Wednesday's Story

I remember this day like it was yesterday. I was sitting in a church meeting several years ago listening to a man talk about FASTING. It was an incredible talk that I will never forget. This is the way I remember it.

This man was currently a High Counselor and had previously been Bishop in California. While serving as Bishop one of his counselors had lost his job and had been out of work for several months, (it seems like it was six or seven months). All along this Bishop worked closely with the counselor and was very curious as to why he had never asked for any assistance from the church. He wondered how he had gone all of these months without a paycheck. He knew that they had plenty of food and that their bills were paid.

One day he asked the counselor, “How have you gotten by all these months, are you alright?”

The counselor said, “I had received the impression prior to losing my job that I should double my fast offering, so I did. I have continued paying this offering through the past several months while I have been out of work. It hasn’t been easy…. we have used our food storage and gone without a lot, however, there has always been food on the table and our bills are paid. I know that my family has been blessed because of our obedience. I also know that had we not followed the prompting to double our offering we would not have made it through this trial so well.”

The High Counselor went on to tell how this brother eventually found work again, but he never stopped paying the amount of fast offering that he was then accustomed to.

A huge LIGHT BULB MOMENT for me! I love it when we hear something so inspiring that there is nothing we can do but ACT and ACT NOW.

The Sunday we heard this talk, Big Mister and I committed to doubling our Fast Offering because there was one thing that we desperately NEEDED, WANTED and DESIRED in all righteousness. After years of praying diligently at home and in the temple for a child, we were truly inspired that day to double our fast offering. We felt that it was a test to see if we could rise to the challenge. We desperately wanted the blessing of a child so we were willing to do just about anything to achieve our goal. We had been trying to do everything that we were supposed to such as read our scriptures, say our prayers, pay tithing, attend the temple; everything! Doubling our offering was just one more thing we thought we would try. Through a sequence of events that are inspiring miracles we are now parents of two beautiful children. I know that because we were obedient and listened to the promptings that day, the windows of heaven opened and showed us the way to go.

It wasn't too long before we were entrusted by our loving Father in Heaven to raise and care for a beautiful baby girl and just a few months later a handsome baby boy.

I would not trade this experience or my two little babies for all the money in the world!