Edmund Homer Tithing

Salt Lake City, Utah: October 21, 1970; The request that I put my testimony on paper for the benefit of others having been made, I Edmund Homer type this my testimony of the benefits which have come to me and my family through the paying of tithing.
I think I have always believed in tithing, but, the spirit has at times been weak along with my flesh, so I have failed at times.
I was firing boilers at the Utah state mental hospital at a very small salary, always worrying because I could not give the Lord the one tenth He asks for in return for the blessings He gave me. One night I kneeled down on the boiler room floor and asked for his forgiveness for not paying tithing and promised Him I would pay my tithing from then on.
The next payday I received my paycheck of $80.00 and payed ten dollars tithing. Two paydays later I recieved a raise in pay of ten dollars each payday, which covered the tithing.
I continued to pay tithing and an unusual event occured. On Thursday morning my boss said to me, "Homer, why don't you take your vacation starting Monday?" I answered I can take it anytime, but, I want all the time I have coming. This was four weeks as I had some comp time coming. He ask me why I wanted so much time and I told him I was going to get a job and earn extra money to pay my debts, or at least some of them. He answered, "Let me look at my time sheets then." He went back into his office for a time and when he came out he said, "wait until a week from Monday."
The day before my vacation started, the Salt Lake Tribune had extra big headlines three hundred and fifty men wanted at Ironton the next day. I know that my boss did not know in advance about this need for men, yet he set my vacation to start the same day. I went to the hiring center to apply for a job as laborer and they asked for pipe fitters. I had had considerable experience in this work so I decided to try for it as it paid a much higher wage. Four of us went in to take the written test. In about thirty minutes one man left, then soon another one left. THe other man asked me how I was doing and I told him it was a pretty hard test. He soon left and I thought, what chance have I. They only need two pipefitters and those three are a way ahead of me. I wanted to give up and go back and ask for a job as laborer. I stayed with it until the last problem, which was to list materials needed to complete a piece of work for which the drawing was given.
I was stuck, until I remembered that all plumbing blue prints listed the material needed to do the job the blue print called for. I learned that I was the only one who finished the examination and my answers were all correct. It pays to not give up easily.
When the four weeks were nearly up I went to my boss and told him I would have to stay with the new job for the sake of my family, as it paid more than one hundred dollars per more than the old one. He said he could not blame me for taking the better paying work and ask me to stay with him until he could get a man to take my place. So I worked days at Ironton and afternoons at the state mental hospital for another month. THis helped a lot toward paying my debts.
Another incident occured about this time which I must mention. We were building a church in the Grove ward and the finance committee had sent out our suggested assessments. We were sitting in church waiting for priesthood meeting to start and were discussing the new chapel and what was quite important to us, how we would pay for it. One brother said he just went and gave the bishop his check for the entire amount so it wouldn't worry him. Others were wishing they could.
I had borrowed on my home to pay off my other debts and added enough to cover half of my assessment on the new chapel. I told the brethren I had borrowed half of mine and paid it. Brother Charles Crobbsley turned to me and said "If you had the faith to borrow and pay half of your assessment the other half will come to you and YOU WILL PAY IT AND NEVER MISS IT." I will tell you how this came about.
While working for the state at the state hospital six and one half percent of my wages were held back for a retirement fund. When I left the hospital for Ironton the state mailed me a check for the amount with held which was considerable more than half of my assessment on the new church. I just endorsed the check and turned it in to the building fund. It came to me and I PAYED IT AND NEVER MISSED IT, because I never had it to miss.
The Union struck at Ironton and as I had a family to feed and clothe I went looking for work. I went to Bugway and worked for thirteen and one half years, I then retired and my wife and I went on a mission to the Cumorah Mission for two years.
The Lord has blessed us beyond measure. One other thing. I had a fair retirement... (the second page is missing.)