Weekly Challenge and Assistment (Week of June 5th)

Hi Carson Ward, Family and Friends,

Quotes:

"And there shall be great hailstorms sent forth to destroy the crops of the earth." (D&C 29:16)

"...be prepared in all things against the day when tribulations and desolations are sent forth...." (D&C 29:8)

"If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." (D&C 38:30)

Tornadoes, hail the size of golf balls and tennis balls, colder weather and snow in the late Spring, flooding, fires and drought are affecting our food crops this year. One orchard lost 25,000 fruit trees due to hail. Japan has lost many of their crops due to the earthquake and Tsunami. The Midwest has had tornadoes, flooding and drought causing damage to their crops. The barges that haul crops from the south and Midwest cannot get up the Mississippi River due to so much flooding. Many countries in Europe and Russia have had great grain losses this past year. Their supplies are low and they are not exporting as much. What does this mean to us? Higher vegetable and fruit prices, and other food items!

Many Emergency Food suppliers have raised their prices quite significantly, as well as our local grocery stores, and some cannot get enough produce to produce the number 10 cans of dehydrated and freeze-dried foods. Mountain House, supplier of number 10 cans of dehydrated and freeze-dried foods, is currently not taking any orders or shipping to other Emergency Supply companies. I think prices will continue to rise.

Why do we need food storage? It is not just for a disaster, but who knows how much more the vegetable and fruit prices will go up with the continual change in the weather and crops being destroyed. Who knows when a disaster will hit us. Who knows when our financial situation may change. Why not protect ourselves and our families for what may come our way? Why not be prepared as the scriptures, our prophets and our Church leaders have been warning us about for years? Why not? If you have not started to prepare, now is the time to get started, no more procrastinating!

Weekly Assignment:

As I watch the natural disasters unfold on the news stations, I realize more and more we will need to be prepared to take care of our wounded family members and neighbors. We will need medical supplies to take care of the injured until emergency help can arrive, which may take days, depending on the situation. This is why we are working on setting up family emergency first-aid supplies. The smaller first-aid kits we have are great to have on hand, but they will not last long, they are more for our 72 Hour Emergency Family Bag and our car. Put all the items in a large plastic container with a snap on lid and keep it in a place easily accessible, like a closet.

Family Emergency First-aid supplies (this week add the following):

1) topical antibiotic ointment
2) hydrogen peroxide
3) antifungal ointment/cream
4) alcohol
5) sanitary pads (for major wounds)
(The first 4 items I found at the 99 Cent Store for 99 cents each, and the pads I found at Big Lots for $4, also at CVS for $4 on sale. Total cost this week, $9 plus tax. Take the creams out of the box and put them in a zip lock plastic bag, and the pads in another one, to protect them from water. Mark the expiration dates on the plastic bag if they are not on the cream tubes.)

Weekly Challenge:

1) Add some canned or packaged items to your food storage. Hint: When you purchase packaged beans, rice or pasta's put them in the freezer as soon as you get them home for 24 hours to eliminated any moths and their eggs. If in a box, put the item in a zip lock plastic bag and do the same thing. Same thing goes for bird seed. You can also keep bay leaves in your cupboards, they do not like the smell.

Remember: Post your name and comment at the end of this posting to have your name entered into our FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing to be held Sunday, June 26th. This month's price is something that goes in your family emergency bag.