While here in Guatemala, my team has been working with various ministries that the AIM base missionary staff are involved with in the Antigua area. One of these is Servant’s Hearts Ministries, which provides a myriad of services to the Guatemalan people from installing cinder block stoves, to water well installation and general relief aid in the event of a disaster.
Our first week my team went out and helped during a day of stove installations in a small town near Antigua. We installed five stoves in about 4 hours and were able to meet five wonderful families as we worked in their homes. We were able to pray with them and rejoice with them as they celebrated the blessing that having an energy efficient wood burning stove would be to their family, instead of the expense and danger of having to cook all of their meals over an open flame.
Our first mother was so excited to finally have a stove of her own that she invited us back for lunch, and offered us the first meal cooked on her new stove!!
I was reminded as I ate my first authentic Guatemalan meal (which was delicious!) prepared with such love and gratitude by this beautiful woman that we were the recipients of a tithe, of the first fruits of this woman’s blessing.
We tend to think of tithing at home as purely monetary, and only done at church. But this lunch was a little reminder that any time we are given something, and choose to bless someone else before taking anything for ourselves we are offering up a tithe, or a first fruit.
The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25
