Some things are harder to hand over to God than others. Ten years ago Sharika and Salvatore Tucci were not sure they could afford to give monthly tithes through their church, Cobbs Hill Gospel Chapel. They had two young children and mounting debt. But then one day, the Holy Spirit challenged them to surrender that part of their life as well.

“One of the elders at our church spoke very briefly about tithing and that really struck home for us,” Mrs Tucci said. “We realised that we were too concerned about dealing with our own personal needs first. God was kind of on the back burner; we thought, ‘If we have any left over, then we’ll give to the Lord’. We felt God leading us to change our mindset and, at that point on, the shift occurred for both of us.”

The family has since changed its focus; Mrs Tucci’s faith has become infinitely stronger in the process.

“We have seen that in situations where we have nothing to give and we think, ‘How can we sacrifice this when we have nothing for ourselves?’, but the Lord has blessed us abundantly,” the 40-year-old said. “Even with our little, we have been able to give. He has been able to multiply it and use it to bless others.”

Mrs Tucci gave $4,000 to Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre through her property management business, Masterkey Management Ltd.

She was in the news over Christmas for donating a spa certificate, food and toys to a single mother, but believes people should give throughout the year.

“It’s important during the holidays because it gives people that opportunity to enjoy the season and not be concerned about where their meal is coming from, but what’s even more important is to continue that throughout the year,” she said. “Needs don’t disappear after the holiday. When the tree is down and the ham and turkey disappears, people still need to feed their family and pay their rent and take care of their health needs, so it’s important not to lose sight of their needs for the other 364 days.

“Not everyone can donate large amounts like companies can, but we can all help someone. I know in my case God has proven that He will provide in my life and it has just made me trust Him even more with every single situation.”

She made the donation to the Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre because the cause was particularly close to her heart. Mrs Tucci said: “I was diagnosed with breast cancer just last February 10 and I’m healed — praise the Lord.

“Despite the concerns about my health I was so grateful that the insurance I had took care of everything so paying for it wasn’t something I had to worry about.

“I know there are some women that don’t have insurance for mammograms, so that’s what the donation was for.”

Mrs Tucci’s father and grandfather were elders at Cobbs Hill Gospel Chapel. She accepted Jesus as her saviour at an early age and became grounded in the scripture but later struggled with her faith.

“There was a period of time when I was in college that I strayed,” she said. “I started thinking maybe there was more out there than what I knew and experienced as a Christian. I felt like I was missing out on something.

“I actually became a single mother in college. I had my daughter, Zariah, when I was 21.

“That’s when my faith became stronger because I was able to see God’s forgiveness, regardless of what situation I was in, and the forgiveness from my parents and the love I received from them through God’s grace. That’s when the change came in my spiritual walk.

“I was able to trust Him even more through the shame that comes from being a single parent, through the challenges of raising a child on your own and just getting through my final year of university without my daughter there.

“That was really challenging — having to leave her behind with my family in Bermuda — but I knew that’s what was best for her.”

She returned to Bermuda after she completed her actuarial science degree, when her daughter was 15 months old.

She said it was easy to give back to God when she thought of all He had done for her.

“My husband and I commit to giving a certain amount of money no matter what happens each week to our tithes. There were moments it was hard, but over time our financial situation changed as we got awarded at work and we were able to give even more.

“We set aside a bank account that we called ‘Our First Fruits’ and we put funds in there that we dedicate towards helping other people or towards ministry, so there’s never an excuse of ‘we don’t have anything’.

“Now if a situation comes up and someone needs help, we can. We have times when missionaries come to our church and express a need and we are able to assist. We are just led by the Lord. He will place something on our heart and show us where we give and how we give.”