In the Book of Mormon we read about a prophet named Lehi and a dream the Lord gave him. In the dream, Lehi viewed the raucous nature and calls of those in the world who seek to offset the path of those seeking God.
One of the current leaders for the Mormon church (officially called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) has commented on this same topic. He said:
The current cries we hear coming from the great and spacious building tempt us to compete for ownership in the things of this world. We think we need a larger home, with a three-car garage, a recreational vehicle parked next to it. We long for designer clothes, extra TV sets, all with VCRs, the latest model computers, and the newest car. Often these items are purchased with borrowed money, without giving any thought to providing for our future needs. The result of all this instant gratification is overloaded bankruptcy courts and families that are far too preoccupied with their financial burdens.
(See Elder L. Tom Perry, “If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear,” Ensign, Nov 1995, 35).
Regardless of whether this statement would describe us well in the past, what matters most is what we’re doing now in the present. Are we more focused on designer clothing, the latest computers, or even the new Wii … to the exclusion of preparing our families for difficult times ahead?
One would hope we would never need to know how to live off the land. Our pioneer forefathers knew such skills. Living in today’s current world, though, we have grown soft with easy access to all kinds of convenience stores.
Thus, if we don’t have the skills to live off the lands … if times got hard … we best be getting ourselves ready with ample storage of life-saving foods and other supplies.
Most people with access to electricity, computers, as the bird flu … and the enforced quarantines should such a thing breakout.
I would hate to starve to death in my home, wouldn’t you? Yet, if the government couldn’t allow people out on the streets, what is the reality of starvation for each family in your own neighborhood? What about for your own family? If you couldn’t visit the grocery store for several months, how would you fare?
Thus, it would be really, really good to listen to the Lord’s servants who advise us to prepare ourselves by storing up goods that would sustain life.
Even if the bird flu didn’t hit the world in large fashion (oh, how glad an event to not have it come), there are other signs of trouble in the world today: the collapse of the housing market, inflation, shaky economies, etc.
Here’s the basics in a nutshell. Mormon prophets and church leaders recommend that you need to have about 3 months worth of every day foods your family is used to eating. Once you have built up that amount of food stuffs (and medicines, toiletries, etc.), then it is recommended you begin storing other types of longer storage kinds of foods, such as rice, wheat, salt, sugar, yeast, etc. (Of course, each family needs to determine what is appropriate for them, given possible food allergies, etc., and actually cook with long-term foods to develop recipes for them.)
The apostle, Elder L. Tom Perry (as quoted and with a link to the full talk above), gives additional commentary on the subject of preparedness:
On a daily basis we witness widely fluctuating inflation; wars; interpersonal conflicts; national disasters; variances in weather conditions; innumerable forces of immorality, crime, and violence; attacks and pressures on the family and individuals; technological advances that make occupations obsolete; and so on. The need for preparation is abundantly clear. The great blessing of being prepared gives us freedom from fear, as guaranteed to us by the Lord in the Doctrine and Covenants: “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30).
Let us all make sure we are praying, reading our scriptures, and seeking the Lord’s guidance in these rocky times. We also need to make sure we are temporally prepared with long-term food, medicine storage, etc. Then, when unpleasant events happen in society around us, we will be prepared. Our families won’t need to fear … and even better? We will be free to then help others around us as Jesus Christ has admonished us to do! Now that is an awesome thing to think about!
To learn more about a provident living lifestyle and how to wisely prepare for the future, visit the Mormon church’s provident living website.
