"The Christian community will uplift each other," says member helped with cancer bills, Marcy and Jeff Toensing, Centerville, Minn.

*Editor’s note: This information was published in the February 2022 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.*

Marcy and Jeff Toensing, Centerville, Minn.

When I started my own consulting business, one of the things we had to get figured out was healthcare costs. I wasn’t confident that we could afford a major medical situation, and so we looked around for something different.

I was instantly drawn to CHM’s biblical view of healthcare, and how members share each other’s medical costs and keep the monthly gift amounts low. Plus, we knew people who were members and it was clear CHM was a reputable organization.

The whole basis of how CHM started and why it’s here is so appealing. That’s the way we as Christians are supposed to be taking care of each other, and not just financially but spiritually through the Prayer Page and lifting each other up in prayer. After we joined CHM, we got Heartfelt Magazine, which always had a section of prayer requests, and we made it a habit to lift these people up.

After about two years of being a CHM member, we had our first incident when one of our kids went to the emergency room. It was very easy to work with our providers and submit our monthly gift amounts.

Then, in 2019, through a routine mammogram, it was discovered that Marcia, my wife, had breast cancer. I remember thinking, “Here we go. This is the true test.” I knew this wasn’t going to be just one visit, but that it would be a whole process.

The website was so informative that I never needed to call into CHM. Everything you need is on the forms, and I could easily submit the bills online. We had a 50 percent discount on all of her hospital visits and radiation.

Finances were not part of the stress in the process, and she could focus on her treatment and getting better.

With her breast cancer, she was put on the prayer request list. We started getting cards in the mail, and they kept coming and coming. Kids drew us pictures and people wrote that they were praying for us. It helped make this journey a blessing for us.

Why should someone join CHM? With CHM, we really like that we are in control of our healthcare and have the flexibility to choose our provider. If we need to see a specialist, no problem. If we need a test, we can do it. We don’t have to worry about providers moving groups or moving out of a provider network.

It’s knowing that your contributions are going to other people who currently have a need, and that when your need is there, you’re going to be blessed and helped. The Christian community will hold each other up and CHM is really just the channel.