Time has come that I can no longer ignore this topic. Yes you read me right, I wanted to ignore this topic. Physical health. Being healthy, fit, active, treating our bodies like a Temple rather than a cesspool. Why? because I feel so unqualified and very hypocritical to encourage my fellow saints to be healthy and physically active when as you can see I am clearly not.
It may even surprise you to know that I haven’t always been amply proportioned. I used to be a Victorian schools swimming champion, a Karate instructor, rather proficient at judo, quite swift of feet at badminton, won my fair share of long distance runs, thought nothing of riding my bike from Werribee to Warrandyte and back simply because I could. I have been quite the square dancer and tap dancer and spent a few years belly dancing.
So what happened you may wonder. I was a rather enthusiastic belly dancer and tore my Achilles tendon. It took so long to heal that I became inactive, a veritable couch potato. Once I was able to get back into active life I found two things. Manly I was overweight and didn’t have the motivation for it, but more importantly I found I had become afraid of getting hurt. So the best way to avoid it was to do nothing. Spend my life reliving the ‘good ole days’ but missing the chances to get off the couch and get into life.
So here I am rapidly approaching 40 and missing out on a heap of fun. The thrill seeker in me has plans of feats of active daring yet to do, but if I don’t get off my posterior it will be an unlived plan.
So for myself and anyone else who may think they are in need of shoving off the couch and into some form of activity here is what the Lord has to say about it.
In the gospel principals book Chapter 29 is The Lord’s law of health. I would encourage you to read it. But here is an overview.
Our bodies are one of the great blessings we received from our Father in Heaven. They are so important the Lord calls them Temples of God. (1st Cor 3:16-17)
We were given the word of wisdom for our physical and spiritual well-being. If we fill it with those things which are not good for us physically we are damaging ourselves temporally and making it difficult for us to live up to our spiritual potential and preventing the spirit from dwelling in us.
Living the Lord’s law of health as laid down in the scriptures opens us up to receiving the promised blessings of the Lord.
Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated. D&C 88:124
And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;
And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;
And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.
And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen. D&C 89:18 - 21
Spencer W Kimball said, “For observing the Word of Wisdom the reward is life, not only prolonged mortal life but life eternal.” (The miracle of forgiveness p.211)
On a temporal everyday level, if we get off our couches and get active, individually and as families, we shall enjoy the benefits of better health, even walking, as an activity, is known to have great physical benefits such as increasing our cardiovascular strength, strengthening our muscles and increasing our mental acuity, exercise also releases seretonins which is the happy hormone. Being active as a family strengthens our relationships with each other and with the Lord. Being a couch potato cuts us off from each other, from our personal potential and from the spirit of the Lord and in doing so from returning to his side.
The strongest argument by far for me is the thought of being cut off from the Lord. So this couch potato is making the effort to go from amply proportioned pot of mashed potato to a vegetable stir-fry of physical and spiritual health.
Until next week remember it is good to be a physically and spiritually clean, active, fun loving, word of wisdom abiding, family activating Latter Day Saint.
Yours in Preparedness
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Today I would like to cover, again, and no doubt not for the last time: food storage. Mainly because I wanted to share with you a beautiful experience that I had this week.
Mr. Darcy offered to clear the table for dinner, and, as though it was the most common every day occurrence in the world he picked up the bags of lentils and chickpeas and said he would put them in the food storage cupboard, calmly did just that and continued clearing the table.
The next day I was feverishly trying to get my raw sugar storage into the foil pouches to seal when both Mr. Darcy and Miss. Elizabeth wanted to help. At first I was dubious as to whether Miss Elizabeth’s version of helping would mean that I’d spend the day cleaning up spilt sugar or not. But the spirit whispered and reminded me of the truth of training up the child in the way they should go and I felt that she deserved the chance to try, and what better way to introduce them to the joys of food storage then to do it hands on.
Now I have some great snaps for a scrap booking page or two of Miss Elizabeth filling and Mr Darcy holding the pouch and ensuring that more went in the pouch than on the floor. And the only sugar spilt on the floor… I did myself… yep I’m messier than a two year old.
The whole experience created an outpouring of the spirit, it was wonderful, words fail me as to how truly glorious it was knowing and feeling the spirit testify to me that I was allowing my children to develop their own testimony on food storage.
While I had their attention I thought I would cash in on it so to speak and for FHE we talked about food storage and why we do it, Mr. Darcy had a lot of excellent things to say about food storage and the importance of keeping good food on hand rather than junk type foods. Miss Elizabeth had a lot to say too but it got lost in translation, I am sure it was good.
I thought afterwards it would be great to make a list of things we could do on food storage here are some of them.
- Ask each person to say one thing they can do with each item (pancakes from the flour etc) write them down and you have the beginnings of a family favourites list to make with your food storage.
- Get the kids involved in putting away and retrieving the food storage…especially those things that end up at the very back of the cupboard, what a fun treat to be allowed to climb into the cupboard!
- Make it a family event to package the bulk items into smaller manageable containers. A fun production line, even the littlest children can help by putting the labels on...if you don’t mind that they may not be straight and in the same spot on each container.
- Simon says… where do we keep the split peas? Could get messy with half a dozen kids running to the pantry, so maybe a treasure hunt. Give each person a list of items they need to find; once they have the items on their list they combine to make a recipe for dinner or a dessert or even an impromptu musical band with dry grains and such being used to make music. Could be the next talent night theme… food storage music.
Whatever you do with your children and grand children make it fun, add the gospel principals behind it and you have an interactive unforgettable lesson on your hands.
Thanks to those who have been daring enough to share some ideas with me… look out in the coming weeks for them.
Until the week after next remember it is good to be a fun makin’, food storin’, lesson buildin’, favourite foods list makin’, gospel principal teachin’ Latter Day Saint.
Yours in preparedness
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Given the current woeful state of our water supplies I thought it time to look at water. Enormous thanks to Amanda Davern for her great input here, I’d say she is an expert by necessity on this topic, since she goes 3 months a year without running water due to her spring running dry for those three months. Have a feel of her muscles from lugging buckets of water for her and her boys needs! Add to that her qualifications as a nurse and nutrition lecturer and she has it covered.
To begin with, storing water we all must agree is vital, but what do we store it in? Manageable size containers that you can lift and carry when full and are pour-able or have a tap affixed to them would be best. If you use big drums to store water have you a plan on getting that water into the house?
We’ll look at household needs first and end with personal needs. Walk around your house and note all the items that need water or use water: dishwasher, or manual dishwasher (you and the kids), washing machine, toilet and bathroom to name the most obvious.
Have you enough clothes to go a week without washing clothes? What about bed linen? How long could you go without having to wash sheets and pillowslips? Most of us think nothing of putting a load through the washing machine everyday, but what if you couldn’t?
Flushing the toilet is something we all take for granted, but water is at a premium, so why not flush every other usage. And if the water gets cut off all together what then? Where can you take water from to use in flushing your toilet?
Put a tub inside your sink for washing your dishes and then you can use it either to water your plants or for flushing the toilet. Just make sure your detergent is biodegradable. Walk with me now to the bathroom. Firstly showers and baths. Try putting a large tub in the bathtub and wash the family in that, the water savings would shock you and this water can then be used again in the garden or the toilet. Unless your kiddies are out getting covered in dirt it is possible to have a sponge bath and save having an ‘immerse yourself in water’ bath or shower once or twice a week.
If your water is shut off how are you going to heat water for washing? It is easy enough to put a pot on the stove to wash dishes with but what about bathing the body beautiful? Consider the black solar shower bags, figure out how many you will need per person and set them out in the sun during the day to heat, giving you hot water on demand, as long as you use it wisely.
I grew up in the Northern Territory where we spent vast tracks of time camping, so I got used to showering out doors in a drafty tarp cubicle. It’s not that bad, in fact there is something kind of grounding about showering under the shade of a eucalypt tree or under the stars…or maybe it is just the hillbilly in me! If you use the soap leaves that seem to be all the rage at the moment you will find they require much less water to use and you’ll smell pretty too. Just remember to have cold water on hand to mix with the hot water… those solar heated bags can get very hot.
Whatever you use in your house is it septic safe? Check your labels. If you are pouring your washing water on the garden and you plan on eating those vegies make sure your detergents are septic safe.
And now onto personal water usage. Calculate your hydration needs during summer; this is when you need the most water. Keep on hand some electrolyte replacer. It is available from the chemist and some even come flavoured. Keep fluids up to your children and old folk, I mean … very senior citizens… they will dehydrate quickly. Have a water bottle on hand at all times for your kids to remain hydrated, not such a bad idea to have one for yourself too. Here are some interesting facts to think on. The brain is 75% water; mild dehydration can cause headaches and dizziness. Blood is 92% water, bones are 22% water, and muscles are 75% water. Water is used to moisten air for breathing, it regulates our body temperature, protects and cushions vital organs and joints, it helps convert food into energy, helps the body absorb nutrients and removes waste. Impressive.
In conclusion how about challenging yourself to 24 hours without turning on the tap and see how you fair, maybe take it to a few days and then a week. It will teach you and the children just how precious water is and is a great FHE lesson.
Until next week remember that it is good to be a water savin’, wise using, electrolyte replacin’, personal hydratin’, waste water using, environmentally conscious Latter Day Saint.
Yours in preparedness
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Moving moving everyone’s moving. Well that’s a slight exaggeration… but there are quite a few people moving in, moving out and moving house, us (the Brains) being one of them. So I thought it would be good to have a look at the perils and treasures of moving, be it across the ward or interstate. Whether you have the removalists come in; pack and move everything for you. Or whether you do half the job yourself or all of it and enlist the Priesthood moving company either way it can be a challenge.
Keeping the kids occupied and out from under foot, feeding the family the last few nights with everything boxed away, cleaning detail and all the arrangements of utilities and the thousands of little things that have to be done. Can leave you exhausted and in the new place looking at a mountain of boxes that still need to be unpacked.
So let the church welfare program help you out. What! Oh Georgia you really should have opened a window…the packing tape smell has made you dizzy. I’m serious welfare can help. Take a box label it Georgia is crackers if you like but have it handy.
Employment… are you changing jobs…if you are get all your resumes and references and other information you need, put them in a folder and in the box. If you need a uniform or such for work fold it neatly and put it in the box too. Likewise any equipment you need…that could get lost otherwise.
Education and literacy… have a folder for all the kid’s school reports and other information for the new school together. One for each child if needed. Make a list of items you will need when you get to the new school. Can you organise any of it in advance, new school uniforms etc.? Put them in the box. Make a list of items that need to be returned to the old school…library books that have suddenly reappeared, tick it off as they are returned.
Food storage… cook a few easily reheated meals for the days you know you won’t have a kitchen to cook with and keep them in the freezer. Buy some disposable plates and cutlery so you don’t have to do dishes. Make up lunches in advance and store them in airtight containers in the fridge. Or say thank you to the sisters who offer to provide a meal for you family and accept it…that is one less thing you need to worry about.
Finances… moving house can be very expensive, work out a liveable and workable budget and stick to it. Make a list (yes I am a list person) of the expenses and tick off each as it is achieved, any receipts can go into a folder and into the box.
Social and Emotional strength… keep the kids as stress free as possible as they watch their toys being packed away. Offer them the chance to pick a few toys they can keep out and take with them on the move. Make them a travel pack of plain paper, colouring pencils and other travel games, that can be used before during and after the move until their rooms are unpacked and life returns to normal. Keep yourself sane by enjoying a quite moment with the friends you may be leaving behind, gets you away from the ordeal of moving and the huge list of things you have to do and concentrating on yourself and your friends. If you don’t know anyone in the area you are moving to contact the ward/branch you are moving to and let them know you are coming and would not be adverse to a welcoming committee.
Deseret industries / caring for others… as you pack take the opportunity to have a clear out of things you don’t need anymore. Let everyone know what you are getting rid of and arrange a day for people to come and pick up their newly acquired goodies. Donate old school uniforms to the second hand uniform shop at the school you are leaving. Why take it with you if you don’t need it?
Physical health… In your box add some toiletries, that way you only have to open one box if you arrive late. Add sheets to the box, at worst you can make up mattresses on the floor the first night. It is easy to over do it when moving and pull muscles or end up feeling completely exhausted and sick, accept help from the priesthood moving co. and the relief society cleaning co. if you need it, that is what we are all here for… to love one another and serve one another.
See look at that. Welfare has helped you move. And you thought I was crackers…
Anything else that is last minute can also go into the box, then when you get to the new place you will be able to lay your hands on all the information you need as well as those little homeless but useful things.
Until next week remember it is good to be an organised, list making, junk clearing, service accepting, box toting Latter Day Saint.
Yours in preparedness
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One of my favourite types of chocolate is Cadbury’s fruit and nut. In my Welfare wardrobe I have two pairs of jeans that match this type of chocolate perfectly. Let me remove the chocolate and show you. Mmmm, there, now I have just the fruit and just the nuts. You see my old jeans are the nuts, and my new ones the fruit. Confused? Let me try it this way. Are you like my new pair of jeans? A spiritual fruit, or are you like my old ones and are a religious nut?
One of the aspects of Welfare is spiritual and emotional health. My old religious nut jeans urge me to become content and …well… smug in my knowledge of the gospel. Which when looked at in the light of day is not all that extensive. My old jeans gloss over that and say oh yes but you’re more evolved then some of these others, they are still doing this or that… well jeans, in thinking that - you are no better then you perceive that they are.
We each of us evolve and grow in the gospel at our own pace which is kind of why the scriptures say ‘line upon line precept upon precept’ and that we ‘do not run faster or labor more than you have strength...’
Each of us at some stage has to be converted to each and every principal of the gospel. Whether you are a life member who can trace your family line back to Adam and Eve or whether you are still toweling your hair dry from your baptism; at some point in time we will discover for ourselves the marvelous work of the Lord… or not. We must seek out this knowledge by prayer, careful study of the scriptures, by attending our meetings and callings and by putting what we learn into practice so that we may gain a testimony of it for ourselves. Once we have a testimony of it we must continue to act on that knowledge and keep our testimony and our faith alive and growing.
Just as we each have a different face or voice, we each have a different way of viewing the gospel and understanding its meaning. Which accounts for the 11th article of faith really. We claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience and allow all men the same privilege let them worship how where or what they may. Though it was written to those not of our faith it applies to us as well.
You may have a firm testimony of one aspect of the gospel and be able to live it perfectly, but I may not. I may, by your view, be totally failing in that area. Does that make me any less of a Latter Day Saint? No it doesn’t. It means I am a work in progress. I think it was one of the prophets who said we are perfecting not perfect.
To keep our spiritual and emotional health…healthy… we must throw away our religious nut jeans and wriggle into our spiritual fruit jeans.
Our spiritual fruit jeans are beautiful, they look great on us and they help us to grow.
When we wear them, everyone notices, by our countenance and by our desire to serve. When we have on our spiritual fruit jeans we become fruit in the Lord’s vineyard, sweet and ripe and good. When we wear the religious nut jeans we are not fit for the Lord’s vineyard and will be cut out and cut off from the rest of the fruit. And we will do it to ourselves. No one makes us religious nuts, but us.
Religious nuts go about thinking they are the yardstick by which the rest of us must be measured. If we fail to live up to their perception then we are beneath their notice and worthy of disapproving frowns and raised eyebrows Religious nuts themselves become isolated from everyone else because of their superior attitude which in turn feeds their feelings of self righteousness and the cycle continues feeding and poisoning itself until without their seeing it they have fallen far away from the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ and into the trap of the adversary. Drawing near the Lord with their mouths but not their hearts as it reads in Isaiah 29:13. I know this because I have been a religious nut and am striving daily to be a spiritual fruit.
Spiritual fruit are known by their love for their fellow man, their desire to serve, by the spirit that dwells with them always. Spiritual fruit serve Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ with all their hearts and desire all man to feel the love and tender mercies of the Lord. When they have been tried in the wine press of the world their juice has been a pure love of Christ. They seek to lift their fellow man up onto higher ground. They seek after the Lord, not the opinions of the world. We all know and love them and love to be around them because of the way they make us feel when we are with them.
From a welfare perspective our spiritual health is as vital to us as our food storage. If our spirit is not fed and tended to with gospel truth and love, nurtured and fed on the good word of the Lord then our spirit weakens and we fall pray to the adversary more easily. We need to strengthen and nurture each other, feed each other and uplift each other with the love we have in our hearts for the Savior and for this His gospel.
I believe in Jesus Christ and I believe all His words are true. My spirit soars when I think of Him. My spirit hungers for the spiritual fruit that only He provides. I know He lives and I know He with our Heavenly Father appeared to Joseph Smith. I am grateful for the joy being a member of His gospel has brought into my life and I add my prayers to that of Mormon to his son Moroni in Chapter 8:3 to each of you.
‘I am mindful of you always in my prayers, continually praying unto God the Father in the name of his Holy Child, Jesus, that he, through his infinite goodness and grace, will keep you through the endurance of faith on his name to the end.’ It is my honour to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and to serve each of you. Know of my love for each of you and for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Until next week remember it is good to be a testifying, uplifting, spiritual feasting, saints serving, gospel proclaiming spiritual fruit of a Latter Day Saint.
Yours in preparedness
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Here it is! The final part of my welfare wardrobe…for now at least. The accessories. Oooh shiny. I like oooh shiny, see how it twinkles in the light, creating a myriad of light and colour to alternately sooth and confuse the eye. Whether you are a full on fashion queen and simply dripping in oooh shiny, or the discerning man about town with a conservative watch, cufflinks and nice, neat, but not too conspicuous tie pin. Or whether you are the au naturale unadorned type, male or female. We each of us have something that attracts our attention and maybe not for the best of reasons. My family thinks it is funny to bounce a light refraction off the wall and watch me get side tracked and become engrossed in the oooh shiny. But in welfare terms what is your oooh shiny.
Take a long hard look at your welfare, I mean all of it, the whole package: the food storage, the physical health, the financial self-reliance, the emotional and spiritual health, the employment and education program, the caring for others. All of it. Is there any part of your Welfare that is more advanced or more organised than the rest? Are you an absolute whiz at one part and a complete novice at something else? I am. I know my weakness in this program and what I need to learn and am I doing it? No, not yet. Until now I had let my oooh shiny distract me and make me more than a little complacent.
But now I am aware of my weakness I intend to do something about it.
How about you? What do you need to learn but either by accident or design sidetrack yourself from doing? Seriously, though there will be no pop quiz at the end of the year from me on any of this, we do need to be serious about our Welfare preparations.
I have found my food storage has expanded as my knowledge has grown, but other aspects of welfare has me tending to look around for something to distract me so I can conveniently forget. It is not that I don’t believe it is worthwhile and of consequence to me. It is just that it is too outside my knowledge and experience. I don’t know where to start. Are you the same? Or maybe you are like so many members I have met in the past who firmly believe that some aspect or another doesn’t apply to them so they don’t bother. These people are happy wearing the same welfare accessories they have always worn even though it makes their outfit incomplete.
We all of us do what we have always done, hence the welfare wardrobe analogy, but every so often we find ourselves outgrowing what we have always done and at a loss to replace it with something new, because it is so new and different to what we have now. Change is hard for some people. For some it is not so much the change as a lack of self-confidence to make a right choice.
When it comes to Welfare we have to do as the scriptures say and gird up our loins and be prepared (D&C 38:9) in fact there are 10 references to girding up your loins in the scriptures and they are each as important as the other, so too are our welfare programs as important as each other.
If we gird up our welfare loins we will:
- be prepared and the enemy shall not overcome
- be sober of mind and hope to the end for the grace brought by the revelation of Jesus Christ
- put on the whole armour of God and be able to with stand the evil day,
- not be counted among the wicked
- be watchful and sober looking forth to the coming of the Son of Man
- be sober
- be faithful and we shall overcome all things and be lifted up at the last day
- that we may be children of light and the day not overtake us
- and that we may take up the cross and follow Him and feed His sheep.
Pretty awesome promises. And I mean awesome as inspiring of awe and wonder and not yeah cool dude.
We have two choices before us my dear brothers and sisters, we can continue to rummage through our oooh shiny box and be distracted by the baubles we find there or we can gird up our loins and get serious about preparing ourselves for the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
Search yourself, what are you giving lip service too and what are you doing? If you are in need of guidance for your weaker areas, seek out those who are strong in those areas. We are commanded to search, study and pray to learn of the gospel of Jesus Christ; well we need to search, study, pray and share when it comes to welfare too.
So here it is again for each of us, a condensed version of the Welfare program.
Be honest with yourself. You can fool others and sometimes even fool yourself but you cannot fool the Lord and it is to Him that we are accountable. So can you individually not as part of a family team, because we all need to pull our own welfare weight, say that you are doing your all in every category?
Social and emotional health: feeding and nurturing your spiritual self and healing and growing emotionally to be a well-adjusted person able to weather life’s challenges. LDS services are available to help.
Employment: are you providing for your family needs as best you can? Do you need help and tips for bettering your employment situation? Church Employment can help.
Education and Literacy: a vital aspect for personal growth, employment, knowledge and wisdom to make righteous choices. Includes studying the scriptures.
Financial security: avoid excessive spending, be modest and disciplined, avoid debt and try to establish a financial reserve. Pay off debts as soon as possible.
Physical Health: our bodies are a gift from God, we should be diligent in keeping the word of wisdom, maintaining an active healthy lifestyle. Eat nutritious well-balanced meals to help prevent and alleviate illness.
Food Storage: be prepared for times of need by having on hand a supply of food, water, money, fuel source and other necessities such as toiletries and household supplies.
Caring for others: Providing service with a willing heart to those in need. Through sharing of our talents and time. Nurturing friendships and helping others to grow.
So how’d you do? I have a ton of work to do, which is why I am perfecting not perfect. I think I shall take on some modest oooh shiny challenges so as not to overwhelm myself and drive myself back into my old oooh shiny habits. How about you?
Until next week my brothers and sisters remember it is good to be a plan making, spiritually growing, modest accessory wearing, oooh shiny avoiding, welfare wardrobe wearing, strong and secure Latter Day Saint.
Yours in preparedness
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I am grateful to be a member of this The Lord’s Church and have within my grasp such wonderful gospel truths and programs. The scriptures talk about the field being white and ready to reap, in relation to the saving of souls and bringing them onto Christ. But we can also use that scripture in a welfare sense. We have a plethora of information and services available to us, to help us prepare ourselves for the times to come. Some thrust in their sickle and harvest this information for their betterment diligently and faithfully. Others thrust in their sickle and harvest for only a short time and consider their work done, yet others still thrust in their sickle and merely wave it around, harvesting nothing of worth. Yet the Lord continues to show us the way, He leads us to new fields to harvest continually. One of those ways is through the Church’s provident living website. Two new pamphlets have just been released, one on family finance and one on family home storage. The titled theme for these new pamphlets is “All is safely gathered in”. One can assume there will be more pamphlets to follow under this theme.
The pamphlet on Family Finances breaks things down to the basics: tithes and offerings, avoiding debt, using a budget, building a reserve and teaching family members.
On the back of the pamphlet it has a budget worksheet. There is also a message from the first Presidency inside the front cover. It is from this message I derive my message for you today.
“If you have paid your debts and have a financial reserve, even though it be small, you and your family will feel more secure and enjoy greater peace in your hearts”
Many of us have some form of debt hanging over our head, whether it be in the form of a bank loan, student loan, rent, mortgage, credit card, any number of debt types. They can be small or large, long term, short term whatever. If we devise a budget that helps us to pay them off as soon as possible we will be able to achieve independence and the security and peace that comes with knowing we are beholden to no one.
But for many of us the road to getting out of debt is long and sometimes seems to be an endless journey. How can we find peace and security while still meeting our financial obligations?
It is too easy to get depressed, worn down and feel hopeless, which leads to stress fracturing our family units. We need to become pro active in our feelings. Setting ourselves a realistic but not stifling budget and learning to stick to it will go a long way to helping us feel secure and pay off our debts in a timely fashion. By setting an overly strict budget that has you paying off your debt in record time but leaving you no money for small incidentals, we set ourselves up for stress and worry and the absence of peace in our lives. Too many marriages end because of money woes, too many family feuds begin because of money woes. We get caught up in the value of the dollar and forget about the value of family. It is time to stop and totally re evaluate where you stand financially and what impact it is having on your family.
Some people take the boo hoo approach of it’s all someone else’s fault and will not see any other view. Fine… but… whether it is someone else’s fault or not, you need acting rather than reacting to bring about a change. Don’t help dig yourself into a hole, set about digging yourself some steps out of the hole.
Make a fresh start with what you have. Set out a clear and concise budget and plan to become financially stable again. Be kind and positive to yourself about your budget, treat it as your friend rather than your enemy. Moaning and weeping and wailing won’t change a thing, which is why the hymn goes “Put your shoulder to the wheel push along, do your duty with a heart full of song, we all have work let no one shirk, put your shoulder to the wheel” and not “throw a tantrum on the ground scream and cry, blame everyone else for good luck passin’ you by, it’s not my fault, won’t act like an adult, throw a tantrum on the ground.”
Sticking to a budget may be hard work, but the rewards more than make up for the hardship. We gain not only financial control and stability, we gain an added measure of respect for ourselves - which we may have lost along the way and not noticed. We also gain peace and strength, an increase in feeling of the spirit (which the stress and worry had killed off). The peace, strength and uplifting of the spirit bring with them more peace and harmony and an even closer bond with the spirit which leads us gently to the Lord to receive more appreciation of His love and care for us. The only way is up.
The First Presidency concludes their message with “May the Lord bless you in your family financial efforts.”
If we do our utmost to fulfil our financial obligations and set ourselves up a reserve no matter how small we will be blessed by the Lord for our efforts. As long as we are striving to get out of debt and not further into debt, and as long as we are striving to do all we can to maintain our financial security He will bless us. He wants to bless us; He just needs us to be willing to do all we can first. And our attitude is a big part of that; I know when Miss Elizabeth is yelling at me for something I am less inclined to give it to her than when she asks me nicely. Same goes with the Lord, ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you, does not loosely translate to I will yell until you give in, I can’t find it you get it for me, open the door NOW.
We have trials to test us, some are of our own making and some are not. We must meet those trials head on, remembering always Him who came to show us the way and lighten our burdens that we may have eternal life.
The new pamphlets can be viewed online at www.providentliving.org or I believe Bishop Bulfin may have some copies in his office.
Until next week my dear brothers and sisters remember it is good to be a budget making, financial planning, hard working, faithfully serving, peace keeping, spirit filled Latter Day Saint.
Yours in preparedness
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The second pamphlet under the “all is safely gathered in” theme is Family Food Storage. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is under the direct guidance of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, so it is not by accident that the first two pamphlets should be finances and food storage. They are paramount to weathering the storm of the temporal world whilst we are about His work of gathering scattered Israel and looking to the day of His return.
This pamphlet can also be viewed online or see Bishop Bulfin for a copy.
As with the finances pamphlet the First Presidency have broken down family food storage to its basic components: three month supply, drinking water, financial reserve, one year supply. We are encouraged to not go into debt nor go to extremes or excesses to build up our food storage; we are counselled to begin by building upon our regular diet by buying an extra item or two a week to build up until we have first a one week supply then onto a three month supply. Rotation of stock is vital to avoid spoilage and waste of storage. Then we are to look to our long-term needs, what it would take to keep us alive. Nothing fancy and decadent, just simple food to sustain us: wheat, rice, beans etc.
We are also counselled to store water in the event of a disruption or pollution to our water supply. And to establish a financial reserve as discussed in the family finances pamphlet. This message is nothing new; we have been counselled on these issues for decades. The message is simple and can be found in Doctrine and Covenants 109:8
“Prepare ye every needful thing”
The basics of home storage are set out in general terms, they are not carved in stone, if you don’t eat wheat, don’t store it, if you have cows, don’t store powdered milk. If you cannot through restrictions of finance or space store a years worth of food - store what you can. Don’t panic, don’t go to extremes, don’t roll your eyes and say it doesn’t apply to me. We are mortal; we are human and therefore weak. As much as we may wish too, we cannot control every aspect of our lives just as we cannot hold back the tide with a teaspoon. So we need to be prepared even if we never use it.
Likewise the admonition of Doctrine and Covenants 88: 81
“… and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor.”
Plain and simple. We, through our Prophets, our Stake conferences, our Ward conferences, talks and other means of communication have been “warned”. It is now up to us to warn our neighbours, it doesn’t necessarily mean we go next door and tell our neighbour the end is nigh. What about the family sitting across the aisle in sacrament, or the new family that has just been baptised? We have knowledge, extensive or limited so we need to share it, tell them, teach them, support them, let them gain knowledge that they may also be prepared. Who among us will stand before the Lord and say, “yep, I learnt, I was prepared and I kept it to myself, now let me in”
So how can we help to “warn” others? We can start with our own families. Members or not, share with them your thoughts on Welfare and how you implement them into your life. We had Grant’s Mum stay with us for 6 to 8 weeks. During that time she watched us pack our food storage for our move. At first she seemed a little bemused that we should be pulling cartons and foil pouches and all manner of stored items from the linen press, from under the beds and every other nook and cranny we had them in, but then as she watched and even helped me put them into their new homes in our new house, she began to ask questions about it. Was it some weird Mormon thing? How long does it last and how do you know how much you need? Good questions…well not the first one. I laughed at that and said it might look that way but it wasn’t weird. I think she had been home two days when Grant’s sister with whom she lives rang us, wanting to know more about food storage. Seems Mum had gone home and reported on all our “Mormon activities” and Grant’s sister wanted to hear it for herself.
So Grant and I explained the principals behind it and answered her questions on what to store. We are making them an information pack based on the Church booklets to help get them started.
Then there is my Father, he has a strong negative view about the Church and yet he too enjoys the benefits of food storage, one the night he was craving chocolate and my Mum quietly got up, went to where she had been building up their food storage and returned with a block of chocolate. He still feels negative about the Church in general but is more tolerant to the concept of food storage; he even went so far as to buy my Mother a vacuum sealer and told her to fill the freezer. Ahh we’ll get him in the font yet.
Brothers and Sisters, I don’t profess to know everything there is to know about the Welfare program, in fact I lament my lack of knowledge in certain areas, this is why I am on bended knee asking that we each of us share what knowledge we have with each other, help each other to fulfill our desires to be wise stewards and a welfare savvy people. How many of us are in the same position? Knowing some but not all we would like too?
On this topic…but slightly to one side, I have had mentioned to me that a list of where the bargains are would be highly received. So I am seeking input on where we all go for our bargains. Some I have so far are, and I list their names only not all their details at this stage: Hindustan store, Bulla Ice cream outlet and Superior foods.
Let me know what you are looking for or where you go so we can put together a fantastic list to help us all.
Until next week remember it is good to be a knowledge sharing, food storing, prophet following, pamphlet reading, welfare wise Latter Day Saint.
Yours in preparedness
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Hello Hello, I say it twice, not because my glasses have slipped and I am seeing double, but because today I am talking to you, my brothers, and to you, my sisters.
The Church publication “Essentials of Home Production and Storage” page 1 under the heading of ‘Standards for home production and storage’ begins thus… ‘Each person or family…’ then again on page 2 it begins with ‘Let every Latter Day Saint…’
I would like to concentrate on the key words for a moment. Each and Every.
We each of us man, woman and child should do all we can to build up our welfare needs. Not just one member of a family but each and every member of the family should know and understand what principals the family has in place, how it works and what they can do to help fulfil the families’ needs and requirements.
Brothers how many times have you heard, thought or uttered the words…”oh I leave that to my wife…” in relation to food storage or some other aspects of family preparedness.
Sisters how many times have you heard, thought or uttered the words…”oh my husband does that…”
I recall two incidents to highlight this strange phenomenon of one-sided thinking. Once I taught a HFPE lesson on building a shelter, a means of collecting water and basic survival, one of the sisters present smiled benignly at me and said she did not need to know how to build a shelter because her husband would do that. I was astounded to say the least. The thought that this sister would sit back and perhaps buff her nails while her husband set about building a shelter or even simply erecting a tent for them was beyond my understanding.
My own thoughts are that should a disaster strike I fully expected my husband to ensure we were all safe and together and then he would call the Bishop to report our safety and then offer what aid he could that the Bishop may need for others of his flock. I am and would be fully capable of erecting a shelter and keeping my children safe, dry and warm.
But she didn’t see it that way. What if a disaster struck while he was far from home, would she sit and wait for him while her children suffered from exposure? Or would she call the Bishop and wail that she needed help?
We each of us need to be capable of looking after our immediate needs in a disaster and our long term plans for our family welfare principals.
The second incident occurred while discussing the food storage needs of families with several brethren. One dear brother calmly waved aside my proffered ordering forms and inventory forms with the statement that his wife looked after that aspect of things so I should see her. Again I was astounded. My dear Grant is vital to making our families welfare preparedness successful. Together we decide what we need, together we record what we have and what we have used and what we now need. Sure I might be the one who does the bulk of the buying, but it is together we chose what I was buying. I couldn’t do this on my own and I wouldn’t want to.
What if something should happen to this brother’s wife and he was left to tend the family, would he even know where she had kept the food storage? Would he know that she had 2 years worth of toothbrushes and toothpaste in a box behind the couch? Would he know where she kept the box of goodies she used to make FHE treats and activities?
Yes there are male and female roles but they are not all mutually exclusive. Food Storage is not a woman’s domain and no man will be cast out for knowing where it is and what is held on hand. Likewise starting the lawnmower or building a shelter is not secret men’s business; and no woman has yet sprouted a beard if she does any of this.
Each and every Latter Day Saint needs to know about the principals of Welfare. Each and every Latter Day Saint, man, woman and child needs to know what to do and where to turn. We are not a weak kneed, lip quivering, hand wringing, tear streaked people. We are strong, faithful, hard working, Zion building people.
Likewise the other side of this argument is that how many men pat their dear wife on the hand and tell her he will take care of the outdoors stuff and she has the indoors. And never the twain shall meet. Or how many women have smiled sweetly at their husbands and show them the door rather than allow them to learn the set up of their food storage? We should not make the proverbial rod for our own backs by not sharing the welfare load, whether it is food storage, emergency preparedness or any aspect of the welfare program. Remember we are in partnership here, whether it be in the form of: husband and wife with or without children and the Lord, Single Mothers, her children and the Lord, Single Fathers, his children and the Lord or Single Adults and the Lord.
Now onto more pressing stuff. Winter is upon us. Time for staying indoors and keeping warm. So time to tidy up the inside end of welfare. First of all, time to update our 72-hour packs for winter clothing. Check the food packages have not been punctured and spoiled. Update any change in details on the information packs.
Clean out your wardrobe of any clothing that can be packed away for the season. Can it be donated or made over if spring has sprung and it no longer fits? Assess what you have on hand for warmth and light should a black out occur, if you have a portable gas stove does it need servicing or ensuring you have back up gas cylinders? What about candles, matches, torches and batteries, and wood if applicable? If you have a generator do you know how to use it and what it will run and for how long. i.e. will it run the fridge and the freezer for two hours or can you alternate the fridge and freezer to get six hours out of a tank of fuel? Do you have extra fuel on hand? Is the generator somewhere accessible? Last thing you need is to have to move half the contents of the shed at 2 a.m. in the pouring rain.
What about bedding? Do you have extra blankets for those especially cold nights? Do they need airing and possibly a trip to the Laundromat?
What about your food storage cupboard, when was the last time you pulled it all out to ensure it has been rotated properly? Sometimes you may be rushing and just shove the food in with the thought of coming back later…and forget. Or the kids in a less than enthusiastic desire to help just dump stuff in on top of every thing else? Get the whole family involved by cleaning up, counting and recording the stock. Perhaps get in a little ahead of time and hide a family favourite bag of treats in the cupboard for a surprise treat to make the work go more quickly.
If you have storage under the house or anywhere else, have you checked it to ensure it is infestation free? No rodents setting up happy home in your wheat?
Is everything still clearly labelled?
Now rug up and let’s head outside. Winter is still gardening time. It’s time to get the beds turned over and tidied up for winter planting. Time to plant strawberries, broccoli, brussel sprouts, leek, lettuce, spinach, cauliflower, pea, rhubarb and other tasty morsels.
Time also to tidy up the fallen leaf litter to prevent vegetation diseases from setting in and to prune back deciduous fruit trees and fruit vines. Restake any plants that may need extra support. Ohhh it’s so cold let’s go back inside.
That’s better. Until next week remember it is good to be a husband or wife supporting, welfare program sharing, 72 hour pack updating, storage cupboard sorting, garden tidying, winter veg planting Latter Day Saint.
Yours in preparedness
Three Day Emergency Kit
Clothing:
- Seasonal packing is something that should be considered. It allows for changes in children’s sizes as you change them every three months.
- Ladies should consider including some panty liners into their packs if they are only packing one set of underwear. Panty liners can also then double as bandages if needed.
- Sleeping bag needs to be a good one to accommodate all weather. Or swapped seasonally as well.
First Aid:
- Add a pack of anti diahorea tablets.
- Sunblock needs to be water proof and if it is in a summer pack you may need more than just a small one.
- Stingose gel
- 3 day supply of your person medications
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- Obsite and steri-strips as well as the roll of elastoplast
- Cotton buds are not a good idea as they pull apart too easy and get into wounds and make matters worse.
Water:
- At least 8 litres is needed, especially if you are using it to cook with as well.
- Have you tried liquid chlorine?? I guarantee you will not drink it and neither will your children.
- Boiling water is better or iodine if you know you are not allergic to it.
Hygiene:
· Camping toothbrush and tooth paste rather than normal as they take up less room.
· A pack of blue chux or similar instead of a face washer as they can be used for more things and take up the same amount of room.
· Hair ties or bandana. Especially if you find yourself in the bush or even out on the ground. By tying up your hair it reduces the likely hood of ticks getting into your hair and against your scalp.
· Instead of small soap I would suggest liquid soap as it also can be used to wash your hair as well as clean your dishes.
· Toilet bags to put your eliminations into as it is safer especially if you find yourself stranded in the one spot for a while.
· Men should have either panty liners or female sanitary napkins in their packs too as they are great for first aid.
Fire kit:
- Consider a magnetic torch, a candle will go out in the wind or be knocked over and cause a danger hazard
- If you are going to rely on lighting a fire to cook with you would serve yourself better to buy a little gas burner and canisters for your kit.
- You cannot rely on there being any wood or such for a fire and you need to consider other hazards.
Food:
- Instant meals take too much water and fuel to prepare. Jerky is a better alternative.
- M&Ms. The US Army for their ration packs developed M&MS, as they don’t melt in your pack or hand. You will need a quick source of energy and as a comfort food.
- Nutella is a good source of comfort as well as calcium and protein.
- Multivitamins though a good idea are not really necessary. It would be far better to include pro sport electrolyte replacer powder.
- Very few muesli bars are good for you most of them are loaded with sugar which will not fill you up.
- Chewing gum. It gives you something to do. While you are actively chewing your brain doesn’t realise you may be hungry.
- In a crisis situation people need to know they have to ration their food to last. Most people in a panic will sit and eat and then have nothing left to eat.
Other:
· Travel pack games. At least two in each pack so that you can swap them over to prevent boredom in the kids and adults too.
· A pack of balloons. They take up no space and can be used for many different games and as a distraction for the kids.
· Magnetic torch does not need batteries. Also the magnetic radios are better than the wind up ones as they too will last longer and no external pieces to get broken off.
· If you drink coke carry two cans in your pack to get you through. In a crisis you will go into serious withdrawal and make everything seem ten times worse. Also coke and Advil gets rid of a migraine and deals with other pain far better than just taking Panadol.
· Make up a health and identification tag and hang it from a lanyard. Include a photo of the person. Their normal contact details including next of kin and extended family contact for emergencies. A list of medical history and any other relevant information like allergies and medications. Also include a family photo on the back with names in case person gets separated from the group they can be used to identify other family members.
72 hour Emergency Kit
CLOTHING:
Pack seasonally and update packs every 3 months
3 sets of underwear
2 pairs of thick socks
1 tracksuit (pants & zip top)
1 pair strong trousers
1 T shirt
1 light woollen jumper
1 pair strong boots or shoes
1 pair thongs
1 hat
1 sleeping bag / blanket roll
1 ground sheet
1 2-man tent or hootchie
FIRST AID:
1 Plastic Box Marked FIRST AID
3 day supply of your regular medicines
10 Panadol tablets or whichever you prefer
Anti diahorea tablets
3-6 Betadine sachets
Small bottle Dettol
1 Savlon antiseptic spray
1 small sunblock SPF 30+
2 crepe bandages
1 triangular bandage
1 roll Elastoplast
Obsite and Steri-strips
1 packet gauze pads
Disposable gloves / face mask
1 pair tweezers
1 pair small scissors
12 small safety pins
2 foil / space blanket
Stingoes gel
1 First Aid book (St Johns/Red Cross)
OTHER:
1 magnifying glass
1 rope—5 metres
1 magnetic torch / radio
1 notebook and pencils
1 metal whistle on cord
1 hunting / pocket knife
Scriptures
Family photos and documents, certificates,
patriarchal blessings and family history
Records (reduced, photocopied & laminated)
Garden trowel
Small sewing kit
2 different travel size games
Pack of balloons
Other small items as needed
Photo ID with name, address and medical details, as well as family photo with names and contact details on back. Laminated and attached to a lanyard
Mess kit: pan, bowl, mug, fork, spoon
Water proof matches
HYGIENE:
1 toothbrush and paste
1 liquid soap
1 pack blue chux
1 small hand mirror
1 roll of toilet paper
1 small hairbrush
Hair ties and or bandana
Female sanitary items including panty liners
Baby sanitary items
nappy bags for waste eliminations
FOOD and WATER:
8 good quality museli bars or a pack of digestive biscuits
8 heat’n’eat type meals
Jerky or other high protein meals
8 snack packs (nuts, dried fruits, dry biscuits)
Powerade powder
8 Snack sized packs of M&M’s or nutella
2-4 litres water (store bought)
6 large strong clear plastic bags
1 large sheet strong clear plastic
(at least 1 x 2m)
1 litre billy
1 sealed container of liquid chlorine laundry bleach
Or iodine if not allergies
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