Married to a Multi-Millionaire

Profile on: Muriel Caven, prepared to live on a teacher’s salary, her husbands success came as welcome surprise

“I married a schoolteacher,” Muriel Caven says with a laugh when asked if she ever expected her husband Jerry’s life to take the course it did.

Although Muriel always knew Jerry would be successful, she had no idea this biology major would one day end up owning a $100 million/year restaurant business as well as thousands of acres of real estate.

Having prepared herself to live on a teacher’s salary, Jerry’s success came as an unexpected, albeit welcome, surprise.

Oh, there were sacrifices

But it did not come without some sacrifices as well. With Jerry spending the majority of his time building the business, it fell naturally to Muriel to raise their five children. This meant putting her dreams on hold for a while as well. While attending college in Idaho, she had thought seriously about becoming a missionary. But for the time being, she was content to keep things running on the home front. Besides, Muriel says, “Raising the children was a full-time job.”

Fortunately, Muriel was not alone in her desire to do volunteer work overseas. Jerry also felt it was important to give something back because he and his family had been blessed with so much. Early in their marriage, Jerry promised Muriel that when the children grew up, he would slow down so they could focus on something that was more missionary minded.

A real eye opener

Years later, after attending a Campus Crusade for Christ missions conference in Colorado Springs, the Cavens felt like the time had finally come. During the conference, they were exposed to a whole new world of opportunity, and they were eager to get involved. “It was a real eye-opener,” Muriel says. Shortly afterwards, the Cavens undertook their first missionary trip to India, a country that had long held their interest. While Muriel would not describe that experience as ideal, it definitely whetted their appetite for more.

Soon, the Cavens were leading teams of Americans back into India, where they spearheaded a project to distribute the JESUS video in 400 of India’s largest cities. They also trained pastors and laymen in how to use the video to reach others with the gospel and distributed other videos and Christian literature. On some trips, the Cavens were even accompanied by some of their children, who were now grown.

Since their first foray into India, the Cavens’ desire to help others has also taken them to Central America, Pakistan, Africa, Bangladesh and various spots in the United States. And, though in their mid-sixties, Muriel and Jerry have no intention of slowing down yet.

Real happiness and peace

People may wonder why someone as successful as the Cavens would want to spend time helping others rather than focusing on making themselves even more successful. Muriel has a ready answer to that question.

“Success and having lots of money doesn’t make you happy. You can have everything in the world and still have a void in your heart. Only God can fill that deep longing for satisfaction and peace.”

Helping people find peace is one of Muriel’s prime motivators. She sympathizes with those who are trying to find spiritual answers in today’s world.

“A lot of people don’t even have a basis in which to put their faith. They don’t even know where to begin. There are so many conflicting ideas out there now that it’s hard to determine what’s true and what isn’t.”

But she wants them to know there really is reason for hope.

“If you are looking for answers to life’s biggest problems, there is a place where you can find them: in the Bible. Study God’s Word thoroughly and you will find He has many things to say to you personally. You just need to trust Him to guide you to the truth.”

Are you searching for the truth? If so, why don’t you ask Jesus to help you find it? If you do not know Jesus, we encourage you to pray the following:

Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person You want me to be.

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