Sometimes ...

... just an extra degree of effort can make all the difference in the world.

"The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way." -Robert Kiyosaki

God uses small things to do BIG stuff ...

We can do no great things; only small things with great love" ... Mother Theresa.

A few weeks ago, I was invited to travel about 80 miles north to meet and share with other fellow "water sharers". It was a beautiful late summer morning when Cathi and I made that trip. Upon arrival, we immediately met our hostess Nanci and another lady who was quite excited to share her testimony with both us and the meeting's other attendees. This lady told us about her life-threatening health challenges she had suffered from over the past several years; about her recurring bouts of cancer which progressively got worse and worse until she found herself reaching the point of "no hope". But then this past spring, she was introduced to my friend Nanci who generously shared hope in the form of ionized water with her. And now fast-forwarding to this beautiful morning, she was telling us about how Nanci's small act of kindness turned into a BIG "no more cancer" victory for her body! Simply amazing!

While driving home after our meeting, I found myself reflecting about that lady's amazing testimony. It was then I realized something very personal, very humbling. I looked over to Cathi, saying "Do you realize that had we not decided 3 years ago to buy our ionizer and freely share our water with others, then most likely that lady we met this morning would have never been blessed with her BIG victory." {FYI: we shared with Martha, who shared with Ted & Merrie, who shared with Rocky and Karen, who then shared with Nanci} For me, this humbling realization was once again a dramatic proof-positive reminder about how our "heavenly anointed" action which at the time Cathi and I took seemed quite "isolated, small" yet by now has blossomed into a very large network of like-minded compassionate "sharers"; and even more incredibly how our Lord is continually blessing our team's collective "human-based marketing efforts" for His glory, to accomplish His BIG purposes HIS WAY!

"When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others." ... an old Chinese Proverb

I Hate Selling ....

Okay, I admit it. I hate selling. That's why I don't do it. But let me further clarify this for you. I don't sell the "worldy-way". So what does that mean you might ask? For me, it's all about someone being pushy, manipulative, selfish, and even at times deceitful so that they can chalk up their "win" at someone else's expense. I bet you have been on the receiving end of this kind of selling numerous times, right? Pretty distasteful, wasn't it?

For me, selling does not have to be done that way. First, find something that you can be passionate about; something you absolutely believe in and know without any doubt whatsoever that others can also truly benefit from. Then, your mission (i.e., selling) is to simply get others to also come to believe in and benefit from what you have for them; but always carried out in a thoughtful, compassionate way. Think of this kind of compassionate selling as being synonymous with "passionate caring", always triumphing over any "fear of rejection" you might harbor, empowering you to engage even with complete strangers, and knowing that only until someone realizes you really care for them will they be open to explore what you have for them.

Also very, very important, when pursuing your mission of selling, don't go it alone! Call on our Lord; asking that His favor go before you in the form of divine appointments, other's open-minded willingness, etc. And finally, don't be motivated by "living the good life"; instead aspire to "be the good life" for anyone He brings to you. This is a style of selling that resonates with me. In fact, now in my late 50's, I can visualize myself doing this kind of "selling" for another 25 years, just like my 85-year old friend and fellow teammate Rocky is doing along side me today!

"You may say to yourself, 'My power and the strength of my hands has produced this wealth for me.' But remember the Lord our God, for it is He that gives you the ability to produce wealth." Deuteronomy 8:17-18

Artwork by my gifted "love of my life" Cathi.
     "Father God, I ask for a divine appointment from You today and that I have eyes to see it, ears to hear it, an open mind to grasp it, courage to act on it, and graditude in my heart to receive it; whether it be helping others, meeting someone new or reconnecting with another." 

Check Out This Book ....

Dr. Mu Shik Jhon’s "The Water Puzzle and the Hexagonal Key" is a must read if water is at all important to you. Dr. Jhon can make a significant contribution to your overall knowledge of water. His academic and professional credentials are impressive. He is an expert in the field of statistical liquid mechanics and in his book you will find comprehensive information on hexagonally-structured (i.e., ionized, reduced, restructured, alkaline) water which he considers to be the “water of life.” His research has identified this water as the preferred biological choice and his “Molecular Water Environment Theory” states that "replenishing the Hexagonal Water in our bodies can increase vitality, slow the aging process and prevent disease."

Having studied water for more than 40 years, Dr. Jhon believes that water awareness is in its infancy. He says that if we truly understood “its mysteries” we would be more aggressive in preserving its quality. Because, after all, the total amount of water on the earth is finite. Between the earth and the atmosphere, water on the planet has been calculated to be between 1.3 and 1.4 billion km and that total volume never changes. It only recycles.

Even A So-So Sales Guy Can ... (Part II)

[If you haven't done so already, I suggest that you first read my previous blog entry before reading this one.]

About 5 months into launching my water business/ministry, I decided to take a crack at conducting a direct mail advertising campaign. Using an attractive tri-fold 4-color glossy brochure, I mailed it to a little over 900 recipients who lived nearby, at a cost of about $1,300. I had surmised that these recipients were probably preventive health-oriented people since I had found them listed in an online database of people who consumed a high-end line of dietary supplements. So my hope was this this somewhat targeted campaign would do even better that the typical 1% response rate; that I would hopefully get 25 responses and 10 resulting sales, netting me around $10,000.

But in the final analysis, I only received about 10 responses, the latest occurring over 9 months following the campaign mailing date. But fortunately, 6 out of these 10 responses ended up purchasing their water ionizers. So my costs were covered and I even made about $5,000 from those 6 direct sales. Not what I had hoped for, but nevertheless satisfying. Yet incredibly fortunate for me (and for countless others as you will soon discover), the impact of my advertising campaign adventure didn't stop there.

For you see one of those people responding to my mailing was Merv. When he called me, he told me that my brochure really sparked his interest, particularly the part about "water loaded with antioxidants". But before too long into our conversation, he asked me how I got his name in the first place. So I told him I found him listed in a company's online database of their supplement product consumers. Merv's response was "I don't know who that company is?" leaving me speechless. After a several-second awkward pause during our phone conversation, Merv said "I know how you found me. Jesus Christ led you to me!" Needless to say, I was stunned; sensing that this was truly the beginning of a "divine appointment" arranged for both Merv and myself.

Fast forwarding to today (3 years later), Merv not only purchased his ionizer but with my training and encouragement and his energy, focus and personal contacts, his one sale has turned into over 1,000+ sales (and still growing!) which we have both financially and emotionally benefited from. Plus the physical lives of thousands of others have been positively impacted so far by our collective efforts. Just an incredible blessing from our Lord for both of us as well as for all of them!

It is so very true that when we "give freely, then we in turn will be blessed in good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over." Luke 6:38. Because we serve a God that "gives good gifts to those who ask Him!" Matthew 7:11

Artwork by my gifted "love of my life" Cathi.

Even A So-So Sales Guy Can Be Abundately Blessed!

If you have already been following my blog, you would know by now that I'm a so-so sales guy. I have and continue to break just about every Sales 101 rule in the book. I do this intentionally because I really want to solely rely on my Lord's grace, on His blessings, not on my own brute self-efforts and worldly sales techniques. For example, I never ask for a sale, I never fire-hose "benefits of my water" at prospects, etc. But what I do try to do is treat my prospects like I would want to be treated; being truly appreciative and respectful of other's opinions, reservations, timing, constraints, etc. as well as wait on His favor, His timing, honoring His injunction to "love thy neighbor as thyself" found throughout His Word.

Please don't misunderstand me, what I'm not saying is that I just sit around twiddling my fingers waiting for His blessings to be poured out upon my business. Instead, I stay busy, continually praying for His favor to go before me as I go about finding others interested in knowing about my water, then freely sharing my water with them and teaching them as I share. And of course, I also keep very busy helping others on my sales team "learn the business" and assisting them with their initial marketing efforts.

From one perspective, my personal experience of averaging 1.25 sale referrals per month during my initial 3 years is not too bad considering I'm wired as an analytical, introverted sort of guy. But from another perspective, lets say I was employed by someone as their sales guy, I would have probably been broke by now and/or lost my job a long time ago.

But fortunately for me, the referral compensation plan I have in place with my manufacturer acting as their sales rep compensates me in two ways: I earn commissions for my own sales referrals and well as earning overrides on the sales of my fellow-teammates whom I have recruited and trained over time. It's this second means of being compensated that has really resulted in the financial windfall I have enjoyed so far; truly allowing me to use my "real" giftings (administration, software development skills, teaching others) to achieve financial success in my business endeavors.

Stay tuned; in my next blog entry I going to tell you the story about my marketing campaign I conducted during the Spring of 2007. I believe this story will really shine the spotlight on the financial leverage (i.e., blessings) one can experience by attracting and training others who are like-minded, but not necessarily like-gifted. Just as it is said in Ecclesiates 4:9-10: "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend (e.g., fellow-laborer) can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"

If You Have A Heart For Helping Others ...

... then take a few minutes to view this video about this wonderful micro-lending program opportunity. This video follows the path of a $25 loan from London, England to Preak Tamao village, Cambodia. www.Kiva.org is a website that allows internet users like you or me (which I have been already doing ... here's my family's Kiva lending page) to lend money to people that need it in developing countries, with the aim of empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty.

PS: This video is a little choppy for the first minute or so; but hang in there, it gets better.

It's All About Just Sharing the TRUTH ...

I'm amazed how similar from a human perspective, that whenever someone comes to the personal realization about my water's "truth" and then develops a desire to freely share this truth with others, it is so much like when one experiences and then shares the Truth of the Gospel.

First, truth must be "personally experienced". That's why whenever possible, I encourage others to try the water for themselves, reminding them that its just water, no other additives.

Then, after trying the water for several weeks, they most likely begin forming "self-belief" in the water as it becomes impossible for them to ignore its impact on helping their physical bodies.

Over time, drinking my water becomes a lifestyle choice for them, because the benefits of doing so are just so incredible for them. They start "living" the water; thereby "becoming" the water (literally speaking, as 70% of one's body is water).

Then eventually out of gratitude and amazement, they can't help but want to "tell" others about their water, freely offering to "share" their water; while "hoping and praying" that God's grace goes before them so that those they tell and share with will be "open-minded" enough to graciously "receive" the water's truth and, God willing, experience a "blessing of health" for themselves.

Mentioning the vital importance of someone being open minded about my water reminds me of this observation made by engineer and scientist Sang Whang when discussing the cost of this revolutionary technology: "In a free society, we control our own destiny. After all is said and done, it's your own decision if you are going to live a long, healthy life or not. The amounts of money people spend for automobiles, entertainment devices, etc. are so high that the excuse that "it costs too much" doesn't hold water. It's our closed minds that are our own nemesis." found in his book "Reverse Aging"

Our minds are like parachutes, designed to work best when opened.

Wisdom From Fellow-Laborer Chris Coltran ...

And Now For My Marketing Philosophy ...

Rowing harder doesn't help if the boat is headed in the wrong direction; so always be heading the right direction being about His business and He will always be taking care of yours!

As For Me And My Family ...

.. we will be drinking our health-enabling ionized water for our "wonderfully made" [Psalms 139:14] bodies for the rest of our lives while living in this "world of the dying"; until that divinely appointed day for each of us when we will be joining our Lord and the other saints in the "kingdom of the eternal living".

                   Artwork by my gifted "love of my life" Cathi.

"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle." -- Albert Einstein

Even the most distant dream can be realized ...

In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.

Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.

"We told them so."
"Crazy men and their crazy dreams."
"It`s foolish to chase wild visions."

Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.

He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.

It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.


He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.

For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.

Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.

Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realized with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.

What does Network Sales Leadership really look like ....

So What Are You Planting?

But let's always be watchful over what we are planting ...

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." Philippians 4:8

When HE Calls, HE Also Provides ...

As for me, I know without any doubt that my Lord called me nearly 3 years ago to my work, my incredible "ministry-business" blessing from above. And I know that He not only called me to this undertaking, but that He has also given me every "GIFT" I have ever needed so far to succeed ...

My "WHY" ~ So I'm anchored without a "Plan B" backup

My Anointing ~ For Him arranging for my friend Jim to pray over me

My Passion ~ My fuel to press forward day by day in my work pursuit

My Vision ~ So I do not perish but instead press forward toward the prize

My Plans ~ Otherwise, failure to plan would be planning to fail

My Conviction ~ That "I know that I know" so I can weather the coming storms

My Understanding ~ So I can in return teach others

My Work Ethic ~ So I do my part faithfully and honestly

My Conduct ~ So that I'm pleasing to Him

My Talents ~ So I can give back what has been given to me

My Tools ~ So that I'm properly equipped to be about doing

My Experiences ~ Simply an amazing journey so far

My Stories ~ Incredible artifacts from my journey

My Patience ~ So I can truly appreciate this journey and His blessings

My Perseverance ~ So I can stay the course, never giving in to giving up

My Encouragement ~ From my sacred memories and other's kindness

My Compassion ~ So I desire to freely give to others

My Divine Appointments ~ So exciting to see them unfold

My Humility ~ So I can learn from Him and from others

My Harvest ~ He is best at orchestrating my success

My Gratitude ~ Soooo! thankful for His awesome blessings

My Joy ~ Never dreamed before how work could be so "cool"

Please do not misunderstand what I saying. On my own, I'm not humble, compassionate, talented, etc. but though HIM, "nothing is impossible for God." [Luke 1:37] And it is not always going to be "blue skies and clear sailing". So let's stay balanced in our hopes & thoughts as best expressed by Eugene Peterson: "Real faith cannot be reduced to spiritual bromides and merchandised in success stories. It is refined in the fires and storms of our pain and struggles.” Therefore, let's always stay mindful to "consider it joy whenever we face such trials." [James 1:2]

My prayer for you ... "May you experience His gracious blessings, one after another. " ~ John1:16 (artwork by my gifted "love of my life" Cathi)

"If You've Never Failed, You've Never Lived"

The life of a man consists not in seeing visions and in dreaming dreams, but in active charity and in willing service.Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I was tired of being sick and tired and broke!... [by Muriel]

My husband Bruce and I, having married in our mid forties in 1992, decided it was a wise option to adopt our children to build our family. We traveled to China to bring back a girl in 1997 and then a boy in 2001, each three year old toddlers. We were both healthy 50 something year olds then. Of course, most of our family and friends thought we were everything but wise for doing that at our age.

We learned early in our married life that the corporate business world isn’t a friendly place for a middle aged man; the best work Bruce has found for his master’s degree was $24k plus benefits as a curriculum counselor for a local university and he was laid off after two years. Bruce prefers working for himself anyway, so he has made his living teaching adult education courses– team building workshops, CPR/First aid, and safety training for most of our married life. He is doing what he loves. I retired as an art illustrator after thirty-one years to stay home with our kids. I picked up my pencils and paints for portrait work in 2005 after Jenna and Winn were both in school full time. Building our businesses has been rewarding but money always is in short supply. We are a rather typical American family, complete with an equity line second mortgage on the house and credit card debt that never seems to go away.

We have budget guilt for taking four days off for a short family trip to Arkansas. I buy most of our clothes at SA Limited (Salvation Army), our food comes from Aldi’s. As Dave Ramsey would say, it has been rice and beans, and beans and rice for several years so we can do a few major things like keeping the children in a very economically priced private school. God has been very good to us though, and he is showing us His wonderful plan for us. I admit my weakness, however, even considerable worry, as we have seen our resources eaten away by the stock market plunge in 2001, budget short falls, and high prices at the pump.

Fifteen years out from our wedding day, we are 60years old, facing college expenses for Jenna and Winn in the next five to ten years, a sizable mortgage left on a 30 year note for our modest house, and a need to create some sort of cushion so that Jenna and Winn won’t rue the day they were adopted by a couple of brain dead middle-aged yuppies. All to be done within the next ten to fifteen year span of time. We will be 75.

My health - a huge pain in the back!

Over the last 5 years my health has slipped. I have developed arthritis in my hands and lower back. Household chores became torturous sharp pains grabbed my lower right side. The outside of my left leg would tingle. I was bushed by 7pm every night. For the last solid year I have been taking 1200mgs ibuprofen and 1000mgTylenol split between morning and evening doses to manage the pain. Our family doctor put me on Prilosec to protect my stomach. If I dared miss my morning dose, by 10am or noon, at the latest, the spasms would force me to take it, and it would take the rest of the day to stabilize the pain.

In 2006, a hospital stay for a strep infection and foot surgery turned up some heart irregularities. I was put on three drugs to correct a low pumping action and an enlarged ventricle. In the past 5 years I went from taking no drugs to six.

My health was going downhill and no way in sight to change direction. What was life going to be like for my whole family in ten years? A prayer was on my lips continually as I wondered how we were going to make it through our remaining years and not be in want or able to enjoy our life. The American way was not offering optimistic answers, and our future was bleak and not a pretty thing to contemplate. This was not the sort of life I had expected. My faith was wavering, I was losing grip on my hope.

Jim and Lou, the Water Men!

I learned about their water from a reading club friend. After she mentioned it a couple of months running, I decided to try the water. I drove 20 miles to her house for the first sample and then called Jim to arrange for more water to be delivered to my home. After 12 days, I decided to try going without the pain meds. I went a whole week without them! The grabbing pains were gone and the general aching across my back was improving and manageable without the pills. I was gaining stamina and energy. A bad case of hang nails and small cuts on my fingers had healed up. I used the disinfectant water to clear up athlete’s foot. I even lost 15 pounds of ugly fat. I was amazed that simply drinking water could melt away 5 years of increasing back pain and annoying problems in less than two weeks!

I could think more clearly; I wasn’t anxious anymore; I was sleeping better at night. I’m not sure I can credit the actual water alone, though. It was more that for the first time, I saw hope and had a peace that everything was going to be alright. Here was a way to change direction and improve my life. I could put this health car in reverse.

Jim brought me water from Kansas, over 30 miles away one-way, for three months before Bruce & I decided to buy our own machine. Jim didn’t pressure me to buy, but as he shared the water with me, he asked me how I was feeling and if I noticed any benefits. Jim told me what he had learned about acidosis and what he was doing for himself to improve his health even more, i.e. eating more alkaline foods, fresh fruits and vegetables.

I was tough to convince – not because my physical health hadn’t been helped by the water or didn’t believe the stories of improved health other people were telling, but because I didn’t see how we could afford such an expense. And when Jim & Lou told us how our family financial health could also benefit by sharing our water with others, this was also difficult at first for me to visualize. Bruce is a teacher. I am an artist. It is important to us to do what we love most. We consider our businesses more of a ministry than a mere means of earning a living.

Yet we were open, though, to divine direction to do whatever is needed to help others as well as ourselves. This is an unexpected, new path for us, but it allows us to speak health, hope, happiness, and prosperity to our family, friends, and strangers alike. Surprisingly, it has become another passion for us, telling everyone we know that God is bringing all of us help to regain our physical, financial, and spiritual health. This water ministry-business is the first - and the most important - of many things we have learned recently which we are passing along.

I could finally see that a wonderful opportunity had been placed in my lap. For me, it is God’s answer to my prayer in such a marvelous way, and far beyond what I would have ever dreamed. From the moment I started feeling the benefits of drinking the water I began thinking of so many others the water would help. It is a pleasure to share a message of compassion with this water. It is a pleasure to give help and hope to my family and friends, and even strangers who have been struggling the same as I had.

Muriel L.Artwork by my gifted "love of my life" Cathi.

[Postscript: Muriel's machine ending up costing her nothing and in fact has become for her & Bruce a key income stream for her familiy's finances; a byproduct of her being about her new ministry work, compassionately helping over 65 others with their and their loved ones health and financial challenges.]

Yes, A Blessed "Water Guy" I Am Indeed ...

About 6 months into my water ministry/business, I received this encouraging email from my pastor ...

Hi Lou,

I felt prompted to do a little word study this morning concerning the word "refreshes" from Proverbs 11:24-25.

"One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered." (v24-25). (NIV)

This Hebrew word literally means to bless someone with fresh water; to satisfy with water; to cause someone to abundantly drink. One Scholar said the metaphor in this verse describes "an artesian well, pumping an endless supply of water into the gardens of others while continually having more than enough for its own."

I like the way the English Standard translates this text: "Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered."

In light of the new ministry God has given you where you "bless" others with water; I thought the above was cool!

So as you bless others with your water, "may our Lord continually bless you with more than enough for your own" Romans 15:4,

Pastor John

[Footnote: Generosity is a kingdom principle.. give and it will be given to you. If you have a benevolent heart you will want to bless people with what the Lord has blessed you with. Because after all, as Henry Ford once said "a business, that's just about making money, is a poor business."]

Artwork by my gifted "love of my life" Cathi.

Prospecting For Divine Appointments ...

Early on in my new "water business", I decided that one of the primary ways I would go about prospecting could not be found in the Sales 101 Handbook. So I began daily asking my Lord for His divine appointments. After all, He alone would know who was crying out to Him for His blessings; whether it be for restoration of their physical or financial health. And of course He alone would be able to "connect the dots", bringing me and my water to such a person in need. Plus by Him doing so, I would be able to act bodly in faith; knowing that His favor went before me; excited about seeing His blessings unfold; and firmly confident in knowing that my water business is not foremost about selling, but about watching and caring!

As I write this, I currently find myself in the midst of such a divine appointment as I have strongly sensed His guidance and favor these past few weeks. But if you don't mind, I will let this appointment fully play itself out before telling you more about it. However for now, I want to share with you an amazing divine appointment that happened for Stephanie, Matt and myself Nov. 2007 through Feb. 2008; as told in Stephanie's own words ....

My name is Stephanie, and these are my beautiful daughters Miracle and Bethany. Both my girls were diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 4. Miracle also had been diagnosed with Aspergers (AS...a high form of Autism), it pained me to medicate my children, and they were always drugged out and tired. After drinking ionized alkalkine water for 2 months, they no longer take ANY form of mind altering drugs. It is the richest blessing ever to see the sparkle in their beautiful eyes, to have their appetites restored, and bounding with good energy.

As for me...my testimony could take pages...hahaha! In 1989, I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma stage 3B, very advanced. They gave me 3 to 6 weeks to live. I underwent chemo and radical radiation; nothing was working so I had a bone-marrow transplant. After the transplant I was on daily Interferon injections for a year...in a word I was absolutely MISERABLE! Since all this, I have been very unhealthy, both physically and emotionally, very poor immune system. 3 years ago they took part of my right lung, and just in Nov. of 2007, they had found 5 tumors in my left breast. I opted for no more medical treatments. I was just so tired of being sick, that I even welcomed death. I prayed that GOD would open doors and show me ways to treat this naturally...HIS way! No more surgeries, no more drugs. Through my very dear friend and chiropractor Matt, he led me to Lou, who in turn faithfully supplied me with fresh ionized water. Through total dedication to drinking this water, faith-filled prayer, and eating healthy...I am totally cancer free - in just 2 months since diagnosis! 4 out of the 5 tumors are totally the gone, the remaining tumor is not only smaller but has recently been pronounced as benign by my doctors!

I have also learned that there could be side effects when drinking this water as I also no longer have Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), Nor do I no longer need upper spinal surgery which my doctor had prescribed, nor do they have to remove the previously enlarged lymph-nodes in my neck. I praise God everyday for this amazing miracle water!!!

Blessings....Stephanie

Artwork by my gifted "love of my life" Cathi.

It's All About The Little Things ...

He who is faithful in the little things is faithful in much. Luke 16:11

During these past 3 years while pursuing my water business/ministry, I have learned that all of us are called to faithfulness within our pursuit of work; striving to achieve excellence in all the little things we do as we work. And by our disciplined faithfulness to excellently carry out our tasks at hand, we are honoring our Giver. And from our faithfulness, His gifts of success follows. Not just success measured in dollars, but also in our overall well-being, possessing a contented and joyful heart. After all, at the end of every day, what more could anyone ask for?

So stay focused on executing the little things the right way with integrity, always with true caring and compassion for others. And be sure to stay active, planting new seeds of "hope" and nurturing your prospective opportunities. But I encourage you to leave the harvesting up to our Lord, for He alone knows the exact "if and when" for such things. And His harvests alone are true blessings from above! So resist the ever constant temptation you encounter to take harvesting matters into your own hands, just like the world unrelently implores you to do.

Artwork by my gifted "love of my life" Cathi.

Bottom line, enjoy your work assignments, but trust Him with the results so you can enjoy true success in your calling and honor Him by doing so with true worship. For by being faithful in the little things, our obedience to His calling is the utmost expression of His grace poured out upon us.

Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might. Ecclesiastes 9:10

In The Beginning ...

Hello, my name is Lou.

First off, a fair warning for you ... I would never label myself as a gifted writer; nor most definitely, would I call myself a decent sales person. Safe to say that by now I have broken every "sales 101 rule" in the book! But nevertheless, I feel led to share with you about my remarkable journey since I first learned about some amazing Japanese water ionization technology in August of 2006. Specifically, about my learning that marketing success comes in different flavors. And that the choice about how one goes about marketing is theirs to make. As for me, the "flavor" I embraced from the outset was to go about marketing by grace, that is relying on my Lord's grace, His favor! So if you are spiritually open-minded, enough so to want to believe that God can make a huge difference in how you go about pursuing "work", then I hope you are both blessed and encouraged by my story, by my life lessons I learned along my journey.

Keep this truth always in mind ... it wasn't you, nor anyone else for that matter, who created the concept and necessity of work. That, my friend, was done by God (Genesis 2:2)! And keep in mind, that anything He created is worthy of our appreciation, our enjoyment here on earth. So I encourage you, both in prayer and attitude, relish your work, looking at it as an amazing journey; offering it up to Him in praise and thanksgiving, recognizing that He alone is your Provider!

"Whatever you do, in your heart's desire, do it for your Lord, not for other men" Colossians 3:23

PS: Tomorrow, I will begin my story ...

My Gift From Above - Prologue

It was a sunny hot summer day (August. 2006) when my Lord showered His bounty down upon me, only I wasn't tuned in at the time. Yes, I had been sharing with Him that I was opened to find a new "work opportunity", as my life-long entrepreneurial juices were stirring again. But frankly, the "work assignment" He had in mind really caught me off guard. In fact, after a little due-diligence, I quickly developed a thumbs-down mindset about His oferring, even before I sensed it was actually His gift for me. Sorry, I'm getting ahead of my story ...

Okay, so I'm with my friend Jim when he told me he recently got a call from his long-time friend Chet. Chet wanted Jim to research some water technology from Japan and get back to him with an opinion. Why Jim? Because when he knew Chet years before, Jim had a business installing water softener systems. That's why Jim knew quite a lot about water. But it was what Chet said that really got Jim's attention. Chet told Jim that this water technology was available as a household appliance and when hooked up directly to a kitchen faucet, it would ionized tap water into a healthy, filtered drinking alkaline water, loaded with anti-oxidants, and molecularly restructured for achieving maximum cellular absorption.

To fully appreciate why this got Jim's attention, you also need to know that in the late 1980's, Jim was slowly dying because his body was not harvesting enough nutrients from the foods he ate. He ate plenty, just was not doing him any good. After visiting with a few doctors, he learned that his body was severely suffering from a pH imbalance. So fortunately, following a few dietary changes and adopting a supplements program, Jim's health improved. At that time, being how Jim was a water expert, he found himself thinking wouldn't it be awesome if water could be effectively used to provide one's body with alkalinity and anti-oxidants. He even did some research at that time, seeing if something like that was in the marketplace, but turned up nothing. So a great idea went dormant, recorded deep into the recesses of his mind; that is, until that call from Chet!

Oh yeah, one more thing you need to know about Jim. Yes, he successfully survived his death threating physical condition. But unfortunately he was still living a sick-out life every day I knew him, suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic diarrhea, acid reflux & restless legs syndrome. Taking lots of pain meds every day. So he was definitely motivated to check out this ionized, restructured water technology from Japan.

Jim asked his wife Lois and myself to help him in his "discovery quest" by doing our own investigation before getting back with him. I told Jim I would, asking him to give me a week or so to get back with him .....

The Lord Giveth, The Lord Taketh Away, Blessed Be the Lord!

My Gift From Above - Act I

I have always considered researching a strength of mine. I really do enjoy this kind of activity. So I was quick to take Jim up on his request.

So with my faithful computer, I started browsing about ionized water. What I quickly discovered was that yes, this restructured alkaline water produced from ionizers produced in Japan was evidently extensively used throughout Japan, found in their hospitals, clinics and even 20+% of their households.

[Footnote: My research had to rely exclusively on what I learned on the internet about the so-called Japanese 40+ years of experience with this water because although the Japanese began exporting their technology into the U.S. about 5 years ago, these imported ionizers were only being purchased by native Japanese living in the U. S.. It was not until a few years later that non-Asians living in my country began to learn of this technology. So it was safe to assume that finding such a machine in my own backyard (Kansas City) in August 2006 so I could "kick it's tires" would have been a fruitless endeavor.]

Dating back to the late-1950's, a Japanese medical device manufacturer first developed this technology at the request of Japan's Ministry of Agriculture. This Ministry was at the time launching Japan's organic industry. They were in need of finding something that was non-chemical which could be used to disinfect and clean their organic produce before being sent to the consumer marketplace. No such product existed, but they knew of a scientific discovery by Russian scientists in the early-1950's who were able to successfully split (ionize) water molecules into their respective alkaline and acidic components (ions) by means of electrolysis. Using this research, Japanese engineers working for a medical device manufacturer were asked to build a machine which could not only ionize common tap water, but do so in a way that the resulting two output streams of water would feature an alkaline pH of 11.3 or higher and an acidic pH of 2.7 or lower. This was requested because the Japanese scientist knew that water featuring an electrically induced pH of 2.7 or lower could act as an ideal chemically-free disinfecting solution; whereas, water with a pH greater than 11.3 could be strong enough to remove all foreign matter, including oxidants, from the the outer layers of fruits and vegetables. The engineers succeeded with their mission, and Japan's world-famous organic industry was launched!

Standing by, Japan's Ministry of Health was observing this emerging technology's engineering progress. Upon completion of work, the Ministry of Health requested a few hospitals to use the new ionizer equipment to produce and begin using the 2.7 pH (strong acid) disinfectant water in their surgical suites, for sanitizing hospital rooms, for hand washing by care givers, etc. as a trial to see if infection control rates could be positively impacted. After a year-long trial, the outcome was a overwhelming success. So other Japanese hospitals began acquiring this ionizer technology for similar use.

Then the Health Ministry took things a step further, asking their original "trial" hospitals to try using this disinfecting water for treating skin ailments, ranging from athletes feet, burns, wounds and even gangrene, by simply spraying the affected areas with this water several times a day without the aid of any antiseptics. Results were remarkable, that is according to what I was reading on the internet (after all, not everything you read on the internet can be believed!) ... staff infections were dramatically reduced, people were no longer losing limbs to gangrene, etc. as well as the healing of the affected areas were accelerated compared to using western medicines.

Pretty interesting stuff, huh? But for me, it was what the Ministry of Health requested the Japanese engineers to do next that really got my attention ...

My Gift From Above - Act II

Japan's Ministry of Health became even bolder in their quest to fully unlock the full potential of ionized, restructured water. They had an inclination that alkaline pH water ranging from 8.0 to 10.o pH could help one's body to both achieve and maintain it's optimum pH balance (homeostasis). They also felt that water could be molecularly restructured to become more readily cellular absorbent and imparted with lots of unbounded negative electrons (anti-oxidants) when subjected to electrolysis powered by a substantial (e.g., 220 watts) electrical charge. By transforming water in this manner, they postulated that such resulting drinking water could in fact possibly equip the human body to better defend itself from the ongoing ravaging effects of oxidation as well as detox itself from accumulated acidic toxins. So they asked the Japanese engineers to develop the next version of the ionizer, designed to produce multiple types of ionized water, differing in pH and oxidation/anti-oxidation properties. The engineers achieved success in this undertaking by the early-1960s.

So the "drinking variety" of ionized, restructured water started being used in patient care protocols for addressing the wide range of adult onset diseased conditions. Initially, only a few patients and a few hospitals participated in clinical studies. But following success after success, the use of ionized waters to treat both external and internal health conditions exploded throughout Japan, within both their hospitals and clinics. In 1966, the Ministry of Health recognized water ionization technology as medical devices. And by the late 1990's, the engineers were able to downsize this technology into a home appliance footprint, just like computers eventually shrank to laptop-sized offerings.

But what really got my attention was information I found on the internet that claimed that these waters helped the bodies of terminal cancer (all kinds) patients to achieve remission, the bodies of Type 1 diabetics to restore their ability to produce insulin (80% success rate, taking up to 2 years), liver cirrhosis reversal, Hepatitis C going away, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels falling to healthy readings (typically within 90 days), etc.

This video is a good representation of what existed at the time on the internet for suporting my researching efforts:

Frankly, for me, these claims were a bit too much to swallow as truthful. After all, I was born in Missouri, so I'm culturally wired to be skeptical, always taking a "show me" attitude toward everything. One of my first thoughts was that if this was true, actually happening in Japan during the past 40 years, then why in the world wouldn't we in the U.S. had heard about this by now? It just seemed to good too be true. Besides, I found other websites on the internet that I thought at the time reinforced my doubting thoughts. So a week later, I told Jim thumbs down, that the internet claims I read about this water were just too incredible to be true. Jim then told me that his wife, Lois, basically told him the same thing, only she used the "scam" word.

What good that advice did, thank God!!!!

My Gift From Above - Act III

Jim was really motivated by his aches and pains. He just didn't want to continue living a sick-out life. So his take on what he read and listened to as he did his research was different than what Lois and I concluded. Bottom line for him was that if this ionized water could do for him just half of what it was advertised as doing, that would be just fine with him. It's really all about perspective, isn't it. Looking back, I would have to think that if I was hurting like Jim was, then like Jim, my hopes would have also triumph over my doubts.

Needless to say, Jim ordered a Japanese-made ionizer ... a fateful decision that would soon impact many lives for the better, including mine and my family. I recall when Jim told me that his machine was coming and that he planned on immediately sharing water with a few friends of his that my first thought was "great, now I can sit back and see what this water is really all about". For you see, Jim was going to share his water with Tim, who was dying from liver cirrhosis (already too sick to be on a transplant list), with Tim's wife Natasha who years ago contracted Hepatitis C from Tim, and with Daryl who was struggling with his diabetes, experiencing repeated brain fog episodes and hospitalizations the past year. Talk about putting this water to the test. Jim definitely did not lack boldness. He just jumped in!

What transpired over the next several weeks was beyond my wildest expectations. Those few weeks are still so fresh in my mind, as if was now happening all over again. Jim started drinking the water as soon as he connected his machine to his kitchen faucet. Within a week, Jim's aches and pains were going away. He was now able to click his arthritically gnarled fingers; was raising and waving his arms above his head - pain free! His acid reflux and restless leg episodes were gone. His ten year bout of chronic diarrhea - gone! Even the fatty tumors on his stomach were disappearing. His haunting vision of living a sick-out life his remaining years was fading. Simply amazing.

But even more amazing was what was happening to Tim. You see Tim had been for the most part bedridden the past year ... if not found in his bed at home, then he could be found in a hospital bed. He had been told 8 months earlier that he had about 18 months to live, and that he was already too sick to be a liver transplant candidate. But Jim recalled watching a Englished-dubbed Japanese video documentary that contained a liver cirrhosis reversal testimony revealing the impact ionized, restructured water could have on the human body's ability to restore its health God-willing. So he was both excited and motivated to share water with Tim. But this was a big commitment on Jim's part for Tim lived about 50 miles away, and Jim would need to provide him with fresh water every 4 days. But that he did faithfully.

And his efforts were rewarded. Within 3 weeks, Tim was not only out of bed but back to work! I remember going with Jim one day to deliver water to Tim, except rather than stopping at Tim's house, Jim pulled his car up to a house with a rehab sign in the front yard, located a few blocks away from Tim's house. I asked Jim why we were stopping there. He told me he thought Tim was there. Hearing Jim say that really got my attention. We went into the house, called out for Tim but got no answer. So we went out the back door, walked over to the north side of the house, and there was Tim... up on a ladder spray painting. He quickly came down off the ladder, smiling and saying "Boy Jim, I'm sure glad to see you, I ran out of water yesterday, let me go get my cup". I know Jim had told me that Tim was getting better already, but frankly, what I was seeing was beyond my wildest imagination. He was not only out of bed alive with energy, but his yellowed-skin complexion (jaundice) was gone, his eyes were no longer cloudy and he had even lost a couple inches around his waistline. I'm thinking to myself "Maybe this water is what the Japanese claimed it was".

Fast forwarding, I spoke with Tim about 6 months ago, 2 years since he first began drinking ionized water. Tim's doing well, back at working full-time. He has truly gotten his life back! Yes, he still has liver cirrhosis, but his condition is much more milder and continually improving. About 3 months after he started drinking the water, he was deemed healthy enough to be put on the transplant list. But he told me that he really believes that before his number comes up, his body will have totally recovered from its cirrhosis condition, so he is not seeing a transplant in his future!

Just one more thing about Tim. He craved sweets before he began drinking this amazing water. By craving, I'm mean that is all that he ate. Never ate meals with his family, just snacked on sweets around the clock, even waking up in the middle of the night to eat a snickers bar from the pile of candy he had stashed in his bedside drawer. But about a month into drinking the water, he awoke one morning no longer craving sweets. He went to the kitchen and had a bowl of oatmeal. He then asked his wife Natasha to pack a sandwich for him to take to work. When he got home that evening, he sat down with his family for dinner for the first time in years! Evidently, this ionized water was having a health-enabling impact on the pH properties of his body fluids, in essence changing his "swamp-like polluted" interstitial fluids back to "pristine lake" pH balanced conditions, driving out the acidic-fermenting-swamp-loving parasites from his body, thereby ridding himself of his health threatening eating disorder. For you see, these parasites had been for a long time dictating what Tim craved to eat, but no longer. They scrammed, not even pausing long enough to tell his body "see ya later"!

I've got to still tell you about Natasha and Daryl ... so stay tuned.

My Gift From Above - Act IV

This adventure is really getting exciting!

If watching what was happening with Jim and Tim's health wasn't enough, things got even more exciting as I watched what unfolded for Tim's wife, Natasha, and for Daryl.

As mentioned earlier, Natasha had Hep C in her blood, contracted it from her husband several years before. By this time, she was resigned to the fact that she would soon be losing her husband. Being a grandmother, she was wanting to be around as long possible for her daughter and grandchildren. Knowing that her Hep C could very well lead to liver cirrhosis, she had decided to be proactive in attempting to delay the onset of cirrhosis by subjecting herself to a year-long interferon treatment. This treatment was scheduled to begin within a few months, leaving her enough time to train her daughter to take over her real estate business while she basically checks out of life for the next 2 years (the first year bedridden, the 2nd year recovering from the ravaging effects of that treatment on her body).

So in the meantime, Jim started taking water to her and Tim, twice a week. However, about a month into this routine, Jim told me "evidently the water doesn't help the body with everything". I asked him what he meant by that. He told me that Natasha had to go to the hospital the past weekend because she was suffering from a periodically reoccurring toxic headache. So the following Monday, Jim asked Natasha about how much of the ionized water she was drinking daily. "Oh Jim, I'm not drinking the water. I'm saving what you bring us for Timmy so he wont ever run out!" was her response. Well Jim quickly took care of that by telling Natasha that he could and would bring more water to them; that she needed to also start drinking.

So Natasha compliantly began her daily drinking regime. A month later, she went to the local hospital to get her blood work done in preparation for meeting with a doctor the next week who would be administering her interferon treatment. That following Tuesday, she walked into that doctor's office, greeted by the following remark: "Natasha, we got a problem. There is no Hep C in your blood." To which Natasha replied "Well doctor, how could that be? I got it from my husband. He is dying from liver cirrhosis. I had two doctors diagnosis my condition several years ago." To which he replied: "Yes, yes I know, I have their reports right here, I will have to call them, they evidently both made a mistake in their diagnosis." Needless to say, when Natasha left that doctor's office, she was ecstatic and she knew her other doctors did not misdiagnosis her, but instead her body had healed itself of Hep C just like Jim told her had been happening to others in Japan over the past 30+ years when drinking ionized, restructured water.

As for Daryl, he also started drinking the water within a few days after Jim got his ionizer hooked-up. Within a week or so, Daryl's sugar levels were registering in the normal range, not normal for a diabetic, but normal for a healthy non-diabetic.

So there it was, a four for four success rate. I was astonished. Fortunately, although skeptical from the outset, I did remain open-minded, willing to be convinced otherwise. How was I going to process this unfolding of events? How could I get even more convinced that what I just witnessed was real, repeatable? I just wanted to get to where I knew that I knew, so that way whenever anyone later rolls their eyes at me, I would be able to confidently stand firm in my beliefs about and experiences with this water.

So back to my research mode, but this time drinking this awesome, healthy water as I went about it because Jim was generous enough to also begin sharing his water with both me and my wife Cathi.

My Gift From Above - Act V

Okay, enough observing already. It was time for me to get back into my research mode. Only this time, I was going to go about it with a different attitude ... a lot less skepticism, a lot more curiosity. I would be looking for the "why" behind this amazing water's affect of the human body, plus for unbiased, third-party authorities who where endorsing this water. And all this time, I would be praying, asking my Lord for guidance, for clarity, and if His will, then for peace about getting an ionizer for my family and so I could share this water freely with others just like Jim was doing. After all, I had to further pursue this because, after all, I don't think my Lord is very willing to" steer a parked car"! So I put myself into "research" gear and took off ...

As for the "why", I finally found a treasure trove of clinical studies and a chemistry explanation about this water. But at the same time, I was beginning to see the bigger picture; the fact that the Japanese extensive clinical "real-world" use of restructured waters since the mid-1960s was even more compelling evidence. I also found many academic researchers and medical professionals throughout the world proclaiming the wonder of the ionized, restructured water coming from the Japanese "medical device recognized" technology. In particular, I was really impressed by a video I discovered depicting the impact this water along with dietary changes were having on the treatment of colon cancer. By the way, this video highlights the New York-based clinic of Dr. Hiromi Shinya, a doctor/inventor/author recognized as a world-renowned gastroenterologist. In his book, The Enzyme Factor, he refers to this water as one of the very few available "super foods".

My research also led me to find out about the discoveries of Dr. Otto Warburg, a German medical researcher who in the early 1920's discovered why human cells turn cancerous, due to a lack of sufficient oxygen. His research later gained worldwide recognition, awarded a Nobel Prize in 1931. Later in 1960's, the Japanese postulated that the reason for the oxygen deficiency observed by Dr. Warburg was due to an excessive build-up of "oxygen-repelling" acidic waste, a natural byproduct of healthy cellular metabolism, floating in the interstitial fluids surrounding human body cells.

Having spent most of life in the software industry, I was very aware of Ray Kurzweil, extraordinary scientist and inventor, specifically about his pioneering speech recognition and optical character recognition (OCR) discoveries. So needless to say, I was very impressed when I discovered that Mr. Kurzweil was a proponent of this water.

Finally, I also learned about the pivotal 1880's showdown between the medical research findings of French scientist giants Dr. Antoine Bechamp and Dr. Louis Pasteur; whereby Dr. Pastuer's inferior Germ Theory of Disease carried the day. This really helped me understand the emerging politics which began orchestrating how western medicine would to be primarily practiced since the early 1900's. Unlike Japanese practitioners, the practice of western medicine began moving towards treating symptoms and primarily relying on pharmaceuticals (i.e., allopathic); away from focusing on finding and treating root causes of sicknesses and relying on diet for maintaining one's overall health (i.e.,homeopathic). This helped me finally answer the nagging question I had "Why didn't we in the States already know about this remarkable water that has been in use elsewhere for so long?". Because our medical practitioners didn't have the educational background to notice. A year ago, a retired doctor who taught at a medical college confirmed for me that this was the case; ever since the study of epidemiology was removed from the med school curriculum in 1975 and the understanding of diet's relationship to health was significantly de-emphasized beginning in 1977.

[Footnote: "In the sciences, people quickly come to regard as their own personal property that which they have learned and had passed on to them at the universities and academies. If someone else comes along with new ideas that contradict the Credo and in fact even threaten to overturn it, then all passions are raised against this threat and no method is left untried to suppress it. People resist it in every way possible: pretending not to have heard about it; speaking disparagingly of it, as if it were not even worth the effort of looking into the matter. And so a new truth can have a long wait before finally being accepted."--Goethe]

All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher (1788 - 1860)

Here is a sad, but true, illustration about the painful evolutionary acceptance of scientific, medical truth.

This video is a good summary of my findings ...

This video describes ionized, alkaline water as magical, miraculous. But in reality, despite this water’s amazing effect on our body’s health, it is neither magical or miraculous as it does not actually heal one's body. But what I began to realize is that this amazing water does do is provides one's body with the necessary alkalinity and anti-oxidants along with maximum cellular absorbency, hydration & detoxing capabilities so that a human body, God willing, can regain and most efficiently maintain it’s health as it was designed to do so because after all "we are all wonderfully made". Psalms 139:14

As for me, the verdict was in. I could not ignore what was happening in my own backyard, right here in Kansas City. I knew I was still not quite where "I knew that I knew" but was convinced that after some further time and experience with this water, then hopefully I would eventually get there. So Cathi and I felt led by our Lord to jump in by purchasing our Japanese ionizer, excited about what lied ahead for us. But we didn't have a clue about what was in stored for us; not just the physical health upside but also that incredible financial blessings from above that would soon starting pouring down on us!

My Gift From Above - Act VI

October 17, 2006 - our ionizer arrives, get's hooked up to our kitchen sink and starts earning its living. Cathi and I, plus our 3 kids, start drinking 9.0 pH water.

A few days later, while driving home from taking my daughter to school that morning, I strongly sensed in my spirit that I was to ask Jim to pray over me about this water business I was contemplating. It was such a strong impression, almost as if I was hearing an audible command, expect (I think) only my mind was doing the hearing. So that afternoon, I went to see Jim and asked him to pray an anointing over me which he did. I strongly sensed God's Spirit on me shortly after he prayed, even found myself having to sit down to keep from fainting. Personally, this was not only an anointing felt deep within my spirit, but also imparted within me a strong conviction that my Lord was in this with me all the way!

Within a few weeks, I started sharing water with several others. Martha, a wellness practitioner and educator, came by and drank a few glasses. She went home and detoxed. That really got her attention. Called me the next morning, asking if she could come by to get a few gallons. Of course she could! In fact, she came by twice weekly for several weeks, then asked me to help her get her own machine. I got a referral fee for my efforts. My friend Wayne also started drinking the water. He had high blood pressure and suffered from the effects of an 10 year ago torn meniscus below his knee cap. Ever since then he could not bend his knee. Started drinking on a Tuesday. Four days later he went to have his blood pressure checked, actually went to two different places. From 145 over 90 to 120 over 80. This got his attention, and his wife's too! And the next day, he said to me "Watch this" as he bent his legs to a squat position. About a month later, Wayne's wife tells him "What are you waiting for, get one of those machines!" So like Martha, I helped Wayne carry out his marching orders. I later got a phone call from Wayne about 90 days after he started drinking ionized water. He said he just left his doctor's office for a routine checkup, and that his bp was 110 over 70. Evidently, the nurse didn't believe the initial reading, waited 5 minutes, then got this same reading. Needless to say, Wayne was a happy camper.

Cathi and I also had over friends from church for dinner a few weeks after we got our ionizer. After dinner, they asked Cathi what was that machine hooked up to our kitchen faucet? Spent about 15 minutes telling them about our ionizer before we settled in our living room looking at their daughter's wedding picture over coffee. When it came time for them to leave, Kevin asks me "How can they get one of those ionizers?" I told him that I could help him, but first try the water for a month or so to see if it help Janet's energy level. I thought they were going to take me up on my offer but a few days later, Kevin calls me. "Hey Lou, we appreciate your offer but Janet wants to go ahead and order our ionizer now, so can you help us do that?" To which I replied "Of course I can" and I did.

By Christmas, between what I, Martha and Wayne did in helping others get their own ionizers, I had earned enough in referral fees to fully cover the cost of my machine ... pretty cool! Evidently I quickly learned the key to making a successful business out of our ionizer ... just share the water, then get out of the way to let the water do the selling. Then later when asked to do so, be ready to help others get their own ionizers. And of course, take the referral checks out of the mailbox every day! Or, as my friend Jim would often say, be sure to do this just as soon as the happy truck (mailman) drops by.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Lord!!!! You truly do give us good gifts.

My Gift From Above - Act VII

On the home front, Cathi & I quickly fell in love with our ionizer. Just to illustrate this, when we first got our ionizer, Cathi was not too keen about it taking up counter space by our kitchen sink. So we compromised, agreeing that I would move it in a few weeks to our laundry room sink. But when it came time for me to live up to my end of the bargain, Cathi informs me that the ionizer wasn't going anywhere else because by then she was using it so often that having it located elsewhere would have been impractical.

Besides the five of us in our family drinking the alkaline 8.5-10 pH water, by using the different varieties of waters our ionizer was capable of producing, we also began using these waters to draw baths, condition our hair, treat acne, cook with (really great for soups and pastas), disinfect and clean fruits, vegetables & meats, do laundry (1.5 quarts of 11.5 pH water plus only a fraction (25%) of the laundry detergent previously used), gargle with for oral hygiene, remove impossible stains (like a huge coffee spill on a cashmere sweater) ... okay, you're probably getting the picture now ... our ionizer became both indespensible and priceless for us. Frankly, it was several weeks after we got our ionizer that we really began to grasp how multifaceted its waters would become in enhancing our daily lives. We figured out that our ionizer was costing us about 75 cents a day, so we were definitely getting our money's worth out of this investment, over and above the income stream it was also starting to generate for us! And oh by the way, have I told you yet that our ionizer talks to us too? Incredible!

L to R: Adam, Lauren, Cathi, Allison, Lou

As for our overall health, we as a family have been blessed. Nothing really major to be concerned about. But since my early 40's, I did begin experiencing chronic sinus problems. But within days of starting to drink the water, I quit experiencing my frequent sinus headaches, even so now nearly 3 years later. I also began gargling my mouth daily with the disinfectant water. Within a month or so, the deep pockets between my teeth and gums were closing up!

As for Cathi, her chronic issue was plantar fasciitis, a painful condition that had been continually getting worst for her over the past several years before we got our ionizer. We were both concerned about what this was going to mean for her mobility by the time she got into her 60's. After Cathi began her ionized water drinking regime, her right foot began experiencing relief 5 weeks later; her left foot (the worst of the two) took another 3 weeks before feeling a little better. As the weeks went by, Cathi learned that as long as she was drinking a few liters of this water each day, then her feet would not be "barking" at her the next day. Fast forward two years later, her body has now pretty much healed itself of this condition. Case in point, a few months ago, we went to Disney World. Walked a ton over several days without the luxury of having this water with us on our trip. Cathi's feet never "barked" at her. It was amazing. We both know that had we not discovered this water a few years ago, Cathi would have never been able to take a trip like that, walking non-stop like she did.

A few months before we got our ionizer, one of our daughters had surgery to remove a pilonidal cyst, resulting in a 3 inch long, 2 inch deep wound that had to heal on its own, helped by a few stitches. But unfortunately, one of those stitches did not properly dissolve, causing infection to set it. This meant that the surgery had to be repeated and we had to take extra precautions this time to prevent another infection from occurring while the wound was healing. Cathi was taught how to clean and pack the wound, a 30 minute procedure that she had to perform 4 times daily. For Cathi and my daughter, the healing process seemed to be taking a lifetime to complete. In fact after 3 weeks, they could not really see any noticeable progress with the wound cavity closing. It was also at this time that we had just started drinking ionized water which Jim was sharing with us. I recalled how the Japanese were using the highly acidic ionized water to treat wounds. So I asked Jim if he would also fill up a spray bottle of that water for us. Cathi starting spraying this water on the wound as part of her daily cleaning and packing ritual. We were all amazed by what happened next. Literally before our eyes, our daughter's wound rapidly healed within one week later!

We truly are indeed wonderfully made!!! (Psalms 139:14)