52 Weeks, Week 39

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness for Two

Week 39

Heber C. Kimball 1859, With regard to grain, I will say, If you do not lay it up and keep it, you will be sorry in a day to come; for you will see hard times, trying times, plagues, and famines, and bloodshed. Be advised and provide in time, and while you have the opportunity.

Food Storage and Preparedness Challenge Of The Week:

Food Storage Purchase 8 Cans of Fruit

Extra Item Purchase 8 rolls of toilet paper

Family Prep: Continue to add to your 72 hr. kit, family gear box, and flu kits as your family needs. Add items that you may have skipped or special needs for your family.

Spiritual Preparedness: Read Elder David A. Bednar's conference address "Ask in Faith" (page 94 of the May 08 Ensign). Follow his council to make your prayers more meaningful. ______________________________________________

"when people are but unwilling to take care of themselves we are responsible to employ the dictum of the Lord that the idler shall not eat the bread of the labor" Boyd K. Packer

 

PERSONAL AND FAMILY PREPAREDNESS: A Way of Life

When we speak of personal and family preparedness, we should speak of foreseen, anticipated, almost expected needs which can be met through wise preparation. Even true emergencies can be modified by good planning.
--H. Burke Peterson

Personal and family preparedness is provident living. Being provident involves being "wise, frugal, prudent, making provision for the future while attending to immediate needs." (Barbara B. Smith)

Education
• Improve our ability to read, write, and do basic mathematics.
• Study the scriptures and other good books.
• Learn to communicate effectively with others.
• Take advantage of opportunities to gain more knowledge.

Health
• Obey the Word of Wisdom.
• Exercise regularly.
• Provide for adequate medical and dental care, including appropriate insurance where possible.
• Keep homes and surroundings clean and sanitary.
• Shun substances or practices that abuse our bodies or minds.

Employment
• Prepare for and carefully select a suitable occupation.
• Become skilled at work through training and experience.
• Be diligent, hard working, and trustworthy.
• Give honest work for the pay and benefits received.

Home Storage
• Have sufficient food, clothing and shelter for self and family.
• Where possible, store a year's supply of basic items needed to sustain life.
• Regularly use and replace all stored items in order to keep them from spoiling.
• Learn to produce and prepare basic food items.

Resource Management
• Pay tithes and offerings.
• Avoid unnecessary debt and save for the future.
• Satisfy all of our promised obligations.
• Use our resources frugally and avoid wasting them.
• Use our time wisely.
• Be willing to serve those in need by sharing our time, talents, and resources with them.

Social, Emotional, and Spiritual Strength
• Study the scriptures and the teachings of the living prophets.
• Obey God's commandments and heed the counsel of Church leaders.
• Exercise faith in Christ and cultivate humility.
• Pray frequently and fervently.
• Strengthen our relationships with family members, neighbors, and friends.
• Shun things that are morally and spiritually degrading
• Work toward worthy goals.
• Do the best we can to adjust to change and recover from misfortune.

Reference: Providing in the Lord's Way: A Leader's Guide to Welfare, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

52 Weeks, Week 38

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness for Two

Week 38

Bishop Vaughn J. Featherstone: Decide as a family this year that 25 or 50 % of your Christmas will be spent on a year's supply..... Half or part of these Christmas monies will go a long way to purchasing the basics.......Brethren, give your wife a year's supply of wheat for Christmas, and she'll know your heart is in the right place.

Food Storage and Preparedness Challenge Of The Week:

Food Storage Purchase 30 lbs. of Wheat or Flour

Extra Item Purchase 11 lbs. Macaroni or Spaghetti

Family Prep: Ask "What would the Lord have me do today about obtaining essentials for food storage?" Really try to find out this week, what extras you need or what it is that the Lord would have you prepare. Be specific and you get specifics.

Spiritual Preparedness: Read 2 Nephi 9: 50-52. Reevaluate your priorities and place those things that matter most at the top of your list.

Rice

Along with wheat, rice is one of the staples of long term food storage. Most of the white rice varieties store well and can be stored for upwards of 30 years of kept dry and clean. Rice is the most eaten food in the world. It is the staple diet in many countries. It can be eaten so many ways, and it is so healthy too!

Fried Rice: The variations of fried rice are infinite depending on the added ingredients. Try any of your favorite vegetables, different types of meats, seafood, your favorite or new seasonings, and you will open up a world of fried rice you haven't yet experienced.

Spanish Rice

1 ½ cups rice 2 ½ cups chicken broth

1 cup plain tomato sauce

3 cloves finely chopped garlic

¼ of a medium onion chopped

2 tbsp oil

Other spices as you like, eg: taco seasonings, cumin, etc.

Heat oil in medium fry pan. Add garlic and onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add in dry rice. Stir for about 5 minutes until it becomes golden brown in color. Add in broth and tomato sauce. Add all other spices. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover, and let simmer on low for 20 minutes. Fluff and serve.

Basic Fried Rice

This is a basic recipe that you can add anything to that you desire. If you add other ingredients you can increase the number of eggs to 3.

1 – 2 green onions chopped 2 large eggs

1 tsp salt and pepper to taste

4 tbsp oil for frying 4 cups cold cooked rice.

1 – 2 tbsp soy sauce

Lightly beat eggs with salt and pepper. Heat oil in fry pan. Add rice and stir fry for a few minutes. Pour and mix in the scrambled eggs and onions, and stir to cook and scramble eggs in mixture. Serve hot. Add any other vegetables to oil before adding rice, to make sure they are cooked.

52 Weeks, Week 37

 

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness for Two

Week 37

Brigham Young: "We all believe that the Lord will fight our battles; but how? Will he do it while we are unconcerned and make no effort whatever for our own safety when an enemy is upon us?....it would be quite as reasonable to expect remission of sins without baptism, as to expect the Lord to fight our battles without our taking every precaution to be prepared to defend ourselves. The Lord requires us to be quite as willing to fight our own battles as to have him fight them for us. If we are not ready for an enemy when he comes upon us, we have not lived up to the requirements of him who guides the ship of Zion, or who dictates the affairs of His Kingdom."

Food Storage and Preparedness Challenge Of The Week:

Food Storage Purchase Fruit Drink to make 8 quarts

Extra Item Purchase Shampoo, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, to last 6 months

Family Prep: Extras you may want to have in your car kit are: jumper cables, a fold up shovel, an electric blanket that plugs into the lighter, flares, compass, road maps, knife, first aid kits, chains, fire extinguisher

Spiritual Preparedness: This is the time of the year when we spend some extra time pondering what we are thankful for. Be thankful for your freedom of religion. Take time to discuss just what this means to you and your family.

Honey & Sugar

Honey can be substituted for sugar:

¾ cup honey to 1 cup sugar and reduce total liquid by 25% or ¼ cup of liquid for each cup of sugar.

Honey Butter

½ cup butter

1 cup honey

Combine ingredients and beat until creamy and smooth. Store in fridge.

Basic Honey Custard

2 eggs

½ cup honey

2 cups milk

tsp salt

Beat eggs slightly. Add milk, honey and salt. Pour into individual molds and set in pan of water. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Allow to cool and chill in fridge.

Honey can be used to heal wounds, as it has been pro ven to be an effective disinfectant.

Honey is a natural wonder. One of my favorites is to butter a piece of toast and add honey.

Look for my email which will tell you all the wonders and uses of this great gift called......honey!