Spiritual Preparedness and Thought . . .
"Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen." (Book of Mormon, Alma 26:37)
Isn't it amazing how Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ can be mindful of us all in no matter what our circumstances. It brings me great comfort in knowing this, especially when times are tough and we might be in disaster situation (natural or man made). When we are in this type of situation it is our faith and hope in Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ that will get us through these tough times. Keeping close to the Spirit, reading our scriptures daily and praying often will help receive the inspiration we will need to protect ourselves and our loved one. We can be mindful of Heavenly Father and our Savior when we are close to the Spirit.
Being close to the Spirit will also help us in our temporal emergency preparedness. I have felt the promptings of the Spirit many times in what I personal need to do for our family.
Spiritual preparedness is staying close to the Spirit so we can be guided. Each person needs to be spiritually prepared. You cannot rely on others spiritual preparedness.
July Monthly Assignments
Summer time is a great time to work on condiments and paper products since they are usually on sale.
Food Storage . . . Condiments
This month we are adding condiments to our food storage, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, pickle relish, BBQ sauces, etc. Watch for sales in your local grocery stores and big box stores and stock up. If you purchase them at discount stores watch the expiration dates. Only store what your family uses. Remember to rotate them as needed and store in a cool, dry, dark place. Continually add them throughout the Summer while on sale. Before you know if you will have meet your goal.
Emergency Preparedness . . .
Paper supplies
Another great thing to add this time of year is our emergency paper supplies. If there is a disaster or emergency situation you do not want to use your valuable precious water to do the dishes. Store those paper items your family will use, large plates, small plates, bowls, cups, napkins or paper towels and plastic silverware. You can keep these in your garage, attic, or back yard storage shed. Keep them in a large plastic container so they do not get wet or rodents chew on them. Watch for sales throughout the Summer at your local grocery store, discount stores and big box stores. Store what you family will need for the number of months you have set your goal, 1-month, 3-months, 6-months, a year.
Note: When ever we order take out food and take it home, I save the plastic silverware and use our home silverware. It is amazing how fast it builds up. I then put them in large plastic zip lock bags and store them with the other emergency paper supplies in large plastic containers.
Emergency Preparedness Ideas
How is your vegetable garden doing?
I love being able to go out to my back yard and pick fresh vegetables that have no pesticides on them. We are just about ready for canning and freezing. In fact, I just prepared our first zucchinis and bell peppers for freezing. The tomatoes are starting to ripen and the carrots are almost ready to harvest for canning.
The zucchini can be frozen or canned. I prefer to freeze mine. You can either freezer without being blanched first or blanched. I do both. The non-blanched ones will last about a year in your freezer. The blanched ones will last over a year, possible 2 years. I cut the zucchini length wise into 4 strips. Then I slice them about 1/4 inch thick. I place 2-3 cups in a quart size plastic freezer zip lock bag. Write on the date and if blanched or non-blanched. Then I place 4 of these size baggies into a gallon size plastic freezer zip lock bag and freeze them. It gives them extra protection from freezer burn.Note: To blanch vegetables clean them first, cut them up, then place them into boiling water. Boil for about 1-2 minutes according to the type of vegetable. Remove immediately and place in ice cold water. Once cool, drain and let them dry. Then place in your plastic freezer zip lock bags.
Bell peppers: You do not need to blanch bell peppers before freezing. I clean them, take out the seeds and membrane, then slice them, let them dry and then place them in a quart plastic freezer zip lock bag. They will keep for a year. I take out as much as I need for a recipe. Make sure to mark them with the date and the contents.What a great way to add to your food storage and save money! We all need to be more self-reliant and one way is to have a vegetable garden and a fruit tree or more. Even if you live in an apartment or have a small yard, everyone can grow some type of vegetables or fruit. If you do not have a vegetable garden then purchase vegetables when they are in season and on sale to save money and process as above.
For more information on vegetable gardens and canning and freezing fruits and vegetables go to the right of this blog under "Postings" and click on the links.
Threats of today . . .
Not only do we have natural and man made disasters, civil unrest, chemical spills and rioting, but there are concern in the world today of an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) attack being exploded over our county. It may never happen in your area, but like anything else, we need to be prepared ahead of time to protect ourselves and our families. You need to have a plan in place now, when it happens it is to late!
Click here to learn about "7 Actions to Take Immediately Following an EMP Attack" and read other articles on how to prepare.
Comments and Questions: Please share your comments and questions below. We all learn from each others experiences and knowledge. If you have a question and do not want to leave it below please email me at theark.carsonward@gmail.com. Thank you for sharing. Your comments and questions are most appreciated!
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