An Amazing Lesson

By Elder Valeri V. Cordón

Of the Seventy

From an interview with Linda Davies

“I will … open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing” (Malachi 3:10).

When I was growing up in Guatemala, my family owned a factory that made uniforms for sports teams.

My dad wanted the children in our family to learn to work hard. We helped him in the factory. I got in trouble a lot when I was little. I always seemed to break things! But when I was older, my dad let me take care of the machines.

My dad paid us for the work we did. Then he would ask, “What are you going to do with your money?” I knew what the right answer was: “Pay my tithing and save for my mission.”

When I was about 13, our business lost a lot of money. We had to get rid of a lot of our machines. Instead of having two hundred workers, we had fewer than five. They worked in our garage at home.

I had always paid my tithing, but I never really understood how important it was. Then I learned an amazing lesson. One Saturday morning I heard my parents talking quietly. My dad told my mom that there was enough money to either pay tithing or buy food. There wasn’t enough for both. I was worried. What would my dad do?

On Sunday I saw my dad hand an envelope to our branch president. He chose to pay tithing! I was glad he did, but I was also worried. What would we eat?

The next morning some people knocked on our door. They told my dad that they needed uniforms right away. Usually people paid us after the order was finished. But these people paid my dad that day, even before we had made the uniforms!

In one weekend, I learned a beautiful lesson that has lasted me a lifetime. The law of tithing helps us build our faith and show our gratitude for Heavenly Father. Paying tithing is a blessing!

Tithing around the World

When we give 10 percent of the money we earn, we show our faith, love, and gratitude. How much tithing would you pay for each of these amounts? Check your answers below.

To find 10 percent: Find the dot (called a decimal), or add a decimal to the end. Then move the decimal to the left one spot. Add a zero at the end.

$346.00 —> $34.60

100 Guatemalan quetzales	Q100 —> Q_____
4,000 Japanese yen	Y4,000 —> Y_____
350 Indian rupees	R350 —> R_____
75.30 Canadian dollars	$75.30 —> $_____
5,925 Russian rubles	P5,925 —> P_____
262 Israeli shekels	W262 —> W_____
1,670 Nigerian naira	N1,670 —> N_____
6.90 British pounds	£6.90 —> £_____
3.20 European Euros	€3.20 —> €_____
500 Philippine pesos	P500 —> P_____

Now Match the Coins!

Guatemalan quetzale
Japanese yen
Indian rupee
Canadian dollar
Russian ruble
Israeli shekel
Nigerian naira
British pound
European Euro
Philippine peso

Answers: Q10, ¥400, R35, $7.53, P592.50, W26.20, N167, £0.69, €0.32, P50