In previous Health Tips, I shared how God used a colon cancer diagnosis in 1976 to birth a health ministry called Hallelujah Acres, and how we struggled during its early years.

In this week’s Health Tip I want to pick up where we left off, sharing how Hallelujah Acres grew from 1997 to 2001.

To God Be The Glory

As I reflect on what has transpired, the words of that great Christian hymn come to mind: “To God be the glory, Great things He has done” I want to say right up front that without God’s leading and help, Hallelujah Acres would not have become a reality.

Man can only do so much, but when God is in it, all things are possible!

1997 – Hallelujah Acres Moves To North Carolina

The location of our ministry on a mountaintop in Tennessee was running out of room; we started a search for a new location. A business man from Shelby, North Carolina attended one of my seminars there in Tennessee and shared that he owned a building that would be perfect for our ministry.

The location was ideal – 45 minutes from the international airport in Charlotte, North Carolina and within an hour’s drive to four interstate highways. Shelby had a small enough population (20,000), to have the small town appeal, but large enough to provide all basic needs and less than an hour’s drive to Charlotte, the largest city in North Carolina.

The owner of this Shelby property knew that we didn’t have much financially to purchase the building so he allowed us to move into the building while he held the mortgage and allowed us to pay off the mortgage as finances allowed. We moved into our new facility on November 1, 1997.

1997 – Paul Malkmus Joins Hallelujah Acres

Early in 1997 Rhonda and I knew we needed someone to help us manage a ministry that was growing too big for ma and pa to keep track of and oversee. My thoughts turned to my son Paul who was a career man in the U.S. Air Force. Paul was just three years from achieving the 20 years needed for retirement when I contacted him.

I told him I needed help but he wasn’t interested as he was intent on securing his retirement and preparing for a business career thereafter. But he had enough curiosity to come and see what was going on at dad’s Hallelujah Acres.

He came for Health Minister training in 1997 and was blown away by the testimonies of healing and by the ministry potential of Hallelujah Acres.

He went back to where he was stationed in Florida and asked his general to release him early. The general told him “No way, you are committed for three more years.” No amount of petitioning appeared to change the general’s mind, but we were all praying the general would let him go.

Just a week before Hallelujah Acres was to move to North Carolina, the general called Paul into his office. He said, “I don’t know why I am doing this, but I am going to let you go.”

Paul asked the general why he had decided to let him go early and the reply was “I really don’t know, it just seemed the right thing to do.” The general may not have known, but we who were praying knew! God does hear and answer prayer!

Paul completed the paperwork and prepared to move to Shelby.

Many people do not know realize the sacrifice Paul made to come to Hallelujah Acres. By leaving the military early, he forfeited his retirement income that took 17 years to build. Until he left the Air Force he had been involved in intelligence and communications with higher security clearances than some of the generals at the pentagon he had briefed.

Paul arrived at Hallelujah Acres on November 1, 1997, the very day we moved into our new facility in Shelby, North Carolina. With Paul taking over the business end of things, I was able to concentrate on the ministry aspect of Hallelujah Acres.

Before moving from Tennessee to Shelby, Hallelujah Acres had 11 employees and only a few were able to make the move with us. Paul immediately had his work cut out for him! He hired new staff, learned the business part of the ministry, and refined its operations.

Today, Hallelujah Acres has a staff of almost 60 people, has a huge web presence, produces its own products, and ships products across North America and to 139 other countries.

Paul and his wife Ann are a tremendous duo! They are totally dedicated to helping to take God’s health message to the world.

I am thrilled that my son will be here when I graduate to heaven to carry on the ministry Rhonda and I began in that little store front in Rogersville, Tennessee 20 years ago.

1998 – Dr. Donaldson Joins Hallelujah Acres

In 1997 I received a letter from Michael Donaldson, a fine Christian young man, who was to soon graduate from Cornell University with a PhD in Chemical Engineering. He expressed interest in joining Hallelujah Acres as our research scientist since his wife was able to correct some serious pregnancy problems after adopting The Hallelujah Diet.

Most of those graduating from Cornell in Michael’s class were going into the drug industry but Michael wasn’t interested in going in that direction. So we asked him to come to Hallelujah Acres for an interview. Michael shared how he would like to scientifically validate the Hallelujah Diet and make sure it had no weaknesses.

We were so impressed that we invited Michael to join us and be a part of the Hallelujah Acres team. Michael has done an outstanding job these past 14 years constantly making sure that the Hallelujah Acres diet was the best it could be. Michael is still with us and has 12 children. All of his children were born at home.

1998 – Hallelujah Acres Canada Opens

Shangri-La Health Resort

Around 1978 while I was a lecturer at the Shangri-La Health Resort in Bonita Springs, Florida (which was closed for 18 years and is now open again), a Canadian couple was in one of my lectures. The reason they were there was because Bev Shouldice, a business man from Canada had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and the doctors had given him no hope of surviving. Bev and his wife were searching for an alternative way of dealing with the cancer — a way that would offer some hope.

Years later, I received a letter in which they told how, after hearing my lecture, Bev had adopted the diet I was advocating in my lectures at the Shangri-La, and Bev’s cancer had gone away as a result of the diet change. When they wrote me that letter they had just learned about Hallelujah Acres and were trained as Health Ministers.

It wasn’t long after that training that Bev contacted me. He wanted a Hallelujah Acres in Canada to bring God’s health message to Canadians. Bev offered their home in rural Shallow Lake to be the Headquarters of Hallelujah Acres. Bev and his wife Dot ran Hallelujah Acres until Bev’s death at age 91; some 30 years after Canadian doctors had pronounced his cancer death sentence.

Upon Bev’s passing, we moved Hallelujah Acres Canada to the city of Toronto where it continues to grow and help multitudes. Judy Fleming (who worked with Bev and Dot) now manages our Canadian operation and we now have hundreds of Hallelujah Acres trained Health Ministers scattered across the Canadian provinces.

Through the years I traveled extensively throughout Canada holding seminars in most of the Canadian provinces. I also conducted Health Minister training at the Hallelujah Acres Canadian headquarters in Shallow Lake for many years.

1998 – Rhonda’s Recipes For Life Recipe Book Is Published

When Rhonda adopted The Hallelujah Diet due to her debilitating arthritic condition in 1990 (of which she completely healed within a year) there were very few recipe books available that supported the primarily, raw plant-based diet Hallelujah Acres advocates.

So, Rhonda set out to write a recipe book. Rhonda, like me, had never written a book before, no less a recipe book. It took her two years to write the book and it turned out to be a tremendous success. The book has 358 pages, over 400 recipes that fit The Hallelujah Diet, and it has a spiral binding for ease of use.

Over a quarter million copies of this book are now in print and in 2011 it was the best selling book of all books Hallelujah Acres carries!

1999 – First Women’s Retreat

For years Rhonda had tried to get me to hold a Women’s Retreat at Hallelujah Acres. I told her that women wouldn’t travel across America by themselves to attend a seminar. Boy was I wrong! In 1999 when I finally said “ok” and that first Women’s Retreat, it was the biggest event we had ever held, and has continued to be the biggest event each year.

2000 – Rev. Malkmus Takes The Health Message To Australia

In the year 2000 I took the Hallelujah Acres health message to Australia’s six largest cities – Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and Adelaide. The trip was a tremendous success with an average of 500 in each meeting. During that trip I personally trained some 50 Australia health ministers.

2001 – Rev. Malkmus Takes The Health Message To South Africa

In South Africa I delivered seven seminars in six days to an average crowd of 600. In Cape Town I had 600 in attendance at a Saturday morning seminar, and upon completion of that seminar there were 600 more waiting to hear God’s health message. I did back to back seminars that day. I was 68 years of age at the time.

I was in the air over 53 hours that week and not long after returning home, while lecturing, suffered a hemorrhagic stroke. I was rushed to the Shelby hospital where the doctors wanted to immediately airlift me to Charlotte for cauterization of the bleed and start me on intravenous drugs.

All medical treatments were refused, doctors ordered me out of the hospital and I was sent home by ambulance to die. Rhonda immediately started me on The Hallelujah Recovery Diet and within a week a neurologist could find no lingering physical or mental limitations. Doctors believe the stroke was caused by the stress experienced on that South Africa trip.

On February 4, 2012, at my First Saturday of the month, “God’s Way to Ultimate Health” seminar at Hallelujah Acres International Headquarters in Shelby, North Carolina, Hallelujah Acres will celebrate its 20th Anniversary. In addition to the seminar, many special things are planned for that day including a healthy birthday cake to be enjoyed by all who attend the seminar, plus each person will get a 20^th Anniversary lapel pin. Y’all come!

Next Week, the good Lord willing and if the creeks don’t rise too high, we will pick up where we have left off here in 2001 and share how Hallelujah Acres has continued to grow to where it is today! I trust you will join us as we continue to share the rest of the story.