Reciprocity were a major factor in his new financial success.
“The one thing I love about Pat’s teachings,” says Ted “is that it’s simple enough for old basketball players to be able to understand it! ‘Give and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over shall men give into your bosom.’ And it’s not for your family, it’s not for your estate, it’s to build God’s kingdom. That’s what it’s for.”
Ted feels God has truly blessed his new company called, “Senior Estate Specialists.” They help seniors with financial planning.
And their business is booming.
Coming back, after being bedridden and sick for months, Ted says this of his and his partner’s business, “Our gross revenue, for both of us, that first year doubled! It has doubled every year since -- 100% doubling every year since!”
Ted feels he’s learned some solid lessons from his ordeal.
“You know what’s amazing?” he laughs. “During that time a lot of the people who I thought were my friends kind of disappeared. Jesus truly is a friend who will stick closer than a brother. It’s amazing.”
Ted and Linda were obedient to God's word and found that as they applied His word to their lives, God blessed them financially and brought them through Ted's time of illness. Just as Ted and Linda did, you can also sow seeds into the ministry of CBN. Your gifts will help needy kids go back to school with the supplies they need to succeed, provide water wells and cisterns for those who are thirsty, bring medical care and humanitarian aid to those who are in desperate need, and so much more -- all in the name of Jesus. Please join with us to today. There are so many who need a tangible expression of God's love. Please join today.
