I was out in my yard on my hands and knees trying to pick up round objects from my front lawn when I felt a little tap on my head. It was another one. I suppose if I plant oak trees, I need to expect acorns to drop off, even on my head when I am under them.
On Sunday morning August 27, 2023, neighbors to the Brigham City South Stake Center heard a loud pop as they were getting ready to attend church. Bishop Chance Adams was conducting his very first Ward Conference and discovered that several items in the chapel were not working including some of the lights, the air conditioning, the organ as well as the sound system. Acting in full confidence he got up to the podium and announced, “I get to go into teacher mode.” He is an educator and has the ability to project his voice to fill a classroom and beyond. This was NOT something that impacted anyone in a life-and-death situation, but it shows that we need to be prepared for any unexpected situation.
Finding Strength in the Lord – Emotional Resiliencemeetings will be in the Stake Center Relief Society Room Sundays at 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Classes begin September 24.
Your age significantly affects how much money you’ll have during your retirement years, and different retirement benefits have different eligibility ages. Over the course of 23 years, from age 49 to 72, you’ll need a financial retirement plan that pays close attention to these age milestones, so you don’t miss out on financial opportunities or be subject to penalties.
Amanda Stoker, Senator for Queensland, addressed an audience of over 500 young single adults ages 18-30 about the importance of education and self-reliance at a graduation celebration in Brisbane. Senator Stoker, as honored guest, spoke to the group voicing her strong encouragement to, “Learn the principles of self-reliance to be equipped to not just survive, but to help and serve others.”
Submitted by Susan Williams, Stake Education Specialist
“Human waste is one of the deadliest substances on earth.
“Where sanitation is poor, death & disease are rampant. Our current systems for disposing of waste can be affected by many situations. If we lose water, then we lose sewer. If we lose power for an extended time, we also lose sewer. In an earthquake or landslide sewer lines can rupture.
“In each of these scenarios, our instincts might be to use a camp potty, an RV or even dig a pit latrine. These solutions are very dangerous if we don’t know how to properly set up and dispose of the waste. They will bring animals, vermin and insects into our environment that spread disease.
“Exposure to human waste will make your family very sick. “Sanitation in a Disaster promises to be eye-opening to even the most seasoned responders.”
Right above is a link on Sanitation in a Disaster. There is a video tutorial with 5 videos there. These videos and their content were created by Kathryn McMullin, the Now What Resilience founder. Sanitation following a disaster can be troublesome but following this link it will point out ways to address this issue and hopefully avoid illness.
Questions, please feel free to reach out to me (Brother Jim Buchanan).
Submitted by Brother Jim Buchanan, Stake High Councilor, Stake Emergency Preparedness Specialist
This week we celebrate Pioneer Day. Our family’s closest relative who crossed the plains was Coleen’s grandfather, Austin Greeley Green. Brigham Young arrived here in the Great Salt Lake Valley on July 24 in 1847. Austin was part of the next group to come.
Retirement planning is a long-term process with key milestones along the way. When you reach certain ages, you’ll be eligible for various programs and services, and you’ll have further access to retirement planning tools. These are the key ages that mark those milestones:
The next Self Reliance Groups will be starting in September 2023.
Groups will be organized according to the interest for each type of group. Please sign up online using the links or let David Bay know by text message or email (contact information is in Member Tools) of your interest in which group by Sunday September 10th. Early notification of interest is encouraged.
Last week I spent time with some of my family in a place where my ancestors lived their lives. In the high Utah deserts just north of Bryce Canyon, I was reminded of how blessed we are. The Piute Reservoir, which for the last three years has been primarily empty and has appeared more like a mud puddle than a lake, was entirely filled with water sparkling in the sun. At church, members there expressed their gratitude for the abundant water and also for the miracle of not having the snow melt so quickly that it flooded. We have also been recipients of these blessings here in Brigham City. I am reminded of the words of King Benjamin when he taught the people that we are totally reliant on God for every everything including each breath we take.
In the world of financial accounts, the focus tends to be on 401(k)s, IRAs, pensions, or other retirement investment accounts. But that doesn’t mean you should forget about the traditional savings account. >>Click Here for More<<
The next Self Reliance Groups will be starting in September 2023.
Groups will be organized according to the interest for each type of group. Please sign up online using the links or let David Bay know by text message or email (contact information is in Member Tools) of your interest in which group by Sunday September 3th, Labor Day Weekend. Early notification of interest is encouraged.
This past week I took the opportunity to go to the Harrisville Cannery to help fulfill an assignment for our stake. This was a day when every Ward in our Stake had an assignment at the cannery. We were canning beef stew. The cannery has been in operation for six years. Hopefully, you have had a chance to visit and help with the operations.
The concept of financial literacy refers to knowing the basics of financial concepts to make smart decisions. Specifically, financial literacy can help prevent costly mistakes that could derail your life plans, prepare you for emergencies, help you reach your goals, and can help provide you a comprehensive view of your financials while giving you the confidence you need to make important decisions.
This spring we had a grandchild graduate from preschool, another from the 6th grade, two from junior high, one from high school and two received bachelor degrees. We joyfully celebrated their accomplishments and success with them.
As fun as these milestones are, I am reminded that the purpose of education is not just graduating from one level to another, but the knowledge and skills that one acquires, and the opportunities and benefits that it brings. An education can bless your life and life of your family. Education is an important part of our Heavenly Father’s plan to help us become more like Him.
The next Self Reliance Groups will be starting in September 2023.
Groups will be organized according to the interest for each type of group. Please sign up online using the links or let David Bay know by text message or email (contact information is in Member Tools) of your interest in which group by Sunday September 3th, Labor Day Weekend. Early notification of interest is encouraged.
Several years ago, I had the opportunity of being assigned to home teach a sister who had lost her arm to amputation. Although I tried to be considerate and attempted to have empathy, I really did not understand her situation. Recently however, I obtained some insight as to what it is like to not have the use of an arm after surgery on my shoulder and a nerve block, given intentionally by the anesthesiologist, left my arm numb and unresponsive for nearly 36 hours. Sometimes and probably more often than we are willing to admit, the only way to learn is by having experience.
In the world of retirement strategizing, the focus tends to be on 401(k)s, IRAs, pensions, or other retirement investment accounts. But that doesn’t mean you should forget about the traditional savings account.
Like the spring-cleaning of our homes through clearing out the old, decluttering, and bringing in the fresh and the new, we can cleanse, even detoxify, our bodies after long months of fortifying them with the heaviness of thick stews, hearty meats, and filling breads. Spring closes the pantry doors of preservation and opens the doors to the sun-filled outdoors. Whether seeds have been planted in the warming environment of a greenhouse, or directly in the ground outside, whether planted intentionally or unintentionally, they respond to sunlight much the same as we do – springing up all around us with great joy! But most of us don’t realize the life-giving properties of many plants and herbs.
Please sign up your cell phone for CODE RED. This is the method Box Elder County uses to reach out to land line and cell phones to advise you of serious community information, and imminent threats with the county. (Land lines are automatically subscribed, but cell phones must subscribe.)
Box Elder County has made a new tool available to us to quickly and accurately report damage from disasters and other major incidents that works when the communication infrastructure is functioning.
President Russell M. Nelson stated in October 2020 General Conference, “I recently heard a woman of deep testimony admit that the pandemic, combined with an earthquake in the Salt Lake Valley, had helped her realize she was not as prepared as she thought she was. When I asked whether she was referring to her food storage or her testimony, she smiled and said, ‘Yes!'”
This weekend is General Conference. I have a particular soft spot in my heart for General Conference. In the summer when I turned 15, my family moved from Lake Zürich, Illinois, to Bountiful, Utah. In Illinois we were able to listen to all of the conference sessions on the radio. We considered it fortunate to be able to receive one session by TV. So, I was thrilled with the idea that living in Bountiful, I might be able to actually attend General Conference in person.
There is a possibility that you or your friends and neighbors may experience flooding in their homes this spring. Government officials have requested that we share the following with our members. If surface water gets into the living quarters -or- if ground water seeps in and people are displaced, do the following.
Basic budgeting seems trivial but it’s highly important. Take note of how much you make each month and subtract it from how much you spend. This will give you visibility into your spending patterns. You can create a spreadsheet, use paper, or open a budgeting app to do so.
Spring Semester begins April 17, 2023 Priority Application Deadline: Mar. 28 Last Day to Complete an Application: Apr. 12 Courses Start: Apr. 17 Courses End: Week of July 17
As families, individuals, wards, and Stakes are we prepared for things that could happen in our communities? Our area, i.e., covers Brigham City, southern Idaho, a small part of Wyoming, and Cache Valley. Do you remember the Camp Fire in Paradise, CA, in November 2018? This devastated the whole City of Paradise, CA, in a matter of hours and days. Just last month on February 3, in East Palestine, Ohio a train derailed carrying toxic hazardous materials, creating problems for their residents, clean-up personnel, and environmental issues as a result of the accident. The Department of Transportation has reported there are over 800,000 thousand shipments each day of hazardous materials on roadways, air, rail, and ships. Each of these disasters has the potential of happening in our area.
It was a cold bitter morning; snow was falling and I was outside with a snow shovel and a bucket of ice-melt to ensure that my driveway and sidewalks were cleared of snow and ice. I stepped and my feet slipped out from under me and the next thing I knew I was on the ground. I hit full force on my left shoulder. Sometimes things happen that take only an instant but cause profound changes that impact us even for the rest of our lives.
Budgeting is one of, if not the most important life skill one can learn. As they grow up, you may have been able to teach them valuable budgeting and saving skills, but when they leave home for the first time, often to go to college, it’s time to put that teaching to the test. With the freedom of living away from home comes the responsibility to take care of themselves, including their financial health.
Have you ever done a soil test for your garden? This is the first step to planning your garden layout for the year. The most ideal time to do so is in the fall, but it is still possible to do it in early spring after the snow has melted – before planting any seeds in your garden or in a greenhouse. Because different plants flourish at different pH levels, knowing the pH level of your soil provides you with the information you need to create a healthy soil environment for your plants, leading to maximum plant growth. A soil test measures the pH level and identifies any nutrient deficiencies in your soil.
We are here, as a people, … that we may put ourselves in possession of every truth, of every virtue, of every principle of intelligence known among men, together with those that God has revealed for our special guidance, and apply them to our everyday life, and thus educate ourselves and our children in everything that tends to exalt man. President John Taylor, Deseret News: Semi-Weekly, 12 June 1883, 1.
Since our mission as Community Relations Missionaries for the Home Storage Center located in North Logan, UT, started in 2020, we have been introduced to some blogs devoted to home storage. Recently one of these blogs suggested that January was a good month to do a Panty Challenge to see if we could actually live for a month on our home storage. Those of us who have accepted the challenge receive weekly encouragement. Below is the first note to help us make it through the month.
Last week the company where I work had an ISO-9001 Audit. The idea was to check out how well we were doing in our goals as a company. Our external auditor, whose name was Bob, did a formal evaluation of how he perceived we were doing based on some international standards, which we had agreed to follow, as well as our company’s own documents. He gave us a sort of report card on how well we are doing in meeting our own goals.
Do you ever look at how you are doing on your goals and your directions? Do you even have goals and directions? With this newsletter having a focus on Welfare and Self Reliance, obviously you can look at our progress in those areas. However, taking inventory of how you are doing is appropriate in all areas of your life. When he was first sustained as a prophet, Pres. Nelson taught us that repentance is a continual process.
The Starting and Growing My Business group will learn how to start or grow a business. It will help you learn things such as: solving unmet customer needs; ensuring that your business is profitable; finding and keeping customers; keeping your personal and company assets separate; managing cash flow; and growing, financing, and continually improving your business.
We are working on starting a group in February combined with other local Stakes. Please sign up if you are interested.
Lots of times we learn things from those who have gone before us, including our ancestors. Sometimes though, we can learn from those who come after us, even our family members, our descendants. Recently I’ve learned some lessons from some of my grandsons. Two of them are serving as missionaries, and the other is pushing to perfect his sports skills in basketball.
The next Self Reliance Groups will start Sunday Evenings beginning Sunday 15 January 2023.
The Finding Strength in the Lord – Emotional Resilience course will meet in the Stake Center Relief Society Room Sundays at 6:30 – 8:30 pm. January 15 – March 19.
Where is the rice?? Why are products out of stock? How soon will you get more in? These are the questions we get daily about the products we have at the Logan Home Storage Center. The answer? We don’t have many details. What we do know, at times, is that demand is higher than the facility can keep up with.
Self-Reliance 