Friday, July 6, 2012

Weekly Assignment, Food Storage and Preparedness Ideas (Week of July 8th)

Hi Carson Ward Family, Family and Friends,

Quotes:

"Prepare ye prepare ye for that which is to come, for the Lord is nigh."  (Doctrine and Covenants 1:12)

"Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing:...." (Doctrine and Covenants 88:119)

"If we are wise with our means, we will be prepared for hard times." (President George Albert Smith)

I love Aesop's Fables story abut the "The Grasshopper and the Ants". Are we like the ant who harvests his supplies when they are available and stores them up against the day when it would not be possible to obtain them? Or, are we like the grasshopper, a much larger insect, who does not lay up anything in store for hard times, but depends upon providence, or others, to provide him what he needs?

When our son was on his mission in Honduras there were two missions. His mission president felt a very strong warning he need to stock up on supplies, food, water, etc. for his missionaries. He did not know why, but followed the warning. He told the other mission president in Honduras of his concerns, but that mission president decided not to heed the warning. Several months later a devastating hurricane hit Honduras, the one mission president was able to take care of his missionaries and also help the other mission.

Brothers and Sisters, hard times are here, and more are ahead! Are we the ant or the grasshopper? Are we prepared for the harder times ahead, or do we think others will provide for us and our loved ones? We have been admonished over and over by our General, Stake and Ward Leaders and in the scriptures to be prepared. What does it take for us to follow that admonish? Some day will be to late! We need to fill our storehouses (our homes) now! Just a little at a time, and you will astonished by how much you have stored.

What would happen if our infrastructure (computer systems, roads, freeways, etc.) fell apart? What if the trucks could not get through to deliver food to the markets? Our grocery markets only have about 2 weeks of food in inventory. We have all seen on the news how quickly food disappears off the shelves when there is an impending danger. What would we do?

Let's not be like the grasshopper who depends on providence or others, which will probably not come, and will starve. But, let's be like the ant, and store up "every needful thing" for our family.

FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing Weekly Question:

What is the difference between the ant and the grasshopper, and why do we need to be like the ant? Please email me the answer to theark.carsonward@gmail.com. Please remember to include your name if your name is not in your email address.

July Goals: Adding Non-Food Items and Condiments to your Food Storage and Emergency Supplies

Weekly Non-Food Items Assignment:

1) This week add paper bowls (hot/cold) to your Food Storage. You will  need to determine how many meals a week you would use paper bowls, example: breakfast--cereal, oatmeal, lunch/dinner--soups, stews, etc. Remember, you will need that many for each person in the family.

Weekly Condiments Assignment:

1) This week add 1 month to 12 months supply, what ever your goal is, of one of the condiments your family eats. You will need to determine how much of that condiment you use in a month and then multiply by the number of months (1-12 months) for your goal. If you purchase them at the 99 Cent Store, Dollar Tree, etc., watch the expiration dates. Sometimes they expire in just a few days, and sometimes they have already expired.

Food Storage Idea:

Where do I store my Food Storage? Designate different places in your home. You can use your garage, but it is really to hot and your shelf life is diminished drastically. I really do not encourage anyone to store food in their garage unless it is insulated and the food can be kept cool and dry. You will need to rotate your food more often. The best place to store your Food Storage is in your house. You can store food in cupboards, closets, and under beds. When you purchase coffee tables or end/bed side tables, purchase ones with storage. Go on line for more ideas. Be creative!

Emergency Preparedness Ideas:

When your family gets together discuss Emergency Preparedness. Assess how prepared each family is and what they need and encouragement them to be prepared. Work together as a family and set goals to accomplish the goals. Have a monthly family meeting, either in person, by email, by phone or skype. Refer to this blog for ideas and encourage them to check out the blog weekly for ideas.

Keep all your different types of emergency supplies in groups. Example, keep all your shelter supplies together in one place in your garage or backyard storage shed. Keep all your cooking supplies together in one place. Keep all your sanitation supplies together in one place. That way they are easier to inventory and get to them when you need them.

Remember: We love our comments, ideas and experiences. Please post them below. We all need to help each other prepare!

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