Introduction

As the provider for your family, I know how your
honest spirit responds to the challenging words of 1
Timothy 5:8: “But if any provide not for his own, and
specially for those of his own house, he hath denied
the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”

For the first eleven years that I was the provider
for the Gossett family, I experienced continual
financial hardships and difficulties. Becoming the
proud and happy father of five children by the time I
was twenty-eight years old compounded my
problems, of course, for there were unrelenting
financial requirements. Inability to meet my
commitments on time produced embarrassment
often. Those unexpected expenditures labeled
“emergency” drained my resources and kept my
back against the wall.

In October 1961, we were living in the beautiful
island city of Victoria, British Columbia. Our financial
situation was so deplorable, however, that it was
hardly a pleasant experience. But something happened
that month that changed our financial picture.