Self-Reliant Saturday -- Learning From History

Today is July 4th, Independence Day here in America, and with this holiday comes quite a bit of history.  There is a lot to learn from those whom have passed on before us and hopefully we take the time to learn these life lessons from our ancestors.  

 "Church history teaches many lessons about personal preparedness"  

"Lessons From Crossing The Plains"

• When we ignore preparedness counsel, we can expect unhappy consequences
• Protect against nature (sun, cold, snow, wild animals, sickness)
• Be accident cautious (falls, burns, children wandering off, carelessness, knife injuries)
• Protect against discouragement (maintain good health, don't be afraid to ask for help, make friends with like-minded people)
• Be creative and adaptive in difficult times (let the wagon bumps turn cream into butter)

"Lessons From the Pioneer Famine of 1868"

• In times of dire food shortages, we should be willing to share our personal food storage with others
• During times of famine we might choose to fast more often to provide for the needy
• When the course of our normal life is disrupted, it helps to fill free time with constructive activities 

"Lessons From the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake"

There were 120 Church members, missionaries, etc in the city at the time and they wrote about  how they survived the quake.

• Have sturdy shoes and durable clothing nearby in case of a sudden nighttime emergency
• Have fire extinguishers in our homes
• Have emergency water on hand in sturdy, non-glass containers
• Have minimal cleaning items, such as moist towelettes, toothpaste, deodorant, face towels, and even small bags of detergent
• Have emergency food as we have been taught
• It is important to have 2-3 meeting places where family members can find each other in case disaster strikes and family is scattered
• Be prepared to leave cherished belongings
• Ignore wild rumors that spread in panics and don't pass them on

All of these ideas, and more, are from an article written by William G. Hartley in the October 2001 Ensign, "Sturdy Shoes and a Waterproof Tent". Click HERE to read the entire article.     

Self-Relilant Saturday-- "Thou Shalt Not Be Idle"

"The Church cannot be expected to provide for every one of its millions of members in case of public or personal disaster.  It is therefore necessary that each home and family do what they can to assume the responsibility for their own hour of need.  If we do not have the resources to acquire a year's supply, then we can strive to begin with having a one month's supply.  I believe if we are provident and wise in the management of our personal and family affairs and are faithful, God will sustain us through our trials.  "For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves."  -James E. Faust General Conference 4/1986 (bold and underline added)

72-Hour Kits and What Not To Do!

Knowledge is power...only if you apply that knowledge to your goal.  I know a lot about 72-hour kits and what to put in them.  But maybe not so much about updating them :)

This weekend was the semi-annual General Conference for members of the LDS faith.  This conference is held in April and October of every year.  Many of us use the bi-yearly time to change out batteries in smoke detectors, inventory our food storage, and change out our 72-hour kits.  It's funny that April and October seem to come around a lot faster then we think.  I swear it wasn't that long ago that I had gone through all of our 72-hour kits.  But the proof will show you......that wasn't the case.  

Case in point #1

 My daughter said that even if that was all there was left to wear, she couldn't fit into it.

Case in point #2

 My son is 11 and I'm pretty sure he doesn't wear diapers anymore.  It was hard to take a picture because we were laughing so hard!

Case in point #3

 This child is 18 and had a coat that fit my 6 year old.  We were laughing really hard by this point.  I could hardly take the picture when she zipped it up.  She laughed and said at least she would be partly warm if she had to wear it.  haha!!

Case in point #4

My 6 year old had a bottle and baby formula in her kit.  She would probably have fun drinking out of the bottle, but the formula not so much. She didn't even have a toothbrush in her kit like the rest of us. She didn't even have teeth when I made her kit...haha...now she is losing her front teeth. 

How did I not go through these kits in the last 5 years?!?!?!  I did move a year and a half ago, but still, I'm a slacker.

 This was most of the expired food from all 7 of our kits.  It was mostly yucky. The smells...I can still smell them.  My kids added new clothes, in the correct sizes, in their kits, and I have a list of things to buy to bring them all up to date. I think that these kits were not on my mind because I feel that an evacuation in my area wouldn't be likely, it could happen, but not likely.  So I probably put the thought of updating them out of my mind. Having a 72-hour kit, or grab-and-go kit, or a bug-out-bag is a smart thing to have though. I'm not saying that they aren't important. No one knows what the future will bring and it's always a good idea to be prepared for whatever may come our way.

Are We Prepared?

This month in the Ensign Magazine (LDS monthly magazine) President Monson's message was very timely.  It is titled "Are We Prepared?"  (click HERE to read the entire article)

Image from lds.org Ensign magazine Sept. 2014

There haven't been too many talks or articles on food storage in the past few years.  But recently I've noticed more and more people are talking about being prepared.  Our leaders don't proclaim to know the future, but they do warn us and help us to be ready for whatever may come our way.  We would be very smart to listen to their advice.

President Monson-  "We live in turbulent times. Often the future is unknown; therefore, it behooves us to prepare for uncertainties. When the time for decision arrives, the time for preparation is past.

Are we prepared for the emergencies in our lives? Are our skills perfected? Do we live providently? Do we have our reserve supply on hand? Are we obedient to the commandments of God? Are we responsive to the teachings of prophets? Are we prepared to give of our substance to the poor, the needy? Are we square with the Lord?"

We Become Self-Reliant......Julie Beck

Beautifully said....

 We become self-reliant, through obtaining sufficient knowledge, education, and literacy; by managing money and resources wisely, being spiritually strong, preparing for emergencies and eventualities; and by having physical health and social and emotional well-being." -Julie Beck

 

Read more HERE..

Provident Living Prepares Us For The Future- Ensign Article

I am just now getting around to reading the October Ensign Magazine and I found a great article on living providently.  (The Ensign is a monthly Mormon magazine published by the Church)  The article is titled "Provident Living Prepares Us For The Future", and it explains "that we, as Latter-Day Saints, believe in being prepared and self-reliant."  There are 6 areas of self-reliance that the article mentions that we can all work on to become self-reliant, and I agree with every single one of them.

 

"Living proveidently reflects our true eternal nature we are "to act for {ourselves} and not to be acted upon" (2 Nephi 2:26).  The Lord wants us to be responsible and independent (see D&C 78:14).  He wants us to live providently because of who we become in the process:  responsible, generous, mature, kind.  For the more self-reliant we are, the better we can help our families and others.  How can we feed the hungry if we ourselves are hungry? How can we impart knowledge if we ourselves lack knowledge? How can we build others' faith if we ourselves lack faith."  

"All of us are responsible to provide for ourselves and our families in both temporal and spiritual ways.  To provide providently, we must practice the princibles of provident living:  joyfully living within our means, being content with what we have, avoiding excess debt, and diligently saving and preparing for rainy-day emergencies."    Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles  (bold text added)

Check out the entire article HERE.

Prepare Today Homemade- Honeyville Scones

Yesterday was LDS Conference (for all those who aren't Mormon it is a weekend of talks and inspiration from our Prophet and leaders)  and at my house we like to have a really fun breakfast to kick off the Sunday morning session.  My children usually request cinnamon rolls and sausage.  Both are only made once or twice a year so they can't wait to eat them. But this year I had a box of Honevyille's Scone mix, and I think they were more excited for these then when I make cinnamon rolls!  

 I had never made these before, but they were really easy to put together.  

First, I dissolved the yeast into 1 C of warm water.

Once it was bubbly I added it to the scone mix in my Bosch.

I kneaded for a few minutes until the dough was soft and elastic.  Then I let it rest for 20 minutes per the instructions on the box.

Once it was rested I rolled it out to 1/4" thick....

Cut it into squares (you could use cookie cutters or cut different shapes) and fried them in a skillet.

It only took about 20 seconds on each side for the scones to be done.

All browned and ready to eat!!

We added powdered sugar and some of Honeyville's Bumbleberry jelly and they tasted just like a jelly doughnut.  We loved them!!  I am wondering if they could be used in a savory dish as well...hmmm the possibilities!!

Since we woke up to our furnace not turning on and it was 59° in my house, we also had some of Honeyville's Marshmallow Motherlode hot chocolate with our scones.  

My kids were in sugar heaven and they actually sat through conference taking notes and listening.  I don't know if it was the scones and hot chocolate that helped with that, but I will give them some of the credit for my children's good behavior.  

Both of these products are available at the Honeyville Retail locations and they would make neighbor gifts, work friend gifts, friends and family member gifts, and they would also make really great gift baskets too!! 

*Update:  I made hamburger buns out of the scone mix tonight for our sloppy joes.  I made the recipe according to the box and then instead of shaping into scones, I made small round rolls and then let them rise for about 20 minutes and then baked them at 350° for about 18 minutes.  It made about 12 hamburger type buns.

Through His Servants....

Through his servants, the Lord teaches us the pathway to happiness and safety.

I know of nothing of great importance that has happened in the world that the Lord through his prophets has not advised the people of beforehand, so that they have not been left in ignorance of what was to develop, but could plan their lives, if they would, to their advantage...

The case of Noah is in point.  He was commanded of the Lord to build an ark in which the righteous might be preserved from the flood which was to come.  Noah built the ark and preached repentance to his generation for a period of one hundred and twenty years, thus fully warning them. The people, however, were so wicked that they failed to heed the warning.  Having their agency, they chose evil rather than righteousness.  The rains descended, and the floods came, and only Noah and his family of eight souls were saved.  All had been fully warned, but because of their wilfulness and their refusal to repent they were drowned.  {see Moses 8:13-30}

-Teachings of the President of the Church:  George Albert Smith pg.60

Just a Thought....

Where was the counsel to prepare in conference? Read HERE and you'll find a reason why.