Mom and founder of women’s ministry calls CHM a “tremendous blessing", Elle Cardel, Murfreesboro, Tenn.

*Editor’s note: This information was published in the November 2021 issue of Heartfelt Magazine, CHM’s monthly magazine that provides CHM membership-related tips and tricks, medical advice from doctors, testimonies from CHM members, and more. Please refer to the CHM Guidelines and applicable web pages for the most up-to-date information regarding CHM membership, sharing eligibility, and ministry news.*

Shortly after we joined CHM, my husband Michael got sick.

We didn’t really expect to have anything happen that soon because we’re young, we’re healthy, and we’re pretty active. However, his sickness was a wake-up call for us.

He was in the hospital for four days and three nights—and we quickly learned that is not cheap! He tested positive for strep throat and the flu, which turned into pneumonia. Between being quarantined and his time in the hospital, it ended up being a month-long ordeal.

That was the first time we had to use Christian Healthcare Ministries.

And honestly, it was simple—and nice knowing that while I was at the hospital with Michael, I could focus on him completely. I didn’t have to spend time away from him wondering how much we were racking up in medical bills or how we were going to pay for them.

It could have spelled out financial ruin for us—but thanks to CHM, it didn’t.

I remember how we found CHM before this medical event. I was searching for health cost support, and I began to wonder if a Christian approach to healthcare existed. A quick Google search led us to CHM.

We’ve witnessed God’s faithfulness through CHM while Michael was in the hospital and later when I was hospitalized.

It’s such a tremendous blessing to witness this financial burden literally being lifted right out of our hands.

CHM has also been a blessing to us as small business owners. I’m the founder of a global online women’s ministry called Daughter of Delight and Michael works with his dad building log homes. I thought it was awesome that not only did Michael and I align with their values, but we know that every dollar we give goes to people who truly need it.

It’s been neat to see the power of God at work in the ministry.

It can be easy to feel isolated, so I’ve enjoyed the blessing of community through CHM. We know that if we need prayer, our brothers and sisters within the CHM community are praying for us. That’s powerful and meaningful to us.

I think it’s such a beautiful depiction of the call that we see in Galatians 6:2 to bear each other’s burdens. But it also a very special way for us to be the tangible feet and hands of Christ Jesus.

And we’ve already been able to witness the beauty and the blessing of CHM’s maternity program. It’s really allowed me to just take a step back and relax and enjoy every step of the way with this pregnancy.

It may have felt like a leap of faith when we joined CHM, but it has been worth it—well worth it.

Hear Elle and Michael's story