This weekend was District Conference in Naples. This is like stake conference for branches. We had a leadership training meeting Saturday afternoon, and the adult session Saturday night. Paul and I each got our hair cut about 1 and then headed to Naples. It was all in Italian, so I only understood part of it. But I loved one story about tithing that I thought I would share.
There was a 5 year old little boy whose family had a family home evening about tithing. His parents taught him how important it was to pay 10% of what we earn. This money helps build churches and temples, and our Heavenly Father has asked that everyone pay 10%. This little boy had worked around the house and had earned $1.00 which his mom gave to him in change so he would have a dime. That evening, before he went to bed, he knew he had to pay his tithing but he wasn't sure how to do it. He placed the dime on his bed and knelt down to pray. He told Heavenly Father that he just earned a dollar and that he wanted to pay his tithing. So if God wanted it, he prayed that he would take it from off his bed. When he finished his prayer, her opened his eyes, and his dime was still there! He thought that God didn't want his dime. He didnt tell his parents about what happened because he thought he did something wrong. The next day at church, his primary teacher taught the lesson and afterwards said that she had a feeling that she needed to teach them something else. She pulled out a tithing envelope and taught them about how to pay your tithing, by filling in your name and the amount and then putting the money in the envelope and giving it to th bishop. He was so happy to know how to do it. The little boy said that he never even thanked his teacher for her inspiration because he was so young and didnt realize that his teacher followed the prompting of the spirit and taught what one little boy needed to know that day. He realized it years later what a miracle had occurred just for him.
I loved that story.
President Kelly talked about difficulties. He said that they are opportunities to grow stronger. He also said that there will be many times in our life when we feel that we have too much to bear and that when we pray we may expect God to solve our problem. But most times he doesn't solve our problem, but he will make us stronger or will help us to find a way to solve it. In alma 58:10-12 we are promised that if we pray for help, God will give us peace to our souls and great faith in order to be delivered from our problems. Notice the word "great" before faith. Not just a little faith, but great faith!
We were told to listen with our eyes and hearts.
When we read the Book of Mormon, we read the doctrine of Christ, when we read the Doctrine of Covenants, we read abut the kingdom of Christ.
We had a man from Milano who was just released as a 70 at conference time. He was a very good speaker. He spoke about the fact that Italians have a lot of dreams. (we have noticed that this is very true. Several of our new converts in our branch were convinced to join the church because through a dream they got their witness that the church is true. We heard that when Lorenzo Snow dedicated Italy for missionary work, he said in his prayer that the people here would be brought into the church through their dreams. I have to research this to find out if it is really true.). Anyway, the speaker said that the Italians should not think the story of Joseph Smith strange at all. They are quite use to people having visions.
We took a bus with our branch members and the branch from Casstldimmara to district conference today. It was quite a bus ride. There was a lot of excited talking and constant noise. Everyone wanted to talk to Presidente Scherbel. So he had quite a line of people constantly talking to him all the way there and then all the way home in the bus. I just smile and sit there.
A non member girl who comes to our English class, just stopped by and brought a bunch of fresh produce from her friends farm. All the eggs were each wrapped in newspaper. There are delicious strawberries and these beans that are at least a foot long each. They look like green beans that jack in the beanstalk must have planted. She visited with us for about an hour. The missionaries came by to say hi to her and us. We got the week planned for all our activities and appointements.
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