Our Sacrificed Income for Christmas

When we lived in Framingham, Massachusetts, Newell worked at an episcopal church for conducting experience. He worked there for about eight months. Then he felt that he was supposed to leave the job so that he could be more fully involved in our LDS ward and serve there. When he told me this over the phone on his way home one day (he was driving home and it was June) I had the thought that I should pray about it. I told Newell this. Then after we hung up the spirit guided me not to wait for the perfect moment but to just pray now.

I got on my knees and asked for confirmation about Newell's prompting. Was it right? I felt an undeniable yes and was filled with peace. I trust the Lord completely and when Newell got home told him that the Holy Ghost had confirmed to me that his impression was true. He soon resigned from his post. He left on good terms with them and did offer to do the occasional project for them if they wanted.

Well come the following November, we were really hurting financially. I don't remember exactly why but the little bit he made from that job really helped us to make our humble budget work. We had an emergency fund so we made it work for awhile but we were running out of money. I was working from home but it wasn't quite enough and we were getting worried.

Newell and I prayed about it. He told me later that he prayed about it privately too and told the Lord that we were trying to keep his commandments and had followed his guidance to leave that job. We paid our tithing and fast offering and Newell asked our Father in Heaven to send blessings as he promises in the scriptures to help us.

Within several days of his prayer, we received an anonymous envelope in the mail. It had the return address of our church but was not an official church letter. Inside was a check for $1000 and a gift card to target for $200 but no note. To say the least we were a bit shocked but extremely grateful.

Then about a week later we were rehearsing Christmas music at the church and someone left $400 or $500 (I can't remember exactly) with Newell's items when he was busy. A week or so later we anonymously received two other gifts. By Christmas, when all of it was added together, I discovered that we had been gifted almost exactly what Newell would have made between June and December from the job he had left.

The Lord had asked us to sacrifice. We did and then after the trial of our faith, he blessed us himself through the generosity of others with the same amount we had sacrificed.