Friday, June 21, 2013

          Glade took a couple of pictures this morning of the progress on the house being built on his walking route.  They are posted below.

          Glade and I were able to do a session together this evening.  I love it when that happens.  It was a busy one with seven sisters and three brothers receiving their own endowments.  What a blessing for these people.  They came with their friends and family on a large bus but we didn’t hear from where.

          Pres. and Sister Ocampo’s married daughter, Gina, was serving in the temple today.  Three of us were talking (she speaks good English and the other sister next to me was the 80-year old North American sister missionary) while waiting for the next activity, and she shared her testimony of tithing with this story:

          Her parents took her to Utah, Provo I think, from Honduras and basically left her there to make her own way.  She had to find a job to pay for housing and schooling.   She was having “economic” trouble and had been to her bishop who was helping her with commodities from the storehouse.  She was able to find a job and carefully saved her money all through the first month.  At the end of the month, she took her tithing to the bishop.  It was the first time she had ever had a job and the first time she had every paid tithing.  The bishop said:  “No, you don’t have to pay tithing; we are helping you and you don’t have to pay.”  But she insisted, telling him that she needed the promised blessings from paying tithing.  He finally relented and let her pay.   

          A short time later, fees for school in the amount of $200 were required and her bank account was at $0.  She didn’t know what to do.  She headed to work, but kept having this impression to go to the bank.  She said to herself again and again, “Why would I go to the bank?  I know there is no money there.”  However, the feeling persisted, so she turned around and went to the bank.  She walked up to the teller and sheepishly asked how much money was in her account, knowing it was at $0.  The teller looked it up and said she had exactly $200 in her account!   She had no idea where it came from, but immediately asked for the money and was able to pay her fees and continue on in school.

          That is quite a testimony for a first-time tithing payer.  But she has never missed paying her tithing since and knows that the windows of heaven will open and pour out blessings more than we can hold if we obey the law.  

The walls are going up!  Brick first!  Rather tight quarters, but it will make a home for someone.  The bricks are stacked where the kitchen and living room will be.  The bedrooms are on the right and go from front to back,  There will be a porch where the bare dirt is on the left and stairs will go up to the roof where good use is always made of that space as well.

This is a new guard at the station at the bottom of the hill.  Glade talks to all the guards and they are all his friends.              I'm sure this one will soon become one of his friends as well.