Week ending 20th July Main topic 'Self evaluation'

It has been a great week with the first ever Welfare Know How class. It was attended by 8 people on the Wednesday night and 1 on the Thursday morning. I am very pleased with the turn out and the interest shown. We tasted tomato, celery, carrot, mushroom, capsicum, kiwi, watermelon, yoghurt drops, banana, teriyaki tofu jerky and teriyaki beef jerkyas well as beef vegetable soup.
I look forward to more classes and more people coming along. The next class will be on fire safety and evacuation plans on Wednesday the 20th of August.

After expressing great frustration at finding a goodly source of freeze dried fruits and vegetables for us available in Australia and not in one tonne minimum orders, I have for the moment thrown my hands up in the air and given up ...But not for long, long enough to turn my full attention to other things that we stand in need of, then I will be back into it again.

Self reliant Tip.

Invest in some glow sticks (about 3 dollars from the Reject Shop) and
keep some in every room (yes even the kids rooms) in an easy to get to
place. During a power failure they will give instant light to help you
while you organise other lighting solutions you may have. Or just stick
with the glow sticks, they put out a decent amount of light. Have FHE
or family counsel meeting to discuss why they are being stored and to
stress the importance of the children not ‘accidentally’ using them.

It might be fun for the kids, if a night was spent with them as the light
source for the evening, so they will get used to the idea and not be
tempted to ‘just see’.


We often hear and even say ourselves that this Church is true, the one true Church on the earth today. I know this to be true. My heart sings with joy at being numbered in His flock. I love that we are never alone. No part of the gospel has been left for us to guess about. We have at our disposal information and assistance at every turn. How marvellous, how uplifting and heart warming. I am grateful for such guidance, such love from our Lord and Savior and from our
Church leaders. One part of the Welfare program that I haven’t spoken about for some time is Employment. We are encouraged to get a good education so that we may be employed to our full potential. The Church website has this to say as its header for employment. The Lord has commanded us to work and to provide for the needs of ourselves and our families (see
Genesis 3:17-19, 1 Timothy 5:8; D&C 42:42; 56:17). Suitable employment also gives us opportunities to improve our talents and develop the divine attributes within us.
Once we have a job however it is not the end of the story. Whether we like our job or loath it we need to be productive employees, we need to be increasing our skills and employment prospects. Whether that is staying current with job related tasks or seeking further education to be eligible for promotions and advancement or a career change.
‘The Activity Book’ has a great self evaluation questionaire, which I have reproduced here. We should all take some time to evaluate ourselves, whether we are happily employed in the job of our dreams, working a job we hate, studying or a homemaker. The questionaire can be fitted to each of us regardless of our current situation.

Self Evaluation (pg 41)

Seriously and honestly consider whether or not you are making any progress toward becoming the kind of person you want to be.

Do you know what kind of a person you want to be?
Yes_____ No_____

Are your present attitudes and behaviour helping you to
move in that direction?
Yes_____ No_____

Can you defend the things you do on the basis of your
reason for doing them?
Yes_____ No_____

Do you:
Defend the rights of others as you do your own?
Yes_____ No_____

Attempt to control your emotions and think before you
act?
Yes_____ No_____

Consider the effects of your attitudes or actions on
others?
Yes_____ No_____

Make life better in any way for anyone else?
Yes_____ No_____

Have reason to be proud of yourself?
Yes_____ No_____

Listen to other points of view with an open mind?
Yes_____ No_____

Treat others fairly?
Yes_____ No_____

Care whether or not you are a contributing member of
society?
Yes_____ No_____

Try to find more than one solution to problems?
Yes_____ No_____

Look at problems objectively rather than emotionally?
Yes_____ No_____

Want to improve our society?
Yes_____ No_____

Are you becoming — Yes No
More understanding?
More responsible?
More tolerant?
More patient?
More considerate?
More honest?
More dependable?
More cooperative?
More confident?
More sensitive?
More self directed?
More generous?
More appreciative?
More interesting?
More accepting?
More mature?
More determined?
More responsive?
More fun?
More loving?

We can also think of what we can do to improve each of these areas whether we ticked Yes or No.

Until next week remember it is good to be a self evaluating, constantly striving to improve, Spiritual and temporal strengthening, divine attribute developing Latter Day Saint.

Yours in preparedness
Georgia

Feeling grateful

Just thought I would take a minute to share with you how grateful I am for the opportunities that have come my way since taking on the calling of Ward Welfare Specialist.
I have learnt so much about being prepared, what it really means to be prepared and how to get myself and my family into a self reliant frame of mind.
I am humbled by the positive feedback and encouragement I have received from people within the ward and from other wards and non members.
I stand amazed daily at the information that falls into my hands, the contacts I have made and all the excellent bargains I have located. I know I am doing the Lord's will, I know it because I alone could not have found even a quarter of the information I have, let alone the contacts and bargains.
Many people who do not know or see the Lords hand in their lives may well scoff and say that I did find the information and I did all that I have done. I know because I was once a skeptic and a non believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. But now I know different. I am strong and I can do all things because He is with me. I believe He guides us, leads us gently to the experiences and knowledge we seek and I am honoured to be an instrument in His hands to bring the knowledge and skills we all need to be prepared for all things to this blog and to my Waverley welfare newsletter each week.

until next week.
yours in preparedness
Georgia

Mini Survival kit.

Chances are an emergency will happen
while you are at work / school etc, rather
then when you are at home with
everything on hand.

A mini survival kit kept at work, in the
bottom of your school bag, in the car or
even in your handbag will help you
through. Your kit could consist of: a
mylar / space blanket, small first aid kit,
containing tweezers, sterile bandage,
band aids, antiseptic cream, tissues,
wipes. A small bottle of water and
something with a long shelf life to eat,
such as good quality muesli bars, fruit
leather, chewing gum, trail mix etc.
Small note pad and pencil/ pen. Torch/
batteries or wind up / static torch.

There is no such thing as over prepared,
only under prepared.
With the world going mad and the
increase of violence, it is a matter of time
before we see such tragedy’s as shootings
at school causing lock downs and the
children held in for hours. Prepare them
by providing a mini survival kit in their
school bags. Include a game and other
comfort foods such as chocolate. Add a
photo of the family to give them
something to focus on. Perhaps discuss
during FHE some instructions they could
have written down in their kits, cue cards
to keep them calm, such as: stay where
you are, remain calm, help will come etc.
Even a note from you expressing your
confidence in them to act appropriately
and your love for them.

July 4th 2008

The two way street

Recently the church published online a resource guide for disability’s.
A marvellous read, one I would recommend. It can be found at
www.lds.org under the home and family section. It covers all the major
disabilities such as autism, hearing / sight impairments, chronic illness,
mental, physical disabilities etc. Of course everyone has different needs
and it would be too exhaustive to cover them all, but as a general guide
it can be adaptive to the individual needs of the members.

The message is simple. Everyone has the right to full participation in
the church, whether it be as a child in Primary, YM/YW, YSA, RS,
Priesthood, Sunday school, as a teacher of those with special needs or
with special needs themselves or serving in any calling. Our limitations
due to disability should not impede our participation. The awareness of
and the incidence of disability is on the increase , we all need to do our
part.

This subject is fraught with danger. I will tread carefully but please pull
your feet under the seat so I don’t step on any toes.

We are all given talents and gifts, we are all given the opportunity to increase and magnify these gifts and talents to further our own journey towards exaltation and to glorify our Father in Heaven.
We are also given challenges and obstacles to overcome for the same reasons. To journey forward towards exaltation through endurance and faith; and to glorify our Father in Heaven. For many the challenge is a disability. For us as members of the Church we need to be understanding of these limitations and the with all sincerity ask how we may help these members fully participate. We then need to respect the way that person
/ parents deals with things and not try and force our ideals upon them. It is easy to get caught up in the ‘you just don’t understand’ frustrated attitude as a sufferer / parent and it is easy to get caught up in the ‘well I’d do it this way’ judgemental attitude. Both are wrong, both need repentance and forgiveness. Both need to
learn the unconditional pure love of Christ.

Page 276 of the teachings of the Presidents - Joseph Smith manual states:

‘The work in which we are unitedly engaged is one of no ordinary kind. The enemies we have to contend against are subtle and well skilled in manoeuvring; it behooves us to be on the alert to concentrate our energies, and the best feelings should exist in our midst; and then, by the help of the Almighty, we shall go on from victory to victory, and from conquest to conquest; our evil passions will be subdued, our prejudices depart; we shall find no room in our bosoms for hatred; vice will hide its deformed head, and we shall stand approved in the sight of heaven, and be acknowledged the sons of God.’

Here within the gospel should be our haven, our solace and safe harbour from the world, let us not bring it in here too. Love one another, be your brothers keeper, have compassion and understanding, even if your don’t understand and possibly never will, have the faith in the Lord and the love to not judge. It is too easy to become hardened, we are weak and we are wicked, but with the love and strength of the Lord we can be exhibitors of Christ like love for all. We are poor wayfaring men of grief and we are the ones
who took Him in and lifted Him up, we are all these things and more because of Him who died for us.

The conductor of the choir I am in told us of a member of his church choir who continually disrupts the rehearsals and makes a huge fuss over the way this person believes Amazing Grace should be sung. He reminded that person as he reminded us when we sang it last week that it is not how you sing it, it is to whom you are singing. It is what you are singing about.

Same for us, it is not what you look like, how you are dressed, how your hair is styled, how you speak, behave or any number of things, it is for whom we are here. It is to whom we have come to worship and adore that matters. He didn’t wear a suit with a crisp white shirt and conservative tie, He did not ask those around Him to come follow Him as long as they had the right shoes on or thought the way other people did.
He came to set free the sinner. To lift up the poor and lowly of heart, restore sight to the blind, health to the leper cause the lame to walk. He cares not what we look like, he cares that we follow Him and that we love one another.

From the bottom of my heart in all sincerity I love you my brothers and sisters and I pray the Lord will help me be compassionate and understanding, to put away my pride and unrighteous judgments and to always
love my fellow man.