Another year is drawing to a close. It has been an eventful year for many of us. This year we have had many marvellous opportunities to increase our knowledge and our preparedness. Between using these welfare handouts as a point of reference, and
the counsel given during talks by Church leaders, even if only half of it was applied into our lives, we would have at least a 3 month supply of storage, and been well on the way to being fully organised in every aspect of the welfare program
Here is a brief overview of the year that was 2008.

We have had the opportunity to increase our food storage with: whole wheat, flour, sugar, egg powder and honey.
We have had some fantastic HFPE lessons on welfare and how to get organised with a three month supply and how to calculate
what we need (Thanks to Sister Bulfin).
We had a welfare lesson on dehydrating foods, with some surprisingly tasty results.
We learnt some great recipes for lentils (Sister Webb’s lentil burger/balls are still so popular our kids help make them)
We learnt from Sister Curtis how to make a delicious hot chocolate mix from food storage items, a handy recipe to have on hand.
We learnt about no dig and pot gardening from the Grotaers and some marvellous recipes there too.
We also learnt courtesy of the Blackburn ward how to make both laundry and dishwashing liquids.
We had the benefit of Chef Noah’s accelerated storage plan each month.
There have been some inspiring and thought provoking talks given during stake conferences and firesides about welfare and so many wonderful ideas and suggestions have been handed to me or shared with me I hope you have learnt as much as I have and I am grateful to all those who shared them with us.
This past year this welfare newsletter has covered ever aspect of the welfare program, a blog has been set up so that if you missed a week you were still able to catch up on it. All useful tools and information to have access too.

So ask yourself “How did I do?” What will you do next year? As with last New Year’s Eve here is a self questionaire designed to
help evaluate your level of preparedness and set yourself some goals for the new year.

‘But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage.’ Mosiah 7:33

Each of us are in some way or another weak, we need to lean on the Lord, turn to the Lord and allow Him to strengthen us and help us overcome our own weaknesses and fulfill the righteous desires of our heart.

Employment:
Am I where I want to be? yes no
Can I do anything to change my employment status? yes no
What do I need to do?___________________________________________________________________________________
How will I achieve that change? __________________________________________________________________________
Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness:
Is my food storage up to date? Yes no
Which areas do I need to work on most? _____________________________________________________________________
Education and Literacy
Can I further my education in any way that will enhance my job prospects or way of life? yes no
What can I do? _______________________________________________________________________________________
Resource Management
Am I being a wise steward with what I have? yes no
Can I improve it or make changes to my stewardship that will help me to become more self-sufficient?
____________________________________________________________________________________
Social and Emotional Strength
Do I have any social or emotional weaknesses? yes no
What are they? _______________________________________________________________________________________
What can I do to turn each of these weaknesses into strengths?_______________________________________________

Physical Health
Am I treating my body like a Temple? Yes no
What areas can I improve upon? ________________________________________________________________________
What can I do to improve each of these areas?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Spiritual Health
What can I do to help my spiritual self to feast on the word on a more regular basis?
___________________________________________________________________________________

Congratulations you now have a list of New Year Resolutions that are in part gospel based.

‘... I know, in the strength of the Lord thou canst do all things’ Alma 20:4

One of the aspects of the welfare plan I have not given as much attention to this year has been the 72 hour packs. We should make it a habit to check our packs and update them with the start of each new season. If you have glow sticks in your pack or kept in the house for times of power outage, replace them once a year. We had a power outage on Christmas night, of the two glow sticks I cracked to give Elizabeth some light, one worked the other did not. It would have been too little too late if I had need of them in a serious emergency. Make a list of the things you need for your packs and suggest family members help you gain a complete pack by buying some the items for you as gifts. Though many favour canned food for their durability over foil packaged foods, cans still need to be checked to ensure they have not been dented and a seal broken. Clothing needs to be rotated at least every second season so that you have appropriate clothing for the weather conditions. Poncho’s and space blankets should be kept in packs at all times. Copies of identifying documents should be kept in sealed bags.

The choice of what to keep in your pack is entirely up to personal choice. The principle is that you keep in a backpack or other mobile, easily carried bag, 3 days worth of food, water, clothing, first aid and shelter items as well as a heat source, a light source and copies of important documents to prove your identity as well as any other items you feel you may need. Whatever you choose to pack remember it is wise to ‘live’ out of your pack at least once, even from the comfort of your own home, so that you can have some idea of how well your pack will serve you.

Like food storage, 72 hour packs are only as good as we make them. We may not have the extremes of weather and volatile weather conditions that make having a 72 hour pack vital but we do still need to be obedient and be prepared. Add an item to the grocery list once a fortnight or month to go into the packs, make the most of lay by and sales to stock up on items for the packs.
Keep money reserves in packs, in small denominations. In an emergency stores will run out of change quickly and you won’t want to be stung paying triple the regular cost of a box of matches simply because you do not have change. The first Presidency has counselled us to work towards having three months of wages in a range of denominations on hand, so that should banks and ATM’s be inaccessible we will have enough for our needs until such times as an emergency is over. It is a big ask but not an impossible one. Make an achievable plan and stick to it as best you can.

In the early years of the church people had to grow their food or starve, they had to sew their own clothes or go naked and they had to build their own houses to protect them from the elements. Over the years the counsel has remained to do all that we can for ourselves. Convenience of modern technology means that clothes food and shelter are more easily accessible. The skills of sewing, gardening and other home tending skills has died away until they remain hobbies only. Although modern technology makes it cheaper to buy clothing and such the skills needed to provide for ourselves should not become a lost skill or outdated hobby. Make time to learn an ‘outdated’ skill, if you have one of these skills share it and your love of it with others. The scriptures come alive for us and have meaning for us because of the feelings ion our hearts. The spirit testifies to us. So to with these skills, learn them and study them so that your heart feels something and gains a testimony of themthen share that skill with others. We have been counselled to beautify our homes , how better to do it then by the skill of our own fingers?

All aspects of the welfare program can be achieved through prayerful planning and commitment. Avail yourselves of the church publications and website to strengthen your testimony and build your knowledge of the principles of the welfare program. Study the scriptures as well as the talks given during general conferences and other church publications. Seek out the best sites and information to continue to learn and implement the ideas that suit your personal needs best. As the scriptures say once you have been warned you must warn others.
‘Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath
been warned to warn his neighbor. Therefore, they are left without excuse, and their sins are upon their own heads’ D&C 88:81 - 82

For us that means teaching our children to ensure that they will in turn learn to be prepared and then turn our attention to warning others. Helping them to become prepared for all things. When I first joined the church 8 years ago I was given a list of legumes and beans that I did not normally eat on a regular basis and was told I had to buy them in bulk quantities and to store them and this was food storage. I took the list and promptly through it in the bin. A little while later I asked a member I had become friends with what the whole food storage thing was about. She showed me her laundry and all the sealed containers stacked to the ceiling.

She explained to me the true gospel principles behind the food storage For the next 6 years I listened as various members either expounded the virtues of food storage or scoff and rolled their eyes treating it like it was a rather old fashioned idea and joke. I was fortunate enough to gain a testimony of food storage early on in my church life and have striven to do my best with what I have. In the past two years plus that I have held this calling I have witnessed both the dedicated, the newly dedicated, the old hands and the ‘yeah yeah it won’t happen to me’ set. I am grateful for all those who have helped me to grow and learn more about welfare and the principals of serving others by serving the Lord. I pray that in the new year and all the years to come that we will each of us continue to do all we can to become prepared and then when we are fully converted to then warn others.

‘Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days.’ D&C 64:34