“We seldom perform to the level of our knowledge. This brings me to the subject of resolutions—resolutions to conform our lives more closely to what we already know about the gospel. While many of us take seriously our New Year’s resolutions, some of us may not have made any because of our prior problems in keeping them. We must not overlook the power that making good resolutions can have in helping make our lives happier and more successful—regardless of our past performance” (Elder Joe J. Christensen, “Resolutions,” Ensign, Dec 1994, 62).

I love that, don’t you? “We must not overlook the power that making good resolutions can have in helping make our lives happier and more successful—regardless of our past performance.” Wow. What a powerful thought.

Isn’t it just like the adversary Satan [see footnote] would want — to have us give up in discouragement? What a potent tool to keep good folks from striving to do more! Discouragement works to keep many from attaining self-improvement.

The whole point of a Christlike life is to make ourselves more whole, more complete, more like Him. We don’t have to do it overnight. Life is a process, and so is growth. As you contemplate possible goals or resolutions for this new year, remember that a flower doesn’t bud overnight from a slender stalk.

Here are several suggestions for New Year’s resolutions or areas for growth during 2008 – at least for the category of “Preparedness” that this blog discusses:

1. Completing your family’s 72-hour kits
2. Finding/reading excellent preparedness books
3. Aiding your community to become more prepared (i.e. establish a CERT group)
4. Educational preparedness (take a class to build your work knowledge or resume)
5. Learn a living-off-the-land skill (i.e. growing medicinal herbs, foraging for food, chopping wood)
6. Increase your physical preparedness (i.e. eat healthier foods, exercise)
7. Incorporate new food storage recipes (set a goal for a certain amount by the end of the year)
8. Increase your spiritual preparedness (i.e. read your scriptures a certain amount during the new year)
9. Add medical supplies to your year’s supply by the end of the next year
10. Add pet supplies to your year’s supply
11. Add toiletry supplies to your year’s supply
12. Complete either your three months or one year’s food supply.

These are simple suggestions. You might have better ones. Don’t plan on accomplishing them all; just pick one. Decide on a goal that is simple, straightforward, and easily achievable, so that by the end of next year you will have done it! You will have actually accomplished one of your New Year’s resolutions! And in a life-saving category. The important thing is that you do it.

Your family will count you most blessed for it.

(1.) “Satan lives. We must realize that he lives just as certainly as God lives and as we live. Those who teach that there is no devil are either ignorant of the facts or are deceivers” (ElRay L. Christiansen, “Power Over Satan,” Ensign, Nov. 1974, 22).

This article was originally published in December 2007. Minor changes have been made.

Cindy B

Imagine my shock a week ago when our city issued an emergency boil water alert. To my chagrin, I did not have water stored, for all my other preparations! Of course, a convenience store was nearby, but that thought apparently was in the minds of many city folk. My friends next door found only three jugs left when they went to buy water. They promptly snatched those up.

As grateful as I was for the boil water alert (who wants to brush your teeth with fecal-contaminated water?!), it soon becomes a bit tedious to boil water… and boil water… and boil water. And that was then the thought occurred to me: what if the electricity were out? There would be no power to boil water. What then? What would my small children do without water to drink? for us to cook with?

Hopefully you are better prepared than I was. After all, a person can only live for about three days without drinking water. And water is, of course, “free.” (Okay, we do have to pay our water bills… But you know what I mean!)

So here’s my emergency preparedness tip for the day: store water! Don’t be like me and find yourself caught without it when that unexpected emergency occurs. In fact, a good way to help your family be prepared for the unexpected is to remember the famous psychologist Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

In other words, begin your emergency preparations from this perspective: what do you most urgently need first? Then next? And next?

You absolutely need water, shelter, clothing, and food. There are other essentials also (i.e., love), but these are some good places to start. The government now recommends two weeks of supplies as opposed to 72 hours, as was swiftly learned when Hurricane Katrina devastated miles upon miles of territory, not just one city. People in multiple states were without life-saving necessities, not just those in the televised cities. It takes time for government agencies to respond.

Start today. Put some water aside. Whether you are recycling jugs for storage, buying bottles of water, or tablets to purify water from a local stream. Take care of it today. Now. Before your city experiences a sudden emergency like mine did a week ago. You’ll sure be glad you did!

To learn more about emergency preparedness, go to the Church’s website Provident Living for free tips. You’ll find tons of great ideas, including words from the Lord’s living prophets on how to help your family in many troubling situations.

This article was originally published in March 2008. Minor changes have been made. To view more LDS Blogs tips on emergency preparedness, click here.

Cindy B

I remember when my husband got laid off from his work. He’d previously been in a very stable position at a leading software company. Just prior to the pending layoffs, he’d been offered a job in a completely different department.

He verified over and over again with department heads and even with a Senior V.P. that if my husband took the job, he would be immune to the pending layoffs.

Over and over again, my husband received promises that if he took the job, he would be immune to the layoffs. My husband took the job because it was a dream of a job and one that would move him in a better career path (or so we thought).

Now mind you, this also came during a difficult time in our lives. Our second child had just passed away. We already were reeling from the shock of that situation. So having a new and apparently better job was a blessing during an otherwise somber time.

Not five weeks after my husband began his new job, he indeed received notice that he was being laid off. If he’d stayed in his old position he would not have received this news (since layoffs at this company were according to seniority in position). But there we were – with my husband laid off and I was expecting our next child. Sigh. Things were about to get really interesting.

My family and I are now more than a decade from those events. We made it through them. I’m grateful for that. What have I learned from them? Those things can happen more suddenly than we expect. And that if we’re prepared, unpleasantries can be softened.

Now often as I’m out and about town, I’m thinking about preparedness issues. I can’t help it. When I’m in the checkout lane and notice 4 lip balm in a pack, I’m thinking, “Oh, that would be a perfect addition to our emergency evac/72-hr kits!”

And no longer do I purchase just one pack of anything. I always buy double when my budget allows it because I know little by little soon becomes a lot. I’ve foregone replacing my Lane rocker with a big tear in the front so that I can continue to build a storage of goods that would sustain my family should grocery stores no longer become accessible for a while.

And that is why I’m now learning to garden. I’m doing it the easy way – with Earthboxes. They are the most incredible thing. Whereas one tomato plant normally might yield maybe 10-20 pounds of tomatoes, a tomato plant gardened in an Earthbox will yield on average 70 pounds of tomatoes per year! Here is a picture of my planting efforts just today…

I may not be able to grow enough food to live off of, but I can at least begin in small ways to increase my family’s self-sufficient ways. I selected some baby lettuce plants, in addition to other plants, and planted them in my Earthboxes.

I’m so excited for the outcome; I’ll keep you posted on their progress. In the meantime, what great things have you been doing to live after a wise preparedness lifestyle? I’d love to hear from you. We’d love to learn from your successes, even your failures, and what you’ve learned from them.

Cindy B

Our prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, spoke these words nearly twenty years ago. During that time, the stock market was going great. Conditions in the United States seemed prosperous for many. It may have seemed a far stretch to hear the President of our church urge people to prepare for that which is to come.

Times can take us by surprise, though. For those who are students of history, the Great Depression in the United States was one such time. Virtually overnight millionaires became paupers.

Lives changed drastically during the Depression. But if you’d asked the people on the evening before the change, most perhaps would have scoffed at such turmoil. Those who lived before that time with a preparedness approach, though, were able to make adjustments and make it through. When one is prepared, fear scarcely flits through the mind during times that otherwise topple people’s ability to manage.

If one were to have taken a strong hold on President Hinckley’s words nearly a decade ago and worked with all his might – slowly but surely he would have built a reservoir of preparedness in his life that would be thriving by today.

Quick – it’s not too late to start, although the hours are stretching on. So how do we do this? The first steps are the easiest ones – yet the most integral. We start literally by getting up every day, kneeling in prayer, and petitioning the Lord for guidance. We also study the scriptures daily, for we know that the scriptures contained the living word of God. We also serve others, for it is when we serve others that the spirit grows within our heart.

These three steps form the . Promptings will begin to come that otherwise we might miss.

As those promptings come, we will begin to see life in a different light. Suddenly the flat screen TV purchase becomes less desirable. Oh, we may still want the thing, but it’s not so urgent or driving a “need.” Instead, we start noticing ads from the local grocery store along the lines of “10 for a $10” and we pick up a few of those items.

We start lining our shelves with rows of spaghetti sauce and feel a warm stroke of peace as we walk by the pantry, noticing the plump jars’ tidy little lines bringing a sense of security.

We actually start keeping our eyes open for recipes to use with whole foods, since whole foods are easier to store and last longer than canned items.

We begin exercising because as we’ve filled our lives with the spirit from reading our scriptures, praying, and serving, we start feeling better and actually want to be outdoors in the sun.

The entire process brings joy and a peace that is hard to define. So yes, maybe we didn’t start preparing nearly a decade ago when President Hinckley strongly urged church members to do so (if you did, kudos to you!). But we certainly can start today! In so doing, we too will feel the peace promised to those that are wise and preparing, even today.

For remember, “Preparedness is a lifestyle – not a one-time event.” Let’s do it now!

Cindy B

For others, the word “preparedness” conjures up something you do should you get laid off from your job. Still others might view “preparedness” as what you do when you’re going on a vacation. Preparedness really is all of the above and more. But for the intents of this blog, we’re going to be discussing preparedness from many angles but with a decided focus on emergency preparedness.

The definition of emergency sits right between an unexpected, unhappy event and a life-threatening one. And when one is prepared, taking it all in stride definitely makes emergencies easier to deal with.

Thus, we’re going to be discussing all kinds of topics here at the LDSBlogs.com Preparedness blog…from 72-Hour Kits to contents for your Year’s Supply. But not just that! We’ll also be talking about spiritual preparedness, physical well-being, educational preparedness (we all know how topsy-turvey the job climate is), and even living off the land if need be.

I’ll be doing book reviews to lead you to preparedness books you’ll want for your personal library, including those you’ll want to avoid! Additionally, there are many other topics, from obtaining your ham radio operator’s license (think of Hurricane Katrina and all those destroyed cell phone towers) to joining a C.E.R.T. team to help your community in time of a disaster.

One of the most important things to remember as we work on becoming prepared is this:

“Preparedness is not a one-time event. Preparedness is a lifestyle.”

This will become our mantra here at LDSBlogs.com! Living this way not only brings peace, but it serves our family and loved ones in powerful and reassuring ways.

With that in mind, scripture study needs to become our mainstay each day of our lives. As we immerse ourselves in the scriptures and learn of the Lord’s will, the Spirit will better be able to witness to our souls of important truths. These truths will guide us and inspire us in our daily preparations.

As we journal those promptings, more will come. Not only promptings, but warnings. I testify of this, for I have experienced it. And when that peace is present, regardless the emergency, we will be able to meet it with our heads held high and our hearts steady.

The Lord has commanded,

“Prepare ye, prepare ye for that which is to come, for the Lord is nigh;…” (D&C 112).

Yes, indeed, the word “preparedness” raises many feelings amongst those who hear the word. But for the faithful who hearken to the Lord through His written word and through His prophets, preparedness will be a lifestyle embraced and enjoyed.

Cindy B

Because I belong to several emergency preparedness websites and blogs,I have seen a question presented many times from many different people: Why should anyone do any kind of preparing for the future? What’s the purpose?

From television shows to major food chain stores, emergency preparedness has become more popular than ever over the last ten years. Emergency preparing has now “morphed” into a whole subculture of people in our society called “Preppers”.

Years ago, before the turn of the century, (1940) members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were encouraged by their church leaders to stash away a year’s supply of food and water. Self-reliance and thrift had always been taught from the pulpit, but this push for storing food and water had a purpose.

In a talk given in 1980, Ezra Taft Benson, one of the twelve apostles in the LDS Church leadership at the time, encouraged members to renew their resolve in self-reliance and to be prepared for any emergency.

Read Prepare for the Days of Tribulation

Trials and tribulations were definitely foretold in helping members to realize the wisdom of being prepared for anything thrown our way. And boy, were we thrown trials our way: terrorist attacks, economic recessions, natural disasters and the list goes on. Not to be a Debbie Downer but the reality of life in these modern times has its challenges. So why not be prepared? Anyone who knows the Boy Scouts know how helpful they are when they follow their motto, “Be Prepared”. We should be too and be prepared for all contingencies. It just makes sense.

Building Strong Families
To read more of Valerie’s articles, click the picture.

If we want to be self-sufficient and not have to depend on anyone else but ourselves to be fed, clothed and comfortable at home, then stashing away supplies in case of an emergency can be the only answer to the reality of our modern life.

Creating a plan for our safety and supplies for storage makes good sense and we can be prepared during difficult times. Whether we lose our job and have no income for an extended period or find ourselves in the middle of a category five hurricane, we can be prepared for the worst.

So the next time someone asks why you are keeping extra canned food in your pantry, extra toilet paper in the cabinet or bottled water in the closet, just tell them it’s the sensible thing to do…. and you know it is.

Valerie Steimle

Valerie Steimle has been writing as a family advocate for over 25 years. As a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she promotes Christian living in her writings and is the mother of nine children and grandmother to twelve. Mrs. Steimle authored six books and is a contributing writer to several online websites. To her, time is the most precious commodity we have and knows we should spend it wisely.
To read more of Valerie’s work, visit her at her website, The Blessings of Family Life.

This week, I’ve been too sick to go shopping and we’ve been hit with a major snowstorm as well. I haven’t been to a store in a few weeks. We won’t starve, since there is plenty of food in the freezer and in the pantries, but I realized the kinds of foods I want when I don’t feel good are not on my shelves—I used them up within days of getting sick. Since my husband is putting in long hours at work, we’re making do—but not with the foods I want.

Mormons store a 72-hour kit and other supplies for emergencies.

I’ve been thinking lately of putting together some specialized emergency kits for specific types of situations. When our power goes out, I need foods that can be cooked on our camp stove, but most of my regular cooking gets done in the oven and tends towards casseroles, because I don’t like to cook. When we’re without water (which happens often where we live), I need foods that don’t require very many dishes, since I don’t want to use too much water for washing them. When I’m sick, I need some simple meals that don’t require a lot of handling, since I am cooking for my husband as well, and that are easy, since I don’t feel good. In addition, I often want gentle foods for upset stomachs or tempting foods for no-appetite days. Invariably, those are the foods I haven’t stocked up on recently.

I’ve been working on menus of shelf-stable meals so I can have all the ingredients on hand if I get sick or miss the announcement of a snow storm. The plan is to put together a few boxes that contain everything I need for one week of the situations I’m preparing for, along with menus and recipes. During these emergency times, I often find it hard to think and, if I’m sick, I have no energy. Being able to pick up a box and move it to my kitchen or to my camp stove station would make life so much easier. The camp stove box will include paper dishes that can be tossed, since our electric water well doesn’t work if we don’t have electricity.

To prepare your box, walk through a day in the setting you’re preparing for—in your imagination, of course. Try to picture yourself making each meal and be aware of what you have to do to gather supplies, cook, and clean up. Write everything down so you don’t end up surprised. For instance, do you have a manual can opener if there is no electricity?

Although you may have a generator, try to prepare as if you don’t. During Hurricane Sandy, some people had their generators stolen. In addition, many places were rationing gas—if the gas stations were even open. Presume you might not be able to use it.

Although many people think of food storage as being for preppers preparing for the end of the world, most people store at a much more modest level and are interested in getting through a period of unemployment, a week of illness, a snowstorm, or other situations when you aren’t able to get to a store or to purchase food. It just makes sense to keep enough food on hand to get you through at least three months. Unemployment can last a year and if you don’t need to buy food, your savings will go much further.

You don’t need to run up your credit card to do this. Just buy a few extra things each week until you have what you need. Use the foods you store and put the new foods you buy into your storage so they don’t get bad. You haven’t saved anything if you have to throw the food away. Once you have a good supply, you can cut your food budget dramatically because you will be able to buy in bulk and on sale, rather than buying everything every week.

Do you love to blog? LDS Blogs is looking for a dedicated volunteer to write a weekly column on preparedness by an active, believing, and practicing Mormon, but for both an LDS and non-LDS audience. Learn more:

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Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.

They made preparations, but preparation is a part of the Mormon culture. Mormons are taught to be ready for emergencies like this, making it easier to face those that come unexpectedly and allows them not to drain the limited resources available when a known emergency, like Hurricane Sandy, approaches. Some even had a sense of humor about it, including a congregation of young single adults who sang a hymn based on the storm in which Jesus calmed the waters.

Mormons receive training from their leaders about how to prepare for emergencies and are taught to store food and supplies and to learn how to live without power. The Church’s website has information available to anyone on the subject and many congregations hold classes. Some have specialists whose entire volunteer assignment is to make sure the congregation is prepared to handle emergencies like Hurricane Sandy. Communication programs are set up so leaders can make sure everyone is checked on regularly during the crisis and needs are met.

Because Mormons are noted for their preparedness and because they have international resources available, other organizations often call on them. After Hurricane Sandy, Mormons staffed a Red Cross shelter in Allentown, PA. Bucks County Emergency Management Coordinator Harry Crohe asked for church assistance in Nockamixon Township, which was hard-hit by the storm. 60 Mormon missionaries and church members arrived within twelve hours from surrounding areas with their chain saws to begin clearing away fallen trees.

Catholic Charities also sought help from the Mormons. They helped clean the flooded Catholic Church in Red Hook, which is a critical center for food distribution and other resources for those in need. Mormons also cleared another flooded Catholic Church on Coney Island.

Naturally, the Mormons, while providing a wide range of services to those who are not Mormon, are also working to take care of their own people as needed. Local congregations take care of one another informally with offers of places to stay, water, food, and generators. Formal church resources are available to those with greater needs. Bishop’s storehouses, used to feed those who are hungry in the Church, are stocked with the necessary supplies before the storm begins, so supplies are in place even before outside trucks could get into the area.

While assignments are made to ensure the necessities are met, Mormons don’t wait for an assignment. They see a need and go to work. They have learned through a culture of volunteerism to notice needs and to fill them.

While no one particularly enjoys the challenges of a storm, Mormons go into them knowing they are as prepared as they can be and that they won’t be alone when the storm hits. Preparation is simply a matter of living their faith.

Read more about how Mormons prepared for Hurricane Sandy.

Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.

Mormons store a 72-hour kit and other supplies for emergencies.

I thought gratefully of the water in my basement, of the food that could be eaten without heat, and of the camp stove and fuel ready to be activated until it ran out. I had it only because I’m a Mormon—the popular nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since becoming a Mormon at age seventeen, I had been taught again and again to keep a supply of food, water, hygiene items, and other necessary supplies on hand for emergencies. Some people laugh at me when they see me buying large quantities of soup or hygiene supplies. They presume I am preparing for some sort of doomsday scenario, but I’m not. Over the years we have used what we bought, using what is stored and storing what is newly bought, so nothing is wasted. We have relied on it during unemployment, during illnesses that made shopping unpleasant or impossible, and during weather emergencies when the stores were closed or sold out of essentials. It just makes sense to have more food on hand than you plan to eat just this week, since the emergency could strike the day before shopping day.

The next day, as I attended church, we learned that the emergency plan had been activated at the request of the Church. Long before, our congregation had been divided into geographical groups, called blocks. (In the east, where I live, the blocks are really zip codes.) Each “block” had a captain. The captain would call the families in his group that evening to let them know who he or she was and to find out if they had what they needed and if they foresaw any particular problems. For instance, in a previous congregation, when there was a risk of a dam breaking, the block captain noted that I didn’t have a car at home during the day and would need transportation in an evacuation.

Then the captain would contact each person on the list every twelve hours to find out if we had power, water (many are on wells and don’t have water when there is no power), and shelter. If no one answered, someone would come to our home to ensure we weren’t lying sick or injured somewhere, unable to reach a telephone. If we evacuated, we would report in so that someone knew where we were and that we were safe. After the storm, a list of people without power was shared so others could step in to help and those who could stepped in to help with trees and flooded basements.

In many large-scale emergencies, the media has noted the amazing organization of the Mormons. They know where their members are and what the needs are. The Church also steps in to meet local needs of those who are not Mormon. They work with other organizations, such as the Red Cross, and with the local governments, to find out what is required. Often, trucks of supplies are stationed just outside the danger zones in order to get food and water into the impacted areas quickly. After Sandy, the Church answered calls for help from both the Red Cross and Catholic Charities.

After the worst of the danger is past, many Mormons organize themselves as the Mormon Helping Hands, wearing yellow t-shirts or vests, and go into highly impacted neighborhoods. They seek out anyone of any religion who needs help. They clean up after floods, chop fallen trees, and help move items to safety. Our congregation passed around a sign-up sheet for the next seven weekends to volunteer in neighboring New Jersey—a project that would involve camping and supplying all our own food and water, so as not to use already limited local resources, while carrying out heavy physical labor. We learned that other congregations were already spending the weekend at community shelters preparing and serving meals provided by the Church or digging out other areas.

Just before we lost power, the congregation’s Facebook page had cheerful check-ins from members who were playing board games, telling stories, and enjoying treats in cold, dark houses. At least one teenager was volunteering at the Red Cross shelter. We all knew we’d have our hands full in the morning, but for now, we were prepared and ready to accept the storm, however frightening, as an adventure and learning experience that will add to our memories of mortality.

Our family was without power and water for five days. We were checked on continually and offered water, food, and places to stay. However, since we could leave our home after a few days, I wanted to test our supplies and our plan so we were ready for the times we couldn’t get out of the house. (An ice-storm a few years ago left us trapped in our homes for almost a week, but we had running water and telephones in that house.) It is far safer to test your plan when the stakes aren’t high.

We did not run out of food or water, but I did make many changes to my emergency plan based on my experience. Emergency preparedness isn’t something you do once and forget about. It is a constant process of refinement.

By being prepared, we faced the storm and the frustrations of the storm’s inconveniences without fear. It didn’t really matter that many stores near us were closed due to lack of power or that they had limited supplies on hand. We had what we needed and we had a support network if it became necessary. We also had faith and the promise from God that if we are prepared, we have no need to fear. Faith and preparedness—God’s plan for helping us through any trial.

Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.

Mormons store food for emergencies.

Mormon beliefs include storing enough food, water, money, and other supplies to be used in emergencies. Many people misunderstand this belief, considering it hoarding or a last-days scenario. However, many people use these supplies during critical times in their lives, such as natural disasters or unemployment.

You might remember that in the Old Testament, Joseph (famous for his coat of many colors) was freed from prison after interpreting Pharaoh’s dream about seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. He suggested the Pharaoh needed to prepare for the famine by storing food ahead during the years of plenty and that God had been teaching him this through the dream. God has often taught his people the importance of preparation.

Mormons don’t stockpile the food in the basement and forget about it. They use what they store and rotate it. When grocery day comes around, they shop from their food storage for non-perishables and then replace it when they shop at a regular store. This allows them to cut food costs. Since they have everything they need, they can shop only when items are on sale. They can also purchase in bulk, which helps keep costs lower. If poor weather conditions cause the price of sugar to rise, they can use their stored sugar and not replace it until prices go down again.

Mormons have three types of storage. The first is a 72-hour kit. This portable storage has what they might need to take with them if they have to evacuate suddenly and need to care for themselves for 72 hours. This includes food, hygiene materials, blankets and pillows, scriptures, and other necessities. It can also include entertainment items for children who may get bored quickly in a shelter.

The second type of storage is a three-month supply. This includes everything a person needs to survive for three months. It often includes the most common foods the family eats, cleaning and hygiene materials, pet food, and anything else that would be useful in helping a family spend no money for three months.

The third type of storage is long term. Many staples, such as flour and sugar, will keep for many years if stored properly. This group often contains just what a family needs to survive for a long period of time if no other foods were available. Many families strive to have a full year of food and supplies, which will get most families through long-term unemployment or illness. The basic necessity items might cover another year or so.

Mormons are taught not to go into debt to buy the food or to worry about getting it all at once. It is very easy to pick up an extra few cans each time you shop and to add another bag of flour, sugar, or baking soda to your cart. The cost, for most, is negligible, but it quickly adds up to substantial security during difficult times. I once read of a group of women who were very poor. They were taught to place one spoonful of rice into a jar each time they fixed dinner. Eventually the jar would be filled and they could seal it and save it for times when there was not enough food. The lesson learned was that almost anyone can create a food storage, even if the start was modest.

Where do you stash all this food? Mormons hope to find houses with large garages, basements, or pantries, but of course, many do not. Families in small homes and apartments are amazingly creative at finding places to keep their food storage. A coffee table with a table cloth might be hiding several boxes or might even be made of food storage boxes. More boxes may be tucked under beds and in closets. I once had boxes stacked neatly under the edge of a breakfast bar and knowledgeable Mormons always nodded and said, “Food storage!”

Knowing there is plenty to eat, wear, and clean with brings comfort when we are faced with the stress of unemployment. Being able to fix a nice meal with our favorite foods elevates our mood and reassures us things are okay, even though difficult times might be ahead. A mother whose family is ill can rest assured that no one need stagger to a store because there is plenty of food in the house. When a snowstorm threatens, Mormons don’t have to rush to the store unless they want to—they can survive the days they are snowed in.

Food and commodity storage is only part of the Mormon beliefs about self-sufficiency. Mormons are taught that God expects us to do our share in taking care of ourselves. While we certainly trust God, we all do things that show we don’t expect God to hand us our lives with no effort on our part. We get jobs and work hard to provide for our needs and then trust God to make up the difference once we’ve done all we can do ourselves.

Self-sufficiency includes staying out of debt in order to minimize our expenses in times of need and also to allow us to make the best use of our money on a daily basis. Interest is expensive and provides no real benefit.

Mormons are also taught to get an education in something they enjoy that will allow them to provide for their families. Although women are encouraged to remain home with their children if possible, they are also taught to get an education so they can support their families if the need arises. Being prepared to have a career that allows you to live at a moderate level of comfort is an important part of self-sufficiency.

Gordon B. Hinckley, a past Mormon prophet, was interviewed by Mike Wallace on television. He was asked about the program of self-reliance and answered:

We teach self-reliance as a principle of life, that we ought to provide for ourselves and take care of our own needs. And so we encourage our people to have something, to plan ahead, keep … food on hand, to establish a savings account, if possible, against a rainy day. Catastrophes come to people sometimes when least expected—unemployment, sickness, things of that kind. The individual, as we teach, ought to do for himself all that he can. When he has exhausted his resources, he ought to turn to his family to assist him. When the family can’t do it, the Church takes over. And when the Church takes over, our great desire is to first take care of his immediate needs and then to help him for so long as he needs to be helped, but in that process to assist him in training, in securing employment, in finding some way of getting on his feet again. That’s the whole objective of this great welfare program (“This Thing Was Not Done in a Corner,” Gordon B. Hinckley, October 1996).

Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.