Saturday, January 28, 2012

Weekly Assignment and Food Storage Ideas (Week of January 29th)

Hi Carson Ward Family, Family and Friends,

Wow! Wasn't last week's Stake Conference broadcast great! Each talk was filled with so much information to help us in these challenging times. Their talks encouraged us, strengthened our faith and testimony and brought peace, reminding us we have a loving Heavenly Father and Savior who are here for us each day.

Brother Snow of the General Seventy's Presidency spoke about being prepared and shared the parable of the 10 Virgins, about being in holy places and service to others. Sister Johnson of the General Relief Society Presidency spoke about the importance of our faith and developing it. Brother Johnson spoke about that through our faith and good works we can strive to know the Lords will and accomplish that which we are to do. Elder L. Tom Perry of the Twelve Apostles spoke about we need to be organized, about the organization of the Priesthood and how the Savior organized his church here upon the earth, about the keys of the Priesthood restored and the Restoration of the Gospel through Joseph Smith. What wonderful words of advice and guidance from our church leaders.

How to apply this to our Emergency Preparedness and Food Storage:

1. We need to be prepared, both spiritually and temporally. We need to be reading our scriptures, studying the words written there, and praying daily for guidance. We need to be in tune with the Spirit at all times. We never know when we will need our emergency supplies and food storage. It may not be a natural disaster, or it may be, or it could be the loss of income or illness. If we are prepared, we have no need to fear.

2. We need to develop a strong faith in our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ. When we have a strong faith, difficult times will not seem as difficult. We will know that we have a loving Heavenly Father and Savior who truly loves us and they are there guiding every foot step we make. With faith in Jesus Christ we can do all things.

3. We need to be organized in our emergency preparedness, our food storage and in our lives, just as our Savior organized his Church and the Priesthood. Without organization there is chaos. We need organization to know how much food storage our family requires for a month, 3 months, 6 months, a year. We need organization to keep track of what we have and when to rotate what we store. With organization comes peace of mind.

Weekly Temporal Assignment--72 Hour Individual Emergency Stessor Kit (add each item below to the Stressor Kit for each family member):

1) Activity book (crosswork or word serach for adults and those appropriate for children)
2) Copy of family member's favorite reading book (soft cover if possible)
3) Card game (put a different one in each child's Stressor Kit for variety to play, Old Maid, Go Fish, Uno, etc.)

Congratulations! You have just completed the 72 Hour Individual Emergency Stressor Kit.

You should have the following items in your Stressor Kits:

1. Photo of the family
2. Small paper back copy of the Book of Mormon
3. Important contact numbers, preferable out of state
4. Copies of all insurances (parents only, except child's health insurance card)
5. Pad of paper with a pencil with a sharpener and a pen
6. Plastic poncho
7. Activity book
8. Copy of favorite reading book
9. Card game
10. $5 in change, you may add if you desire (just in case they need to purchase something or make phone calls)

Food Storage--January's Beverage Assignments (Add the follow, enough for one month for your entire family. You can choose which every week you want.)

Purchase Chart (per person per adult for a month):

Week 1: Milk Non-fat Dry, one #10 can**
Week 2: Cocoa Mix, 1/2 lb. or 1/4 #10 can
Week 3: Fruit Drink Mix, 1/2 lb. or 1/4 #10 can
Week 4: Evaporated Milk, 1x12 oz can
Week 5: Jucie, 3x64 oz bottles/cans

**You can also store Almond Milk, Rice Milk and Soy Milk in cartons that do not need refrigerated from Trade Joes, Whole Foods and other grocery stores. Watch the expiration dates, rotate and replace as needed. Remember, Milk Non-fat Dry does not store as long, depending on the tempature, how and where it is stored, 6 months if in grocery store bought container. In #10 cans it will store up to 10-20 years if stored properly.

Water Chart per person:

2 weeks--14 gallons or 4x24 count cases of 16.9 oz. bottles
1 month--55 gallon water barrel, one per person (only for drinking and cooking, does not include bathing, will need extra for bathing)

Water: See last week's posting for more information about storing water for the "Water Storage" posting under "Postings" on the right side of the Blog.

Remember: Post your name and comment for Sunday, tomorrow's, FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing by 8:am, Sunday, January 29th.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Weekly Assignment and Food Storage Ideas (Week of January 22nd)

Hi Carson Ward Family, Family and Friends,

Quote:

"Remember that without faith, you can do nothing;..." Doctrine and Covenants 8:10



What a powderful scripture! If we have faith we can acquire our year's supply of food and emergency supplies, but faith does take "works". It is our responsibility to make a plan and work on accomplishing that plan. With faith we will accomplish our goal!




After some serious though I have decided to simplify ways for us to obtain our Food Storage and Emergency Supplies. I have set up a monthly goal chart for us to follow in 2012. There will be two areas we will work on, first we will discuss and make assignments for emergency preparedness items, and second we will add items to our Food Storage and/or Emergency Preparedness Supplies. Each month we will concentrate on that assignment and food storage/emergency supplies.

January---Finish 72 Hour Emergency Preparedness Stressor Kits, Beverages (water, juices, milk, mixes, etc.)
February---CPR & First-aid Class, Family Medical Emergency Supply Kit/First-Aid Kit
March---Gardening & Fruit Trees, Beans and Legumes
April---Sanitation, Grains and Rice
May---Emergency Cooking, Oils and Fats
June---Shelter, Pastas and Tomatoes (sauces, canned diced & stewed, etc.)
July---Non-Food Items, Condiments (katsup, mustard, mayonnaise, etc.)
August---Canning Basics, Fruits and Vegetables
September---Emergency Equipment, Breakfast Foods
October---72 Hour Emergency Kits, Meats, including poultry and fish (canned)
November---Disaster Situations/What to do, Seasonings
December---New Goals and Getting Organized, Honey & Sugar

CPR, First-aid, and Disaster Preparedness Classes: This event will be held Saturday, February 25th, 9:00am-3:30pm at the Carson Building, with a 30 minute pot-luck lunch and 1-2 breaks. A Volunteer from the American Red Cross will be coming to teach the class. You must sign-up ahead of time for the class. Please see the sign-up sheet at Church or speak with Nancy Cuppett (310-835-0902 or email, theark.carsonward@gmail.com) if you want to attend the class. Last day to sign-up is Sunday, February 12th. The American Red Cross wants everyone to be as prepared as possible in case of a disaster or emergency type situation. With these classes you should be able to take care of your family and assist your neighbors. It will take a long time if there is a major disaster, sometimes even days or weeks, before medical assistance or emergency response teams can get to you. The better prepared we are individually, the more likely we will survive. This is a great opportunity for us to be prepared with CPR and First-aid skills and have some training in Disaster Preparedness.

January goals:

1) Finish the 72 Hour Emergency Preparedness Kits for your backpacks.
2) Replace water in your water barrels if a year old, add cases of small bottled water as needed, purchase beverages listed below.

1) 72 Hour Emergency Preparedness Stressor Kits:

This week add the following (one for each family member). Place the items below in the large zip lock bag with the items we have already added, mark the bag "Stressor Kit":

1. Insurance information---list all insurances, Homeowners, Renters, Homeowner Condo, Auto, Life, Medical/Health insurance policy numbers, named insured, coverages and contact phone numbers. It is best to make a copy of the them and put them in a zip lock bag marked insurance. If coping your insurance cards, make a copy of both the front and back.
2. Pad of paper and pencil with sharpener and a pen (not a large spiral notebook, need to conserve space)
3. Plastic poncho (you can purchase these at most sporting/camping stores or at EmergencyEssentials.com online for less than $2-$3 each)

You should have the following items:
1. Photo of the family
2. Small paper back copy of the Book of Mormon
3. Important contact numbers, preferable out of state
4. Copies of all insurances
5. Pad of paper with a pencil with a sharpener and a pen
6. Plastic poncho

2) Beverages:

1. Water--If you have not replaced the water in your 55 gallon (or smaller) water barrels in the past year, empty them, rinse them out, replace with clear clean water, added 1/4 cup of household bleach and seal the lid tightly. Or, use Activate Stabilized Oxygen (ASO, 10% strength formula). I purchased a 2 fluid oz bottle at Major Surplus and Survival Discount Warehouse on 435 W. Alondra Blvd in Gardena for $12.95. This bottle will protect two 55 gallon water barrels of water for 5 years. Personal I think this is a great deal, not having to rotate the water every year. Make sure you put the date when it will expire on the barrels with a permanent marker.

Also, replace the water in your 72 Hour Emergency Preparedness Kits every year.

It is also a good idea to have cases of small bottles of water on hand too.


Water Chart per person:

2 weeks--14 gallons or 4x24 count cases of 16.9 oz. bottles
1 month--55 gallon water barrel, one per person (only for drinking and cooking, does not include bathing, will need extra for bathing)

You can live without food for 40 days, but you can only live without water for 2-3 days.

Check out the "Postings" on the right side under "Water" for lots of ideas, great products for storing and filtering water and where you can purchase the 55 gallon water barrels.

2. This month, purchase fruit juice mixes, milk non-fat dry, cocoa mix, evaporated milk and bottled juice. Only purchase the items your family will drink. Since we are getting a late start this month, you may need to extent this into February. Try to purchase enough for your entire family for 1 month, 3 months, 6 months or a year if possible. Watch the expiration dates, rotate and replace as needed. I like to mark on the bottle or package with a permanent marker the expiration date so it is easier to see. Place newer items behind the older ones, making it easier to rotate. Remember, you will need to store extra water for those berverages that require wated added.

Purchase Chart (per person per adult for a month):

Week 1: Milk Non-fat Dry, one #10 can**
Week 2: Cocoa Mix, 1/2 lb. or 1/4 #10 can
Week 3: Fruit Drink Mix, 1/2 lb. or 1/4 #10 can
Week 4: Evaporated Milk, 1x12 oz can
Week 5: Jucie, 3x64 oz bottles/cans

**You can also store Almond Milk, Rice Milk and Soy Milk in cartons that do not need refrigerated from Trade Joes, Whole Foods and other grocery stores. Watch the expiration dates, rotate and replace as needed. Remember, Milk Non-fat Dry does not store as long, depending on the tempature, how and where it is stored, 6 months if in grocery store bought container. In #10 cans it will store up to 10-20 years if stored properly.

Challenge: I would like each Ward Family to acquire 1 month's supply of food for your family. This includes the basics, wheat, oatmeal, beans, rice, milk non-fat dry and other items your family eats on a regular bases. This is so important to me, once you accomplish this, I will give you a special reward.

Remember: Post your name and comment for our FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing. Drawing to be held, Sunday, January 29th.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Weekly Assignment and Food Storage Ideas (Week of January 8th)

Hi Carson Ward Family, Family and Friends,

Last week I admonished you to make some goals for the coming year regarding your Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness. I hope you have added some to your New Year's Goals and set up a plan to accomplish them.

Why do we need Food Storage and emergency supplies?

There are many scriptures which speak about being temporally and spiritually prepared and the blessings that come from being prepared. Our Church Leaders teach us and advise us to be self-reliant and set up our Food Storage and emergency supplies, to read our scriptures and pray daily, and to attend the Temple often to stay close to the spirit and receive revelation for ourselves and our family. We are taught to liken the scriptures unto us. Hear are a few scriptures regarding preparedness:

1. Doctrine and Covenants 38:30--"..., if ye are prepared ye shall not fear." How many times have we heard this and believe it? Great blessings come from being prepared!

2. Doctrine and Covenants 78:7---"For if you will that I give unto you a place in the celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things I have commanded you and required of you." How many times have we been taught and admonished by our Church General, Stake and Ward Leaders to have Food Storage and emergency supplies on hand? How long will it take us to follow their wise council and not fear the future?

3. Doctrine and Covenants 88:119---"Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God." Are we prepared for the things to come our way? Are we following the teachings of our Savior, Jesus Christ and leaders? Are we striving to prepare a way to protect ourselves and our families by following this scripture?

4. Doctrine and Covenants 133:57-58---"..., the Lord sent forth the fulness of his gospel, his everlasting covenant, reasoning in plainness and simplicity----To prepare the weak for those things which are coming on the earth,..." How prepared are we? Are we weak or strong when it comes to preparing our Food Storage and emergency supplies?

5. 1 Nephi 3:7---"And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father; I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." Are we striving to follow the commandments and be self-reliant?

6. 1 Nehpi 22:20---"And the Lord will surely prepare a way for his people,..." Are we striving for this? If we are making goals and following a plan to accomplish the goals, and striving to follow our leaders and the commandments in the scriptures, the Lord will provide a way for us to be prepared both temporally and spiritually. We have a vegetable garden, but just recently the Lord admonished me to plant some fruit trees, which I am following.

Great blessings will come our way if we are striving to be become prepared!

1. Doctrine and Covenants 104:2---"With promise immutable and unchangeable, that inasmuch as those whom I commanded were faithful they should be blessed with a multiplicity of blessings;"

2. Doctrine and Covenants 124:90---"And if he shall do this I will bless him with a multiplicity of blessings,...."

3. Mosiah 2:41---"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual;...."

Great News! I have finally set up a CPR, First-aid and disaster preparedness class with the American Red Cross. I have requested Saturday February 25th or Saturday, March 10th. The class will start at 9:00am and is 6 1/2 hours long. We will hold it in the Cultural Hall, have donuts, milk and juice in the morning and a pot-luck lunch. We need at least 10 Ward members to attend to have the class. Please save these dates on your calendar. I may not know which date we will get until about two weeks before the class. I will have a sign up sheet at church this Sunday. What a great opportunity this is for each of us to become more prepared!

Temporal Assignment:

We will completing the 72 Hour Emergency Preparedness Backpacks we were working on at the end of last year. We will be working on the Stressor Kit for each family member. Why do you need this? To help each family member through a stressful time. These items will help with that.

Please add the following items for each family member's Stressor Kit this week and put the items into a large zip lock plastic bag and write on it Stressor Kit:

1) Book of Mormon (blue paper back type) or small set of 4-1 scriptures
2) Photo of the family
3) Important contact, especially out of state contact numbers, numbers

Spiritual Assignment:

This year we are reading the Book of Mormon in Sunday School, this includes those in Primary, Young Men and Young Women. Follow along with the lesson guide, read the weekly assigned scriptures and discuss the weekly scriptures with your family. We are taught to liken the scriptures unto us. This will be our assignment for the year. If you do not have a lesson study guide contact a member of the Bishopric for one.

Please post your comments and ideas, they are greatly appreciated!