March 2008 Waverley Welfare

Autumn is here, my favourite time of year, time for warm socks and hot chocolate curled up on the couch with a good book. I love autumn, traditionally it is a time of plenty, harvest time, festivals and feasts to celebrate the success of the crop. I love the changing colour of the leaves, the crisp smell in the air of coming winter, the cooler change in the weather, all of it.

It reminds me of the first recorded account of welfare and food storage. In Genesis, the Pharaohs dream of years of plenty followed by years of famine and Joseph putting that wisdom into practise.

For us it is just as important to listen to the promptings of the Lord today as it was for the ancient Egyptians back in Joseph’s day.

I found it particularly interesting that President Benson said ‘survival food’. As much as we joke about a years worth of chocolate, it is important that we realise what is and isn’t survival food. The outline for this is basically wheat (or other grain if you can’t eat wheat), milk powder, honey, sugar, pulses and legumes and water. I know I am not telling you anything new here, but the fact is we need to store these foods first then add our other ‘survival’ foods such as chocolate, cordial and such.

For the students studying here from overseas you need to consider getting a three days supply of basic foods stored. It is impractical to expect you to store a years worth of supplies and probably not financially something that you can do. But in storing a three-day supply, like the 72-hour kits it is something to keep you going until such times as you can either be brought into the home of one of the members or evacuated back home, should an emergency occur.

Other things we need to include in our survival foods is herbs and spices, a range of flavourings means you don’t have to eat the same thing all the time…

In looking at provident living.org I had some thoughts… how prepared are we making our kids? Let’s be real here for a moment, given the overall demographic of our ward there is no point harping on about getting prepared and being prepared and food storage and every other topic when the majority of members are financially secure, have the basics stored, are long term members and have heard it all before and if you haven’t learnt it by now and are doing something about it you never will. So let’s turn our attention to our young adults, our youth, our primary kids, what are we doing for them? Are we helping them to understand the principals of welfare so that they may be prepared? Or are we leading and teaching them by example of nodding and smiling and making all the right noises but in actual fact are doing nothing because we feel we are above such things as needing a back up plan? Honestly, here are some things EVERYONE should know how to do.

Sew… basic repairs to clothing, sew on a button, hem a trouser leg or skirt or mend a tear. You don’t need to have the best sewing room this side of Martha Stewart’s place to do these things; a needle and thread will suffice. And not just the girlies, men need to know these things too. Need your pants taken up… do it yourself; there is no shame in being seen with a nice neat hem that you did. The greatest clothing manufacturers in the world have always been men… that is why they are tailors and not just seamstresses.

Cook… know how to make more than two minute noodles, our young men and women heading off on missions need to be able to cook nutritious healthy food. Just because members like to feed missionaries doesn’t mean they don’t need to know how to cook, they do, they won’t be fed every day, and its not just for their mission, when they get home we expect them to marry some day and they will need to know how unless you plan on having them live with you forever. Again the greatest chef’s in the world have always been and will always be men, so get in the kitchen fellas and get cooking… just don’t forget the washing up.

Household chores… vacuuming, washing the clothes, ironing, changing light bulbs, mowing the lawn, dusting you name it if it involves tending house we all need to know how to do it. Mowing the lawn is not just man’s work any more than vacuuming is women’s work.

Car maintenance… tyre pressure, changing tyres, checking all the fluids in the car, changing the oil, replacing wiper blades etc. RACV have better things to do than change a tyre. And though many people take their car to a mechanic to do all the services including changing the oil you still need to know how… just in case.

Gardening … know how to plant and maintain a garden, it doesn’t have to be on the scale of the botanical gardens or large enough to feed a nation, simple everyday gardening just in case.

Other handy skills to know could include camping skills, making a fire safely even fishing: including cleaning the fish. Water purification, the list could quite possibly be endless.

Having said all of the above I fully expect a few people to have thought I don’t need to know how to do that or I don’t need that… I have enough money not to worry about that etc… well good for you, but one-day money may not be enough.

President Hinckley encouraged everyone to get an education, the best education they could get and to keep learning new skills, so even if you are 80 not out or 3 turning 4 learn learn learn, nothing you learn will ever be wasted, and should you never need what you have learned then you can consider yourself blessed. President Hinckley also encouraged us to instil in our children a good strong work ethic, teach them the value of hard work. Paying someone else to do things that we can do ourselves is not leading by example the value of hard work. I am not saying we should never get in a handy man, but we should be able to help ourselves as much as possible first.

The law of consecration to my meagre understanding is among other things about sharing our skills and our provisions for the benefit of others and ourselves. Being a Zion people, of one heart and one mind. It is more than just paying a fast offering and considering our duty done, it is about giving - these hands - this heart - all that we have to the Lord for His purposes. And right now is when we need to gather the skills needed so that we or those who will follow us will not be left without aid, if we cannot be a Zion people now and teach our children to be a Zion people now then we may never be ready when it is required of us to be so.

Brothers and Sisters, I feel it keenly that we need to get ready, we need to know all we can now. It is said the most valiant Saints will be kept till last, we need to prepare the way for them, they will have enough to deal with in the world without adding the burden of learning the principals we should have weaned them on.

Until next week remember it is good to be a Latter Day Saint. It is an honour and a privilege.

Yours in preparedness

Georgia

Autumn cleaning and preparing for the coming winter is here again. Well it will be as soon as this hot spell is over… Time to clean out air conditioners and ensure they are fully drained before being shut off for the cooler seasons. Packing away the summer wardrobe and summer sports equipment. Turning over the garden beds and re mulching to help the soil remain warm, sowing seeds of winter crops such as:

Beetroot, cabbage, carrots (year round), broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, lettuce (year round), onions, parsley, pak choi, peas, radishes, turnips, parsnips, spinach, silverbeet and swedes.

A perfect time for donating goods and items you don’t use anymore that someone else may get great use from.

Now onto this weeks topic… Emotional health and strength.

I found this on the wall at a choir I visited this past week.

Which are you?

Some members make the Church so strong

While others join simply to belong

Some dig in and serve with pride

Some go along just for the ride

Some volunteer and do their share

While others lay back and don’t seem to care

Some do their best, some help, some make

Some do nothing only take and take

Some greet members with a smile

Making coming worth the while

While some go their merry way

With never a greeting or word to say

Some help the Church to grow and grow

When asked for help they never say No

Some drag, some pull, some don’t, some do

Now just consider it seriously and ask

When put to the task

Which one are you?

At some point we are all of these things.

Sometimes it is all we can do just to be here on a Sunday, life may be more of a struggle than normal and we can do no more than just be here. Other times we are those who serve willingly, tirelessly. The important thing is to try not to be the one who doesn’t care for too long. We are on a progression to exaltation; we need to keep moving forward even if it feels like a snail pace. Moving forward is better than moving backwards.

The words of a Michael McLean song ‘Arise and shine forth’ have been particularly meaningful to me this week. “We are standing for something, prayerful in all things, comforting those that mourn. We are gathering Zion, we can rely on this refuge from the storm, we are strengthened on every side in this light that we cannot hide, we are united spirits ignited…”

A beautiful song with a beautiful message, one that we can all take heart from.

As a Zion bound people we can look to Christ for guidance in our lives, He in His wisdom and mercy has given us the many great programs that are within our gospel walls. Welfare being one of them. He also told us how to do it when He bade us to love one another, to be our brothers keeper, to care for those that mourn, comfort those that weep, strengthen those who are alone, feed his sheep, to clothe the naked and care for the hungry and thirsty, be prepared to leave the ninety and nine to seek after the one.

We have it within us to do all this, to be all this for ourselves, for others and for the Lord. And best of all it is not a burden to be so. All we have to do is to be mindful of each other. Visiting and Home Teaching set us up to do this. But not just the list of members we have been assigned. Fellowship new members, new converts, old members you haven’t gotten to know yet… anyone… everyone. Look around you; we are of one heart and one mind when it comes to our love of Christ, our membership in this His Church. We don’t need to live in each other’s pockets but we do need to be there for each other in times of need, in times of great sorrow and in times of great joy, uplifting each other and rejoicing together in the greatness of our creator. Strengthening each other so that we can stand as one in all things.

If we can help lift each others burdens, lighten each others loads and share our strengthens and weaknesses with each other we will accomplish more for our personal emotional health and strength, and, lighten the load on LDS services. We have ears to hear and eyes to see, and we have hands to lift and carry. We should use them.

Emotional Health is more than just being happy. It is being well rounded and whole in body and spirit. Just because we have the gospel in our lives does not mean our lives are going to fall into perfect harmony. Things happen, we are here to be tested, being tested not just with how we endure but how we help others to endure too.

Listen to the choir, not just because you are here and you have no choice, listen to them because they are singing gospel principals. Our hymns are lessons and instructions just as clearly as our speakers are.

Today the choir is singing about self-evaluation. Have I done any good in the world? Not we but I as an individual, as an instrument in the Hands of the Lord.

We don’t need to rush about doing everything for everyone, but we do need to be open to the spirit guiding us, directing us to those we can help. Those who have need of us.

Doing good is a pleasure. We feel it and the people we help feel it, the spirit testifies to us and blesses us because of it.

My dear brothers and sisters, I know that Jesus Christ lives, I know it to be true, and I give thanks for it. I know that He loves each of us, He knows us and cares about each of us. Not just because of our membership in His Church but because He chose to suffer for us, to take upon Him our sins, our sorrows and our pain. He knows us personally and we can know Him personally. In this world of gain and sin I am grateful for the knowledge I have that our Church leaders, all of them, are called of God. That they lead and guide us by His word and not by their own design. I give thanks for the freedom I have to worship Him.

In the name of Jesus Christ

Amen

Until next week remember it is good to be a faithful, uplifting, serving with love, thanks giving, Zion gathering Latter Day Saint.

Yours in preparedness

Once before I talked about being prepared for an emergency by having identification on you and your children at all times. At school where everyone has the same bag, an ID tag with your child’s photo on it makes it easy for him or her to find his or her bag.

Other types of information we need to consider having on our personage should the worst happen is a list of current medications we are taking, their dosage and frequency of use. Include any naturopathic medications as they can effect the medication given.

Also what illnesses we may be suffering from. Not oh I have a cold this week. But on going illnesses that require our constant care. If you have a specialist include their contact details.

A list of known allergies is also very important. For myself, among other allergies, there is an anti nausea medication all doctors generally prescribe, that medication makes me sick but the alternative doesn’t. I should probably even go so far as to include a site map of the best spot to try and get blood from, as that is a problem as well.

Any extra information you can include will not be wasted and you can never be over prepared. It will certainly make it a difference to anyone treating you. And it is not just for when you are in an accident, with our youth heading off to trek (well just back from trek) and all the other activities we participate in as a ward it is handy to know in case an accident happens.

At least once a year I travel interstate and anywhere up to 4 days at a time with the choir I am in, the choir leader has assigned herself as my buddy in case something happens and I need medical assistance, so before each trip I update her to what medications I may be on at the time and the activity level of my Lupus and any other relevant medical information she may need. This way we both feel at ease during the trip away. In turn I am keeper of her medical history in case her husband who is also a member of the choir is unavailable in an emergency. Thankfully so far we have not needed it but it gives us both a sense of peace knowing we will be o.k. The choir even goes so far as to organise as many indoors or under cover performances as possible so that I am not in the sunlight.

It can be easy to start thinking… it would be better not to leave home then remember all the things we could carry, not to mention lugging them everywhere. But it is not that much really. Most of the things we could stand in need of carrying could be contained in your average handbag… or briefcase, backpack or anything else you carry.

So here is a brief look at preparedness in your pocket.

A hanky (a clean one) two hankies would be better

Cover a cut to ease bleeding

Wrap around a wound

Strap up injuries

Wave down help

Band Aids

You only need three or four

Great for blisters and other small wounds

50 cents

Make a phone call - don’t rely on your mobile

KFC wipe or pack of baby wipes

Cleaning everything possible

Water

Even if it is small 250ml bottle, some water is better than none

Used to clean as well as drink

Food

Whether it is a muesli bar a chocolate bar or just chewing gum

You may need something to distract you and your stomach

Pen and paper

Even a small note pad and pencil will help

Can be used to play games with the children

Make note of sequence of events

Names and other information if in an accident

Of course you can go further and keep a change of underwear or anything else you feel you may need, such as matches, a torch or anything else, though as you see it can be as simple as the above list.

Until next week remember it is good to be a goal making, pocket prepared, easy identifying, storage gathering Latter Day Saint.

Yours in preparedness

Georgia

February 2008 Waverley Welfare

Last week I talked about social and emotional health from the point of view of someone who forgot the principals behind it. This week I would like to touch on the other side of social and emotional health and service. We can pretty much break ourselves down into several categories, none are better or worse than the others it is simply who we are.

There are the stiff upper lips who are determined to do it all themselves and do not ask for or like to receive service. These people may go through surgery or some other impediment and not let a soul know because they want to just do it their way and quite frankly just want to be left alone to do it.

Then there are the I’m not asking even if I want it types, who are for some reason or another afraid to ask for help, they feel they would be imposing or putting other people out. So they struggle along until someone notices and offers to serve then they accept with a huge sigh of relief.

Next we have the I want it but you have to do it my way or no way at all person. They will accept help but place many restrictions and conditions on the service and how it is to be done and sometimes may even complain if it is not done to their satisfaction.

Let’s not forget the woeful ones. Who are in need more often then not of service in some form or another, they seem to reel from one mishap to the next, perhaps have an ongoing problem that keeps them from regaining their feet as they wish they could.

And the gladly gladly person who knows when they need help and will ask knowing that if they ask in faith and with real intent then help will come.

Lastly there is the quiet few who simply do it, by the time you find out they need help it is all said and done and they don’t need help anymore.

There are some who fall in between these categories or fit a whole new one I haven’t even mentioned. The point is none of these are right or wrong… well maybe the I want it but you have to do it my way or no way at all person could learn a little gratitude… but generally speaking none of these are entirely correct or entirely wrong, it is simply who we are, the way we interact with the world, how we were raised, or our feelings of self worth.

We as Latter Day Saints are all about service; we are trying to master the Christ like attributes of charity, hope, faith and love. The Pure love of Christ. But we need more than a desire to serve we have to understand the people we are trying to serve. As I have outlined above some people just don’t deal well with having to ask for help. Some have such rigid habits and needs that the thought of someone else doing something for them is too much to cope with. They may desperately want the help but their need for control outweighs their ability to accept service at face value with appreciation and gratitude.

Likewise the woeful ones aren’t perpetually needy, lost causes or unorganised messes, they have needs and they have strengths, it falls to us to remember who they are Children of loving Heavenly Parents who have a need at this time. They are our brothers or sisters. All of these people are our brothers and sisters, we need to address their needs and serve them as best we can overlooking any quirk of personality we may not like or even agree with.

On the other side of the coin we have ourselves. We know ourselves, we need to be honest with ourselves about our needs and most importantly we need to be gentle with ourselves. We need to remember who we are, Sons and Daughters of divine heritage and worth. One thing I say to my children when they get discouraged is this… God doesn’t make junk… sometimes we get so bogged down with how far we fall short of the mark we set for ourselves that we forget to look at how far we have come and more importantly we forget about from whence we came. We were spirit children, valiant spirit children who stood on the side of righteousness with our elder brother, Jesus Christ. We are by our spiritual nature divine; our temporal challenge is to put our spiritual self before our worldly self. Jesus Christ did not come into the world for the perfect he came for the fallen, he came for us, if we were not of great worth to Heavenly Father he would not have sent Jesus Christ. We are loved, we are sought after, and we are wanted. We need to be kinder to ourselves and allow our spiritual selves to shine. How we view ourselves effects how we are viewed by others, it also effects what happens around us and too us. Challenges will come, hardships will test our mettle but when we remember Him whose image we are created in, then how can we fail?

There are at least 11 scriptural references to loving thy neighbour as thyself from Leviticus through to the Doctrine and Covenants. How can you serve your fellow man, how can you love your fellow man if you do not have love for yourself? Not puffed up pride but self worth love.

Know that I love you, I value each of you and am glad that you chose to stand and be counted as one of His flock.

Until next week remember it is good to be a divine Son or Daughter of God, steadfast and strong, nothing wavering, knowing you’re of great worth Latter Day Saint.

Yours in preparedness

This past week on one of the currant affair programs they talked about how Australian growers were being squeezed out of the market by cheaper overseas imports and that we cannot be sure what we are getting and how safe it really is for us to eat. They discussed many of the related problems being faced by the growers and the consumers, and as valid and disturbing as these problems are, my mind was focused on the safety and quality of what we buy.

As a natural progression from there my mind wandered to considering the times in which we live, the counsel of our Prophets and the scriptures. 1st Nephi Ch 14 talks about the two churches. The Church of the Lamb of God and the great and abominable Church. Verse 12 talks of how the Saints of God were upon the whole face of the earth but their dominions were small because the of the great wickedness of the other Church. Verse 14 explains that they, the Saints, were armed with righteousness and the power of God in great glory.

Our dominions may be small but we are armed with righteousness and the power of God. How marvellous a blessing it is to know that. In knowing this we need to work at remembering that it is a blessing.

It is too easy for us to get caught up in saying how little we have rather than how much we have. For instance, food storage, instead of lamenting that it is too hard to get started or it is too hard to do this or that. We should stop and look at what we do have. Sometimes the hardest part about getting started is looking at all we need to achieve and thinking our abilities to achieve it is too small or that somehow we are not enough.

We are enough; we have enough to get started. By small things do big things come to pass, line upon line, precept upon precept. These are familiar scriptural lessons but do we really take them for what they are? Permission to start small and build up. Build up our storage, build up our faith, build up our testimony, build up our friendships, build up our skills, and build up ourselves.

Let us not knock ourselves down before we start. Whatever you desire to achieve if you ask in faith it shall be given to you. 1^st Nephi 15:11 Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you.

Matthew 21:22

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

John 16:24

…ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

I love that last bit… that your joy may be full.

The list of scriptural references goes on, Mosiah, Alma, 3^rd Nephi, Moroni, D&C 8,14, 18,29, 42,49, 50, 66,88, 103,132, Moses. They all say the same thing. Ask and ye shall receive. If we ask for guidance, for faith, for the means to establish our storage it will happen. The Lord cannot lie, so we can trust Him to help us to become prepared for all things.

But getting off my soapbox and back to my initial thought process. We cannot be sure what we are buying anymore. We know not from where it comes, we know not what chemicals are used, what fertilizers are used, whether the produce is rotten to begin with, we know none of these things. But what we can know is this. 1 tomato plant can yield up to and sometimes more than 5 kilo of fruit. If we grow our own fruit and veg as our space allows we can be sure of what we are eating and what we are giving our families. In times past I have suggested gardening with a friend. Seriously. Rather than try and grow all your fruit and veg needs divide it between two households or more and share the bounty. Learn to preserve, freeze, dehydrate etc so that we can have produce on hand year round.

As the means of traveling from one side of the world to the other has gotten faster we have become spoilt. We can buy fruits and veg out of season because they are in season somewhere in the world, in turn this has changed the way we eat. If we were to stop, get off the crazy cycle the world is on and get back to basics we can reap much more than a bumper crop. We can realign our bodies with the natural order of things. There are many health benefits to be gained from eating seasonal produce in its proper growing season. And spiritually it is realigning us with the way the world used to be, in Adam and Eve’s day, in the years before the invention of hot houses, fast means of travel and global gourmet choices.

Being a hippy country girl at heart this is easy to say, but not necessarily easy to do. It takes commitment to grow your own fruit and veg, but it can be done.

In the past I have spoken about growing foods in pots. This year we did it. With mixed results. We found that the pots still need to be deep enough for the roots to spread. We also found that it is best to only have one plant in each pot or box because they then became stunted from trying to complete for root space and did not produce as much fruit as they could have. Neglecting them for even a day during the heat wave meant they also suffered.

We also put in an ‘in the ground’ patch. One of our tomato plants went nuts and is more of a jungle than a plant, the other became stunted as it struggled for sunlight under the spreading branches of the jungle. We moved it and it produced fruit but remained stunted. Likewise the eggplant I planted beside the jungle, we had to lift the branches of the tomato plant off it to get it out into the sunlight. It has taken off quite well now though by no means as lush and full as the other eggplant plants.

We grew cucumber in pots, they didn’t like it too much and only produced one cucumber at a time. The pumpkin in the same size container produced male fruit only, where as the pumpkin we planted into a bigger container (after it looked like it was going roots up in the smaller one) began to thrive and our joy was known to all the neighbors when it finally produced a female flower and we now have a lovely pumpkin growing with the anticipation that more will follow. So from our experience planting in pots is fine, but only one plant per pot unless of course youy are growing carrots or turnips or radishes etc.

We used the white foam boxes you can get from the green grocer. These were good but next season I am going to stack them two high and cut the bottom out of the top one to make it extra deep. We also used a couple of barrels cut in half with holes drilled in the bottom. These have worked really well and will continue to be used. Of course we also lost a bunch of plants to the slugs and other munching pests, so I will be setting up an invention of my Dad’s, which works really well for him. Now don’t laugh. An electric fence to keep out snails and slugs. A simple nine-volt battery attached to two wires set out 1 centimetre apart around the edge of the garden bed. There has to be no way for the snails to get into the garden other than by crossing the wires, they cross the first one easy but as soon as they touch the second one (as they are also still on the first) they get an electric shock, not enough to kill them although the occasional fatality has been known to occur, but it sure is enough to make them think twice about how much they want to get into the garden. Oh on the topic of getting into the garden our way up to Healesville the other weekend we saw the rows of grape vines had strings of metallic strips hanging above the vines. (Yes my mind really does flit around this much, just ask Grant) They rippled and shone in the sunlight, no doubt to discourage birds from feasting on the grapes. Might be something to consider trying in our battles against possums and birds.

Another thing on my list of growing wants is a fruit salad tree. There are several different types available ones that grow up to five different stone fruit, six different citrus and up to five different apples or nashi. They can be grown in pots too, which if you rent or are space challenged is a bonus. Check them out at: http://www.fruitsaladtrees.com

So you see it is not that hard to grow even a little produce and given the price of fruit and veg the savings can be quite dramatic and better off in your pocket. With a little bit of time and commitment we can all grow some healthy fruit and veg and know exactly what we are putting into our bodies as well as learning a valuable skill: gardening. So a quick recap. Grow with a friend or two to make the most of your space and time. Ask with real intent and it shall be given you. Remember the blessing we have of being righteous and having the power of God. And your neighbors may think you are a little crazy getting excited over a single pumpkin, but that is one less pumpkin you had to buy.

Until next week remember it is good to be a faith exploring, righteous dominion holding, garden planting, community minded, not afraid of hard work Latter Day Saint.

Yours in preparedness

Georgia

January 2008 Waverley Wlefare

Something that came to mind while working on this edition is about the members of the ward who already have a year’s supply of food and goods. I realised that you must get very bored reading about what to do when you have already done it. So for you I have the following.

Having a years supply of food and other supplies is fantastic and I look forward to the day I can count myself and my family among you, but until then, how is your supply? Do you check it regularly for signs of infestation or expiry dates? Signs of spoilage and contamination through wear and damage to the cans etc.? Has your needs changed since setting up your supply? Dietary needs, changes to conditions in your home? Such as fuel supply, addition of a water tank etc. What about the counsel to have supplies on hand to make, remake or repair clothing? This is something we should all look towards.

Way back in the 80’s textile classes at school became a excuse to muck around then it seemed to peter out altogether, prior to that sewing was almost a prerequisite to graduating from school especially for girls, almost all girls could sew and do some form of embroidery a skill that lost its popularity when being a secretary became the dream job for women followed by the huge push for equality in all areas of the workforce that saw women putting down their sewing kits and taking on other roles. I am not saying it is a terrible thing, but it is a shame that people (so as not to be sexist) don’t seem to sew or embroider as much especially the younger generations. Many of my own peers don’t or can’t sew and so can’t and don’t teach their children which in turn means whole generations are growing up not knowing the simplest skills in clothing maintenance. Sigh… ohh is my old fashioned side showing again oops sorry, where was I?

If you can’t sew or are sewing challenged you may need to look at stocking up on clothes for all seasons and putting extras away for times of need. Same applies for shoes, socks, hosiery and every other item of apparel. Simple clothing repair is something we should all learn. Sewing on a button, repairing a small tear, fixing a zip might seem time consuming and too much to bother with but when every cent counts you may be thankful for taking the time to learn. Of course there is always those little alteration shops popping up in shopping centres to do the work for you if you really can’t needle threaded without causing substantial loss of blood or crossed eyed headaches.

Make 2008 the year of welfare growth for you and your family. Learn a skill such as sewing, not ball gowns and suits but simple sewing and repairing techniques, car maintenance, basic plumbing, beginners woodwork anything, learn something that will help you in times of need. No skill is ever wasted but chances can be.

Until next week remember it is good to be a goal setting, skill learning, self relyin’, everything preparin’, opportunity grabbin’ gospel loving Latter Day Saint.

Yours in preparedness

Georgia

This week I am asking for answers to a common problem … possums and other animals eating your fruit blossoms and then if they left any blossoms… the fruit. There are scores of sure-fire ideas and gimmicks but how many really work? Not many apparently. So who has successfully thwarted the marauding attempts of birds, possums, snails and other pests? What did / do you use or do? How successful was it? We who are under siege would like to know. Email me at petal@exemail.com.au

Or phone me on 95900021 or you can pass me a hastily scrawled note anytime.

Quite a few times last year I talked about flooding as one emergency we may face (and for some of us recently… did face) so I am not going to talk about it again for a while. Today I would like to talk about fire dangers in and around the house. The most common house fire is found in the kitchen from forgotten pots on the stove, the next common causes are faulty electrical wiring, smoking, overloaded power boards and children playing with matches or lighters. At least one of these we can dismiss as not being applicable to our lives, but the rest are valid concerns that we should address.

A fire needs three things to make it burn. Heat, fuel and oxygen. Take away any one of these elements and the fire will go out or not start at all. Some fires actually smoulder for hours before the first flames are seen. So what can we do to ensure our houses are as safe as we can possibly make them from fire?

We can:

• Take the time to check all appliances for faulty or worn wiring and mechanisms and replace them or if applicable get them repaired by an authorised repair shop.
• Ensure no wiring is visible or broken and exposed.
• Ensure heaters are not left on and unattended for any length of time.
• Ensure clothes hung up to dry are not too close to heaters and are removed as soon as they are dry (overheated clothes can catch fire)
• Turn off the stove or remove pots from the element/flame before answering the phone or walking away for any reason, even if you think you will only be a moment.
• Ensure pot handles are facing away from the edge of the stovetop so they cannot accidentally be knocked over.
• Never leave candles lit and unattended.
• Keep candles away from curtains or other flammable objects.
• Clean the lint filter in the dryer regularly.
• Allow the dryer to go through the cool down cycle.
• Don’t leave matches out where little hands can get them and play with them.
• Don’t overload power boards or power points.
• Don’t leave electric blankets on and don’t sleep with them on.
• Don’t run extension leads under the carpet or under lounge furniture.
• Ensure you have working smoke detectors at all times and check them regularly.
• Check the labels on cleaners and other bottles, some chemicals should not be kept together.
• Ensure all old cleaning rags are thrown out, they can be an ignition source for fires.
• Dispose of chemicals and other cleaning agents properly.
• Always read warning labels and be familiar with the safety procedures recommended on the labels.

Help your family to become fire safe and smart. Hold a FHE based on safety in the house and make a plan of the house and mark two different ways of getting out of each room.

Hold drills on exiting the house via these different exits. If you have upstairs rooms ensure you have a ladder stored in the upstairs area and know how to safely use it to exit the upstairs rooms.

• Teach older children how to dial 000.
• Set a place for everyone to meet after an evacuation.
• Ensure everyone knows that once you are out of the house you never go back in but wait at the evacuation point for the fire brigade.

Other points to teach members of the family about how to get out of the building safely are:

• getting down low where the air is likely to be cleaner and exiting the house on your hands and knees.
• Knowing how to tell if there is a fire on the other side of the door by feeling the door for heat and looking for smoke coming through the gaps in the doorframe.
• How to stop drop and roll if your clothes are on fire.
• Not to waste time getting dressed but exit the house immediately.
• Know how to use a fire extinguisher safely and correctly and which type to use.

These are just some of the basics in fire safety. Check out the CFA websites or take a FHE visit to the local fire station. It is important to practise your fire drills regularly and without notice to see how children will react and to help them to remember how to exit safely.

I have a copy of Donald Ducks fire safety video. It is seriously old but great to use to teach children about fire safety, I am happy to lend it out (providing it comes back to me) if it will be of use to help families learn fire safety.

Outside the home in the yard we can do many things to help prevent fires from starting or spreading.

Clearing out gutters regularly is one obvious one but what else can we do?

We can:

• Clear away fallen branches and debris from around the house and yard.
• Ensure powerlines are clear from overhanging trees and branches.
• Mulch in dead leaves.
• Know where the garden hoses are and how far they reach around the yard should a fire in the yard occur.
• Ensure the lawn mower is allowed to cool down and has been cleared of all loose grass before putting it away.
• Check the internal temperature of compost heaps (the internal temperature can rise with natural fermentation and breakdown releasing gasses which can smoulder until the spontaneously combust. If needed spread the compost out to cool down or turn it frequently to prevent it getting to hot inside.
• Keep fences clear of overhanging trees and built up grasses.
• If chemicals are kept in the shed ensure you have read the label for safety advice such as optimum storage temp and the effects of excessive heat.

There is a lot we can do to keep our homes and ourselves safe, take the time now to learn and to teach fire safety, possessions can be replaced, they are just things. But family, children and loved ones, they can’t be replaced.

Until next week remember it is good to be fire smart, safety planning, evacuation practising, wiring checking, know what to do in an emergency Latter Day Saint.

Yours in preparedness

I read an article a week or so back entitled “preparing for the worst” of course the title caught my eye as it was on an LDS site so my mind immediately thought it related to welfare.

Well it was and it wasn’t. It was about preparing for the worst…the death of a loved one.

This is a topic that people don’t talk about. Whether it be because it is distasteful to them or whether it is because of the depths of emotions it brings up, making it something they would rather not talk about.

So I apologise if this topic is distasteful or too emotional for you but it is a topic that needs to be talked about because it isn’t just the elderly who pass away. Accidents, disease and misadventure can happen to anyone at any time, young, old or anywhere in between, and we need to be prepared. Maybe not to the extent of having your entire funeral planned and payed for, but at least having discussed your thoughts and wishes with family and or close friends so that should the worst happen those who are left behind are not left with choices and questions they can’t answer.

Dealing with a death is hard enough, even if it was expected, it is still a shock, instead of being able to stop and process everything you get thrown into a seemingly endless round of tasks and preparations.

Even if your loved one has a prepaid and planned funeral there are still plenty that needs to be done and decided on.

So how can we get prepared now? Think. What would you like for your funeral? What would you like to wear? What sort of music? What sort of service? Would you like anyone in particular to speak? What would you like them to say? Do you have a favourite scripture? Think about what you would like then write it down. Now rather than shoving it into the bottom of your sock drawer, make another list: birth certificate, tax forms, bank accounts, superannuation policy, life insurance, car insurance and rego etc. If you have a current will put it with them, if not get one A.S.A.P. Then either make copies of all of these or gather them all together in the one place, put your funeral list with them. Next you need to sit down with a family member or someone you are close too and tell them what you would like for your funeral and where all your papers are kept.

If you are part of a couple sit down together and talk about it realistically. When Grant and I got married we both knew each others medical history and so knew it was important to talk about what our thoughts and feelings were. For me, I don’t deal well with excessive emotion and others expressing their sentiments to me, so I know I will need someone to basically run interference so that I am not overwhelmed with appreciated but too much for me to cope with expressions of sympathy. So I have a list of people in whom I know I can trust to fulfil that role for me and they have agreed that should they be needed they will be there.

The sequence of events and decisions that need to be made as soon as a loved one dies is:

• If they died at home a Doctor needs to be called, they in turn will notify the Police if necessary, or depending on the circumstances call the Police yourself.
• If they died in a hospital the Hospital will organise the death certificate.
• Notify family members.
• Call the funeral service, if you had one already picked or choose one if you hadn’t. They will come out 24 hours a day to collect the body and help you to begin the preparations. For sake of one less decision in discussing your wishes think about and check out a few funeral homes to find one you like.
• Call your Bishop.
• Arrange a time to go to the funeral home to discuss your wishes and needs. They are used to dealing with upset people and will be very supportive and helpful.
• Notify family, friends and work colleagues of when the funeral will be and any requests such as no flowers, donations etc.
• It is important to look after yourself by eating properly and regularly, getting good quality sleep, having those you need near by for support.
• If you have children there are support services available to help them come to terms with the loss as well.
• If there is to be a gathering after the funeral decide when and where and what needs to be organised such as food.
• Many funeral homes will have a checklist available for all the other services that need to be notified such as drivers licence, bank accounts etc.
• Attend the funeral.
• Allow yourself time to grieve.

It is a statistical fact that most people who suffer a bereavement have a lot of support for the first few weeks after the death and then by six weeks post funeral people stop coming by to visit and check up on you. After this time it is easy to fall into depression or feel/ become isolated. Many elderly who lose their partner often die within a year from loneliness related issues.

It is important to keep in touch with friends and family and to remain involved in hobbies and other activities.

As distasteful as it may seem, go visit a funeral home and ask them all the tough questions now rather then when the worst has happened. Get your paperwork in order and make copies. Make your wishes known now because it is too late after the fact.

I have said this a few times over the past year and a bit:

Being prepared for the worst is not inviting the worst to happen.

I think the worst thing would be not being prepared. The stress and shock of being confronted with all the choices and decisions can be reduced by making decisions NOW.

For example I always thought a coffin and a casket where the same thing but they are not, a coffin is the traditional box tapered at the head and feet and wider at the shoulders whereas a casket is a rectangular box. Being somewhat Closter phobic the idea of a coffin has me hyperventilating. Even though I won’t be aware of it then I am aware of it now so it’s casket for me thank you very much. And on the personal note, coffins are wider at the shoulder I need one wider at the hip!

Seriously loosing the one you love is hard enough. Leaving the one you love is hard too so do both of you a favour and plan ahead. There are questions I haven’t even raised here such as who will be guardians of your children? There are many many plans to be made, things to think through and sort out, better to do it yourself then leave it to the government.

May we all live to ripe old age and have plenty of time to plan ahead.

Until next week remember it is good to be a well thought out, planned ahead and organised Latter Day Saint.

Yours in preparedness

A few weeks back I asked for thoughts and suggestions on dealing with the warfare that is growing your own fruit and veg. The battle to enjoy the fruits of your labour rather than sigh in frustration as you wake to find your crop decimated by pests large and small.

There are many different theories of how to keep your veg patch and fruit trees pest free. They range from silver foil tied to the branches to deter possums and birds, fake cats with marbles for eyes to reflect the light, nets and scarecrows to snail bait, sand, crushed egg shells and beer to deter snails and other creepy crawlies.

After an exhaustive search around the neighbourhood (well screeching to a halt in the car) to see what everyone else was doing I found that for the most part they employed some or all of these techniques. A few places had a serious net set up over their trees right down to the ground so that there was no way for the birds and possums to get onto the tree, the outside fruit may still get eaten but the ones underneath or further in the tree were safe from the marauding hordes.

Other techniques I have heard is of leaving half eaten fruit on the tree for the animals to eat so they are more inclined to leave the whole fruit alone. Seems no matter which you try short of bringing out the big guns such as pesticides and baits some of our crops are going to be eaten and not by us.

One thing that comes to my mind is the scriptures. Yep the scriptures, we are instructed to look to them for guidance. So let’s see what it says.

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Matthew 6:26

To me this is saying to all gardeners everywhere…share and be happy you’re feeding our Father in Heavens birds and beasts. So a little for them and a little for us attitude might mean plant a few extra veg and perhaps net off the fruit trees but make a pile of fallen fruit somewhere in the yard for the animals to enjoy. I guess in one way we can look at it as a service project of giving to the needy among us… the possums and birds. Good luck.

Now onto another topic. Welfare. In seeking inspiration for this week’s WW, I found myself reading the talk given by Marion G Romney during the April General Conference of 1979. I then looked up all the talks given that day on welfare. So I have plenty to talk about for the next few weeks. But the one I want to talk about today is a result of several things, an incident that happened during the week, a book I was reading and this conference talk.

President Romney said the following:

“The first principle of action in Church Welfare is, therefore, for us to take care of ourselves as far as possible.

The second is to be so bound together as families that we shall sustain each other. Fathers and mothers are under a divine command to care for their children, and children have the responsibility to care for their parents.

When Church members cannot provide for themselves and are not cared for by their families, they are to be cared for pursuant to the third principle of Church Welfare, which is, by divine command, that the membership of the Church shall take care of them. The Lord has made these principles binding upon the Saints in every gospel dispensation.”

The book I was reading ‘Savannah comes undone’ by Denise Hildreth is basically about this young woman who is about to learn that the world does not revolve around her when her Mother chains herself to a marble statue of the ten commandments. There is some seriously soul searching moments in the book for both the young woman and the reader.

The incident that happened this week was that I had arranged to get together with one of my fellow sisters. On my way home between an appointment and this meeting my car, old as she is, began to make some seriously weird front end noises, different from her usually age related one. Concerned that my car may die before we could afford to replace her, I opted to not go to the see this sister and wait until Grant could get home and see if the problem could be determined. I rang the sister to cancel our get together and I heard the understanding in her voice as well as the sadness in my cancelling our appointment. I have trouble hearing properly on the phone so did not stay on to chat.

Later as I went about my usual daily activities I was struck with a moment of clarity that brought me to my knees in shame and great sorrow. Like Savannah, I had come undone. I had forgotten my covenant with the Lord, not just to care for my sisters as a Visiting Teacher, not just to love one another, but the covenant that we all make and is recorded, among other places, in 2^nd Nephi 25:23. That we are saved, after all we can do.

We are saved by grace after all we can do. We covenanted with the Lord to love one another, we covenanted with the Lord to be our brothers’ keeper, and I failed. I did not do all I could do. I could have invited her to my house. I could have arranged another time, I could have done my best to talk on the phone, I could have done a myriad of things. But I did not.

Emotional and social strength is not just a nice title for the part of the Churches welfare program that deals with our interactions with each other, Welfare as a whole is not some neat package of programs and fundamental principals to be looked at, discussed in the warmth of the chapel and then left to its own devises. No, it is more than that; it is more than food storage and service projects and being prepared.

President Kimball said in his talk during the 1979 April conference.

“Welfare is nothing more or less then ‘the gospel in action”

Combine that with the above section from President Romney’s talk and I failed my sister in every way.

President Romney outlined the principles of action, and I will condense them here.

• Take care of ourselves as far as possible
• Be bound together as families and sustain each other
• Parents are to care for their children
• Children are to care for their parents
• When Church members cannot do for themselves the membership of the church shall care for them.

President Romney then went on to say:

The Lord has made these principles binding upon the Saints in every gospel dispensation.

Now socially and emotionally we are obligated through these binding, binding, as in to hold firm, encompassing, obligatory, required, compulsory, necessary and of course voluntary, principals to do all that we can. I think it was President Kimball who said the basic principals are work, self reliance, love, service, consecration and stewardship.

Love and service.

When Church members cannot do for themselves the membership of the church shall care for them. Consecration and stewardship.

This is glaringly obvious what we need to do. We need to stop running around saying to ourselves ‘oh I am so busy’ ‘ I don’t have time for that’. Or content ourselves with our fast offerings as doing our little bit. We need to be actively doing. Not platitudes and I mean platitudes as in tired expressions, of how much we care once a month as we sally out the door after our Visiting Teacher or Home Teacher visit is concluding.

We need to be there for each other, sustain and lift each other up daily. Each time I try and listen to the song ‘go bring them in’ I cry my eyes out. These saints who endured so much, who buried their loved ones on the way to Zion, who endured crippling injuries and afflictions and went to sleep at night wondering if they would wake to another day of struggle or in paradise at the feet of their master, never gave up on each other. They lifted each other up. Young men carried others through freezing water to the detriment of their own health and life, members who had only just begun to find their own feet headed a prophets voice to ‘go bring them in’. How can we who have so much not do the same? Loneliness is a killer. We need to feed each other spiritually as well as temporally. Not just ‘here have something to eat’ ‘come for dinner’, but talk to each other, listen to each other, share each others burdens, strengthen and uplift each other, love one another.

When I first arrived in the ward I was terrified, I felt like such a heathen hillbilly among the most elect of the Lord’s servants. I felt I would never fit in and would never have a friend among you. There were some I thought I should never have anything in common with, some I even clashed with. But I learnt one thing. “God is no respecter of persons:

But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him” Acts 10:34 - 35

We are all His sheep, all of us, the bare foot hillbilly with a weakness for colourful language, the strong obedient members and the ones who have the outward appearance of being calm and in control but underneath are struggling with their own weaknesses. We need each other; we have something of worth to share with each other. Ourselves. Our love of the Lord and His gospel. We can make each other strong, we can lift each others burdens and we can head our prophets voice and go bring them in. Bring them in to our hearts our lives and ease their afflictions with our love and compassion.

Someone once told me that without family history work being done we would stand before the Lord and He would say to us, that is well and good but where is your family? I wonder now if He would not also say you’ve done well but what of my sheep that you did not feed, you did not leave the ninety and nine to seek after the lost one. How would we feel? Who do we feel? What can we do today, this week, this year to help one another, love one another?

Never let a moment go, like I did, you can’t bring it back, you can’t make tears and sadness un-well in the eyes and heart of someone.

Until next week remember it is good to be a caring, sharing, burden lifting, sorrow easing, heartfelt serving, one another loving Latter Day Saint.

Yours in preparedness

Georgia

Georgia's Soapbox

Georgia’s soapbox.

Ahhh the humble soapbox, in the days before portable microphones it was the best way to get peoples attention, simply step up on it and begin yelling your message. I am a regular soapbox user, just ask my family. So now that I am up here on my soapbox I am going to try not to rant and rave too much.

Ever had to rummage through your deep freeze and felt like you were on some form of artic exploration mission? Fancied yourself a little like Indiana Jones hunting for lost treasures in the frozen depths rather than the steamy jungles? My tip for preventing that is to take a white board marker and write on the freezer door what you put in and when. If your hubby grumbles about you drawing on the furniture like the kids, ask him to search the depths of the freezer a few times and see if he still complains. The white board marker comes off easily but if it proves determined to remain, wipe it off with a little Methylated spirits I set ours out like the shelves, I write what is on each shelf and in roughly the same spot on the door as it is in the freezer, if you make meals in advance then write them up on the door too, that way you’ll always know what is in your freezer and when you put it there. No more hidden surprises when you defrost your freezer.

I find the side of the freezer the perfect spot for writing up my frozen shopping list. As you take things out the marker is write there ready to record it straight away.

Sisters if you have a great idea you would like to share, please let me know I am happy to share my soapbox.

Can someone help me down please!

Georgia

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Hello, can you hear me? I’m a little wobbly up here on my soapbox.

My dear Sisters the New Year is here, time to reflect on the year gone by. Did you meet any goals you set yourself? If so, a great big WOOOHOOO from me, if not, my commiserations and know you are not alone. I didn’t meet all of mine either.

But hey the New Year is just begun so what goals can you recommit too?

In the welfare corner why not try this handy little hint I learnt from a plan Kellie George sent me. It was 30 days and 30 ways to preparedness. It was an excellent plan where each day for the month of November you did things that were related to being prepared. If any of you are interested I saved it as a word file. But I digress, my handy hint from this great plan is to mark all the jars and tins and things you have in the cupboard with an X, then as you buy more date the top of the tins with the day you bought them, that way you will use the ones with the X first and then know which cans and things to use next by the date on them. Also if you date things when you open them then figure out how long it lasted when you finish it, you can calculate how many of that item you will use in a year. I have marked our shampoo and conditioner bottles and other things like bottles of tomato sauce and jars of vegemite. Makes figuring out what to store and how much so much easier.

Well my throat is becoming a pony (a little hoarse) so farewell for now, know that I treasure each one of you… and can someone help me down please.

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Sisters time is marching on, the Lord is straightening his robes and buckling his sandals in preparation for his triumphant return. We in turn must shake off our cloak of lethargy and prepare ourselves, our families and our homes. We have been instructed and counselled that if we are prepared we need not fear. So how can we get prepared? It doesn’t come in a neat little box we just open and put on, it is something we must actively do for ourselves and those around us.

As women we must be the driving force in our families, motivating them, encouraging them, teaching them and leading them by example.

Actively involve your family by:

· Asking them to write your shopping list while you rummage through the pantry.

· Involve them in the preparation of emergency plans and packs

· Teach them how to be wise stewards with what they have, even toys and books, it allows them to appreciate the value of what they have and from where it came (not just the toy store but from the Lord through blessing you with employment and blessing them with loving parents)

· Hold family council meetings to discuss the families plans and priorities and how they can help.

Anything that helps them to feel the spirit and understand that Welfare in all it’s many forms is vital to our weathering of the calamities foretold before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.

Oh the soapbox is groaning, hmm best get off, so until next month be welfare wise and be happy.

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The stake conference in February covered a topic we are all hearing a lot of…probably because I bash you over the head with it each week on the newsletter and the Church Leaders too are taking a swing at you every chance they get to talk on the subject. So why is that?? Maybe because it is true we do live in perilous times, we are in the last days and we DO need to be prepared. Many of us balk at storing one year’s supply of food and provisions. But our last counsel was to store a few months worth of food and provisions. Why the diminishing amount? Maybe because we do find it too much to try and store a years worth of food, and so by encouraging us to store half or even a quarter of that amount makes us feel better about it. Makes it seem less insurmountable and more achievable. Sometimes we want the miracle to precede the faith. It doesn’t and won’t happen that way. So I thought I would start the ball rolling…or should I say… the inventory rolling, by bearing you my testimony on food storage and I encourage each of you to ponder on the ways food storage has benefited you or someone you know. See it for what it is… a miracle and let your faith grow from there. When I was a very new member I used to have the missionaries over quite a bit and as a newly single Mum money was extremely tight. One day I forgot the Missionaries were coming for tea until they knocked on the door. I went to the cupboard wondering what I was going to feed them as I knew had enough to last Darcy and I until pay day a few days away. But I had been praying about and trying to understand the principal of food storage and had begun to store a little extra of this and that. Not enough 8 missionaries and Darcy and I but I was prepared to use it. I opened the pantry and began to pull out things to make a sort of pasta dish. Not very nutritious but filling. As I pulled out food I found there was more food in there than what I had bought. I knew I had not bought them. And as I was also the only one with access to my house I knew no one else had bought them either. I could only conclude the Lord had done it. I couldn’t understand how but I just knew it was the Lord. I made us a pasta bake to beat all pasta bake; I had vegies I didn’t buy and all sorts of good grains and legumes. Not only that, it made enough to feed all 10 of us for tea and Darcy and I enjoyed it as leftovers the next night too. I testify that the Lord fed us, not just on his word but also with his love and his blessing of those who seek to be faithful. I now gladly give even if it will leave me short when the Lord asks it of me, because the truth of it is that I will not be short of provisions, the giving of what I have gains me far more in return, in tangible provisions, in blessings and in faith in the Lord. Try it for yourself, place your faith in the Lord, He will not fail you.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I’m a little dizzy from all this talking; you’d better help me down of my soapbox.

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Preparing for floods and other emergencies.

Despite the fact our water storage dams are still low. In the past few weeks we have seen the news reports go from how bad the drought is to how bad the flooding is.

Do we all know what to do in the event of flooding in and around our homes?

First thing we should know is flood water is toxic. We should avoid being in contact with it as much as possible. Do not drink it; do not rinse things off in it. It contains sewerage, dead animals, spilt chemicals, and other poisons that have leaked into it.

If we do not have time to get our belongings to the highest point in the house, we need to get ourselves to the highest point away from the flood waters. If we have time to evacuate well and good, but if not we need to ensure our 72 hour packs are ready to go.

I have most of my water storage under the house. It is out of the way and I know where it is. But in the event of a flood that water may also become contaminated so I am now filling smaller containers and storing them in the top of the wardrobes, this way I know we have safe water to drink and to use. Do not store water or food storage in the roof as the changes in temperature will spoil them.

The next thing we need to know is in the event of serious flooding we need to turn off the gas and the electrical mains. Gas pipes can rupture making the flood waters flammable as well as toxic. Electrical appliances can short out making the chances of receiving an electrical shock higher.

So my welfare spot for this month is to ask you to have a look around your houses and at your food storage and water supplies and ensure that if you cannot get it all up into cupboards than it least get a broad range of supplies into the wardrobes so that you still have some should flooding wipe out the rest.

Waverley Welfare 2007

In the week leading up to Christmas we witnessed some pretty amazing changes in weather, the torrential downpour caught many unprepared, as did the flooding that followed. For many the rain was a welcome sight, for others it was a heart aching time as it flooded houses and roads, destroyed gardens and uprooted trees. How did your house fare? Did your guttering cope with the volume of water? What about the drains and drainage areas around your house? It was a perfect time to get a little wet and see how our yards, houses and streets coped with the huge amount of water that fell.

It was also an interesting time to look around your neighbourhood and see where the flooding zones are and consider what worst-case scenario might see your house suddenly flooded. If you have drains near or out front your house consider how high the water might get if they became blocked. Literally just up the road from us was under nearly a metre of water as the drains failed to cope and overflowed, the run off from the street and houses on higher ground had nowhere else to go so the water level continued to rise. Further down the road were more scenes of severe flooding leaving the road totally cut off in several sections.

Great for sightseers but not so great for the poor people whose houses were suddenly filled with water.

For us as a prepared people there is plenty we can do to ensure our houses do not become flooded and to ride out any power outages that may occur during a storm.

Check your guttering is always clear of debris, if you have a sewer drain out front your property ensure that it is kept clear, don’t let grass clippings and other rubbish accumulate near it or fall down into it. Though it is not nice to have to clean up after someone else has had a party and left a mess on the road, it is less fun to have to rip up your carpet and throw out all the furniture that gets ruined in a flood.

If you feel your home may be susceptible to flooding, consider storing some sand bags somewhere easy to get to but out of everyday sight. If you can sandbag around your doors before the water gets too high you stand a fair chance of avoiding the mess and damage caused.

Even now there are still signs of the direction and depth of the water, in our yards and in the street, take advantage if this and consider ways you can divert water off your property and back onto the street, it may mean building a new and somewhat curiously designed garden that directs water away from the house. Of course I don’t mean for you to direct it straight into the neighbours yard!

Inside the roof is another place we should look, cracked tiles or gaps in the mortar that can’t be seen from ground level may allow rain to seep into the ceiling causing damage to the ceiling as well as the electrical cabling in the roof. It would be quite an amazing irony for your house to short out and catch fire in the middle of a huge downpour. Of course that is worst-case scenario. But the damage that can be caused to our insulation and ceiling plaster and electrical circuitry is a real possibility. Check it out and get it fixed.

Of course the other side to heavy rain is loss of power, no big deal during the day but in the evening and throughout the night, it can cause a problem. Ensure you know where your torches and batteries or candles and matches are. Do you have another means of cooking if your stove is electric? Can you get by without the power on for anywhere up to several hours? Did you know that wrapping your freezer in a blanket will help keep it frozen longer?

Now of course we are faced with the other side of summer… the extremely hot days. After all this rain our gardens have shouted out in joy… but now they face the threat of dying in the heat, not much we can do during the day but in the evening we can water them from our grey water or other water storage to help them survive the heat.

Same applies to us, we can dehydrate really quickly and become affected by the heat. Thankfully it has become commonplace and in some instances a fashion accessory to carry water bottles so there is no excuse for us not to keep hydrated. I took 2 large bottles of water to both the full rehearsal and then the actual night of the carols by candlelight and needed both of them along with the bottle supplied under our seats each night. I still found myself dehydrated and took a few days to recover fully. So it is not just out in the sun that we can get dehydrated.

Preventing sunburn, heat stroke and dehydration is a matter of being wise and not foolish. Stay out of direct sunlight as much as possible; wear a hat, long sleaves and sunscreen if you are out in the sun. Keep your fluids up and don’t overdo the foods and drinks that tend to sap us such as salted nuts and soft drinks. If you find yourself getting too hot, wiping your extremities with a cool cloth as well as your face, neck and top of your head can help to cool you down. Keep cool fresh water and shade available to pets at all times during the summer, they suffer the heat just as much as we do and don’t have the luxury of being able to wander around without their fur coat on.

We are a peculiar people and we need to be a prepared people in all things. Don’t assume all will be well, but neither should we join the doomsayers. Being prepared means to take all things into consideration and have action plans in place in the event of an emergency or a change to the normal flow of life. Becoming prepared in all things does give a sense of peace, through the knowledge gained, the plans put into place, through the understanding of the welfare program and through knowing that we are living the gospel not just watching from the sidelines.

If you haven’t already done so, set yourself some achievable goals for your own and for your families welfare preparedness then stick it on the fridge or somewhere you will see it and actually read it rather than just look at it and make the time and effort to fulfil your gaols, the rewards will be greater than just having everything in place.

Until next year my dear brothers and sisters remember it is good to be a summer sun avoiding, rehydrating, personally prepared, goal making, cool keeping, all thing considerin’, spirit feeling Latter Day Saint.

Yours in preparedness