We had six kids including one on a mission.

We got several anonymous Christmas cards with money. I sold my car for money to pay bills. We got a tax return that we had no idea was out there. Miscalculation on our part and we found we overpaid by an amount that was $6 over our mortgage payment.

Got some help from family and lived on a lot of food storage. But, it finally got so bad we ended up using church food orders for about 12 months. The Church even paid our mortgage for 3 months. It was humiliating, at first, to go to the Bishop's Storehouse or wait in the Church parking lot for our food orders. I felt like such a failure. But, over time, the humiliation turned to humility. Evidently, that was what was needed for me to learn.

Long story short we turned things around.

I was glad that for years before, we paid a healthy fast offering. Frankly, I know we had paid in more Fast Offerings than we took out...by far.

Yet, since then, we have paid even a higher amount than before for Fast Offering. Who knows, I might need it again. And, if not, someone certainly does.