Weekly Assignment, Food Storage & Emergency Preparedness (Week of April 14th)

Hi Carson Ward Family, Family and Friends,

Spiritual Preparedness...

Being temporally prepared is important, but being spiritually prepared is just as important and will give you the strength and faith you may need to get through whatever disaster or emergency may come your way.

Wasn't The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-days Saints 183rd Annual General Conference wonderful and so uplifting? For any of you who missed it you will be able to read all the talks for both the Saturday and Sunday sessions in the May 2013 Ensign, or view the talks on lds.org.  For the next four weeks, each week, I will highlight some of the things mentioned in each talk for that session to help you become more spiritually prepared. Let's start with the Saturday morning session....

"Home should provide safety and security....All are born with the light of Christ....What we do the that light is our responsibility.... We need to make righteous choices." (Boyd K. Packer, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles)

"In order to resist the tempest and earthquakes of our lives we must build a sure foundation on Jesus Christ.... We need balance in our lives to be strong.... We need to build our lives on a sure foundation, daily prayer, daily scripture reading and weekly partaking of the Sacrament." (Dean M. Davies, 2nd Counselor of the Presiding Bishopric)

"Heavenly Father knows us and has a plan for us.... Our part matters.... 'Stand as witness of God in all times and in all places.'" (Mosiah 18:9) (Elaine S. Dalton, General Young Women's President)

"We can overcome the world by His enabling power of the Atonement." (Craig A. Cardon, of the Seventy)

"Heavenly Father has provided a way for all his children to receive the blessings of the Priesthood....We have unlimited divine nature, be careful, we can drift away without light and the Priesthood....We need the light and power of God in our lives." (M. Russell Ballard, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles)

"Simple acts of obedience, attending Sacrament Meeting and partaking of the Sacrament and searching the scriptures....We may not receive all the answers to our prayers, but the Lord will draw close to you....The Lord's power will sustain you....By his words and example he has showed us how to draw close to Him." (President Henry B. Eyring, 1st Counselor, 1st Presidency)

Note: If you are a non-member and are interested in knowing more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints go to mormon.org.

Weekly Assignment: 72 Hour Individual Emergency Personal Hygiene Kit...

This week we will start the 72 Hour Individual Emergency Personal Hygiene Kit. We will add one item each week. Most of the items can be found at discount centers like The 99 Cent Store, the Dollar Tree or Dollar

General. As you add each item each week place all the items in a large plastic zip lock bag. Write the family member's name on each bag. Keep the Personal Hygiene Kit with the Food Kit and Snack Kit in a backpack.

This week add the following...

1) Tooth brush and tooth paste (small tube) per family member's Personal Hygiene Kit--You can find these together in a package at discount centers like The 99 Cent Store and the Dollar Tree or Dollar General. Some times, at these discount centers, you can find several tooth brushes for $1 and then purchase enough small tubes of tooth paste for each tooth brush. Place them together in a small plastic zip lock bag before putting them in the large plastic zip lock bag. Target and other pharmacies like CVS and Rite-aid have $1 bins where you may find them.

Great Vegetable Gardening Tips:

Eggshells are great for your vegetable gardens, but remember to rinse the eggshells out well before using in any of the following.

1) Add crushed eggshells to the bottom of planting holes, particularly when planting tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. They add calcium and may help with blossom end rot.
2) Dry eggshells out and blend them into a fine powder and spread them around the base of plants.
3) Placing crushed eggshells (with sharp edges intact) in a ring around the base of a plant can deter slugs, snails and cutworms.

4) Use eggshells as "pots" for starting plants from seed. Place garden soil in the eggshells, plant your seed and place in the egg carton. Water daily. Once the seed is sprouted and big enough, plant the seedling with their "pot" in the garden.

5) Add eggshells to your compost pile, adding calcium to your finished compost.


(These ideas come from the "Books & Things" Spring 2013 catalog, page 41)

Emergency Preparedness:

Personal Experience...This past week we have had unbelievably strong winds here in Southern California, some times gusts of hurricane force. They have been so strong in our area along the coast that they up rooted a big tree at the end of our block and it landed on a car. One day we had a small tornado like winds go down our street, throwing palm fronds around, small branches, leaves and even picked up a neighbors large metal and plastic tent, tossing it somewhere. While I was in our back yard getting our vegetable garden ready for planting my husband looked up and saw the telephone and power pole cross bean had cracked in half and the main wires to our hours and surrounding houses were dangling over our garage. He called the power company to repair it. In many areas people and businesses have lost their power due to down trees and power lines. Due to all the down power lines they cannot repair the power pole for another 4-6 weeks. The power company tied up the wires until they could make the repair. I am so grateful we are prepared by having a gas generator and a fuel less solar generator. If our electricity goes out we can run our refrigerator, a light or two and watch the TV news or listen to our radio to see what is going on in our in our area.

So many of us do not know how to turn off our electricity, water or gas in an emergency situation or disaster. It is important for each of us and our family members to know how and where to turn off the main water valve, the main electrical panel, gas lines in the house (hot water heater, dryer and stove) and the main gas line. Remember, only turn off your main gas line if you have been advised by local government leaders or you smell gas after a disaster. If you do turn off the main gas line, only the gas company can turn it back on, which can take days in a disaster. Keep a main gas line turn off value/wrench near your main gas line (taped with duct tape). They cost about $5 from your local hardware store or online. Mark your main water valve with a red ribbon or red tag so others will know were it is if you are not home. If you do not know how to turn these important values off, then ask a friend, neighbor, plumber or electrician, or your local water, gas and electric company. Never touch or walk near downed power lines, especially if the power lines are in water, they may be live. Teach your family this important information. Knowing this information may save lives in an emergency situation or disaster.

Comments: All your comments, ideas, suggestions and experiences are welcome! We all learn from each other. Thank you for your comments.