by David E Bay, High Councilor

Recently Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided at a leadership conference in our region. I was among the many who were not invited to be there. However, after hearing reports from some of those who attended, I have gained some information that has caused me to think and ponder.

Members were encouraged to do the following.

• Have faith in the future – do not fear the future.
• Keep the Savior and our covenants at the center of our lives.
• Stay on that covenant path.

In thinking about having faith in the future instead of fear, I thought of the following scripture “if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.” (D&C 38:30) And other verses of holy writ that encourage, “Prepare ye, prepare ye.” (D&C 1:12, 88:29, 133:4)

Recently in our stake we have been considering what we need to do to be prepared at the time when a disaster will strike. So, my ideas of preparation have been flavored with preparing for potential upheavals. As I considered where we can work on being prepared, I realized that the Children and Youth Program gives us four different areas of focus. Spiritual, Social, Physical, and Intellectual are what our young people are encouraged to look at when setting goals. We can use the same focus points as we seek to prepare ourselves and our families.

Most critically, we need to be spiritually prepared to be able to understand and know those things that the Lord would like us to do. Sister Julie B. Beck, former General Relief Society President, taught, “The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life.” President Nelson addressed the entire Church in his first General Conference as the Prophet. “I am optimistic about the future. It will be filled with opportunities for each of us to progress, contribute, and take the gospel to every corner of the earth. But I am also not naive about the days ahead. If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the philosophies of men that attack truth, we must learn to receive revelation. Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost. My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation.”

How are your relationships with others? (Social)When a disaster strikes, we are likely going to need support from all of those around us in order to be able to survive and thrive in those times. We need to be able to set aside conflict as we were recently reminded by our Prophet last April. “I plead with you to do all you can to end personal conflicts that are currently raging in your hearts and in your lives.”

It is important that we have some physical preparation. Immediately after a disaster, one of the biggest needs will be to have enough clean water. For the first two or three days after a disaster, water will be much more critical than having food. Until drinking water is restored there will be a continuing need for water. Sanitation will be another area that we need to consider.

Finally, what do you need to know to be able to plan properly (Intellectual)? Is there something that you need to or want to learn to be able to help you? There are resources all over.

As you reflect on your individual and family needs, consider joining one of our Self Reliance Groups. These will be starting in September. See information later on in the newsletter for more details.

I have been exposed to many fascinating concepts in the past month or so. Sister LuAn Johnson in our Stake is an emergency preparedness expert. While working on helping Stake leaders to understand preparedness, she shared that Water is the most important item to store in a disaster. Brother Jim Buchanan shared a website about Taking care of human waste in a disaster. Sister Susan Gonzalez showed me some other things to share with you so you can learn and consider about your individual and home preparations for the future.

Here are some search terms to jump start your exploration:

• How to Store Water for Emergency Preparedness
• Where can water be stored at home?
• How much water do I need to store for an emergency?
• Pot in pot refrigerator zeer pot
• Using orange peels
• The medicinal uses of common plants
• Common medicines to have in your emergency storage