Graduate Exclusive! Mark & Celeste H. Pay Off Their Mortgage, Buy a New Car, and Live with Joy and Purpose
We interviewed Mark to hear how his and his wife’s journey through debt — with eight kids, a one-income household, and years of perseverance — turned into a story of victory, restored joy, and a mortgage-burning party.
- Debt Amount: $15,987
- Started: November 2019
- Graduated: July 2023
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I live in Texas with my bride, Celeste. We’ve been married since 1988, and we were blessed with eight children. They’re all just about grown now, and we’re welcoming grandchildren into the world.
I work as a food service manager at Bucky’s — a massive travel center with 150 gas pumps and a full 24-hour operation. I’m also a volunteer chaplain at the local jail and the homeless shelter in Dallas. No pay — just the joy of my life.
Outside of work, I love model trains! And Celeste, she likes sewing — embroidery, crochet, knitting — she’s very creative.
Beyond gave me a seismic, life-altering shift. A paradigm shift. It changed everything for me — financially, emotionally, spiritually … it gave me my life back.
How did you find yourself in debt?
We lived tight for decades. One income. Eight children. And when you live like that for long enough, all it takes is one or two setbacks — a medical emergency, job loss, the restaurant closing down without warning — and you fall behind.
And like I tell the folks I meet at the shelter: nobody plans for this. But sometimes you lose a job or get sick, and there’s no backup.
That’s how I ended up in debt. It wasn’t overspending. It was life. I remember sitting there one morning, going through all the credit cards, and I looked at my wife Celeste and said, “We’re done. I can’t press on like this anymore. I have to do something.”
We had maxed out multiple cards and were just spinning our wheels. I knew we needed a real solution, not just a band-aid.
What was your experience with us like?
I remember the first call very well. The person I spoke to was calm, reassuring, and understood what I was going through — even without me saying it outright. He said, “If you stick with this program, if you trust us and do what we ask, we’ll get you out of this.”
After that call? I felt immediate relief. That very week, we had room to breathe financially. I had space to exhale. I wasn’t just paying interest anymore — there was finally a way out.
I’d say Beyond lowered my payments by at least $1,000 a month.* Maybe more. That’s money we didn’t have before. Everything before the program was going to interest. We were going nowhere fast.
Paying off my first account felt terrific. It was proof that this was working. We were gaining traction, making progress. There was a light at the end of the tunnel — and now I could see it. There was a path to victory.
What was graduation like and what’s happened since?
Oh, it was glorious. Celeste and I had been counting down the months, and when the graduation email came in, we printed it out, celebrated over dinner, and shared it with our family! It was a tremendous, wonderful moment.
You have to celebrate those wins. We even had a mortgage-burning party when we paid off our house! Big tents, friends, speeches — the whole thing. Because I believe in driving a stake in the timeline of your life to remember the victories. That’s what we did when we graduated from Beyond.
Everything’s changed since graduating. We bought a car and I was able to get a good rate! That wouldn’t have been possible without completing the program. My credit was in a better place, and we had the stability we needed.
We started making updates to our home — new flooring, bathroom remodels, roof repairs. After raising eight kids in this house, it needed some love.
At the end of each month, we’ve paid the bills and there’s a little left over — maybe $200, maybe $500 — and that’s golden to me.
Celeste and I go out on date nights. We’re not worried all the time! We’re not staring at bills every week — not wondering which one we can afford to pay this month. We have breathing room. We have peace.
And it gave me back my joy. I can volunteer freely without guilt. I’m not burdened with financial stress. I can serve in the jail and shelter knowing that my home is stable. That’s a huge gift.
Beyond gave me a seismic, life-altering shift. A paradigm shift. It changed everything for me — financially, emotionally, spiritually … it gave me my life back.
*Clients typically save around $480 per month on their debt payments.
Real client compensated for a real story.