Experience With Fasting

3-16-15

Topic: Fasting
Why: Because
  A few weeks ago during fast Sunday, we were working and walking around after church in the downtown area.  We ran into a young man that we have seen pretty often wandering around town looking for help from time to time.  We had helped him out before by giving him a few dollars.  He asked us if we had a few more dollars that we could give him for some food, and I told him that we didn't, even though I knew that I had at least something.  I felt that since we had helped him before that we can't really keep helping him every time that we see him since we are told not to give others money.  So, he went on his way, and we went on ours.  Right after we finished talking to him though, I immediately felt very guilty, and there were a lot of things that were brought to my mind's attention.  First off, it was fast Sunday and I just remembered that I had forgotten to give my offering to the Bishop at church that day, and helping that man was probably Heavenly Father's way of saying that I could give my offering through this means.  Second, King Benjamin's council (Mosiah 4: 16-22) was running through my mind and I felt that it was directed specifically at me at that point because I was saying all of those things in my mind while talking to this guy.  I told my companion that we needed to find him and help him before we did anything else.  So, we spent about 10 minutes looking for him and we finally ran into him again, and we simply gave him a few dollars and he was pretty surprised and grateful.  I wish I could say that this lead him to want to hear our message and come to church and what not, but it didn't.  I was just very grateful that we were able to find him before that opportunity slipped away.  This experience was something that I really needed to help strengthen my testimony of fasting because I have never really had any profound or big experiences with it before.
    I hope that this experience is useful and the what you need at this time.  It is something that just popped up in my mind.

Love,
Elder A. Whaley