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October 5, 2024

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RuthJune 27, 2016

My comment is to Kate about celiac. I also have this problem, but have found many things to store, that if used in rotation as part of our regular diet store very well. We store oats, quinoa, rice, seeds for sprouting, and I am working out how to buy a freeze dryer - expensive. Beans store a long time and can be ground to make flours like fava, chick pea as well as seeds such as buckwheat. I know it is a little overwhelming, but don't use that as a reason to give up. No one else can do it for you, and the difficulty of it will not comfort or justify you when the need arises.

LMarch 10, 2016

Dear Kate. My sister is also Celiac. There is MANY other gluten free grains one can store. Wheat also is a good storage item for those who can't eat it., because when you SPROUT wheat and it changes it's character and is no longer a grain...but a vegetable. Nature is a marvellous wonder. And if you choose not to sprout your grains.....Wheat will one day be a HUGE commodity to have to BARTER with.... when currency has no value. :)

KateMarch 7, 2016

We did very well at food storage until my husband (and then a daughter) were diagnosed with celiac. Neither of them can have anything with gluten--no wheat obviously. Turns out, there's not much else that stores as wheat does (white rice, yes, but it is nutritionally pointless). I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out what else to store, but have finally given up. I will buy extra of what we normally eat, but there is no possible way to store a year's worth of food if you can't have gluten. No point in storing oil or sugar or yeast or many of the standard storage foods, because the reason you store them is to use them with wheat. We eat meat and fresh fruits and vegetables--not really food storage material! So not all of us are ignoring the warning--I'm listening but there is not much I can do besides buy ahead on garden seeds and hope for the best.

Dave WhittleMarch 1, 2016

Thank you, Darla, for such an informative and motivating article! I had not heard about those monthly preparation packages, or the detailed list of how much each adult should have - so now I have an action plan. And as a descendant of Thomas White McBride, one of the faithful Haun's Mill martyrs, I would like to point out that most historians now believe that Jacob Haun, a non-member, never told any of the members at Haun's Mill what the prophet had said. The point remains, however, that following the prophet is important to our temporal salvation.

Ann GammonFebruary 26, 2016

My ancestors were at Haun's Mill and all of their journals and records state that Jacob Haun did not relay to any of the saints what the prophet had told him.

WendyFebruary 22, 2016

I am a "Hawn's" Mill descendant. Hawn's Mill is often used as an example of not following the counsel of prophets. Current research indicates that Jacob Hawn did not tell the saints the warning given to him by Joseph Smith. In addition, Elder Eyring quoted in a talk in April 1997 that "Mr. Haun did not deliver the message. (Philo Dibble)” Jacob Hawn was not a member. The Hawn's Mill saints were valiant and courageous individuals. My ancestor arrived the night before and were sleeping in tents. Following the counsel of prophets is vital to our safety but using this example is inaccurate.

YvonneFebruary 22, 2016

Excellent article!! I would just add that the time will likely come that the only way to obtain fresh produce (to add to our stored grains and beans) will be from our own gardens. NOW is the time to learn basic gardening skills if you haven't yet. There is some inevitable trial and error involved with learning those skills, learning what grows well in your area, what crops can be harvested the quickest, etc. A crisis is NOT the time to start learning those skills!! A "garden in a can" only contains seeds, no tools, no soil amendments, nothing for starting plants indoors, etc. There is so much free information available on the Internet to help first time gardeners. Along with making the commitment to obey the counsel for basic food storage, please make a commitment to grow SOMETHING this year, even if it's just in a 5-gallon pot with artificial soil (not garden soil in pots).

WandaFebruary 22, 2016

Terry - you make important points. We are supposed to follow the prophet, and we are supposed to be wise in how we do it. Food spoils. It must be used. Buying it and letting it sit somewhere forever is wasteful. The food needs to be used in addition to being bought. When we use the food, our bodies will be accustomed to it, we will know how to prepare it (unlikely to be able to learn in an emergency), and we are more likely to be following the Word of Wisdom.

Arlene BascomFebruary 21, 2016

Thank you Darla for the most plain spoken, well-written, well documented article on preparedness I have read! It woke me up from my complacency and made me realize we have not reassessed our food storage situation since we moved last year and gave away a good amount of it that we were afraid was going to go bad before we could use it. From your article we know exactly what we need to buy to have the right amount for us.

TerryFebruary 19, 2016

I remember as a kid in the early 60's, the church encouraging members to build a supply of food. One couple in the ward purchased a bunch of canned goods, then buried the cans in their back yard. I don't know what happened after that. I had an uncle who had a goodly supply in his basement. On occasion he would brag that he had enough to get by for a year without having to go to the grocery store. When he died, his children cleaned out the basement, and discovered that all the food had gone bad because he never rotated.

CarolynFebruary 19, 2016

Darla, thank you so much, for this article, and those who have commented thus far. I, and many like minded people are made to feel like we are drinking too much Kool Aid because we feel the fulfillment of the prophetic warnings of the Book of Mormon, are soon to become a reality. As exemplified by the Nephites and Israelites, God will not allow His covenanted nations to stand that have turned their backs on Him. This nation was given to us by divine decree and we have allowed secret combinations (warned about in the Book of Mormon) to undermine the moral fiber and foundations set down by the founding fathers. Thus, instead of this nation enjoying the blessings and protection it could have had, it will have to face the cleansing that needs to take place before the City of Zion can be built up by a spiritually and temporally prepared people.

Linda TFebruary 19, 2016

I often hear people using President Hinckley's statement "But let us not panic nor go to extremes. Let us be prudent in every respect", or words to that effect spoken by others that we don't need to hurry and get our food storage -- that doing it a little at a time is just fine. (Most of those people think they have their food storage when they pick up a case of wheat and beans!) When I remind them that his counsel was given in 2001 -- fifteen years ago -- they look at me like I'm speaking a foreign language. I worry that we may be running out of time. It causes me great concern. ~sigh~

Lynn WilkeyFebruary 19, 2016

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Darla, this is one of the best articles I have read about the need to WAKE UP, to be obedient and follow the words of the prophets. ESPECIALLY NOW and especially with regards to food storage and temporal preparedness. The brethren are urging/inviting us to become spiritually prepared by increasing our Sabbath observance. Though temporal preparedness is second in importance to spiritual preparedness, it could very well save our lives in the near future. Sabbath observance is a sign between us and the Lord that we are his people. Ignoring other council such as food storage and temporal preparedness is also a sign!

Lorena HolmsteadFebruary 19, 2016

I'm in complete agreement with this article. Thanks for writing this, Darla, and thanks Meridian, for posting it. Much needed!

STWFebruary 19, 2016

What my wife heard most often during her 10-year preparation calling, and only partly is jest, were members saying that they did not need to store food because those that did prepare would HAVE to take care of them when the need arose. Once on a visit to our local cannery (local = 350 miles) she asked a visiting authority from SLC that question. His response, no you don't. I think it's telling that during my one visit to Welfare Square the picture over the desk outside the cannery used by members was of the five virgins being sent away from the celebration. Our supplies, more than adequate for two, would feed the active members of the ward less than a week. That presupposes that we were actually able to share.

CarolynFebruary 19, 2016

Thank you. I have been feeling I need to repent and do better at emergency preparedness. We can be lulled into carnal security by agreeing and then doing nothing. I for one intend to act.

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