by David E Bay, High Councilor

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. This inconvenience was caused by an old power line that failed and is now scheduled to be replaced as soon as possible by the city. (The failed line and others of the same age will probably be replaced by the time you read this.) It was unusual in that there was some power in the building but not throughout all of the systems.

Recently, the horrific tragedy on the island of Maui points out that what we expect is not how we will always receive our challenges. Maui had prepared and drilled for a crisis coming from the ocean, in the way of a tsunami. What actually came was a firestorm driven by hurricane force winds.

We are in a wonderful and challenging time. Between now and when the Savior returns, we know by prophecy that there will be many challenges. Prepare for an emergency, but do not be so specific in your planning that you are unable to adapt to the challenges that arrive. Lots of preparation is basic regardless of what kind of disaster we have.

Applying the matrix used for setting goals for our Children and Youth Program we can look at different aspects of preparation. As you may remember, those four areas are: Spiritual, Intellectual, Physical, and Social.

The most important is Spiritual preparation so we can receive promptings from the Holy Ghost. He will guide us in knowing those things that we need to do to be prepared regardless of what the actual situation will be.

Another important area to focus on is mental or Intellectual preparation. When we are prepared and have thought through possibilities, we are much better prepared for those things that may come because we have considered what might be.

Another area of preparation is Social. We need to prepare to be able to work together with members of our families and with our neighborhoods and other organizations that we interact with. This kind of preparation also helps us have an optimistic focus on solving problems instead of feeling picked on because we experienced a problem.

Finally, we need to prepare in the Physical area. This includes the preparation of things, such as supplies and other preparations. Another area of physical preparation is to work on keeping our bodies in as reasonably healthy a condition as possible. During an emergency, health issues and struggles will be magnified because of the lack of resources.

Of course, no person is going to be totally prepared regardless of how much they try. That’s part of the reason why we need to be willing to cooperate. When we work together with others, our strengths can help them overcome their deficiencies and their strengths can help cover ours.

Also, the Children and Youth Program teaches us how to implement changes that we need to do. There are four steps. First, we Discover what we need or want to do. Second, we Plan what to do and how to do it. Third, we Act and carry out the plan that we’ve made. Finally, we Reflect on whether our actions were effective in accomplishing what we wanted. If not, we go through the cycle again.

One way to work on that individual preparation is by getting involved with the upcoming self-reliance groups. These groups will be starting Sunday evening September 17^th or 24^th. These groups do not just teach doctrinal concepts but give specific useful techniques and ideas that you can put to use immediately.