Story . . .
A young man was asked to give a talk in Sacrament Meeting (church). He approached the pulpit without his scriptures and notes and stood in front of the congregation and looked out over them. He did not say a word. The congregation wondered if he was too scared or nervous to say anything. He continued to stand there without saying a word. Some were beginning to think why doesn't some one help him, where are this parents? The Bishopric wiggled in their seats not sure what they should do. The young man stood there for what seemed forever. After about 3 minutes he started to speak, there was silence in the chapel. He said, "Now you know how your ancestors feel", referring to genealogy and temple work, and sat down.
Just as this young man wanted to let the congregation know their ancestors were waiting for their temple work to be done, your family is waiting for you to be prepared for what may come your family's way, do not be silent about it but act. If you have not started preparing with food and water storage and emergency equipment and supplies, then start today, and do not delay nor procrastinate any longer. Many people feel overwhelmed by the process. Emergency preparedness is a life long process. Not something you achieve in a few weeks, months or even years. It takes time to build up your food storage and emergency supplies. The sooner you start, the closer you will be to your goal of being better prepared. Use this blog, and share it with other, to help you become prepared.
When you are striving to be prepared, both temporally, spiritually and physically, Heavenly Father will bless you. You will find peace in the turmoil around you knowing you are trying. Spiritual Preparation
I love the poem below by Mother Teresa. Life is not easy, but we can embrace it. These are words of wisdom that can bring understanding and peace to our lives. None of us are without trials and challenges in this life. If we are prepared spiritually they will be a little easier to handle. When times get tough I remember the woman in the Philippines who was interviewed after the typhoon and tsunami that hit the island. She had lost every thing, her family, her home, her treasures, every thing, but she was still at peace because of her faith in our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ. We need to increase our spiritual preparedness every day by praying, reading the scriptures and staying close to the Spirit. When we are spiritually prepared we can find peace in our trials and challenges.
“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.”
― Mother Teresa
This can be one of the more expensive items to add to your food storage.Watch for sales and check out the prices at big box stores like Costco and Sam's Club. If you are a vegetarian then add more beans and other vegetarian canned foods to your food storage. Decide on your goal, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, a year. Work towards your goal. If you cannot achieve it in a month, then continue to add to your meats, poultry and fish food storage, a little at a time is better than not at all.
Remember, the success of any food storage is keep all food items in a cool, dry, dark place with the temperature, if possible, below 70 degrees. The higher the temperature the less storage time you have and the nutritional value starts to diminish. Also, rotate, rotate, rotate your food storage. Most canned foods are alright for a few months after the expiration date as long as the can is not bubbled, dented and has been properly stored.
Add
only those types of meat products your family will eat, beef, pork,
chicken, turkey, ham, tuna, Salmon, etc. I purchase canned chicken,
roast beef and tuna at Costco. The chicken and roast beef come with 6
cans, 12.5 oz cans packed in water. The tuna comes with 12 cans, 7 oz
cans packed in water. I rotate these products by making chicken, roast
beef and tuna sandwiches, casseroles and soup (not the tuna) from them .
Do not forget canned chili (without or with beans) and stews.
Another way to store meats, poultry and fish for long term storage is to purchase dehydrated meats, poultry and fish. These are more expensive but worth having some for your long term storage. Watch for sales. I find emergencyessentials.com has the best prices, especially when on sale. They have chicken, turkey, beef and pork in the ground form or small pieces. They also have fish products. Just remember, when you store dehydrated or freeze-dried products you need to store extra water to rehydrate them.
Canning meats and poultry in Mason jars: I have not tried this yet but I have seen it done and really want to try it. You will need a pressure canner. The beef, chicken and turkey are placed in the Mason Jars raw and cooked in the pressure canner. Rotate by using in your daily cooking. Remember, keep in a cool, dry, dark place where the temperature is less than 70 degrees. Ball has a great website that shows different types of canning and answers to most of your questions. Click here to view their website. Go back to the previous week, February 1st, to watch the videos on how to can meats and poultry.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.”
― Mother Teresa
New Monthly Assignment
February Monthly Assignments:
Canned and Dehydrated Meats, Poultry and Fish . . .This can be one of the more expensive items to add to your food storage.Watch for sales and check out the prices at big box stores like Costco and Sam's Club. If you are a vegetarian then add more beans and other vegetarian canned foods to your food storage. Decide on your goal, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, a year. Work towards your goal. If you cannot achieve it in a month, then continue to add to your meats, poultry and fish food storage, a little at a time is better than not at all.
Remember, the success of any food storage is keep all food items in a cool, dry, dark place with the temperature, if possible, below 70 degrees. The higher the temperature the less storage time you have and the nutritional value starts to diminish. Also, rotate, rotate, rotate your food storage. Most canned foods are alright for a few months after the expiration date as long as the can is not bubbled, dented and has been properly stored.
Add
only those types of meat products your family will eat, beef, pork,
chicken, turkey, ham, tuna, Salmon, etc. I purchase canned chicken,
roast beef and tuna at Costco. The chicken and roast beef come with 6
cans, 12.5 oz cans packed in water. The tuna comes with 12 cans, 7 oz
cans packed in water. I rotate these products by making chicken, roast
beef and tuna sandwiches, casseroles and soup (not the tuna) from them .
Do not forget canned chili (without or with beans) and stews. Another way to store meats, poultry and fish for long term storage is to purchase dehydrated meats, poultry and fish. These are more expensive but worth having some for your long term storage. Watch for sales. I find emergencyessentials.com has the best prices, especially when on sale. They have chicken, turkey, beef and pork in the ground form or small pieces. They also have fish products. Just remember, when you store dehydrated or freeze-dried products you need to store extra water to rehydrate them.
Canning meats and poultry in Mason jars: I have not tried this yet but I have seen it done and really want to try it. You will need a pressure canner. The beef, chicken and turkey are placed in the Mason Jars raw and cooked in the pressure canner. Rotate by using in your daily cooking. Remember, keep in a cool, dry, dark place where the temperature is less than 70 degrees. Ball has a great website that shows different types of canning and answers to most of your questions. Click here to view their website. Go back to the previous week, February 1st, to watch the videos on how to can meats and poultry.
February Monthly Emergency Preparedness Assignment
Inventorying, Organizing, Assessing, Replacing, and Purchasing Emergency Equipment and Supplies . . .
This
is a great time of the year to inventory all your emergency equipment
and supplies, organize them into groups (like lighting, cooking
equipment and fuel, shelter, etc.), assessing what you have and what you
still need, replacing and repairing any broken items, and purchasing
items you still need. Make sure all cooking fuels are not leaking,
stored safely and replace as needed.You should have at least one item in
each emergency preparedness category. Keep a notebook of your supplies,
what needs replaced or repaired and what you still need. Set goals to
accomplish the needed task. Set up certain areas in your garage, attic,
basement or backyard storage shed and organize your supplies together.
This is a great family weekend project. 
You will not want to miss this event.
Bi-Stake (Torrance Stake and Torrance North Stake) Emergency Preparedness Fair
Saturday, October 24, 2015
9:00am - 1:00pm
2000 Artesia Blvd, Torrance, California
Over 30 booths and activities for the whole family.
Emergency Preparedness Ideas
Survival Skills to Teach Your Children by Rebecca Maxwell
Having a child in a dangerous situation is every parent’s nightmare. There might come a time, however, when your child will need to survive on his or her own before help arrives. This could happen if they get separated from the group they are with while hiking or camping. It might include having a parent incapacitated during a medical emergency. It could also involve being cut off from you when a natural disaster occurs. As parents, it is critical to teach your kids important skills because their lives could depend on it. Even young children can be taught what to do when they become lost and cannot find you. Here are five essential skills to teach your children:
Stay Put – If your child becomes lost and cannot find a parent nearby, their first instinct will be to go looking for them. However, this makes the child harder to find so they need to know that they need to stay put. Although children have a natural tendency to wonder off, begin instilling in them the principle of sitting and waiting when lost while they are at an early age.
Finding or Building Shelter – Finding or building a shelter is critical for kids to know in order to survive by themselves. Parents can teach kids how to make basic shelters including lean-tos or huts out of leaves. This activity can be particularly fun for kids!
How to Start a Fire – We normally discourage our children from playing with fire but in a survival situation, having a fire is key to staying warm and keeping hypothermia at bay. With supervision, older children can learn how to start a fire using matches, fire starting tools, or just rubbing two pieces of wood together. Be sure that you children know this is for emergencies only. Children can also stay warm by making sure they are packing additional layers of clothing on outdoor excursions.
Signaling for Help – If a child becomes lost in the woods or is cut off in a natural disaster, he or she needs to know how to signal for help. Calling 911 is perfect when phones are working but what if the electricity is out? Teach your children to use whistles, a bright bandanna, or markings on buildings and trees to signal rescuers.
Situational Awareness – For all age groups, it is important to be aware of what is happening around you but it is even more essential for children. They need situational awareness just to avoid getting into risky settings. Playing different games with children can be a great way to increase their situational awareness.
Many of these skills can be learned by taking part in survival workshops or even family survival courses. Check your local area for what is available. It will also be helpful to have your kids carry a survival pack when outdoors. Items to include in pack for children might be a safety whistle, a bandanna, a light stick, zip-lock bags, a small first aid kit, a water bottle, and energy bars. (SurvivalBase.com/blog)
Good Idea . . . 5-in-1 Survival Whistle: When ever you are out as a family camping, hiking, a day at the park or zoo, shopping, your son or daughter is at a youth camp or on a hike, school outing, anywhere, even for adults, make sure they keep a 5-in-1 Survival Whistle around their neck inside their shirt or blouse. You should also keep one in your purchase or attached to your key chain. Each family member should have one. Teach you family, especially the children, it is not a toy, only used for emergencies, teach them how to use it in an emergency. Voices tire out when calling for help and cannot be heard as well as a whistle. They are only $1.00 at emergencyessentials.com. It is a compass, whistle, signal mirror, flint fire-starter, and water proof match holder (you can leave the matches out for smaller children, maybe place 1-2 hard pieces of hard candy or gum inside it).
