Emergency Preparedness, Food Storage and Monthly Assignments (Week of June 14th)

Hi Torrance Stake Family, Carson Ward Family, Family and Friends,

Spiritual Preparation . . .
               An Apostle's Last Words to the World


Three days before the passing of Apostle Elder L. Tom Perry, Elder M. Russell Ballard and Elder Dallin H. Oaks visited Elder Perry. Elder Perry, who spoke of his love for the members of the Church, and his great anxiety and concern for their spiritual well-being.

(I would like to also give this advice to the world, it pertains to all of us!)

"Elder Oaks remembered Elder Perry saying, 'I just worry about what is going on in the world! How did we get mixed up in this mess?' Elder Perry continued, 'Worldwide morals are declining. At the same time, we have populations all over the world that are suffering. We have lost our good, strong beliefs---it is just a tough time.'"

Elder Ballard recounted the advice that Elder Perry wanted the people of the Church to hear. 'I wish I could get every member of the Church to go and partake of the Sacrament, and when they took the break, they'd ask themselves, 'Who am I? What am I doing? How am I living? Where am I going? What should I be accomplishing?' as they renew their covenants with the Lord. He finished, 'The minute they'd pick up the bread, something would happen.'"

In those final quiet days, Elder Perry delivered his testimony to his brethren in the apostleship. 'Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world. Everything depends on Him. We'd better find a way to stay close to him, and if we can't, there's not much hope. He is what we need.'"

(From LDSLiving.com, "Elder Perry's Last Advice to Church Members")

Another Apostle's Council of Hope and Faith  . . .

Many of us have been through devastating natural disasters and other life changing events. We need to be prepared spiritually as well as temporally.  Here is the counsel of another LDS Apostle, Elder M. Russell Ballard regarding hope and encouragement . . .

"Although the prophecies tell us that these things are to take place (Matthew 24 and the Joseph Smith Translation Matthew 24)),  more and more people are expressing great alarm at what appears to be an acceleration of worldwide calamity. ... Admittedly we have ample reason to be deeply concerned because we see no immediate answers to the seemingly unsolvable problems confronting the human family. But regardless of this dark picture, which will ultimately get worse, we must never allow ourselves to give up hope! ...

"...The Lord is in control. He knows the end from the beginning. He has given us adequate instruction that, if followed, will see us safely through any crisis. His purposes will be fulfilled, and someday we will understand the eternal reasons for all of these events. Therefore, today we must be careful not to overreact, nor should we be caught up in extreme preparations; but what we must do is keep the commandments of God and never lose hope!

"But where do we find hope in the midst of such turmoil and catastrophe? Quite simply, our one hope for spiritual safety during these turbulent times is to turn our minds and our hearts to Jesus Christ. ...Armed with the shield of faith, we can overcome many of our daily challenges and overpower our greatest weaknesses and fears, knowing that if we do our best to keep the commandments of God, come what may, we will be all right." (Ensign, November 1992, pages 31-32)

June Monthly Assignments

Food Storage: Pastas

Pastas are another economical item to add to your food storage. There are so many varieties of pastas to store. Only store the varieties your family eats. Figure out how much pastas and the types you eat for the number of months you have set you goal, 1-Month, 3-Months, 6-Months, 1-Year. Watch for sales. I find sales and the store brands at regular grocery stores, big box stores like Costco and Sam's Club, and if you have Trader Joe's (Western USA) in your area are great on prices. Emergency supply companies that sell dehydrated/freeze-dried pastas tend to be more expensive, but they are great for long term storage.

Storage: Pastas are easy to store. Pastas are like rice and bean, they attract moths.When you bring them home from the store, regular package types, put them in your freezer for 24 hours to kill any larva and moths. Let them warm up to room temperature before storing them away. Remember the rule: Store all pastas, no matter what type of container, in a cool, dry and dark place. Storage containers: You can store them in their original packages for up to the expiration date which is usual 1+ years. Or, you can purchase them in #10 dehydrated/freeze-dried cans for 20-25 years. You can also use the Mason jar canning oven  method or the Mason jar canning FoodSaver method to store them for 3-5 years. (Go to YouTube for instructions. Whole Wheat pastas: You cannot store whole wheat pastas in #10 cans or using the Mason jar canning oven method or the FoodSaver method due to their high moisture content. Store them in their original packages up to the expiration date.

Emergency Preparedness: Water Storage

Water is the most important thing you should store. As I have said many times, "You can live without food for 40+ days, but you can only live without water for about 2-3 days". 

The rule is 1 gallon per day per person for drinking and cooking. Some say you only need to store water for 2-3 weeks. But I think you should have enough water for 2-3+ months. If you store dehydrated or freeze-dried products you will need extra water to rehydrate them. If you store rice, beans and pastas you will need extra water to allow cooking time. If you want to include bathing, most likely just sponge bathing, you will need extra water. 

There are several ways to store water. In 5, 10, 15, 30, and 50/55 gallon water storage containers or barrels, in16 ounce individual plastic bottles like Arrowhead water, 2 liter or gallon plastic bottles. Another idea I love is the Water Bricks. They stack like bricks and hold about 3-5 gallons of water. You can create tables with them and cover them with a table cloth. Water rain barrels are also another great source for collecting and storing water.

Water Filtration: Each household should have 1-2 ways to filter water in case you need to use other water resources like a lake, river or stream, or you are concerned about the safety of your stored water.

To see more ideas on Water Storage and Filtration click here to go to the posting on the right.

Emergency Preparedness Ideas

This week I had several people ask me about their concerns and questions about food storage. Here is what I told them.

What about the years food supply offers like Costco, Sam's Club and other emergency preparedness companies offer? 

Yes, it may look like a great deal but you need to consider what foods are offered in the years supply. Many times some of the food offered your family will not eat. It is a known tested fact that even when someone is starving they will not eat what they do not like. The years supply of food should have a list of what each food is in the offer. Be careful.

Next, When you store dehydrated/freeze-dried foods it takes a lot of water to rehydrate the food. You will need to store extra water.

There are lots of companies that offer the years supply for one, for two, etc. Look them over before making your decision and see how much it works out to be per serving. One company I especially like and find their prices to be the best is emergencyessentials.com. Sometime Costco and Sam's Club get great deals with them and other companies to offer them to their customers. Thrive.com, Shelf-Reliance.com and the LDS Cannery have great prices. I usually prefer to purchase the dehydrated/freeze-dried products individually or in small combo groups like vegetables. And I only purchase them when they are on sale. You can go to emergencyessentials.com (also know as beprepared.com) and order their catalog or check them out on line. They are also sell other emergency preparedness items.

How do you start your food storage?

You just start by adding extra cans and packages of items you purchase all the time for you and your family. Start simple and small. Do not worry about the long term food storage involving dehydrated and freeze-dried foods in the beginning.Once again, do not store foods your family will not eat. It is a waste of your money.

Many years ago The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stressed long term food storage. Many members were feeling overwhelmed with it, plus the cost. A few years ago the Church's First Presidency announced to its members, and the world, to set a goal of 3-Months Supply food, canned and packages
foods that your family eats. Determine how much your family eats of the items you use and set a goal. Purchase a little extra each time you go shopping. Watch for sales, they are the best because you can purchase a few extra cans or packages. The key to food storage is buy what you will eat and rotate, rotate, rotate so your food storage does not expire and you are not throwing away money. Also, canned and packaged foods need to be stored in a cool, dry, dark place. Once you have your 3-Month Supply of food, then start on the long term dehydrated and freeze-dried foods. Do not forgot to store water too.

Comments and Questions: Please share your comments below. We all learn from each others experiences and knowledge. If you have any questions you can leave them below or email me at theark.carsonward@gmail.com. I will research your questions and answer it on the blog next time. Thank you for your comments.