The Lord Has Provided

By Piera Zuppardo

After I married, one of my greatest desires was to have a large family. One night I had a dream and saw four girls and three boys who would become part of our family. As I started to have these children, the Lord helped my husband and me care for them. Anytime there was an illness or problem, priesthood blessings and miracles brought happy endings.

But then my husband passed away. Besides dealing with grief, I was pregnant and worried about how I would provide for my children. Yet I knew the Lord would continue to help me.

One of the ways He helped was to comfort me. While in the temple, I came to know that my husband was fine, that there was a reason he had to leave the earth, and that he would be helping us from the other side of the veil. I also felt strongly that I needed to return to the temple soon. I wanted very much to return in three months, but I knew that finding both time and money to return would be difficult. I attend the Bern Switzerland Temple, which is a long way from my home in Italy.

As I was walking out of the hostel near the temple, a member of the Church stopped me. He handed me an envelope and said, “This is for you.”

I opened the envelope and found money inside. “I can’t take this,” I said.

“Please take it,” he told me. “While I was in the temple, I felt the Spirit prompting me to give this to you.”

When I counted the money, I found that it was what I needed to cover the cost of driving from Italy to the temple and back. Three months later I returned to the temple.

The Lord also provided for me by helping me get a job at a doctor’s office. Soon I had an opportunity to certify to work in emergency care. I took the certification class, but the exam fell just two weeks after my baby was born. I had studied and attended class all through the course, but during those two weeks when I needed to study the most, I also needed to take care of my new daughter. I was overwhelmed. Without study time, I wasn’t sure I could pass the exam.

I was about to give up and not take the test, but then I realized that the Lord had blessed me with this opportunity. When I prayed, the Spirit assured me that I had done my part and I would receive the Lord’s help.

Trusting that the Lord would help me, I took the exam. I was relieved to find that it focused on material I knew best. I passed, and the increased opportunities that the emergency certification gave me were exactly what my family needed. I was able to spend more time with my children and earn more money to care for them.

I know Heavenly Father listens to my prayers and helps me when I ask obediently in faith. I know that He has helped me provide for my children and that I will be with them and my husband for eternity.

A member of the Church handed me an envelope and said, “This is for you.”