Weekly Assignment, Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness (Week of June 30th)

Hi Carson Ward Family, Family and Friends,

Quotes:

“Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46.)

 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 21:7)

Last Sunday my husband and I were asked to give talks in our Ward Sacrament Meeting from a talk from the April 1976 General Conference, "Family Preparedness" given by Spencer W. Kimball (President of The Church of Jesus of Christ of Latter-day Saints). We are grateful for that assignment and opportunity to learn. I encourage you to read this great talk and see how you and your family are doing in these areas.

This week I ran across a talk referenced in an article in the July 2013 Ensign "Powdered Milk, Budgets, and Blessings", pages 64-67. Click here to read the entire article, "Becoming Provident Providers Temporally and Spiritually" by Elder Robert D. Hales (Apostle of the Quorum of the Twelve, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). Below is a quote from that article...

"What is a provident provider?

All of us are responsible to provide for ourselves and our families in both temporal and spiritual ways. To provide providently, we must practice the principles of provident living: joyfully living within our means, being content with what we have, avoiding excessive debt, and diligently saving and preparing for rainy-day emergencies. When we live providently, we can provide for ourselves and our families and also follow the Savior’s example to serve and bless others."

It is our responsibility to provide for the needs of our family, not our church, not our local or federal government, not our neighbors. What are we doing to provide for them? Are we working towards a year's supply of Food Storage (where possible), water and emergency supplies, or at least a 3-months supply, or 6-months? Are we striving to be spiritually prepared and teaching our family also? Do we have a plan and goals, as an individual, as a family, to strive and become prepared for whatever may come our way? What are we doing to achieve them? Are we doing anything?

If not, why not?
Weekly Assignment: 72 Hour Individual Emergency Personal Hygiene Kit

This week add the following:

1) Deodorant (only for those that need it) per family member's personal hygiene kit.

2) Sunscreen Lotion (only one per adult in your family to be shared by the other younger family members)

3) Prescription medications for 3-5 days and/or vitamins  

Note: I have given you the last 3 items to add to your personal hygiene kit for each family member. Add all the items listed below and the ones above to your 72 Hour Individual Emergency Personal Hygiene Kit per family member and place the kit into the 72 Hour Individual Emergency Backpack for each family member.

Place these item in the large plastic zip lock bag marked Personal Hygiene Kit with their name for each household family member along with the other items we have already added: tooth brush, a small tube of tooth paste, a bottle of "no rinse" shampoo (one per every two people in the family), a small bar of bath soap with a wash cloth, baby wipes, hand sanitizer, heavy work gloves, roll of toilet paper, feminine hygiene items or diapers, 3 respirator masks, rain poncho, an emergency (reflecting) space blanket, small brush or comb, and an extra pair of prescription eyeglasses (old ones in case yours break).

Congratulations! Once you add the last 3 items above for this weekly assignment you have completed the 72 Hour Individual Emergency Personal Hygiene Kit per family member. I am giving you until July 20th to add these items while I have family visiting from out of state and we are on vacation. July 21st we will start on the 72 Hour Individual Emergency Stressor Kit. The last kit for your 72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack. If you have missed any of the 72 Hour Individual Emergency Food Kit or Personal Hygiene Kit go back to the beginning of this year and follow each blog posting.

Emergency Preparedness Ideas:

Summer/Emergency Cooking: Emergency Essentials/Preparedness Pantry is doing a series of classes on how to purchase a Dutch Oven and how to cook with it. Great information! Click here to view--Dutch Ovens, part 1 and here Dutch Ovens, part 2. Each day there will be more information. Google "Preparedness Pantry, How to cook with a Dutch Oven". Part 3 will teach you Dutch Oven breakfast recipes.


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

Weekly Assignment, Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness Ideas (Week of June 23rd)

Hi Carson Ward Family, Family and Friends,

The great blessings of food storage and emergency preparedness....

After the Joplin, Missouri, US tornado hit Joplin over a year ago, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Bishops in the area went into action. They called a meeting of their Ward Councils, which were held by light from a lantern due to no electricity, that same night after the tornado hit that afternoon, and put into action their Ward and Stake Emergency Plans and the church Welfare Program. As many of the Ward leaders that could attend who did not have damage or loss to their homes were there, even some of those with loss were there. Being the Young Women's President at the time, our daughter was in attendance. They assigned teams to go out and assess the needs of the Ward members and surrounding neighbors. Since cell phones were not working well they text as many Ward members as possible to see how they were and their needs. They reported back their

findings. They also assessed the Ward members who were not effected by the damages or loss and assessed how much they could help with food, water, clothing, bedding, shelter and other emergency needs. Overwhelmingly the members helped other members and neighbors. How could they do this?

Many of them had food storage and emergency supplies because they had followed the council and warnings of our General Authorities and local church leaders. They were able to help their Ward member families and neighbors. Supplies came pouring in. Great blessings and spiritual experiences came from their preparedness!

Other blessings of being prepared are ...

Having peace of mind and spirit knowing you are prepared

Knowing you will be able to take care of your family and loved ones

Knowing your family is not only temporally prepared, but also spiritually prepared
Knowing you will be able to help your neighbors and friends
Knowing you followed the council and warnings of our church General Authorities and local church leaders

Many may say their food storage and emergency supplies are for their family. If they help others, others will come and soon they will not have what they will need for their own family. I am not saying give it all away, be wise. The Lord will truly bless you if you give to others. You will have sufficient for your needs.

I read a quote given by spokesman Bill O'Reilly, "Helping others...isn't just the right thing to do. It is the patriotic thing to do." It is the Lord's way too. We are disciples of Jesus Christ. As disciples we promise to help others in need.

In Luke 6:46 we read, "Why call ye me Lord, Lord and do not the things I say?"

We need to be people of action, we need to be prepared by having on hand food, water and emergency supplies so we can help our family and others when the time comes.

Weekly Assignment: 72 Hour Emergency Individual Personal Hygiene Kit

This week add the following:

1) Comb or small brush per family member's personal hygiene kit.    

2) If you wear eyeglasses, an extra pair of old glasses in case yours break. Place them in an eyeglass case or wrap them so they do not break.

Place these item in the large plastic zip lock bag for each household family member along with the other items we have already added: tooth brush, a small tube of tooth paste, a bottle of "no rinse" shampoo (one per every two people in the family), a small bar of bath soap with a wash cloth, baby wipes, hand sanitizer, heavy work gloves, roll of toilet paper, feminine hygiene items or diapers, 3 respirator masks, rain poncho and an emergency (reflecting) space blanket.

LDS Dry Pack Canneries Closing:

There have been rumors going around on blogs and emails about the Federal Government closing down The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Dry Pack Canneries. This rumor is not true. I personally called our Los Angeles Dry Pack Cannery and the director said it is not true. They are, however, changing how 89  of the 101 dry pack canneries in the United States will operator. Click on the link below for more details and a statement from our church leaders..

LDS Dry Pack Canneries not closing

Emergency Preparedness Ideas:

Summer/BBQ Season: A great time to stock up on condiments, sauces and charcoal which are usually on sale this time of year. Also, if you do not have a vegetable garden, it is a great time to stock up on fresh vegetables in season and on sale, blanch and freeze them for future use. If you blanch them before freezing in plastic freezer zip lock bags they will keep for up to a year. Make sure you mark the date on the bag.

How long do you blanch vegetables before freezing? You will need to slice or chop them first. Do not blanch whole vegetables. You usually only blanch them about 2-3 minutes in boiling water, then put immediately into a large bowl of ice water, drain well, then freeze. You can "Google" a chart that will tell you how long to blanch for each type of fresh vegetable. Do not blanch bell peppers before freezing them. Slice them, remove the seeds, lay on a cookie sheet, place them in the freeze, freeze until frozen, place in a plastic freezer zip lock bag, write the date on the bag and freeze. Will keep for a year.

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

Weekly Assignment, Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness Ideas (Week of June 16th)

Hi Carson Ward Family, Family and Friends,

Quotes:

"...when we really get into hard times, where food is scarce or there is none at all, and so with clothing and shelter, money may be no good for there may be nothing to buy, and you cannot eat money, you cannot get enough of it together to burn to keep you warm, and you cannot wear it." (President J. Reuben Clark, Jr. -Church News, November 21, 1953, p. 4)

 “The time will come that gold will hold no comparison in value to a bushel of wheat.” (Brigham Young, in Journal of Discourses, vol. 1, p. 250, 1943 ed., p. 298)

I love these quotes! They may have been spoken several ago, but they hold true today. We have been warned and warned to store water, food, clothing and emergency supplies. There will come a time when no matter how much money you have there will be none of these items to purchase, and other items. Due to droughts, severe weather conditions, transportation issues, war and many other things, there may be no food to purchase. You will have only what you stored for the future. Plus, money may become obsolete. I think bartering will be how you will get the things you need. You may need extra food and other supplies, plus know a trade, to barter for what you will need.

Am I trying to scare you, you bet I am! If that is what it will take for you to prepare for what may be down the road, yes. The scriptures and our church leaders warn us of days when there will not enough food to eat. It just takes adding a few extra cans or packages of food each time you go grocery shopping. Try it and see if you will not be amazed how fast your food storage builds up.

Weekly Assignment: 72 Hour Individual Emergency Personal Hygiene Kit:

This week add the following:

One Emergency (reflecting) Space Blanket per family member's 72 Hour Individual Emergency Personal Hygiene Kit. You can find these for $1.75 and one for $3.75 each at emergencyessential.com. These can also be found at Target, Kmart, WalMart, sporting good stores and other department stores in their camping area. We only have 4 more items to add to the 72 Hour Personal Hygiene Kit.

Note: If you  have not already and are going to order your rain poncho from emergencyessentials.com it is a good time to order them at the same time to save on shipping cost.

Place this item in the large plastic zip lock bag for each household family member along with the other items we have already added: tooth brush, a small tube of tooth paste, a bottle of "no rinse" shampoo (one per every two people in the family), a small bar of bath soap with a wash cloth, baby wipes, hand sanitizer, heavy work gloves, roll of toilet paper, feminine hygiene items or diapers, 3 respirator masks and rain poncho. Note: I placed the toilet paper in a medium size plastic zip lock bag separate from the other items, and then put it in the backpack.

Emergency Preparedness Ideas:

Now that you have food stored, how will you cook it if you cannot use or conventional stove? It is best to have several ways to cook, like a BBQ with charcoal (easier and safer to store), a Dutch Oven (practice how to cook with one, lots of fun), a Butane Stove with cans of Butane fuel (also practice using it), a fire pit, and or a solar oven. See the posting under "Postings" on the right side of this blog under "Cooking, Heating and Lighting" for more ideas on different types of cooking equipment and safety when using them.

Remember to the first rule of food storage---rotate, rotate, rotate what you store. Food is too costly to let it goes to waste. Also, store only what your family will eat.

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

Weekly Assignment, Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness Ideas (Week of June 9th)

Hi Carson Ward Family, Family and Friends,

Congratulations! The Omar and Tanya Ramil Family and the Helen Trefflich Family each won a one burner Butane Stove with two cans of Butane fuel for the April and May Carson Ward FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing.

Trials of Faith...

The last few weeks have been "trials of faith" for our family and many more in the Mid-west area with tornadoes and flooding, and for families not living close by knowing if their family is alright. Our daughter's family, who live in Carl Junction, Missouri, USA, were threatened by tornadoes last week as well as one of our friends daughter's family in Oklahoma, USA. It was a very scary situation for several hours when I saw Carl Junction, Missouri, USA come up on the weather channel, that the tornado was upon them. My Aunt, who lives a block away from our daughter, said the tornado went over them this time. It was a scary time for them. The people in the areas take shelter either in a basement, tornado shelter or the safest place in their home or business for several hours. First they hear the tornado siren. Then they hear things like "the tornado is 10 minutes away". Our friend tried to get hold of his daughter by calling her, but no answer, as did we, but he remembered some times texting works. There was a delay with them being in their tornado shelter but he was able to hear back from her. His daughter asked him, "What should we do?". He told her it all comes down to "faith". Thank goodness our daughter and her family are alright, as well as our friend's family.

FAITH is a very powerful word! We all need faith in our Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ to get through these trials of our faith. We need to know and believe that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are there watching over us. We do not always know in this life why we lost a loved one, our home or our precious things. We need faith to believe and trust in God. Most material things can be replaced, and having a knowledge of eternal families and that we will see them again can bring comfort.

"There is nothing that we are enduring that Jesus does not understand, and He waits for us to go to our Heavenly Father in prayer. I testify that if we will be obedient and if we are diligent, our prayers will be answered, our problems will diminish, our fears will dissipate, light will come upon us, the darkness of despair will be dispersed, and we will be close to the Lord and feel of His love and of the comfort of the Holy Ghost". (Elder Robert D. Hales, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints)

"I will never forget thee, O house of Israel. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; they walls are continually before me." (1 Nephi 21:15-16)

Our lives are not without trials and challenges, but if we are prepared both spiritually and temporally it will make it a little easier to get through them. Faith in our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ will get us through them.

Texting: I am always saying texting works in emergency situations and is best to use. Here I say that all the time, but I forgot myself when trying to get hold of our daughter. I kept calling their land line getting a busy signal and their cell phone with no answer. I totally forgot about texting her. Texting works as in the case of our friend trying to reach his daughter. Always use texting in an emergency situation to keep the cell phone and other phone lines open for emergency personnel.

Weekly Assignment: 72 Hour Individual Emergency Personal Hygiene Kit

This week add the following:

Rain poncho per family 72 Hour Individual Emergency Personal Hygiene Kit. You can find these for a $1 and one for $3.50 at

emergencyessential.com. These can also be found at Target, Kmart, WalMart, sporting good stores and other department stores in their camping area.

Note: Next week we will be adding the Emergency (Space) Blanket. You can also purchase these from emergencyessentials.com for $1.75 and $3.75 each. If you are ordering the rain poncho you might want to order the emergency blanket to save on postage.

Place these items in the large plastic zip lock bag for each household family member along with the other items we have already added: tooth brush, a small tube of tooth paste, a bottle of "no rinse" shampoo (one per every two people in the family), a small bar of bath soap with a wash cloth, baby wipes, hand sanitizer, heavy work gloves, roll of toilet paper, feminine hygiene items or diapers, and 3 respirator masks. Note: I placed the toilet paper in a medium size plastic zip lock bag separate from the other items, and then put it in the backpack.

Emergency Preparedness Ideas:

Road Trips and Vacation Trips: Many of you will be taking vacation road trips or renting cars in areas where you fly. Be aware of the weather in those areas and use extreme caution while driving in those weather conditions. Review the warnings in "Disaster Situation and What to Do" on the right side of this blog under "Postings". Be cautious and do not take any chances when it comes to your safety and your family's. Always keep food, water, a blanket, a First-aid kit, flares, flashlight with extra batteries, radio with extra batteries or a solar radio, and a road map of the area you will be traveling in while traveling in our car.

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