DEBT BUSTER
They Said No to Bankruptcy
By
Dory Nissen 700 Club Producer
Money, money, money,
and lots of it. Want a picture of prosperity? Look at Orin and Janette Baertsch,
owners of a top selling tiling company in southern California.
"We were probably considered the largest tile company in San
Diego," said Orin Baertsch. "We had 140 employees. We were
doing four to five thousand dollars a month in billing, and it didn't
look like there would be any end to the heyday."
And with the heyday came the high life. Black tie affairs among San
Diegos elite and elaborate vacations were the norm. Janette and Orin
didnt think twice about charging up those credit cards. After all
there was plenty of money rolling in. And since the Baertschs were
Christians, they gave God the credit for their success and made sure
they gave 10 percent of their income to their church.
But in 1990 a recession hit the nation. Businesses that had prospered
failed. Suddenly, the huge amount of debt that seemed so easy to swallow was now
choking Janette and Orin.
"The money had been depleted and construction work was really
down," explains Orin. "I remember that there were times
when we would get calls from the bank and they would say, 'You need
to pay this loan, and you need to do this and that.' Right at that
time, that was a really dark moment."
Bankruptcy
was the only way out. Their attorney prepared the papers. But Orin began to feel
like God was telling him that bankruptcy was not the answer.
"At that time, Orin said we couldn't do this," remembers
Janette. "We started praying, and nowhere in Scripture could
we find anything about bankruptcy."
"I didn't want to put people through that," Orin continues.
"I felt like it would be cheating, although it was legal."
Orin told Janette he had contacted their creditors to explain their
dilemma. They agreed to work with the Baertschs on a payback plan
if they would sell their house and give the bank every
penny of equity as a starting point for payoff. They did.
A large chunk of what little income they had was going to the loan,
and they had only one way of paying for daily expenses. Credit cards!
As the business debt crept down, their personal debt grew.
Then the Baertschs got a wake-up call when they attended a seminar
on finances at a Christian marriage conference.
"When we went to the seminar, it was like the light bulb
went off," says Janette. "And I said, You'll never
be able to pay this because all you will ever be able to pay is
minimum payments. The interest that's accumulating on the card
exceeds what you are able to pay."
Janette felt the Lord was telling them that charging with no
means to pay, was sin.
"One of the main
things was to go humbly before God and ask for forgiveness and to make sure He
was involved in all our decisions," says an emotional Janette.
The Baertschs cut up their credit cards and began to pay off personal
debt in addition to their business loan.
And the Baertschs did something that might not seem practical. Although
they had always been tithers, they decided to give offerings.
"We had prayed and asked God, Where do you want us to give?"
explains Orin.
That answer was to give to a ministry with a message consistent with
what they were receiving at their church. Orin and Janette began sending
20 dollars a month to The 700 Club.
"God was stirring in our hearts more," remembers Orin.
"We knew we needed to be involved in The 700 Club in a
larger way."
And
something amazing began to happen at their tiling company.
"As we gave, God just supernaturally blessed the business,"
exclaims Orin. "It grew and grew and grew, and every year we
would commit to more and more and more."
And the bills were getting paid!
"I'd have the last payment and I'd run to his office and say,
Here it is. It's getting paid!" says Janette. "It was
exciting."
Janette and Orin are now debt free! It took them seven years. But
prayer and persistence paid off. They've donated enough to their church
to build two teen centers and they are now members of CBN's Chairman
Circle! And rest assured, the Baertschs are committed to keeping God
first in every decision they make.
"This is where the Lord has brought us. This is what God has
done in our lives," says Orin. "We have this because of
the Lord."
Orin and Janette were obedient to God's leading, giving to His work
in spite of their need, and God blessed them in a mighty way —
just as He wants to bless each of us. Join The 700 Club
and be a part of what God is doing around the world. For 65 cents
a day - $20 a month - you will help broadcast a message of hope
through The 700 Club, as well as minister medical and humanitarian
aid to those who are in desperate need.
Please join today!
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