Just about anyone who has attended even a handful of LDS testimony meetings has heard a testimony from a member of the congregation that goes something like this: "We were really struggling financially. It came down to a moment when we had to decide whether to pay our tithing or pay a bill. We decided to pay our tithing first. Then the day we had to pay the bill, a check for the exact amount we needed arrived in the mail. I know that this happened because we paid our tithing and put the Lord first."
I have always felt the Holy Ghost testify that these types of testimonies about the Law of Tithing are true, but I had never had this kind of experience. I have never doubted that the Law of Tithing is a commandment from Heavenly Father and that He keeps His promise made in Malachi 3:8. This has been a part of my testimony for a very long time. I have had moments where I could see the blessings of paying tithing throughout my life, but I hadn't had the financial blessing described in some many testimonies of others.
Well, Juliann and I had reached that financial struggle. Our struggle was nothing in comparison to what many other people have had to struggle through, but for us it was still stressful and worrisome at times.
It began with SUU deciding to make some big changes that have had a large impact on a lot of students. There was an 11% tuition increase for the 2011-2012 year. Coupled with this blow was a new policy that tuition would be due about a month before the start of a semester. Failure to pay tuition before the deadline would result in a student being dropped from all the classes they were currently enrolled in with no guarantee for re-enrollment in those classes for that semester. (Sounds really greedy, right?)
We are very grateful for the Pell Grants that we receive to attend school, but each year the amount that we receive gets smaller. Smaller Pell Grants plus increased tuition equalled a hard hit to our pocketbook for fall semester. We were pretty good at saving money throughout the semester, but as the deadline for spring tuition payment approached were realized that this could the time when we were the most poor that we had ever been. At one point we calculated that after paying tuition, we would have about $4 in our bank account.
Then, the windows of heaven opened and our blessing began to pour out. As we began to save money on food by eating our food storage, our first little miracle arrived. There was an event at the stadium at the school called The Snow Bowl. It is basically an opportunity for kids from California to play football in the snow (Don't ask me why this is appealing to them). Well, the snow they wanted came; in very large quantities.
I had put in extra hours at work so that we could paint a football field for this event, but snow tends to make football fields very difficult to see. To remedy this, after a full morning of clearing snow off the campus Eli, my boss, Sam, my coworker, and I spent a couple of hours freezing as we blew snow off every line on the football field. However, our hard work did not go unnoticed. The athletic director saw what we were willing to do for this event and rewarded each of us with $20 in Pizza Hut Pizza Bucks.
The freezing continued as I then finished a long work day clearing snow off of all of the bleachers and seats in the stadium so that the parents could watch their precious little ones freeze their butts off playing football in the snow. Again, my effort did not go unnoticed. Once again as a gesture of gratitude, the athletic director gave me $20 in Pizza Hut Pizza Bucks. Those of you who know Juliann well can easily imagine her excitement when I told her that I was given $40 in Pizza Bucks that day and that we wouldn't have to eat just rice or pasta dishes for the next week and a half.
The day after tuition was due, was a payday for us. Since that day is a Saturday, however, Juliann's work paid her the day before. The next little miracle happened when I found out that my work (which often pays me on the following Monday when this occurs) paid me the day before as well. Then, we were comforted by the fact that we would at least have a lot more than just $4 in our bank account after paying tuition.
Today was the dreaded day when spring tuition was due. It turned out to not be painful at all. The miracles continued. When we went to look at our final bills, prepared to drain our savings, our amounts that were due were substantially lower than what they were before. Today we were awarded Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants. According to Chapter 7: Financial Aid and Scholarships in SUU's general catalog, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants are awarded to students that have "exceptional need." FSEOG funds are very limited and are awarded to Pell Grant recipients, on a first-come, first-served basis.
We had never even heard of these grants and therefore had not applied for them. Somehow the school just knew that we had an exceptional need and gave us these extra funds. With these grants added to our Pell Grants, our bills were easily paid. Now, we have little to worry about with money still in our savings account and $20 left in Pizza Bucks.
Some people may say that this experience was all just good luck. Some people may call it good fortune. Others may say that it was all coincidence. I know though that it was a direct answer to prayers, a blessing from paying our tithing, and now our tithing story added to our testimonies.
