So many of you will know that we dont have a lot of money. It seems like something happens every month which takes more of our money away. We budget very carefully Lee and I and then through the month little things happen which are out of our control which cost money so the last week of the month we are SUPER POOR!! For example. Out of the wage which Lee makes we can afford to pay £30 a week for groceries. A lot of people constantly ask how on earth do you buy groceries for a family of 4 with only £30 a week. But we do it. This month there are a few extra days in the month for us so we budgeted £10 for the last few days groceries and then Spencer had to go to the Emergency room which cost £2.00 for parking and we had to pay a couple of pounds for a few other things which have take it down to £3.00 that is to buy groceries for Friday - Tuesday. I am certain with my thriftyness I can go it. But then last week we got a letter through the post saying spencer has yet another hospital appointment today. Which meant it was going to cost us another £2.00 for parking leaving me 1 whole big whoppin pound to last us until Tuesday!! AHHHH! Last night I was sort of Freaking out. When I said my personal prayers in the evening I asked specifically. Heavenly Father Please give me the money to park at the hospital for Spencers appointment because I know he needs to attend it (all his appointments are still pretty important). The thought then came to me that I could just park on the road and walk a bit of the way to the hospital. But I would still need 80p to park on the road, you have to pay to park everywhere in England no parking is free here. So I still wanted.... no wait needed the 80p so that I could have a whole £3.00 to pay for groceries the rest of the week. I went to bed. Before I went to bed I locked the front door and then put the keys on the bookcase where we always leave them. Then this morning when I got up I did all the things I normally do lastly getting the kids ready to put in the car to take Lee to the train station to go to work. When I grabbed the keys there sitting next to the keys was exactly 80p, a 50p, 10p and 20p, coin. Nothing more (trust me I then searched around the bookcase). I know for a fact that 80p wasnt there last night if it was I would have slept a little better. I know it wasnt there anytime earlier in the week because if it was I would have hidden it from Kaylee as everytime she finds any money it is automatically hers. The other thing which happen today was that I received a letter from our mortgage company saying that our interest rate was changing which would save us £100 a month. Flippin heck! I only asked for 80p and received so much more. I will be the first to admit that paying £200 a month in tithing is so hard! And every month I think I could so use this money for things which the children really need or to buy food, or maybe to save up for a trip home it has been over 3 years. But when things like this happen I know that our Father in Heaven is looking out for us. Lee has been this last month working loads of overtime as well and being able to be paid for his overtime even though he is on salary which he hasnt been able to do since taking this new job. I know that even though at times it seems like Heavenly Father doesnt really care or that he is giving me so many trials that I feel like I am at breaking point, he really does care and that these trials make me closer to him through faith and prayers. We have had such a hard time this last month in our ward so many trials which to me have been so difficult and have really tried my testimony. I have felt like Satan was just pushing me harder and harder but by having prayers answered I know that Heavenly Father really does love us. I also know that the trials that we have are to help us to become closer to him. So Thank You for my trials. They make me the person that I am.
6 comments:
I have such a testimony of tithing too...I know without a doubt that the Lord truly does bless those who sacrifice and pay a full tithe. Paul and I have been continually blessed and I know 100% it's because we pay a full tithe! It's so fantastic when you see your prayers so clearly answered!
Hang in there girl, cos like u say, it's the trials that make us who we are..and I think you are flippin great!!! Xxxxx
Thank you for sharing this story. I, too, am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who hears and answers our prayers. I know that sometimes it seems like our trials are more than we can bear, but somehow we always come through (with his divine help).
I remember that for a long time, the Cute Guy and I had a budget of $15 a week for groceries and that seemed to be stretching it. Paying tithing has never let us down, although we didn't seem to have miracles like this, over time things have changed and we have been able to reach our goals. As the Lovely Em said "hang in there", you will be blessed for your faithfulness.
This is such a wonderful story! I know that Lord hears our prayers and will help us in need. I remember one time when me and Paul were first married we had no money and no jobs. I was freaking out. So I went to the temple and just opened the scriptures. I'm not kidding, they just fell open to Matthew chapter 6 which says...
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no bthought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? aConsider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, ashall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little bfaith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
33 But bseek ye first the ckingdom of God, and his drighteousness; and all these things shall be fadded unto you.
I usually don't quote scripture in comments, but this really impacted me. From that day, I tried to show more faith and we immediately saw miracles.
You are showing so much faith, Alisha, and I know Heavenly Father will look out for you! You are such an amazing person!!!
I know Heavenly Father is mindful of us in even the small details of our lives and that he wants to bless us. I've always felt the importance of paying a full tithe and in my patriarchal blessing it says that as I pay a full tithe that the Lord will pour out blessings on me that will sometimes be beyond my capacity to receive them. We don't know how important it is until we have experiences like yours. I can also sympathise about living on a tight budget. Simon does have a very secure and well paying career, but we have never been frivolous with our money. I don't even attend a play group once a week b/c it will cost me a pound, and I usually can't squeeze it into the budget. People always think it's crazy and that we must really be struggling, but I had a really great experience when we lived in Chorley that made me not want to spend money. This will be a long post, but I love sharing my experience. Simon has always been careful with money, but I grew up in a family that always had to have the fanciest cars, the biggest house, and I was always the one who had the most money spent on her at Christmas. My first car was a BMW, when I was 16. I was so spoiled and I was never satisfied, always wanting more. Even though I always had more than my friends, I was always jealous and couldn't handle it if they had something more than me. Simon came from a family that gave him a 20 pound note for Christmas and he never felt the jealousies that I had, which has always been peculiar to me. Anyway, when I lived in Chorley, I kept getting promptings that I needed to go to the temple more, even though we went once a month. I, finally, started to listen to the promptings and ended up going to the temple every Saturday morning. It was by going to the temple so often that my material outlook changed. I never have been one to go on shopping sprees after getting married, out of respect for Simon and how hard he worked, but I still always wanted more and would wonder how everyone else seemed to be able to afford so much more than us. Simon, also, won't go into debt for anything other than a mortgage. The thing about going to the temple is that it took the jealousies and desire to have more materially from me. Going to the temple often, takes away any desires for worldliness. I know it seems like a lot and you're further from the temple than if you were in Chorley, but it would amaze me how I had friends who would go on about how they had to go shopping once a week (not grocery shopping), but didn't have time to go to the temple. We can always look at our situation and make more of an effort. I'm just so grateful for the time I had there to be close to the temple b/c it's made living by a budget not a chore, but something that I feel a deep testimony about. I really feel that my children will be blessed for not being so spoilt too b/c in my experience, having more only made me want more. All my family who have always been concerned with appearances and keeping up with the Joneses have really suffered with the credit crunch and they've been really critical to Simon for being tight with his money, but I'm just so grateful that b/c we've been careful, despite having enough money, we don't feel the panic. I think experiences like yours makes us realise what's really important and that our Heavenly Father loves us and is really looking out for us. Thanks for sharing!
It's hard some times to remain faithful, but 100% worth it in the end. Good thing you have faith enough for those blessings. We as well are strong believers in tithing. Everyday we wonder how we make it, and know without a doubt it's because we pay our tithing. You will be blessed for your sacrafices!
i love testimony posts. they totally make my day. thank you so much. thats an amazing story!
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