Love of Giving Made Sparks Fly for Couple

CBN partners Dale and Julie Sies have always been cheerful givers. “One of the things that attracted me to Julie is that we were on the same page regarding giving to the Lord. Julie's very generous,” says Dale. “I love to give.”

It was a missions trip to Mexico two decades ago that changed their lives forever. “We went to a dump city outside of Mexico City,” Julie recalls. “I had never really been in a situation like that before and it was, it was, horrific, it was hard to see. And yet they were so happy. It was one of those moments where God kind of just slaps you upside the head and said to me, ‘What are you doing about my people? Are you really loving my people?’ And I realized I wasn’t."

“It broke our hearts,” Dale adds. “And we just couldn't walk away from that without doing something more than we were already doing.”
  
The couple had the courage to step out and increase their giving, thanks to experiencing God’s faithfulness in their finances early in their marriage.

“Dale lost his job and we had set up our household budget with two incomes and tithing on two incomes,” Julie says. “And so as we prayed and thought about it, we decided to keep the tithe the same, as if Dale was getting in a full-time income. It was exciting to see how the Lord provided during that time and how He more than made up for the income that Dale lost.”

Dale adds, “We both served in positions that were not high-income positions--ministry, and working for non-profits weren't the highest revenue positions that one can get. But God was really faithful and He always provided for us.”

The couple later decided they wanted to completely eliminate debt so they could be self-supporting missionaries. They did so through successful real estate investing. “We've been able to accumulate a number of rental properties,” he says. “All of them are paid in full. And so, at this season of our life, we're able to reap the blessing of those investments as the Lord has provided.”

In 2011, Julie also started Exponential Functions, a life-coaching and leadership training business for individuals and organizations. And Dale even worked as a CBN major donor rep. As the Sieses continue their giving, God continues to multiply their income. And CBN is one of their favorite ministries to give to.  

“I honestly do not know of any one particular ministry that is a greater soul-winning ministry than the worldwide ministries of CBN,” says Dale. “Thousands of people are coming to Christ every day, every hour because of the ministry of CBN.” 
 
As Julie and Dale look back over the years, they can see how God has always provided for them. “His blessings continue to increase. His love for us just continues to be revealed in such a way that life just gets better and better,” Julie says.  

“We never really have to worry,” Dale adds. “The fact that He's going to supply our needs as long as we're faithful to Him, to us, means He has our back. He's going to take care of us.”