Paul Milligan: From Poverty to Prosperity

Successful business entrepreneur and the Director of Charis Bible College's School of Business, Paul Milligan. (Click to enlarge) Paul Milligan watched his dad, DeLoyd Milligan, work hard to provide and gain financial security and stability for his family. Having been raised during the Great Depression and having served in World War II, his father was determined to give his son the foundation he would need to succeed in life. DeLoyd's motivation stemmed from living a life that was either trying to starve him to death or kill him in war.

Paul’s dad instilled the idea that financial security came from discipline and hard work, two things DeLoyd demonstrated his entire life. He taught Paul that working for a good company, giving more than was expected and retiring with enough money to live comfortably should be his goal in life. Paul became keenly aware of his dad’s need to see him succeed. In fact, by the time he was fourteen, Paul’s dad had helped him land an afterschool job at a Western Auto Store. When Paul graduated Salutatorian of his high school class, his dad was thrilled that Paul was on the right path.

Paul sharing a message in 2004, at a church in Lincoln, England.
(Click to enlarge)True to his values and work ethic, DeLoyd retired in 1985 after working in sales for over thirty years. Needless to say, in 1988, when Paul announced that he would be quitting his stable and secure job as the Vice President of a large company to start a new business, Global Technical Service, Inc., his dad was thoroughly disappointed. It wasn’t easy for Paul to go against everything his dad had taught him, but he had begun to receive new revelation from God in the area of finances.

Paul married his wife, Patsy, in July, 1974. The couple lived paycheck to paycheck for years, until Paul heard Andrew and some other radio ministers, who began to build his faith for Paul and his wife, Patsy.
(Click to enlarge)financial freedom. He started seeking God diligently about how He wanted him to manage money. He and Patsy were attending at Baptist church in Arlington, Texas; a church that did not embrace what Paul was learning from Andrew.

Paul remembers being impacted by Andrew’s teaching and became convicted to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. “I was very conflicted over this [baptism] at this time, but there was such an anointing on Andrew’s teaching, I knew it was God.” Knowing that his wife would not approve, Paul waited until he was home alone to attempt to receive the baptism. He got down on his knees in his living room and prayed, but nothing seemed to happen. Paul was not sure Paul and Andrew. The two first met in the late 1980's. (Click to enlarge)whether or not he had received the baptism. That night, however, things changed. “I literally sat, bolt upright in bed, at about 2 a.m., speaking in tongues—scared my poor wife to death,” Paul shared.

Paul continued to gain revelation of God’s will to prosper His people. Over the past 25 years, as he applied what the Lord showed him, he has purchased or started a total of fourteen businesses. “It was in about 1984 that we began to live the plan God had shown us for debt free stewardship and giving according to his Word. We give thanks to God for revealing to us, at a relatively young age, how to be prosperous according to His plan for our lives,” said Paul.Andrew invited Paul to be part of AWM's Board of Directors in 2002. (Click to enlarge)

The fruit of Paul’s business ventures are a clear indication to others of his revelation of the Word of God. In 1996, Andrew had known Paul for nearly eight years and was familiar with his success. He asked Paul to review the financial state of Andrew Wommack Ministries. Paul agreed and he helped restructure the ministry's accounting system. His efforts helped Andrew establish solid financial systems within the ministry. In 2002, Andrew asked Paul to join the AWM Board of Directors.

After retiring from business, Paul stepped into full-time ministry. Here he ministers to a group of pastors in Viet Nam. (Click to enlarge)In 2004, after 35 years, Paul retired from the business world, and he moved right into full-time ministry. Paul established Lifewalk International in 2003, the mission of which is to deliver teaching about godly stewardship and financial prosperity and to encourage the Body of Christ to produce wealth to establish the Covenant of God on earth. Paul has ministered in 15 countries, and spent extensive time in Kenya establishing a business school. Paul’s work in Kenya has been so successful that the church, with which he works, built a two-story engineered building that will seat 6500 people, a new bible college and several other facilities that bless the community.

Paul's ministry, LifeWalk International, helped build Word of Faith Church in Kiambu, Kenya. (Click to enlarge)In 2011, Paul accepted a position as the Director of Charis Bible College's School of Business in Colorado Springs. “We are blessed with some incredibly talented and committed students and I genuinely love every one that God has sent,” Paul said. He went on to share his vision for the business students, “My vision for the school is a big one. I believe that God has called an army of business people to create wealth to establish his covenant in the earth through giving to ministries like AWM. I see the day that we have many students of the business school operating by God’s principles in the marketplace, producing wealth and returning seed to AWM to continue the incredible work of this ministry. My desire is that Andrew’s teaching LifeWalk also helped Word of Faith build a Bible college next to the church. It can be seen here during the construction phase. The project is now complete. (Click to enlarge)wash over the earth and that multitudes are brought into the Kingdom of God, saved, healed, delivered, restored and prosperous. This vision requires money and producing wealth is what God has called me to do.”

Paul recalled a conversation he had with his dad before he died in 2002: “My dad asked me if I remembered his objection to me quitting my job to start Global. I said, ‘Sure Dad, I remember; you were very disappointed in me at the time.’ He then said he wanted me to know that he was wrong and that what I had accomplished by starting my own company had changed our family forever,” said Paul.

Paul and his wife Patsy (center), and their family—forever changed by the Word of God. (Click to enlarge)Through his son, DeLoyd Milligan learned that God wanted him and his family to be financially free, not just financially secure. Paul once had to make a tough decision to go against what his dad had taught him, and trust God. Today he has committed his life to making sure others learn the same principles he learned. From beginnings rooted in poverty, Paul and his dad lived to experience prosperity beyond their wildest expectation.

Through building businesses, through ministry and through his own personal life, Paul has seen the faithfulness of God’s provision. His testimony and teaching continue to inspire and give hope to a generation that Paul hopes will one day change how the world views financial prosperity and stewardship.

God is a Good God (Dios es un Dios Bueno)

Through Andrew's teaching, Leonardo and Iselsa Jimenez came to understand that God is a good God, and they have prospered because of their knowledge. (Click to enlarge)Entrepreneurs, Leonardo and Iselsa Jimenez, owners of Alpha Dental in Katy, Texas, have made a long journey into their identities as a couple, as business owners and as part of the body Christ. Both immigrated to the United States in the 1980s, Leonardo from Colombia and Iselsa from the Dominican Republic, and their journey has led them from religion to a true understanding that God is a good God.

Though the immigrants had come to America from different countries, they wound up attending the same church in the Houston area. Iselsa and Leonardo met shortly after Iselsa had shared with the Lord her desire for a husband. "I asked God for a husband, not a Iselsa asked God for a husband, and she specified that he must love the Lord and he must be tall—God answers prayers. (Click to enlarge)friend or boyfriend," said Iselsa. She also prayed specifically for a tall man who loved the Lord. At church a short time later, Leonardo approached Iselsa and the two hit it off. Iselsa, conscious of what she had prayed, asked Leonardo during their first date, what he wanted to do with his life. He answered that he felt like he wanted to teach God's Word. The two were married in 1997.

During the early days of their relationship, Leonardo worked in a small hospital. One morning at work, he was listening to a local radio station when he heard Andrew's Gospel Truth program for the first time. Andrew was teaching, God is a Good God, and what Leonardo heard so impressed him that he called the ministry's Leonardo holds a tape of the first teaching he ever received from AWM. He was so grateful that Andrew's teaching was and continues to be offered for free. (Click to enlarge)help line to ask for a copy of the teaching. Leonardo was grateful that the tape was free because finances were tight. Actually, he refers to those days as the "poverty days."

Up until that point, Iselsa had been Leonardo's Bible study teacher as she had had some previous religious training, but with each message Leonardo heard he gained new revelation, and he began to share Andrew's teachings with her. As much as Iselsa was learning from Leonardo, she still struggled with accepting the teaching because it countered much of what she had been taught. She would listen and say to Leonardo, "Show me in the Bible where it says this." In frustration she would take things before God and ask, "Is this really true? Are you really Leonardo began to share Andrew's teaching with Iselsa. (Click to enlarge)showing these things to Leonardo?"

Iselsa remembers Leonardo saying, "It's so simple, God is a good God, and the devil is a bad devil. See life from there. Whatever is good is from God, and whatever is bad is from the devil." Once Iselsa settled in her heart that what Andrew was teaching was true, the couple began to see change in their lives—change that lined up with the Word of God.

Leonardo's well worn Bible.
(Click to enlarge)In those early days, the Jimenez struggled financially, to the point that their lack of money was in the way of their advancement. While Leonardo worked for the hospital, Iselsa worked as a dental assistant, but she wanted more. "The Lord says delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. I had a desire to do greater things. I didn't feel comfortable where we were. We had enough for us to live day-by-day, but we didn't have enough to give, we didn't have enough to enjoy—we didn't have enough."

After several years of struggling to advance in life, the couple put their faith in God's Word and watched as the Word began to produce fruit and Iselsa received her doctorate in America.
(Click to enlarge)Iselsa had been educated in the Dominican Republic and was certified as a dentist there; however, the United States would not recognize her credentials. The legal system prevented her advancement, but as she yielded to the need for further schooling in America, she couldn't get into any of the American dental schools. She scraped her savings together and spent the money on application fees and postage to apply to schools across the country only to be rejected by each one.

As she watched her dream to be a dentist slip away, Iselsa became depressed. Even the people at church, whom she felt should be encouraging her, were saying things that made her doubt herself; things to the effect of, "Maybe your The Jimenez opened their own dental practice in Katy, Texas called, Alpha Dental. (Click to enlarge)dreams are not from God." She grew frustrated as she watched new doctors coming out of American dental schools, as they were hired with little knowledge and even less experience, knowing she had both.

The Jimenez struggled to afford their one-bedroom apartment and to make repairs to their car when needed. "America is supposed to be the land of your dreams, and I wasn't living that dream," remembered Iselsa.

Leonardo serves as the office manager for their dental practice.
(Click to enlarge)"We had always been taught that God was the one in control, using sickness to teach you and poverty to keep you in line," said Leonardo. When they realized, through Andrew's teaching, their true identity as the head and not the tail, they began to see a change in their lives.

The Jimenez came against the previous rejection from the schools and Iselsa chose to reapply. The couple prayed over her applications and would bless her outgoing letters, speaking the promises of God over each one. Eventually, Iselsa was accepted at University of the Pacific Dugoni School of Dentistry. She started school last in her class and graduated as the class salutatorian. Better still, Dr. Iselsa Mota-Jimenez—look at that smile! (Click to enlarge)she is now a dentist—twice.

Leonardo and Iselsa operate their own dental practice. The office, managed by Leonardo, is in a beautiful 2,500 sq. ft. space, and they now live in a 3000 sq. ft. home in a nice neighborhood. "We have more than enough. I'm not lacking anything, and money is not a problem—sincerely," said Leonardo.

They credit their success to standing on the Word of God and Andrew's teachings that helped them see that God is When Leonardo first met Andrew at a GTS, he shook his hand and thanked him for his ministry. Andrew pulled him closer and told him that he had the same gift of teaching that Andrew does, and he gave him a word from the Lord. Since that time, doors have opened for Leonardo to minister the grace and love of God.
(Click to enlarge)good. "It was an eye-opener for us. Finding that God was not the problem for [Iselsa] to get into school or for me to be able to get ahead in life, but rather, we have an enemy. Basically, the devil was taking advantage of our ignorance of the Word of God. Once we started to get the knowledge, the word says, 'You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free,' and once we began to get the knowledge of the Word of God, we were able to possess the promises that God has already made," Leonardo shared.

"When Leonardo told me about Andrew Wommack, and he told me what he learned, I started founding my life and living my life through the Word of God, my life changed. It was not because I was in America. It was not because I was a dentist. When I made the decision to believe God and His Word, that's when I saw my life change," said Iselsa.

For more details about Leonardo and Iselsa's journey to victory, be sure to check out the video below.

All The Right Moves: The Pudlo Story

Mitzi and Rick Pudlo, owners of Pro Cargo, a global freight forwarding company, study the Scriptures together. (Click to enlarge)Rick and Mitzi Pudlo met in the summer of 1975, and were married in the fall of 1976 at a local county courthouse. They remember the judge pointing his finger at them and saying, “If you put Jesus at the center of your marriage, you’ll never have any problems.” At that moment, Rick had a vision of he and Mitzi, merging into one person; the two of them becoming one flesh (Ephesians 5:31). Although Rick was not saved at the time, his experience at the courthouse made a significant impact on him and left him with a decision to make; would he acknowledge God’s presence in his life, or continue on a path of destruction?

The Pudlos spent a good portion of their first two years together high on drugs.
(Click to enlarge)Although neither were living God’s plan for their lives when they were married, Mitzi had received Jesus as her Savior when she was eleven, and Rick had been raised in church. Rick had gotten into drugs in his latter teens, and for two years following their marriage, Rick and Mitzi continued to live a life involving drugs, all the while knowing God was trying to reach them. The first Easter the Pudlo’s were married, they attended a small Baptist church in rural Kentucky. When the invitation was given to receive Jesus, Rick audibly heard God speak to him, “Rick, come.” Needless to say, Rick was shocked. “It was like someone had bellowed through a megaphone,” Rick explained. Despite this experience, Rick still resisted.

Mitzi and Rick lived rebellious lives, but the Lord was working on their hearts. (Click to enlarge)Although the Pudlo's continued their rebellious lifestyle, Rick soon came to the realization that he needed to change his course or he was going to end up in jail, or worse—dead. Rick got up one Sunday in July of 1978 and went to a Baptist church thinking that the Baptists never fail to give an altar call. He waited for the invitation, but it never came. Rick figured if they didn’t give an altar call, he couldn’t get saved. Later that same week, Rick went outside into his garden in the early morning hours, fell on his knees and looked toward heaven. “I didn’t say the sinner’s prayer or anything, no words came from my mouth, but the cry from my heart was one of help to the Lord. The moon and the stars are my witnesses that God touched my life and changed me on the spot. I got up out of the dirt a different person,” Rick said.

Rick standing next to the couple's car, on their journey West. (Click to enlarge)Mitzi acknowledges that Rick was indeed a “completely changed man” and within two weeks, the couple had sold nearly everything they owned, loaded up their Volkswagen and left town, throwing drugs out the car window as they drove. They had no idea where they were going, but figured God would direct them. Ten thousand miles and six weeks later, the two landed in Boulder, Colorado where Rick ended up getting a very good paying job. Things were looking up for the couple.

One day, while riding in his work truck, Rick heard Andrew on the radio. He liked what he heard and he and Mitzi decided to attend one of Andrew’s meetings in Denver a few days later. After several years working a variety of jobs, Rick (right) longed to start his own freight forwarding company. The Lord opened the doors for Pudlos to start their company, Pro Cargo. (Click to enlarge)It was at that meeting that Rick and Mitzi learned about the Baptism in the Holy Ghost. Rick was baptized at the meeting and Mitzi followed a week later. For the Pudlos, the Baptism in the Holy Ghost opened up a new level of intimacy with the Lord, and Andrew's steady teaching continued to minister to the couple.

Over the next several years, Rick and Mitzi committed to do exactly what God led them to do. The couple moved from Boulder to Knoxville, Tennessee and then to Houston, Texas, where Rick landed a job at the Houston airport with a freight forwarding company. “I didn’t even know what a freight forwarder was or that there was such a business,” Rick said. He and Mitzi remember sleeping in their car at a gas station when they first arrived in Houston, trying to save money so they could As the Pudlos sought the Lord for wisdom, He brought them from a humble start-up in their home, to international status.
(Click to enlarge)rent an apartment. Rick’s boss happened to ask him about his living situation during his first day of work. After Rick explained their situation, his boss gave him enough money for first and last month's rent. For four years Rick stayed with the company, during which time the Pudlos had two children; a daughter, Jordan and a son, Asher.

In January, 1985 Rick left his freight forwarding company at the Houston airport to work for an oil well completion company. Rick’s job was to transport the necessary tools, which included explosives to the company's job sites. Although he enjoyed his job, Rick could not stop thinking about owning his own freight forwarding company. After much prayer and consideration with Mitzi, Rick decided to take another step of faith. “I told my boss my intentions and he and I drove Today, Pro Cargo offices in Houston, New York, Toronto and Dubai. (Click to enlarge)to headquarters to talk to the president of our division. I told him I liked my job, but if I didn’t do this, I’d grow old wondering if I would have made it,” recalled Rick. To his amazement, the president responded, “I know exactly what you mean.” Not only did the president of the company support Rick’s new business venture, he offered him a safety net. He told Rick that if things didn’t work out, he could have his job back.

In 1988, the Pudlos started Pro Cargo. From humble beginnings, Pro Cargo now has four locations around the world. Today, the Pudlos enjoy sowing seed and giving back to the Kingdom. Rick and Mitzi Pudlo. (Click to enlarge)“One of Andrew's teachings that ministered to us early in our walk with the Lord was on giving. No matter how lean the times were, we knew that giving was something we were called to do. It's always been a joy to give, and it's true—you can’t out-give God!” said Mitzi.

Be sure to watch the video below for more insight into the Lord's work in Rick and Mitzi's lives during their journey to prosperity.