First Sacrament Talks

This wasn’t exactly how we planned to give our first talks in sacrament. This Sunday we had decided that we would go to the small Waitara Branch on our way home. We have become very friendly with a lovely couple the Cardalls who are only serving a short mission for 6 months in Waitara. So we wanted to share in their little branch. The sacrament meeting was first and had a lovely start with both the Elders giving talks then we had our intermediate hymn. Next the Branch President gave a few inspiring messages before announcing that they had very special visitors from the mission office who he would like to come up and bear their testimonies. Gulp! What! Actually I wasn’t at all nervous and shared how blessed I felt being in their little branch and also being on my mission in New Zealand. I shared my testimony of prayer and how my prayers are always answered. Maybe sometimes not in a way or how or when I had thought they would be answered and gave a personal experience. I also shared my testimony of tithing. Elder Saunders and I have always said we cannot afford NOT to pay our tithing. For those of you who don’t know we give at least one tenth of our earning to the church. This is to be distributed between the welfare needs not only within our church but worldwide, also for the building of chapels and Temples and other materials as needed. NOBODY gets any wages from this money!! People who diligently pay an honest tithe get many blessings. I can name loads I have received. But I wanted to share just one very special blessing that included my testimony of both prayer and tithing. Our daughter has been less active from our church for a few years. We didn’t love her any less but it broke our heart that she would not share in the blessings of being an active member and also live with us as a family for the eternities. So when she told us she had returned back to church and understood why she went inactive, we were elated. The joy we felt cannot be described. She told us that she bore her testimony in church a few weeks ago and has just started to pay her tithing again. It takes faith to give one tenth away to a church but this is not any church, it’s the Lord’s church. The day after her paying tithing again she received extra money in her bank. Our Daughter phoned up the people who gave it to her and was told it was owed to her. WOW! Once we have exercised our faith we receive the blessing. It felt so good to be able to share that personal experience with the members in Waitara. I have no idea who that message was for. I just know that I was inspired to give it.

Elder Saunders shared his experiences of being in a small branch and that when we are righteously working together many wonderful things can happen.

The Branch president said after our brief talks that as we gave our inspirational testimonies that he hoped the members there would act upon those promptings to improve in their lives. Sadly we were unable to stay for the rest of the meetings as we wanted to get back to Hamilton in time to go to the Visitors Centre at 6pm to listen to Elder Neilson’s Fireside. Tomorrow he starts the mission tour in Tauranga, then Tuesday in Hamilton and Wednesday in Redoubt. We are hoping to go to the last two.

What a great week is ahead of us! JJ