October Presidency Message
In Alma 34:38 Amulek exhorts the poor Zoramites to “Live in thanksgiving daily”. This is good advice for all of us. Indeed, it seems that those who live in thanksgiving daily are usually among the world’s happiest people.
I had the opportunity to visit Kenya this summer. One of the women on our trip brought 10,000 pencils. She wanted to make sure that each and every student there received one. I can still hear the sighs of pleasure that each class made as each boy and girl heard they would have their own pencil. ,If I had been closing my eyes I would have thought they had all just received Xboxes or Ipods. They were truly grateful for their little gifts.
If we look around us, there are a thousand reasons for us not to be happy. It is simplicity itself to blame our unhappiness on the things we lack in life. It doesn’t take any talent at all to find them. The problem is, the more we focus on the things we don’t have, the more unhappy and more resentful we become.
Those of us with straight hair, want curly hair. Those who are tall, want to be short. If only I had more money, a bigger house, a new car, whiter teeth, smaller pants size, etc. etc.
As I went to Africa I realized that one doesn’t need those things to be happy. In fact, it seemed to me that those external things actually get in the way of happiness.
Robert Louis Stevenson said, “The man who forgets to be thankful has fallen asleep in life.” Unfortunately, because the beauties of life are so abundant, sometimes we take them for granted. Our minds have a marvelous capacity to notice the unusual. However, the opposite is true as well: The more often we see the things around us - even the beautiful and wonderful things - the more they become invisible to us.
Along the same lines, it is easy to find fault with those around us, our families, our neighbors, our church leaders, and our country’s leaders. How much nicer if we would, instead of criticizing, praise and thank those around us.
I understand that there are among us true sorrows, true trials, true heartache. But even in the midst of trial, we need to take time to praise our Father.
Robert D. Hales said, “In some quiet way, the expression and feelings of gratitude have a wonderful cleansing or healing nature. ... Gratitude brings a peace that helps us overcome the pain of adversity and failure.”
Along those same lines, Joseph Wirthlin said, “Gratitude turns a meal into a feast and drudgery into delight. It softens our grief and heightens our pleasure. It turns the simple and common into the memorable and transcendent.”
We are inundated these days by messages of entitlement. It is hard to ignore them. Ingratitude is the order of the day. Gratitude rare. We need to make gratitude part of every day. We need to practice it if we want to stem envy, criticism and discontent. We need to practice gratitude.
Pres. Eyring has taught for years that we should ask ourselves every evening how we have seen the hand of the Lord in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones. He said, “I urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness. It will build our testimonies. You may not keep a journal. You may not share whatever record you keep with those you love and serve. But you and they will be blessed as you remember what the Lord has done.”
In 2 Nephi 8:3 we are told that thanksgiving will be found in Zion. An attitude of thanksgiving is the hallmark of a Zion people. This scripture reminds us that there is great power in practicing gratitude. According to this scripture, when we are full of thanksgiving our wildernesses can be like Eden and our deserts like the garden of the Lord. There is great power in gratitude.
I challenge you to take time every day to count your blessings, to think over and thank Heavenly Father for all He has given you, both good and bad, both easy and difficult. As the hymn says, “it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.”
October Spotlight
Dana Gunderson
My husband Gary and I are both Idaho kids. He grew up in Menan and I grew up in Shelley. We met at the then Carson's Market (on 900 East above campus that is now the BYU Creamery on Ninth. Gary broke a glass bottle of sauerkraut (I still don't know if he dropped it on purpose. It's not as if he didn't have my whole class schedule so he could 'cross paths' with me. Nowadays, they call that stalking.) His strategies worked, however, and we got married in the Salt Lake temple.
Gary became the love of my life and has always kept me laughing and inspired by his goodness in the 42 years we've been together. We've had nine kids, eight boys and one girl. Some of you may know our last four children, Jordan, Luke, Aaron, and Zach since we moved here 12 years ago. Prior to that we lived 10 years in Orem and a couple decades in the Chicago area where the older kids were raised. Gary was a swimming pool builder then. We moved here in 1989 to work on Seven Peaks Resort. That was the year Zachary was born. (I remember being large with child and ragging the tile, trying to get ready for the grand opening. The bosses wife complained that I shouldn't be on the payroll in that condition. What she didn't know is, I wasn't, ha ha. Just trying to help out.) After he finished Seven Peaks, we started our present company Castle Rock LLC. a souvenir business, still located in Orem.
Some of the things I enjoy doing are making humanitarian quilts cheaply and painting odd or old pieces of furniture. Lately, I have enjoyed working on my perennial garden (Gary calls it a 'salad'), a first for me. My sister is retired now and we enjoy going to garage sales or thrift stores. I hope to spend more time in the temple and become a better navigator on my computer so I can do family history work. I currently serve with the Young Single Adults, cub scouts, and visiting teaching.
Gary and I both thought we would grow old gracefully. We're still trying. We didn't know it was going to be this hard. A couple of summers ago, our oldest son sent us to Europe for our 40th. I won't say which one of us fell down the spiral staircase in our quaint little hotel or was pick-pocketed on the metro to the tune of $900. I will only say that Notra Dame in Paris lost some of its luster after that. Like some, we struggle with health and weight problems. Our tiny little baby boys grew up to be a thundering herd; I hide the antique chairs when they come to dinner. We enjoy their company. They are good husbands. We take pleasure in their wonderful wives and our
24 grandchildren. Another bright spot in our family is having my father, Blaine Poulsen, live with us for the past 8 years.
Life hasn't always been easy for us. Being self-employed just means that we're the last ones to get paid. Sometimes we didn't get paid. Gary has always worked hard and we were blessed with good kids.
We always tried to work together and follow the Lord's commandments.
When times were tough we kept our chins up until things got better.
The Lord wants us to be happy in spite of our adversities. We still have many lessons to learn in this life. This much we know: the gospel is true. It makes our present lives infinitely better and all things possible in our next life.
cooking tips and other tricks
Problems with Breads:
PROBLEM: What is the best way to bake brown and serve rolls?
First, brush their tops with melted butter or margarine. Bake at the
recommended temperature (on their package), but be careful of dark
coated baking sheets. Dark coated baking sheets may cause the bottoms
to burn before they are done. Bake brown and serve rolls at a high
temperature to insure a crispy, flavorful crust.
PROBLEM: Breads that are always too hard and heavy.
Breads made from scratch or from a mix must have an internal
temperature of about 80 degrees for the yeast to work properly. Cold
dough will not expand properly. Make sure the bread rises in a warm
draft free environment.
PROBLEM: Bread that rises too fast in the pan.
Use cool or cold water in the mix. The place you let the bread rise
in bulk should be about 80 degrees. Place the dough in the refrigerator
for a few minutes to cool down (while the dough is still in bulk form).
PROBLEM: French bread that has a pale crust.
Spray or paint the loaves with water (before cutting). Use an egg
wash to make the crust really brown up. French bread must have a high
temperature to bake properly. Check your oven to make sure the
temperature is correct. Add a little sugar to the mix.
PROBLEM: Tough pizza crust.
Most of the time a pizza crust dough should be wet and sticky (use
a little extra water). Toss in plenty of spices. Oil your pan with
olive oil. Try baking the crust first, then add any topping and bake
only to melt the cheese. Try dipping your fingers in olive oil when
you flatten the crust in the pan. Use plenty of olive oil and the
crust will be flavorful and crispy.
PROBLEM: Bread loaves and rolls that are heavy and soggy in the middle.
When everything else has been done right, maybe the unit weight is
too heavy. Try making the pieces smaller and let them rise longer.
PROBLEM: Bread loaves that cave in on their sides when removed from
the pan.
Always remove bread from the pan as soon as taken from the oven. The
crust sweats and may fall. Make sure that you use Bread Flour in the
mix. Weak flour will cause loaves to fall. Make sure the loaves are
done. Thump the top and if the loaf sounds hollow, it is done.
Setting (just baked) loaves in a cool draft of air will sometimes
cause their sides to cave in. When the dough is allowed to rise too
much before baking the loaves will sometimes collapse.
PROBLEM: Soft crusty breads.
The secret to good crusty breads is to use very little (if any) fats,
egg yolks, milks or sugar in the mix. Always serve crusty breads as
soon as they are baked for the best flavor and appearance. Use only
Bread Flour and make sure the dough is on the stiff side rather
than soft and sticky. However, some crusty breads are very sticky
(excess water). These breads are made by using an extra warm dough
and baking quickly at a high temperature.
PROBLEM: What is the best way to bake brown and serve rolls?
First, brush their tops with melted butter or margarine. Bake at the
recommended temperature (on their package), but be careful of dark
coated baking sheets. Dark coated baking sheets may cause the bottoms
to burn before they are done. Bake brown and serve rolls at a high
temperature to insure a crispy, flavorful crust.
PROBLEM: Breads that are always too hard and heavy.
Breads made from scratch or from a mix must have an internal
temperature of about 80 degrees for the yeast to work properly. Cold
dough will not expand properly. Make sure the bread rises in a warm
draft free environment.
PROBLEM: Bread that rises too fast in the pan.
Use cool or cold water in the mix. The place you let the bread rise
in bulk should be about 80 degrees. Place the dough in the refrigerator
for a few minutes to cool down (while the dough is still in bulk form).
PROBLEM: French bread that has a pale crust.
Spray or paint the loaves with water (before cutting). Use an egg
wash to make the crust really brown up. French bread must have a high
temperature to bake properly. Check your oven to make sure the
temperature is correct. Add a little sugar to the mix.
PROBLEM: Tough pizza crust.
Most of the time a pizza crust dough should be wet and sticky (use
a little extra water). Toss in plenty of spices. Oil your pan with
olive oil. Try baking the crust first, then add any topping and bake
only to melt the cheese. Try dipping your fingers in olive oil when
you flatten the crust in the pan. Use plenty of olive oil and the
crust will be flavorful and crispy.
PROBLEM: Bread loaves and rolls that are heavy and soggy in the middle.
When everything else has been done right, maybe the unit weight is
too heavy. Try making the pieces smaller and let them rise longer.
PROBLEM: Bread loaves that cave in on their sides when removed from
the pan.
Always remove bread from the pan as soon as taken from the oven. The
crust sweats and may fall. Make sure that you use Bread Flour in the
mix. Weak flour will cause loaves to fall. Make sure the loaves are
done. Thump the top and if the loaf sounds hollow, it is done.
Setting (just baked) loaves in a cool draft of air will sometimes
cause their sides to cave in. When the dough is allowed to rise too
much before baking the loaves will sometimes collapse.
PROBLEM: Soft crusty breads.
The secret to good crusty breads is to use very little (if any) fats,
egg yolks, milks or sugar in the mix. Always serve crusty breads as
soon as they are baked for the best flavor and appearance. Use only
Bread Flour and make sure the dough is on the stiff side rather
than soft and sticky. However, some crusty breads are very sticky
(excess water). These breads are made by using an extra warm dough
and baking quickly at a high temperature.
Good News!
Congratulations to Darcy and Scott Moody they have a new baby boy and to Matt and Heidi Hanks they have a new baby girl.
Week 7 Challenge
Sept 26 – Oct 2
o Dust Mask
o Flares
o Credit Card
o Pre-paid phone cards
o Extra car keys and house keys
o Pictures of family
o 1-2 board games and puzzles
o Favorite stuffed animal
DON’T FORGET WATER!!! KEEP ADDING TO YOUR WATER STORAGE EACH WEEK!
o Dust Mask
o Flares
o Credit Card
o Pre-paid phone cards
o Extra car keys and house keys
o Pictures of family
o 1-2 board games and puzzles
o Favorite stuffed animal
DON’T FORGET WATER!!! KEEP ADDING TO YOUR WATER STORAGE EACH WEEK!
Week 6 Challenge
Sept 19 – Sept 26
o Cold weather gear (Coat, gloves, hand warmers, etc)
o Pet bedding, leash, crates, carriers, etc
o Dishes/utensils
o Shovel
o 50 foot nylon rope
o Whistle
o Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
o Duct tape and plastic sheeting to “shelter-in-place”
DON’T FORGET WATER!!! KEEP ADDING TO YOUR WATER STORAGE EACH WEEK!
o Cold weather gear (Coat, gloves, hand warmers, etc)
o Pet bedding, leash, crates, carriers, etc
o Dishes/utensils
o Shovel
o 50 foot nylon rope
o Whistle
o Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
o Duct tape and plastic sheeting to “shelter-in-place”
DON’T FORGET WATER!!! KEEP ADDING TO YOUR WATER STORAGE EACH WEEK!
Week 5 Challenge
Items to purchase for your 72 hour kits this week September 6-12
o Infant Needs ( if applicable)
o Pet food and water
o Sleeping bag
o Tent
o Sleeping pad (important for insulation from cold ground)
DON’T FORGET WATER!!! KEEP ADDING TO YOUR WATER STORAGE EACH WEEK!
o Infant Needs ( if applicable)
o Pet food and water
o Sleeping bag
o Tent
o Sleeping pad (important for insulation from cold ground)
DON’T FORGET WATER!!! KEEP ADDING TO YOUR WATER STORAGE EACH WEEK!
Relief Society Stake Temple Trip
For all those who would like to carpool to the Temple for the 1st session we will meet at the Church parking lot at 5 p.m.
Last year we went to get ice cream afterwords and we will do the same this year. We are going to have a wonderful time. Hope to see you there!
Last year we went to get ice cream afterwords and we will do the same this year. We are going to have a wonderful time. Hope to see you there!
September Spotlight
Tami Dietz
I was born in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, where my dad was stationed with the Army. I was only 3 years old when my family moved to Salem, but I remember the very long drive in our old van! I grew up in Salem and even attended the old Salem school, so my kids think I am ancient! I graduated from Spanish Fork High School and then went on to the University of Utah for a year. I came home to live and earn money for the next school year when I met J.C. I like to tease him that I was his second choice. I was working at the ZCMI shoe department and J.C. was attending school at UVSC. He and several of his friends were planning a date to go to General Conference. Well, the first girl he asked wasn’t able to go, so his friend said, “Why don’t you go ask Mike’s little sister. She just works up at the mall.” So he made his way up and went to the shoe department to find me. I happened to be on my lunch break, so he didn’t see me, but he did see a nice pair of hiking boots he wanted. He thought my co-worker that was helping him was kind of cute, so he figured if I wasn’t there, he would just ask her. He ended up putting the boots on hold while he ran to the bank for some money. I came back from lunch just in time for him to come back and ask me on the date. My co-worker got the commission, but I got J.C.! We were married a short (very short) time later in the Salt Lake Temple. We have been married for over 15 years and have 5 children; Chase, Madi, Emma, Jake & Sofie. I am fortunate to be able to, and actually want to (most of the time), stay home with my children. I love to read, dabble in photography, and “play” with my family!
I have so many favorite scriptures, but there is one in particular that I am loving more and more as time goes on. It is 3 John 1:4, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth”.
Cooking tips and other tricks
Herbs and Spices:
Storage Tips:
Store spices in a cool, dark place. Humidity, light and heat will cause
herbs and spices to lose their flavor more quickly. Although the most
convenient place for your spice rack may be above your stove, moving
your spices to a different location may keep them fresh longer.
As a general rule, herbs and ground spices will retain their best flavors
for a year. Whole spices may last for 3 to 5 years. Proper storage should
result in longer freshness times.
When possible, grind whole spices in a grinder or mortar & pestle just
prior to using. Toasting whole spices in a dry skillet over medium heat
before grinding will bring out even more flavor. Be careful not to burn.
Because the refrigerator is a rather humid environment, storing herbs
and spices there is not recommended. To keep larger quantities of spices
fresh, store them in the freezer in tightly sealed containers.
Usage Tips:
Use a light hand when seasoning with spices and herbs. Your goal is to
compliment your dish without crowding out the flavor of the food.
Remember, it's usually impossible to "un-spice" a dish!
For long-cooking dishes, add herbs and spices an hour or less before
serving. Cooking spices for too long may result in overly strong flavors.
Finely crush dried herbs before adding to your dish after measuring.
Do not use dried herbs in the same quantity as fresh. In most cases,
use 1/3 the amount in dried as is called for fresh.
Keep it simple. Unless the recipe specifically calls for it, don't use
more than 3 herbs and spices in any one dish. The exception to this rule
is Indian cooking, which often calls for 10 or more different spices in
one curry dish!
Black pepper, garlic powder, salt and cayenne pepper are excellent
"after cooking" seasonings. Allow guests to season dishes with these
spices at the table.
Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice have a special affinity for
sweet dishes.
If you're feeling adventuresome, try replacing herbs and spices called
for in recipes with something different! Marjoram instead of oregano,
savory instead of thyme, cilantro instead of parsley,
anise seed instead of fennel, etc.
Storage Tips:
Store spices in a cool, dark place. Humidity, light and heat will cause
herbs and spices to lose their flavor more quickly. Although the most
convenient place for your spice rack may be above your stove, moving
your spices to a different location may keep them fresh longer.
As a general rule, herbs and ground spices will retain their best flavors
for a year. Whole spices may last for 3 to 5 years. Proper storage should
result in longer freshness times.
When possible, grind whole spices in a grinder or mortar & pestle just
prior to using. Toasting whole spices in a dry skillet over medium heat
before grinding will bring out even more flavor. Be careful not to burn.
Because the refrigerator is a rather humid environment, storing herbs
and spices there is not recommended. To keep larger quantities of spices
fresh, store them in the freezer in tightly sealed containers.
Usage Tips:
Use a light hand when seasoning with spices and herbs. Your goal is to
compliment your dish without crowding out the flavor of the food.
Remember, it's usually impossible to "un-spice" a dish!
For long-cooking dishes, add herbs and spices an hour or less before
serving. Cooking spices for too long may result in overly strong flavors.
Finely crush dried herbs before adding to your dish after measuring.
Do not use dried herbs in the same quantity as fresh. In most cases,
use 1/3 the amount in dried as is called for fresh.
Keep it simple. Unless the recipe specifically calls for it, don't use
more than 3 herbs and spices in any one dish. The exception to this rule
is Indian cooking, which often calls for 10 or more different spices in
one curry dish!
Black pepper, garlic powder, salt and cayenne pepper are excellent
"after cooking" seasonings. Allow guests to season dishes with these
spices at the table.
Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice have a special affinity for
sweet dishes.
If you're feeling adventuresome, try replacing herbs and spices called
for in recipes with something different! Marjoram instead of oregano,
savory instead of thyme, cilantro instead of parsley,
anise seed instead of fennel, etc.
Good News Moment
Jennifer Durrant had a new baby girl and Ashley Williams had a new baby boy. We are so excited for you, Congratulations!
Week 4 Challenge
August 30 – September 5
o Extra Batteries
o Candles & Lighters
o Temple Recommend (make sure it’s in your wallet when you leave)
o Copies of Legal Documents: Birth/Marriage Certificates, Wills, Vaccination papers, passports, contracts, insurance policies, bank info, genealogy, pet, etc…)
o Cash: $50-$100 in small bills and $10 in quarters.
o Books: Reading, Coloring
o Crayons, Pencils and paper
o Extra Batteries
o Candles & Lighters
o Temple Recommend (make sure it’s in your wallet when you leave)
o Copies of Legal Documents: Birth/Marriage Certificates, Wills, Vaccination papers, passports, contracts, insurance policies, bank info, genealogy, pet, etc…)
o Cash: $50-$100 in small bills and $10 in quarters.
o Books: Reading, Coloring
o Crayons, Pencils and paper
Week 3 Challenge
August 23-29 Buy these items this week for your 72 hour kits.
o canned: Tuna, beans, fruit, turkey, Vienna sausages, etc. (MRE food pouches are lighter in weight)
o Candy/Gum
o Juice/Protein Shakes (can or pouch like slimfast but without all of the sugar. They are full of protein, vitamins and minerals)
o Rain Coat/ Poncho
o Emergency Heat Blankets
o Radio (with batteries or crank)
o Pocket Knife: Leatherman or Gerber Tool
o First Aid Kit/Supplies
o Immunizations up-to-date
DON’T FORGET WATER!!! KEEP ADDING TO YOUR WATER STORAGE EACH WEEK!
Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994)
Thirteenth President of the Church
“The revelation to store food may be as essential to our temporal salvation today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah” (“Prepare Ye,” Ensign, Jan. 1974, 69).
o canned: Tuna, beans, fruit, turkey, Vienna sausages, etc. (MRE food pouches are lighter in weight)
o Candy/Gum
o Juice/Protein Shakes (can or pouch like slimfast but without all of the sugar. They are full of protein, vitamins and minerals)
o Rain Coat/ Poncho
o Emergency Heat Blankets
o Radio (with batteries or crank)
o Pocket Knife: Leatherman or Gerber Tool
o First Aid Kit/Supplies
o Immunizations up-to-date
DON’T FORGET WATER!!! KEEP ADDING TO YOUR WATER STORAGE EACH WEEK!
Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994)
Thirteenth President of the Church
“The revelation to store food may be as essential to our temporal salvation today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah” (“Prepare Ye,” Ensign, Jan. 1974, 69).
Week 2 challenge
August 16-22 Buy these items this week for your 72 hour kits.
o Trail Mix/ Dried Fruit
o Crackers/ Cereals (for munching)
o Medication (Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, children’s medication etc.)
o Prescription Medication (for 3 days)
o Glasses/ Contacts
o Lighting (flashlights, lamps, etc.) Don’t forget batteries if it’s not a crank!
o Water-proof matches
o Contact information of family and friends.
o Scriptures (small blue soft cover $2.50 at distribution)
o Bag to put 72 hour kit items in (such as a duffel bag or backpack, which work great) Make sure you can lift/carry it!
DON’T FORGET WATER!!! KEEP ADDING TO YOUR WATER STORAGE EACH WEEK!
o Trail Mix/ Dried Fruit
o Crackers/ Cereals (for munching)
o Medication (Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, children’s medication etc.)
o Prescription Medication (for 3 days)
o Glasses/ Contacts
o Lighting (flashlights, lamps, etc.) Don’t forget batteries if it’s not a crank!
o Water-proof matches
o Contact information of family and friends.
o Scriptures (small blue soft cover $2.50 at distribution)
o Bag to put 72 hour kit items in (such as a duffel bag or backpack, which work great) Make sure you can lift/carry it!
DON’T FORGET WATER!!! KEEP ADDING TO YOUR WATER STORAGE EACH WEEK!
WATER, WATER, WATER
August 9, 2010
We would like to have you join us in a 7-week challenge to “Make, Update, or Re-supply” your 72-hour kits. Our Stake leaders, Bishop MacCabe and Sister Swenson are encouraging us to “Do it NOW.” We are excited to have everyone and anyone in the ward work with us, and be able to feel the satisfaction and peace in having your home ready for an unplanned event. The completion of this challenge will not only give you peace of mind, but it will give you the freedom to spend a possible unpleasant situation in “relative” comfort.
You were given a list of items two or three months ago to help you assemble your kits. If you have misplaced your list, we will be sharing it week by week during the challenge or you can go to the blog. Each week we will give you a portion of the list to gather/collect/or buy and put into your personal kits. The items listed will be only suggestions, (ideas to get you going on what you and your family will want in your kits.)
Please don’t become discourage if you can’t add all of the listed items at one time. Baby Steps, do what you can and get the other items when you are able. The idea is to keep you thinking about it! You will have a lot of the items already in your home, so put them in the kit, or where you will be able to get them FAST. If you need to buy something on the list, save up for it, and be watching for the item to go on sale as you shop. We will offer some of the items on the list in a group buy, (we can usually get a great deal in bulk.) If you plan for these purchases you will be able to take advantage of them as they are offered.
List for August 9-15
ITEMS and IDEAS
• Protein/Granola Bars Nut naturals, Kashi, Power bars, Jerky ($1.09-$1.80 per bar)
• Water (1 Gallon/4 liters per person, per day) Store as much as you can. WATER IS VITAL!
• By the way – do you have your water stored in your home? Barrels, jugs, bottles, etc. Click here Drinking Water it will take you to the Church's website where they have excellent instruction for how to store water! click here Water Storage
• Change of clothing Short and long, sleeved shirts, pants, jackets, socks, underwear, etc
• Can opener Make the investment – if you have to open very much cans you will be so glad you have a good one
• Pen and Paper Lots of uses in an emergency (buy a sharpie to mark things)
• Toiletries Roll of toilet paper (remove the center cardboard and flatten), feminine hygiene, tooth brush, tooth paste, floss, chapstick, hand cream, shampoo, comb, hair tie, razor, contacts, contact solution,
contact holder
Now that wasn’t so bad.
Please try to collect or buy what you can this week. Please put it all together, so much easier than looking for everything when you need it. Be the end of September, you will have some pretty awesome 72-hour kits, and hopefully feeling rather peaceful.
We would like to have you join us in a 7-week challenge to “Make, Update, or Re-supply” your 72-hour kits. Our Stake leaders, Bishop MacCabe and Sister Swenson are encouraging us to “Do it NOW.” We are excited to have everyone and anyone in the ward work with us, and be able to feel the satisfaction and peace in having your home ready for an unplanned event. The completion of this challenge will not only give you peace of mind, but it will give you the freedom to spend a possible unpleasant situation in “relative” comfort.
You were given a list of items two or three months ago to help you assemble your kits. If you have misplaced your list, we will be sharing it week by week during the challenge or you can go to the blog. Each week we will give you a portion of the list to gather/collect/or buy and put into your personal kits. The items listed will be only suggestions, (ideas to get you going on what you and your family will want in your kits.)
Please don’t become discourage if you can’t add all of the listed items at one time. Baby Steps, do what you can and get the other items when you are able. The idea is to keep you thinking about it! You will have a lot of the items already in your home, so put them in the kit, or where you will be able to get them FAST. If you need to buy something on the list, save up for it, and be watching for the item to go on sale as you shop. We will offer some of the items on the list in a group buy, (we can usually get a great deal in bulk.) If you plan for these purchases you will be able to take advantage of them as they are offered.
List for August 9-15
ITEMS and IDEAS
• Protein/Granola Bars Nut naturals, Kashi, Power bars, Jerky ($1.09-$1.80 per bar)
• Water (1 Gallon/4 liters per person, per day) Store as much as you can. WATER IS VITAL!
• By the way – do you have your water stored in your home? Barrels, jugs, bottles, etc. Click here Drinking Water it will take you to the Church's website where they have excellent instruction for how to store water! click here Water Storage
• Change of clothing Short and long, sleeved shirts, pants, jackets, socks, underwear, etc
• Can opener Make the investment – if you have to open very much cans you will be so glad you have a good one
• Pen and Paper Lots of uses in an emergency (buy a sharpie to mark things)
• Toiletries Roll of toilet paper (remove the center cardboard and flatten), feminine hygiene, tooth brush, tooth paste, floss, chapstick, hand cream, shampoo, comb, hair tie, razor, contacts, contact solution,
contact holder
Now that wasn’t so bad.
Please try to collect or buy what you can this week. Please put it all together, so much easier than looking for everything when you need it. Be the end of September, you will have some pretty awesome 72-hour kits, and hopefully feeling rather peaceful.
Spotlight for August
I was born in Mesa Arizona but we moved to Salem when I was about 4 years old. I basically grew up in this small wonderful town, riding my bike down the middle of the road and sometimes being a bit of a terror. I graduated from Spanish Fork High School and then was off to Snow College where I got a 1-year secretarial degree. I later got my bachelors from Utah State University in secondary education with a business emphasis.
How did I get back to Salem? I was considering buying a home in Spanish Fork when my parents decided to go on a mission. I decided to take care of their home while they were gone, and just couldn’t get myself to move away from Salem when they got home. Many in the Salem 2nd ward know my parents Jim and Ann Tenney.
I don’t have children, but I am a very active aunt and love all my nieces and nephews. I have 5 nephews, and 6 nieces. I have promised all of them that if they graduate from high school with honors I will take them on a trip of their choice in the US. So far I have been to San Diego. And probably next year I will be wondering the streets of Washington DC with two nieces.
I currently work in the software industry. My official title is Software Quality Assurance. Which really means I try the software before it’s available to the general public to make sure it’s working correctly. The company I currently work for gets Police Agencies to send us their crime data, and we put it on a map so the public can see what’s going on in their own neighborhood. Currently Utah County prefers to have a 2 week delay in what’s seen on our map. You can check it out at www.crimereports.com, its free to the public. Salem looks pretty good.
My hobbies, are truly hobbies, I have not mastered any of them yet. I enjoy photography and have hopes to one day take that perfect picture. I enjoy sewing but in straight lines, so I do a little quilting. I enjoy yard work when it’s not hot, and if you look, I have not mastered this one yet either. And every so often I will refinish an old wood item – and there are 4 chairs in the garage that have been waiting for me since I moved into my house 5 years ago.
Cooking tips and other tricks
About Honey:
To substitute honey for sugar in recipes, start by substituting
up to half of the sugar called for. With a little experimentation,
honey can replace all the sugar in some recipes.
When baking with honey, remember the following:
Reduce any liquid called for by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey used.
Add l/2 teaspoon baking soda for each cup of honey used.
Reduce oven temperature by 25 F to prevent over-browning.
Because of its high fructose content, honey has a higher
sweetening power than sugar. This means you can use less honey
than sugar to achieve the desired sweetness.
When measuring honey, coat the measuring cup with non-stick
cooking spray or vegetable oil before adding the honey.
The honey will slide right out.
To retain honey's wonderfully luxuriant texture, always store
it at room temperature; never in the refrigerator. If your honey
becomes cloudy, don't worry. It's just crystallization, a natural
process. Place your honey jar in warm water until the crystals
disappear. If you're in a hurry, place it in a microwave-safe
container and heat it in the microwave on HIGH for 2-3 minutes,
stirring every 30 seconds. Remember, never boil or scorch honey.
To substitute honey for sugar in recipes, start by substituting
up to half of the sugar called for. With a little experimentation,
honey can replace all the sugar in some recipes.
When baking with honey, remember the following:
Reduce any liquid called for by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey used.
Add l/2 teaspoon baking soda for each cup of honey used.
Reduce oven temperature by 25 F to prevent over-browning.
Because of its high fructose content, honey has a higher
sweetening power than sugar. This means you can use less honey
than sugar to achieve the desired sweetness.
When measuring honey, coat the measuring cup with non-stick
cooking spray or vegetable oil before adding the honey.
The honey will slide right out.
To retain honey's wonderfully luxuriant texture, always store
it at room temperature; never in the refrigerator. If your honey
becomes cloudy, don't worry. It's just crystallization, a natural
process. Place your honey jar in warm water until the crystals
disappear. If you're in a hurry, place it in a microwave-safe
container and heat it in the microwave on HIGH for 2-3 minutes,
stirring every 30 seconds. Remember, never boil or scorch honey.
August Presidency Message
The council in heaven was called and a plan was presented to all of God’s children. This council was called so that each of us could have the opportunity to choose of our own free will, whether to accept Heavenly Father’s plan or not.
We are all familiar that in this meeting Lucifer sought to amend the plan while Jehovah sustained the plan. All but 1/3 chose to follow the Savior and so the Devil and his followers began their fight and rebellion. Because those who stood with Lucifer chose not to accept our Heavenly Father’s plan, they were cast down to earth where they have continued the war that began that day. This war is in it full fury and one of Lucifer’s primary strategies has been to restrict our agency through the power of earthly governments.
Human history has shown us the result has been misery for most of humankind. President Ezra T. Benson said, “Freedom as we know it has been experienced by perhaps less than one percent of the human family.” Freedom’s moments have been infrequent and exceptional. Sisters, we should be so thankful that we are in that one percent. We are so blessed to live in a nation with freedom and choice!
Two of the greatest statements of Liberty ever written are The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America. One of our most precious possessions is our rights. The Declaration declares us free and independent states and defines political authority, the ends of government, and sovereignty of the people. The Constitution secures those rights.
Thomas Paine, one of our founding fathers said this: ”Rights are not gifts from one man to another, nor from one class of men to another, it is impossible to discover any origin of rights otherwise than in the origin of man. Rights pertain to man in right of his existence and must be equal to every man.” In 2 Nephi 2:27 we read “Men are free according to the flesh..and they are free to choose liberty and eternal life or to choose captivity and death.” Rights are a God-given as part of the divine plan.
We should keep in mind the inspired words of Thomas Jefferson as found in the Declaration of Independence: ”We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
Take some time and read section 134 of the Doctrine and Covenants. It covers the proper role of governments. This tells us that the most important single function of government is to secure the rights and freedoms of individual citizens.
We are superior to government and should remain master over it, not the other way around. Indeed the early pioneers of our church found that a great deal of their time and energy was spent defending themselves, their property, and their liberty. I am thankful for their fight and deep sacrifice that allows me the freedom today to live and worship how and where I choose.
Each of us should be familiar with the inspired Constitution of our country. It’s creation was a miracle, A gift from God. Joseph Smith called it a Heavenly Banner. In a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, DC 101:80 the Savior bore his witness to the fact that the final product of the constitution. He said, “I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose.” And again in DC 109:54 “May those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended, namely, the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever.”
We definitely can see the Lord’s hand in the shaping of this great country. We owe a great debt of gratitude to these great men and to God who led them in their task. They gave all they possessed, their lives and time and great sacrifice for freedom.
We are fast approaching the moment , (if not already living it), that the prophet Joseph Smith prophesied in July 1840 when he said:
“Even this nation will be on the very verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground, and when the Constitution is upon the brink of ruin, this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean, and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction.”
Will we be among those who will “bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction? Never before has there been a greater need for strong well informed women in the world to stand for that which is right and moral.
Joseph Smith stated “It is not for you to be led by the women of the world, but for you to lead the women of the world.”
If we desire to be counted among those who will save the constitution, then here are some things that President Benson tells us we must do.
1-We must be righteous and moral. We must live the gospel principles—all of them. Keep the laws of the land, Look to God as our lawgiver, remember the government owes us nothing.
2-We must learn the principles of the Constitution and then abide by its precepts. Have we read it? Have we pondered it? Could we defend it?
3-We must become involved in civic affairs. We cannot be idle spectators. Take part in meetings.
4-We must make our influence felt by our vote, our letters and emails. We must be wisely informed.
He then goes on to say this: “I have faith that the Constitution will be saved as prophesied by Joseph Smith, but it will not be saved in Washington. It will be saved by the citizens of this nation who love and cherish freedom. It will be saved by enlightened members of this Church—Men and women who will subscribe to and abide the principles of the Constitution.
We are all familiar that in this meeting Lucifer sought to amend the plan while Jehovah sustained the plan. All but 1/3 chose to follow the Savior and so the Devil and his followers began their fight and rebellion. Because those who stood with Lucifer chose not to accept our Heavenly Father’s plan, they were cast down to earth where they have continued the war that began that day. This war is in it full fury and one of Lucifer’s primary strategies has been to restrict our agency through the power of earthly governments.
Human history has shown us the result has been misery for most of humankind. President Ezra T. Benson said, “Freedom as we know it has been experienced by perhaps less than one percent of the human family.” Freedom’s moments have been infrequent and exceptional. Sisters, we should be so thankful that we are in that one percent. We are so blessed to live in a nation with freedom and choice!
Two of the greatest statements of Liberty ever written are The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America. One of our most precious possessions is our rights. The Declaration declares us free and independent states and defines political authority, the ends of government, and sovereignty of the people. The Constitution secures those rights.
Thomas Paine, one of our founding fathers said this: ”Rights are not gifts from one man to another, nor from one class of men to another, it is impossible to discover any origin of rights otherwise than in the origin of man. Rights pertain to man in right of his existence and must be equal to every man.” In 2 Nephi 2:27 we read “Men are free according to the flesh..and they are free to choose liberty and eternal life or to choose captivity and death.” Rights are a God-given as part of the divine plan.
We should keep in mind the inspired words of Thomas Jefferson as found in the Declaration of Independence: ”We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
Take some time and read section 134 of the Doctrine and Covenants. It covers the proper role of governments. This tells us that the most important single function of government is to secure the rights and freedoms of individual citizens.
We are superior to government and should remain master over it, not the other way around. Indeed the early pioneers of our church found that a great deal of their time and energy was spent defending themselves, their property, and their liberty. I am thankful for their fight and deep sacrifice that allows me the freedom today to live and worship how and where I choose.
Each of us should be familiar with the inspired Constitution of our country. It’s creation was a miracle, A gift from God. Joseph Smith called it a Heavenly Banner. In a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, DC 101:80 the Savior bore his witness to the fact that the final product of the constitution. He said, “I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose.” And again in DC 109:54 “May those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended, namely, the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever.”
We definitely can see the Lord’s hand in the shaping of this great country. We owe a great debt of gratitude to these great men and to God who led them in their task. They gave all they possessed, their lives and time and great sacrifice for freedom.
We are fast approaching the moment , (if not already living it), that the prophet Joseph Smith prophesied in July 1840 when he said:
“Even this nation will be on the very verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground, and when the Constitution is upon the brink of ruin, this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean, and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction.”
Will we be among those who will “bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction? Never before has there been a greater need for strong well informed women in the world to stand for that which is right and moral.
Joseph Smith stated “It is not for you to be led by the women of the world, but for you to lead the women of the world.”
If we desire to be counted among those who will save the constitution, then here are some things that President Benson tells us we must do.
1-We must be righteous and moral. We must live the gospel principles—all of them. Keep the laws of the land, Look to God as our lawgiver, remember the government owes us nothing.
2-We must learn the principles of the Constitution and then abide by its precepts. Have we read it? Have we pondered it? Could we defend it?
3-We must become involved in civic affairs. We cannot be idle spectators. Take part in meetings.
4-We must make our influence felt by our vote, our letters and emails. We must be wisely informed.
He then goes on to say this: “I have faith that the Constitution will be saved as prophesied by Joseph Smith, but it will not be saved in Washington. It will be saved by the citizens of this nation who love and cherish freedom. It will be saved by enlightened members of this Church—Men and women who will subscribe to and abide the principles of the Constitution.
Presidency Message for July
Part of the knowledge we have in the restored gospel is that Jesus Christ will return to the earth again. We don't know exactly when He will come again, but ancient and modern prophets have revealed some signs that can let us know the time is near. Many of these have been fulfilled. Some are still ahead of us. As frightening as some of these signs can be, we can be comforted in knowing that the calamities foretold will be followed by the blessings of the Millenium - 1000 years of peace.
We can compare the Second Coming and the Millenium to childbirth. We have 9 months of preparation, with varying amounts of discomfort. Right before we give birth there is tremendous pain and suffering. But once that baby is born, all pain is forgotten in the joy of having a new child.
To help us through these tough times, we have been counseled by our prophet to prepare ourselves both spiritually and physically. To help us prepare physically, we have been counseled specifically to:
1) Build up a 3 month supply of food we regularly eat
2) Have water stored
3) Build up a financial reserve
4) Have a years supply of more basic foods
We have many resources that can help us prepare spiritually: prayer, scripture study, Family Home Evening, the words of our spiritual leaders, and our temple covenants, among others.
The time to procrastinate our personal and family is past. As a Relief Society we have a plan to systematically help each and every family get prepared. Please watch for the group buys, FHE lessons, and other ideas that we will have available every month. There is power in obedience.
The Vaccarono family in Rome, Italy put it this way:
"The feeling of peace and the desire to be faithful to the commandment given by the Lord through the modern prophet helps us feel the Holy Spirit, to not be afraid, and to see that the signs of the time for the Second Coming of the Lord is a blessing and not something to fear. We rejoice in it. ...it gives us the motivation to be faithful and endure to the end and to be saved and obtain eternal life."
We can compare the Second Coming and the Millenium to childbirth. We have 9 months of preparation, with varying amounts of discomfort. Right before we give birth there is tremendous pain and suffering. But once that baby is born, all pain is forgotten in the joy of having a new child.
To help us through these tough times, we have been counseled by our prophet to prepare ourselves both spiritually and physically. To help us prepare physically, we have been counseled specifically to:
1) Build up a 3 month supply of food we regularly eat
2) Have water stored
3) Build up a financial reserve
4) Have a years supply of more basic foods
We have many resources that can help us prepare spiritually: prayer, scripture study, Family Home Evening, the words of our spiritual leaders, and our temple covenants, among others.
The time to procrastinate our personal and family is past. As a Relief Society we have a plan to systematically help each and every family get prepared. Please watch for the group buys, FHE lessons, and other ideas that we will have available every month. There is power in obedience.
The Vaccarono family in Rome, Italy put it this way:
"The feeling of peace and the desire to be faithful to the commandment given by the Lord through the modern prophet helps us feel the Holy Spirit, to not be afraid, and to see that the signs of the time for the Second Coming of the Lord is a blessing and not something to fear. We rejoice in it. ...it gives us the motivation to be faithful and endure to the end and to be saved and obtain eternal life."
Spotlight for July
MILLIE DIAZ
Millie was born in Italy, but moved to Venezuela when she was a month old. She grew up in Valencia, Venezuela. She graduated from high school in Valencia. Millie met her husband in Salt Lake City, at an LDS Latin Dance. They were married in October 2003. They have been blessed with three beautiful little girls. Annie, Michelle and Mackenzie. They have lived in Provo, Spanish Fork and now Salem since the have been married. She loves being a stay at home mom. Her greatest joys are her darling little girls. Millie was baptized in 1998, in Valencia, Venezuela. He favorite scripture is Alma 28. Millie says,” she is very shy when she doesn’t know people, and doesn’t talk much, but when she gets to know someone, nobody can stop me talking!” We are so happy to have the Diaz family in our ward. They live at 125 N. 100 E.
Cooking tips and other tricks
To slice meat into thin strips, as for Chinese dishes -
partially freeze and it will slice easily.
A roast with the bone in will cook faster than a boneless roast -
the bone carries the heat to the inside of the roast quicker.
For a juicer hamburger add cold water to the beef before grilling
(1/2 cup to 1 pound of meat).
To keep cauliflower white while cooking -
add a little milk to the water.
partially freeze and it will slice easily.
A roast with the bone in will cook faster than a boneless roast -
the bone carries the heat to the inside of the roast quicker.
For a juicer hamburger add cold water to the beef before grilling
(1/2 cup to 1 pound of meat).
To keep cauliflower white while cooking -
add a little milk to the water.
Recipies
Moon Pie
1 1/2 cups water
6 T butter
2 T sugar
dash of salt
1 1/2 cups flour
6 eggs
Bring water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil. Do not evaporate. Add flour all at once and stir quickly until the flour pulls away from the sides. Let cool for a minute or two. Add eggs one at time mixing them completely in after each addition. (Use a hand mixer) Spread on a lightly greased cookie sheet (approximately 18x13x1) Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
1 large and 1 small packet of instant vanilla pudding
4 cups of milk
10 oz of 0cream cheese
12 oz of cool whip
chocolate syrup
nuts of your choice
While the cream puff is cooling, mix 1 large and 1 small packet of instant vanilla pudding with a little less than 4 cups of Milk. Let the pudding set up. Soften the cream cheese and then mix it with a little bit of milk until it is smooth. Combine the cream cheese and pudding until smooth. Spread the pudding mixture on the cream puff then put the cool whip on top of that and drizzle with chocolate syrup and nuts. ENJOY!
Creamy Cilantro Dressing
Make 1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing according to directions
Once it is set up put it in the blender with
2-3 tomatillos with the husks removed
2 jalapeno peppers with seeds removed
2 tsp of lime juice
3/4 of a bunch of cilantro
1 clove of garlic
dash of salt and pepper
Blend it up and let it sit in the fridge for 20 minutes.
YUM!
1 1/2 cups water
6 T butter
2 T sugar
dash of salt
1 1/2 cups flour
6 eggs
Bring water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil. Do not evaporate. Add flour all at once and stir quickly until the flour pulls away from the sides. Let cool for a minute or two. Add eggs one at time mixing them completely in after each addition. (Use a hand mixer) Spread on a lightly greased cookie sheet (approximately 18x13x1) Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
1 large and 1 small packet of instant vanilla pudding
4 cups of milk
10 oz of 0cream cheese
12 oz of cool whip
chocolate syrup
nuts of your choice
While the cream puff is cooling, mix 1 large and 1 small packet of instant vanilla pudding with a little less than 4 cups of Milk. Let the pudding set up. Soften the cream cheese and then mix it with a little bit of milk until it is smooth. Combine the cream cheese and pudding until smooth. Spread the pudding mixture on the cream puff then put the cool whip on top of that and drizzle with chocolate syrup and nuts. ENJOY!
Creamy Cilantro Dressing
Make 1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing according to directions
Once it is set up put it in the blender with
2-3 tomatillos with the husks removed
2 jalapeno peppers with seeds removed
2 tsp of lime juice
3/4 of a bunch of cilantro
1 clove of garlic
dash of salt and pepper
Blend it up and let it sit in the fridge for 20 minutes.
YUM!
Bulk Buy for July
Under the bed 72 second emergency kit
2 Light sticks $2.18
1 Radio $5.75
1 Flashlight $1.49
1 Dust mask $0.29
Total per kit $9.71
Shipping will be between $1.14 - 1.26 per order depending on how many things we purchase. The prices above will decrease if we get more than 20 kits worth. So for now figure out how many kits you need and then multiply that by $9.71 and then add shipping.
Start saving for this buy. I will need the money on July 26th.
Don't forget to be working on your EMERGENCY PLAN and take an INVENTORY of your food storage and supplies you have that could be put into 72 hour kits.
2 Light sticks $2.18
1 Radio $5.75
1 Flashlight $1.49
1 Dust mask $0.29
Total per kit $9.71
Shipping will be between $1.14 - 1.26 per order depending on how many things we purchase. The prices above will decrease if we get more than 20 kits worth. So for now figure out how many kits you need and then multiply that by $9.71 and then add shipping.
Start saving for this buy. I will need the money on July 26th.
Don't forget to be working on your EMERGENCY PLAN and take an INVENTORY of your food storage and supplies you have that could be put into 72 hour kits.
June Spotlight Cindy Fillmore
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Hello! I am Cindy Fillmore. I was born in Simi Valley, CA and spent most of my childhood in central coast Cali. My family moved to Utah when I was a freshman in high school, when my father was baptized. Although we miss family and some things about California, (like the beach… something about the ocean speaks to my soul), we have thoroughly enjoyed living in Utah. My husband is Mike, and we are celebrating 10 years of marriage next month! Time truly flies by! We have 4 children: Adam (8), Abigail (6), Kate (almost 3), and Ethan (4 mths). We feel so blessed to have these beautiful and healthy children in our family- they are our greatest joy. I get to stay at home with them, and even though it isn’t always easy and fun, I am grateful. We absolutely love living here in Salem- we moved here just over a year ago, and feel like we are part of a hidden treasure; everyone is so nice and caring. Some of our very favorite things to do as a family include playing outside, camping, hiking, fishing, being with family and friends, watching movies. A few of my favorite things include blogging (my way of scrapbooking), traveling (I love to see new places), crafting, baking, gardening (well, I’m a wanna-be green thumb- but we did put in our garden-yay! And I like weeding, weird I know, but it’s therapeutic to me), and I love to get to know people.
Picnic in the Park
Meet at the pond every Thursday at High Noon to have fun with friends and let the kiddos run and play!
May Presidency Message
As women in the Church, we have a special understand of our role and of its importance in our Heavenly Father’s plan for his children. We know that we were “divinely designated from before the foundation of the world” and that “there is nothing in this world as personal, as nurturing, or as life changing as the influence of a righteous woman” (Mothers and Daughters, Elder Russell M. Ballard). Our responsibilities are especially important in a world where the family and women are under attack. In the April General Conference, Julie Beck said, “A good woman must constantly resist alluring and deceptive messages from many sources telling her that she is entitled to more time away from her responsibilities and that she deserves a life of greater ease and independence.” As women, we have within our natures the talent and stewardship to nurture and to serve.
However, knowing that we have such an important role as women, and so much responsibility can be overwhelming. At such times, we need to remember that our Heavenly Father has not left us alone. As with everything He asks us to do, He has provided us with a way to accomplish it. Some of things He has given us are the gospel, prayer, the scriptures, church leaders, husbands, mothers, friends and family. Along with those and many others, two of the most important gifts our Father has given us are His example and personal revelation. I encourage you to ponder the way our Father in Heaven, a perfect parent, parents His children – so many of whom are disobedient and unfaithful – and consider what we can learn and apply in our own lives by following His example. Our loving Father in Heaven has also given us a way to learn what we should do through personal revelation. Sister Beck said, “It requires a conscious effort to diminish distractions, but having the Spirit of revelation makes it possible to prevail over opposition and persist in faith through difficult days and essential routine tasks. Personal revelation gives us the understanding of what to do every day to increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek those who need our help. Because personal revelation is a constantly renewable source of strength, it is possible to feel bathed in help even during turbulent times.”
With the guidance we receive from personal revelation, by pondering and then striving to follow our Heavenly Father’s example, and with the blessings the restored gospel brings into our lives, we will be directed and strengthened as we go forward in performing the eternally important work our Heavenly Father has given us.
However, knowing that we have such an important role as women, and so much responsibility can be overwhelming. At such times, we need to remember that our Heavenly Father has not left us alone. As with everything He asks us to do, He has provided us with a way to accomplish it. Some of things He has given us are the gospel, prayer, the scriptures, church leaders, husbands, mothers, friends and family. Along with those and many others, two of the most important gifts our Father has given us are His example and personal revelation. I encourage you to ponder the way our Father in Heaven, a perfect parent, parents His children – so many of whom are disobedient and unfaithful – and consider what we can learn and apply in our own lives by following His example. Our loving Father in Heaven has also given us a way to learn what we should do through personal revelation. Sister Beck said, “It requires a conscious effort to diminish distractions, but having the Spirit of revelation makes it possible to prevail over opposition and persist in faith through difficult days and essential routine tasks. Personal revelation gives us the understanding of what to do every day to increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek those who need our help. Because personal revelation is a constantly renewable source of strength, it is possible to feel bathed in help even during turbulent times.”
With the guidance we receive from personal revelation, by pondering and then striving to follow our Heavenly Father’s example, and with the blessings the restored gospel brings into our lives, we will be directed and strengthened as we go forward in performing the eternally important work our Heavenly Father has given us.
NOW IS THE TIME
If you have not already established your 72 hour kits, don't beat yourself up for even a second, instead get busy and put them together.
There is so much information out there. Simplify! I have posted here on our website (under the preparedness label)a way to create "The Plan", "72 Hour Kit", "72 second under the bed kit", and much more.
When you decide what list you want to use stick to it and get it done! I am here to help and will offer bulk buys over the next few months.
When you start to prepare and especially when you have completed these things you will be filled with peace.
There is so much information out there. Simplify! I have posted here on our website (under the preparedness label)a way to create "The Plan", "72 Hour Kit", "72 second under the bed kit", and much more.
When you decide what list you want to use stick to it and get it done! I am here to help and will offer bulk buys over the next few months.
When you start to prepare and especially when you have completed these things you will be filled with peace.
Under Bed 72 - Second Disaster kit
Under Bed 72-Second Disaster Kit -
Keep items in a Bag/backpack (this will prevent glass and other debris from getting in your shoes)
Sturdy Shoes
Pair of Socks
Emergency contact list
Whistle (to attract the attention of emergency personnel)
Dust mask (Useful in fires and earthquakes)
Work gloves (To protect your hands when moving glass or debris)
Several bottles of water
Flashlight (Don’t use if you smell gas)
Light stick on a lanyard
Pry bar
Portable radio with spare batteries
On Bedside Night Stand Keep:
Extra car keys
Cell phone and charger
Glasses
Wallet
If you have batteries on hand and you purchase the flashlight, light sticks, radio, and dust mask through the ward bulk buys you can assemble this kit for $23.00
Keep items in a Bag/backpack (this will prevent glass and other debris from getting in your shoes)
Sturdy Shoes
Pair of Socks
Emergency contact list
Whistle (to attract the attention of emergency personnel)
Dust mask (Useful in fires and earthquakes)
Work gloves (To protect your hands when moving glass or debris)
Several bottles of water
Flashlight (Don’t use if you smell gas)
Light stick on a lanyard
Pry bar
Portable radio with spare batteries
On Bedside Night Stand Keep:
Extra car keys
Cell phone and charger
Glasses
Wallet
If you have batteries on hand and you purchase the flashlight, light sticks, radio, and dust mask through the ward bulk buys you can assemble this kit for $23.00
Creat your Emergency Plan
1. Determine what disasters your area is susceptible to. If you live in Kansas, you don't need to prepare for a hurricane, but you'd better be ready for tornadoes. While some disasters, such as fire, can happen anywhere, the hazards you might encounter vary widely from place to place. Check with your local emergency management or civil defense office, Red Cross chapter, or the National Weather Service to get an idea of what emergencies you should prepare for.
2 Find out what you should do in case a disaster strikes. The organizations above will likely be able to advise you what to do in an emergency. They may be able to provide you with evacuation maps and information about local warning systems and emergency plans. If you can't get all the information you need from officials, research your local hazards on your own. Figure out, for example, what preparations you should make for a tornado or hurricane (you can find information on many disaster situations right here on wikiHow) and how to survive if you're caught in a disaster, and determine the best evacuation routes on your own if need be. Remember, when push comes to shove, it's your responsibility to ensure your family is well prepared.
3 Pick a meeting spot and a way to get in contact with your family members. There's a good chance that all your family members won't be in the same place when disaster strikes, so it's important to have a predetermined rendezvous point. Choose a spot that will likely be safe and that is well away from your neighborhood, as you might not be able to make it back to your home.
4 Designate a friend or relative as a contact person that you, your spouse, and your children can call if you can't meet up. In order to minimize the chance that the contact person will also be affected by the disaster, choose someone who lives in a distant town or in a different state. Make sure that all your family members have the contact person's phone number with them at all times.
5 Discuss disaster scenarios with your family and make sure everyone knows what to do in all the likely emergency scenarios. It's important to educate yourself on how to respond to likely hazards, but what happens to your family if they are away from you or if you're killed or injured? It's not enough for one person in the family to know what to do--everybody should know the plan.
6 Fix potential hazards in your home. Once you've identified potential disaster scenarios, thoroughly inspect your house and try to make it as safe as possible. Here are just a few examples:
• Every home should have smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. Test smoke detectors at least once a month, and replace their batteries yearly or as needed. Fire extinguishers should be recharged according to the manufacturer's instructions, and family members should learn how to use them. Everyone should also know how to escape the house in the event of a fire.
• If you live in an area prone to earthquakes, you wouldn't want a tall, heavy bookcase sitting right next to the baby's crib, as it could be knocked over in a quake.
• If you live near woods with the possibility of forest fires, you should clear your property of brush and high grass to create a buffer zone between your home and the fire.
7 Teach your family basic life-saving techniques. Everyone who can learn CPR and first aid should take a certification class and keep their certification current. Adults and older children should know how to turn off gas, electricity and water if the house is damaged, and everyone should know how to detect a gas leak. Emergency numbers should be posted near phones, and even small children should be taught how to call 9-1-1 or the corresponding emergency number in your country.
8 Assemble a disaster kit. Be prepared for emergencies with at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food and potable water, prescription medications, first aid supplies, and other things you might need if you have no utilities and no way to purchase supplies. Keep a smaller kit in the trunk of your car. See the related wikiHow for more details on building a disaster kit. An inexpensive "pay-as-you-go" cell phone is a good addition to the kit.
9 Practice your plan. Practice makes perfect, and in a life-or-death situation, you want to respond perfectly. Periodically go over your emergency plans with your family, and update them as needed. Quiz and drill your family on important safety concepts. Do a live test with your family; make it an outing and get everyone involved. That will help you identify what works and what doesn't.
10 Have contingency plans. In the event your emergency site is unavailable or other things change, it's a good idea to have an alternate already identified.
React-During-an-Earthquake
How to create and emergency plan
How to create a grab & go list
2 Find out what you should do in case a disaster strikes. The organizations above will likely be able to advise you what to do in an emergency. They may be able to provide you with evacuation maps and information about local warning systems and emergency plans. If you can't get all the information you need from officials, research your local hazards on your own. Figure out, for example, what preparations you should make for a tornado or hurricane (you can find information on many disaster situations right here on wikiHow) and how to survive if you're caught in a disaster, and determine the best evacuation routes on your own if need be. Remember, when push comes to shove, it's your responsibility to ensure your family is well prepared.
3 Pick a meeting spot and a way to get in contact with your family members. There's a good chance that all your family members won't be in the same place when disaster strikes, so it's important to have a predetermined rendezvous point. Choose a spot that will likely be safe and that is well away from your neighborhood, as you might not be able to make it back to your home.
4 Designate a friend or relative as a contact person that you, your spouse, and your children can call if you can't meet up. In order to minimize the chance that the contact person will also be affected by the disaster, choose someone who lives in a distant town or in a different state. Make sure that all your family members have the contact person's phone number with them at all times.
5 Discuss disaster scenarios with your family and make sure everyone knows what to do in all the likely emergency scenarios. It's important to educate yourself on how to respond to likely hazards, but what happens to your family if they are away from you or if you're killed or injured? It's not enough for one person in the family to know what to do--everybody should know the plan.
6 Fix potential hazards in your home. Once you've identified potential disaster scenarios, thoroughly inspect your house and try to make it as safe as possible. Here are just a few examples:
• Every home should have smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. Test smoke detectors at least once a month, and replace their batteries yearly or as needed. Fire extinguishers should be recharged according to the manufacturer's instructions, and family members should learn how to use them. Everyone should also know how to escape the house in the event of a fire.
• If you live in an area prone to earthquakes, you wouldn't want a tall, heavy bookcase sitting right next to the baby's crib, as it could be knocked over in a quake.
• If you live near woods with the possibility of forest fires, you should clear your property of brush and high grass to create a buffer zone between your home and the fire.
7 Teach your family basic life-saving techniques. Everyone who can learn CPR and first aid should take a certification class and keep their certification current. Adults and older children should know how to turn off gas, electricity and water if the house is damaged, and everyone should know how to detect a gas leak. Emergency numbers should be posted near phones, and even small children should be taught how to call 9-1-1 or the corresponding emergency number in your country.
8 Assemble a disaster kit. Be prepared for emergencies with at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food and potable water, prescription medications, first aid supplies, and other things you might need if you have no utilities and no way to purchase supplies. Keep a smaller kit in the trunk of your car. See the related wikiHow for more details on building a disaster kit. An inexpensive "pay-as-you-go" cell phone is a good addition to the kit.
9 Practice your plan. Practice makes perfect, and in a life-or-death situation, you want to respond perfectly. Periodically go over your emergency plans with your family, and update them as needed. Quiz and drill your family on important safety concepts. Do a live test with your family; make it an outing and get everyone involved. That will help you identify what works and what doesn't.
10 Have contingency plans. In the event your emergency site is unavailable or other things change, it's a good idea to have an alternate already identified.
React-During-an-Earthquake
How to create and emergency plan
How to create a grab & go list
72 Hour Kit Checklist
72 Hour Kit Checklist
Food & Water (rotate every 6 months)
A three day supply of food and water, per person, when no refrigeration or cooking is available.
o Protein/Granola Bars
o Trail Mix/Dried Fruit
o Crackers/Cereals (for munching)
o Canned: Tuna, Beans, Fruit, Turkey, Vienna Sausages, etc. (MRE Food Pouches are lighter in weight)
o Juice/Protein Shakes (can or pouch like Slimfast but without all the sugar. They are full of protein, vitamins and minerals.)
o Candy/Gum
o Water (1 gallon/4 liters Per Person, Per Day!)
o Pet Food and Water
Bedding & Clothing
Change of clothing (short and long sleeved shirts, pants, jackets, socks, underwear, etc.)
o Rain coat/Poncho
o Emergency Heat Blankets
o Sleeping Bag
o Tent
o Sleeping Pad (important for insulation from cold ground)
o Cold Weather Gear – (Coat, gloves, hand warmers, etc…)
o Pet bedding, leash, crates, carriers, etc…
Equipment
o Can Opener
o Dishes, Utensils
o Shovel
o Radio (with batteries or crank!)
o Pen and Paper
o Pocket Knife: Leatherman or Gerber Tool
o 50 Foot Nylon Rope
o Whistle
o Wrench or Pliers to turn off utilities
o Duct Tape and Plastic Sheeting to “Shelter-in-Place
o Dust Mask
Personal Supplies & Medication
o Toiletries (roll of toilet paper-remove the center tube to easily flatten into a Ziploc, feminine hygiene, folding brush, etc..)
o First Aid Kit/Supplies
o Sanitation supplies (mini hand sanitizer, soap, garbage bags, etc.)
o Immunizations up-to-date
o Medication (Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, children’s medications etc.)
o Prescription Medication (for 3 days)
o Glasses/Contacts
Fuel & Light
o Lighting (Flashlights, Lamps, etc.) Don’t forget batteries if it’s not a crank!
o Extra Batteries
o Flares
o Candles & Lighter
o Water-Proof Matches
Personal Documents & Money
Place these items in a waterproof container!
o Scriptures
o Contact information of family & friends.
o Temple recommend (make sure it’s in your wallet when you leave)
o Copies of Legal Documents: Birth /Marriage Certificates, wills, vaccination papers, passports, contracts, insurance policies, bank info, genealogy, pet, etc…)
o Cash: $50-100 in small bills and $10 in quarters.
o Credit Card
o Pre-paid phone cards
o Extra Car and house keys
o Pictures of family
Games & Entertainment
You’ll want to keep just a few things in you kits to keep yourself and kids entertained.
o Books: Reading, Coloring
o Crayons, pencils and paper
o 1-2 board games and puzzles
o Favorite stuffed animal
Miscellaneous
o Bag (s) to put 72 hour kit items in (such as duffel bags or backpacks, which work great) Make sure you can lift/carry it!
o Infant needs (if applicable)
Remember you can always add more to your kit!
Tip 1: Your kit should be in a portable, easy to lift and carry, container located near an exit of your house.
Tip 2: Each family member should have their own 72 hour kit with food clothing and water. Distribute heavy items between kits.
Tip 3: keep a light source in the top of your kit so you can find it quickly in the dark.
Tip 4: Inspect your 72 hour kit a least twice a year. Check medication, check children’s clothing for proper fit, and check expirations dates on batteries, light sticks, warm packs, food and water.
Food & Water (rotate every 6 months)
A three day supply of food and water, per person, when no refrigeration or cooking is available.
o Protein/Granola Bars
o Trail Mix/Dried Fruit
o Crackers/Cereals (for munching)
o Canned: Tuna, Beans, Fruit, Turkey, Vienna Sausages, etc. (MRE Food Pouches are lighter in weight)
o Juice/Protein Shakes (can or pouch like Slimfast but without all the sugar. They are full of protein, vitamins and minerals.)
o Candy/Gum
o Water (1 gallon/4 liters Per Person, Per Day!)
o Pet Food and Water
Bedding & Clothing
Change of clothing (short and long sleeved shirts, pants, jackets, socks, underwear, etc.)
o Rain coat/Poncho
o Emergency Heat Blankets
o Sleeping Bag
o Tent
o Sleeping Pad (important for insulation from cold ground)
o Cold Weather Gear – (Coat, gloves, hand warmers, etc…)
o Pet bedding, leash, crates, carriers, etc…
Equipment
o Can Opener
o Dishes, Utensils
o Shovel
o Radio (with batteries or crank!)
o Pen and Paper
o Pocket Knife: Leatherman or Gerber Tool
o 50 Foot Nylon Rope
o Whistle
o Wrench or Pliers to turn off utilities
o Duct Tape and Plastic Sheeting to “Shelter-in-Place
o Dust Mask
Personal Supplies & Medication
o Toiletries (roll of toilet paper-remove the center tube to easily flatten into a Ziploc, feminine hygiene, folding brush, etc..)
o First Aid Kit/Supplies
o Sanitation supplies (mini hand sanitizer, soap, garbage bags, etc.)
o Immunizations up-to-date
o Medication (Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, children’s medications etc.)
o Prescription Medication (for 3 days)
o Glasses/Contacts
Fuel & Light
o Lighting (Flashlights, Lamps, etc.) Don’t forget batteries if it’s not a crank!
o Extra Batteries
o Flares
o Candles & Lighter
o Water-Proof Matches
Personal Documents & Money
Place these items in a waterproof container!
o Scriptures
o Contact information of family & friends.
o Temple recommend (make sure it’s in your wallet when you leave)
o Copies of Legal Documents: Birth /Marriage Certificates, wills, vaccination papers, passports, contracts, insurance policies, bank info, genealogy, pet, etc…)
o Cash: $50-100 in small bills and $10 in quarters.
o Credit Card
o Pre-paid phone cards
o Extra Car and house keys
o Pictures of family
Games & Entertainment
You’ll want to keep just a few things in you kits to keep yourself and kids entertained.
o Books: Reading, Coloring
o Crayons, pencils and paper
o 1-2 board games and puzzles
o Favorite stuffed animal
Miscellaneous
o Bag (s) to put 72 hour kit items in (such as duffel bags or backpacks, which work great) Make sure you can lift/carry it!
o Infant needs (if applicable)
Remember you can always add more to your kit!
Tip 1: Your kit should be in a portable, easy to lift and carry, container located near an exit of your house.
Tip 2: Each family member should have their own 72 hour kit with food clothing and water. Distribute heavy items between kits.
Tip 3: keep a light source in the top of your kit so you can find it quickly in the dark.
Tip 4: Inspect your 72 hour kit a least twice a year. Check medication, check children’s clothing for proper fit, and check expirations dates on batteries, light sticks, warm packs, food and water.
Cooking Tips and Other tricks
Weeds: Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.
Don't just keep dental floss in your medicine cabinet. Keep some
in the kitchen. It's a great tool. Unflavored dental floss is
often better than a& knife to cleanly cut all kinds of soft foods,
soft cheese, rolled dough, layered cake and cheesecake.
Don't just keep dental floss in your medicine cabinet. Keep some
in the kitchen. It's a great tool. Unflavored dental floss is
often better than a& knife to cleanly cut all kinds of soft foods,
soft cheese, rolled dough, layered cake and cheesecake.
June Preparedness Bulk Buy
.jpg)
Preparedness BULK BUY for June
Stove Tec Survival Stove
$40.00
• 45-50% more efficient than open fire cooking
• Burns wood, dung, sagebrush, weeds, pine cones, etc.
• 23,900 BTUs of cooking heat
• Generates little to no smoke
• Boils 1 gallon of water in 20 min with three 12” sticks of kindling
• Built to cook 3 meals a day for years of continuous use
• Easy to clean steel body
• Only 10-1/4” tall
Click here to see the website for this product.
May Spotlight
Alyse Hansen
I was born in Provo and grew up in Salem. I attended Salem Elementary, graduated from Spanish Fork High, and received an associates from UVSC.
David and I grew up in the same ward. He is nearly four years older than I am and took my sister to senior prom, (I took his nephew to a dance too, so it evened out)! We started dating shortly after I graduated from high school and were married a year later in the Timpanogos Temple on May 29, 2003. Shortly after being married we traveled across the country where David would start dental school in Lexington, Kentucky.
We have three children Adaline 5, Ashton 3 and Eli 11 months. As a family we love camping, horseback riding, hiking, softball, going to the park and just being together.
April Presidency Message
Julie B. Beck
Relief Society General President
In the past year I have met thousands of Latter-day Saint women in many countries. The list of challenges these sisters face is lengthy and sobering. There are family troubles, economic tests, calamities, accidents, and illnesses. There is much distraction and not enough peace and joy. Despite popular media messages to the contrary, no one is rich enough, beautiful enough, or clever enough to avoid a mortal experience.
The questions sisters ask are serious and insightful. They articulate uneasiness about the future, sorrow for unrealized expectations, some indecision, and diminished feelings of self-worth. They also reflect a deep desire to do what is right.
There has grown in me an overwhelming testimony of the value of daughters of God. So much depends on them. In my visits with the sisters, I have felt that there has never been a greater need for increased faith and personal righteousness. There has never been a greater need for strong families and homes. There has never been more that could be done to help others who are in need. How does one increase faith, strengthen families, and provide relief?1 How does a woman in our day find answers to her own questions and stand strong and immovable against incredible opposition and difficulty?
Personal Revelation
A good woman knows that she does not have enough time, energy, or opportunity to take care of all of the people or do all of the worthy things her heart yearns to do. Life is not calm for most women, and each day seems to require the accomplishment of a million things, most of which are important. A good woman must constantly resist alluring and deceptive messages from many sources telling her that she is entitled to more time away from her responsibilities and that she deserves a life of greater ease and independence. But with personal revelation, she can prioritize correctly and navigate this life confidently.
The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life. Qualifying for the Lord’s Spirit begins with a desire for that Spirit and implies a certain degree of worthiness. Keeping the commandments, repenting, and renewing covenants made at baptism lead to the blessing of always having the Lord’s Spirit with us.2 Making and keeping temple covenants also adds spiritual strength and power to a woman’s life. Many answers to difficult questions are found by reading the scriptures because the scriptures are an aid to revelation.3 Insight found in scripture accumulates over time, so it is important to spend some time in the scriptures every day. Daily prayer is also essential to having the Lord’s Spirit with us.4 Those who earnestly seek help through prayer and scripture study often have a paper and pencil nearby to write questions and record impressions and ideas.
Revelation can come hour by hour and moment by moment as we do the right things. When women nurture as Christ nurtured, a power and peace can descend to guide when help is needed. For instance, mothers can feel help from the Spirit even when tired, noisy children are clamoring for attention, but they can be distanced from the Spirit if they lose their temper with children. Being in the right places allows us to receive guidance. It requires a conscious effort to diminish distractions, but having the Spirit of revelation makes it possible to prevail over opposition and persist in faith through difficult days and essential routine tasks. Personal revelation gives us the understanding of what to do every day to increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek those who need our help. Because personal revelation is a constantly renewable source of strength, it is possible to feel bathed in help even during turbulent times.
We are told to put our trust in that Spirit which leads us “to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously.”5 We are also told that this Spirit will enlighten our minds, fill our souls with joy, and help us know all things we should do.6 Promised personal revelation comes when we ask for it, prepare for it, and go forward in faith, trusting that it will be poured out upon us.
Relief Society—Teaching, Inspiring, and Strengthening
Additionally, the Lord in His wisdom has provided a Relief Society to help His daughters in these latter days. When Relief Society functions in an inspired way, it lifts women up and out of a troubled world and into a way of living that prepares them for the blessings of eternal life. This society has at its very core the responsibility to help sisters increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help others who are in need. Through Relief Society, sisters can receive answers to their questions and be blessed by the combined spiritual power of all the sisters. Relief Society validates the true and eternal nature of daughters of God. It is a sacred trust, a guiding light, and a system of watchcare that teaches and inspires women to be strong and immovable. Its motto, “Charity never faileth,”7 is embodied in all good women.
When a girl advances into Relief Society or when a woman is baptized into the Church, she becomes part of a sisterhood that strengthens her in her preparation for eternal life. Entrance into Relief Society signifies that a woman can be trusted and relied upon to make a significant contribution in the Church. She continues to progress as an individual without receiving much outward credit or praise.
The second general Relief Society president, Eliza R. Snow, said this to the sisters: “We want to be ladies in very deed, not according to the term of the word as the world judges, but fit companions of the Gods and Holy Ones. In an organized capacity we can assist each other in not only doing good but in refining ourselves, and whether few or many come forward and help to prosecute this great work, they will be those that will fill honorable positions in the Kingdom of God. . . . Women should be women and not babies that need petting and correction all the time. I know we like to be appreciated but if we do not get all the appreciation which we think is our due, what matters? We know the Lord has laid high responsibility upon us, and there is not a wish or desire that the Lord has implanted in our hearts in righteousness but will be realized, and the greatest good we can do to ourselves and each other is to refine and cultivate ourselves in everything that is good and ennobling to qualify us for those responsibilities.”8
Measuring Success
Good women always have a desire to know if they are succeeding. In a world where the measures of success are often distorted, it is important to seek appreciation and affirmation from proper sources. To paraphrase a list found in Preach My Gospel, we are doing well when we develop attributes of Christ and strive to obey His gospel with exactness. We are doing well when we seek to improve ourselves and do our best. We are doing well when we increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help others who are in need. We know we are successful if we live so that we qualify for, receive, and know how to follow the Spirit. When we have done our very best, we may still experience disappointments, but we will not be disappointed in ourselves. We can feel certain that the Lord is pleased when we feel the Spirit working through us.9 Peace, joy, and hope are available to those who measure success properly.
A revelation in the book of Joel states that in the last days, sons and daughters of God will prophesy and the Lord will pour out His Spirit upon His servants and His handmaids.10 President Spencer W. Kimball echoed this prophecy when he said:
“Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world (in whom there is often such an inner sense of spirituality) will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and different—in happy ways—from the women of the world. . . .
“Thus it will be that female exemplars of the Church will be a significant force in both the numerical and spiritual growth of the Church in the last days.”11
I bear my witness that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. The Lord depends on His daughters to do their part to strengthen the homes of Zion and build His kingdom on the earth. As they seek and qualify for personal revelation, the Lord will pour out His Spirit upon His handmaids in these latter days. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Relief Society General President
In the past year I have met thousands of Latter-day Saint women in many countries. The list of challenges these sisters face is lengthy and sobering. There are family troubles, economic tests, calamities, accidents, and illnesses. There is much distraction and not enough peace and joy. Despite popular media messages to the contrary, no one is rich enough, beautiful enough, or clever enough to avoid a mortal experience.
The questions sisters ask are serious and insightful. They articulate uneasiness about the future, sorrow for unrealized expectations, some indecision, and diminished feelings of self-worth. They also reflect a deep desire to do what is right.
There has grown in me an overwhelming testimony of the value of daughters of God. So much depends on them. In my visits with the sisters, I have felt that there has never been a greater need for increased faith and personal righteousness. There has never been a greater need for strong families and homes. There has never been more that could be done to help others who are in need. How does one increase faith, strengthen families, and provide relief?1 How does a woman in our day find answers to her own questions and stand strong and immovable against incredible opposition and difficulty?
Personal Revelation
A good woman knows that she does not have enough time, energy, or opportunity to take care of all of the people or do all of the worthy things her heart yearns to do. Life is not calm for most women, and each day seems to require the accomplishment of a million things, most of which are important. A good woman must constantly resist alluring and deceptive messages from many sources telling her that she is entitled to more time away from her responsibilities and that she deserves a life of greater ease and independence. But with personal revelation, she can prioritize correctly and navigate this life confidently.
The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life. Qualifying for the Lord’s Spirit begins with a desire for that Spirit and implies a certain degree of worthiness. Keeping the commandments, repenting, and renewing covenants made at baptism lead to the blessing of always having the Lord’s Spirit with us.2 Making and keeping temple covenants also adds spiritual strength and power to a woman’s life. Many answers to difficult questions are found by reading the scriptures because the scriptures are an aid to revelation.3 Insight found in scripture accumulates over time, so it is important to spend some time in the scriptures every day. Daily prayer is also essential to having the Lord’s Spirit with us.4 Those who earnestly seek help through prayer and scripture study often have a paper and pencil nearby to write questions and record impressions and ideas.
Revelation can come hour by hour and moment by moment as we do the right things. When women nurture as Christ nurtured, a power and peace can descend to guide when help is needed. For instance, mothers can feel help from the Spirit even when tired, noisy children are clamoring for attention, but they can be distanced from the Spirit if they lose their temper with children. Being in the right places allows us to receive guidance. It requires a conscious effort to diminish distractions, but having the Spirit of revelation makes it possible to prevail over opposition and persist in faith through difficult days and essential routine tasks. Personal revelation gives us the understanding of what to do every day to increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek those who need our help. Because personal revelation is a constantly renewable source of strength, it is possible to feel bathed in help even during turbulent times.
We are told to put our trust in that Spirit which leads us “to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously.”5 We are also told that this Spirit will enlighten our minds, fill our souls with joy, and help us know all things we should do.6 Promised personal revelation comes when we ask for it, prepare for it, and go forward in faith, trusting that it will be poured out upon us.
Relief Society—Teaching, Inspiring, and Strengthening
Additionally, the Lord in His wisdom has provided a Relief Society to help His daughters in these latter days. When Relief Society functions in an inspired way, it lifts women up and out of a troubled world and into a way of living that prepares them for the blessings of eternal life. This society has at its very core the responsibility to help sisters increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help others who are in need. Through Relief Society, sisters can receive answers to their questions and be blessed by the combined spiritual power of all the sisters. Relief Society validates the true and eternal nature of daughters of God. It is a sacred trust, a guiding light, and a system of watchcare that teaches and inspires women to be strong and immovable. Its motto, “Charity never faileth,”7 is embodied in all good women.
When a girl advances into Relief Society or when a woman is baptized into the Church, she becomes part of a sisterhood that strengthens her in her preparation for eternal life. Entrance into Relief Society signifies that a woman can be trusted and relied upon to make a significant contribution in the Church. She continues to progress as an individual without receiving much outward credit or praise.
The second general Relief Society president, Eliza R. Snow, said this to the sisters: “We want to be ladies in very deed, not according to the term of the word as the world judges, but fit companions of the Gods and Holy Ones. In an organized capacity we can assist each other in not only doing good but in refining ourselves, and whether few or many come forward and help to prosecute this great work, they will be those that will fill honorable positions in the Kingdom of God. . . . Women should be women and not babies that need petting and correction all the time. I know we like to be appreciated but if we do not get all the appreciation which we think is our due, what matters? We know the Lord has laid high responsibility upon us, and there is not a wish or desire that the Lord has implanted in our hearts in righteousness but will be realized, and the greatest good we can do to ourselves and each other is to refine and cultivate ourselves in everything that is good and ennobling to qualify us for those responsibilities.”8
Measuring Success
Good women always have a desire to know if they are succeeding. In a world where the measures of success are often distorted, it is important to seek appreciation and affirmation from proper sources. To paraphrase a list found in Preach My Gospel, we are doing well when we develop attributes of Christ and strive to obey His gospel with exactness. We are doing well when we seek to improve ourselves and do our best. We are doing well when we increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help others who are in need. We know we are successful if we live so that we qualify for, receive, and know how to follow the Spirit. When we have done our very best, we may still experience disappointments, but we will not be disappointed in ourselves. We can feel certain that the Lord is pleased when we feel the Spirit working through us.9 Peace, joy, and hope are available to those who measure success properly.
A revelation in the book of Joel states that in the last days, sons and daughters of God will prophesy and the Lord will pour out His Spirit upon His servants and His handmaids.10 President Spencer W. Kimball echoed this prophecy when he said:
“Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world (in whom there is often such an inner sense of spirituality) will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and different—in happy ways—from the women of the world. . . .
“Thus it will be that female exemplars of the Church will be a significant force in both the numerical and spiritual growth of the Church in the last days.”11
I bear my witness that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. The Lord depends on His daughters to do their part to strengthen the homes of Zion and build His kingdom on the earth. As they seek and qualify for personal revelation, the Lord will pour out His Spirit upon His handmaids in these latter days. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Cooking Tips and Other tricks
Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.
Add a tsp of water when frying ground beef. It helps pull grease away from meat while cooking
Add a tsp of water when frying ground beef. It helps pull grease away from meat while cooking
April Spotlight
Brenda Dansie
Where were you born? Payson Hospital
Where did you grow up? Spanish Fork and Salem
What High School did you graduate from? Spanish Fork High
Where did you meet your husband? Cruising Main
Any fun story you'd like to share? I worked at a taco place with his sister so he used to come in there all the time.
How long have you been married? 16 years, we dated for 4 years before we got married.
How many children do you have? 3 Steffen 16, Tritney 15, Courtney 10.
Any exciting experiences you would like to share? I have led a good life and have appreciated all of my experiences, and I can't wait to have more.
Where have you lived during your married life? Spanish Fork and Salem
Do you work? Where? Yes, I'm a lunch lady at Mr. Loafer Elementary.
Your favorite hobbies? I love to scrapbook, do crafts, help others, and sew.
Your greatest joys? My husband and kids, camping, fishing, hunting, 4 wheelers and spending time with my family.
Fun experiences or travel you could tell us about? We go see my grandparents every year 1 or 2 times in the summer and play with them in St. George.
March Presidency Message
Self-Reliance is taking responsibility for our own spiritual and temporal welfare and for those Heavenly Father has entrusted us with. Only when we are self-reliant can we truly emulate the Savior and bless others. Our ability to serve is increased or diminished by the level of our self-reliance. (Robert Hales)
We become self-reliant by gaining knowledge and education, by managing our money and resources wisely, studying, serving, and becoming spiritually strong. By preparing ourselves and families for emergencies and by having good physical health and emotional well being. Self-reliance is an essential element in our spiritual and temporal well being.
What am I doing to help myself and my family become self-reliant? Do I know how to raise a garden, harvest it and put away food? Do I have a year supply of food and water? Can I sew and mend clothing? Am I prepared for an emergency? Am I budgeting, saving, and living within my means. Am I strengthening myself spiritually, emotionally, and physically? Will my testimony sustain me in times of trial?
There is great peace and satisfaction that come from becoming self-reliant. Many of life's problems can be avoided when we live this way. The church teaches us that responsibility for ourselves and family rest in this order:1-Ourselves (With the help of the Lord, 2 Family,3-Church (Ward Family)
President Boyd K. Packer states: "The aim of the church is to help people, help themselves. It is a self-help system, not a quick handout system. Our Bishop's face increasing calls to councel members with problems that have more to do with emotional than physical. There is an epidemic in the church of Counselitis. This problem drains spiritual strength from the church. We live in an instant society and seem to demand instant everything, including instant solutions for our problems. Spiritual independence and self-reliance is a sustaining power in the church. If we rob members of it by solving all of their problems, how will they learn to get revelation for themselves. They need to know how to get answers to their prayers."
It is meant that life would have challenges. I think we sometimes forget that we are but a prayer away from the Master Counselor of the Universe. A 24/7 service, free of charge! I know that we can be directed in every problem that we are faced with when we involve the Lord. He knows us and always knows what we need, He is the one to whom we should turn to for answers to life's problems. The scriptures are full of examples of people taking their problems to the Lord. One I find very remarkable is the Brother of Jared in the book of Ether. He was truly a man who knew how to pray and get answers. Read Ether Chapter 1, 2 and 3.
We are sent here to learn to become like the Savior and to learn to become God's and Goddesses. Without experience and growth, we can not do this.
Our trial may be physical, spiritual, economic, or emotional but when we treat them as opportunities to grow, standing self-reliant, doing our part and involving the Lord, great blessing will come into our lives.
We become self-reliant by gaining knowledge and education, by managing our money and resources wisely, studying, serving, and becoming spiritually strong. By preparing ourselves and families for emergencies and by having good physical health and emotional well being. Self-reliance is an essential element in our spiritual and temporal well being.
What am I doing to help myself and my family become self-reliant? Do I know how to raise a garden, harvest it and put away food? Do I have a year supply of food and water? Can I sew and mend clothing? Am I prepared for an emergency? Am I budgeting, saving, and living within my means. Am I strengthening myself spiritually, emotionally, and physically? Will my testimony sustain me in times of trial?
There is great peace and satisfaction that come from becoming self-reliant. Many of life's problems can be avoided when we live this way. The church teaches us that responsibility for ourselves and family rest in this order:1-Ourselves (With the help of the Lord, 2 Family,3-Church (Ward Family)
President Boyd K. Packer states: "The aim of the church is to help people, help themselves. It is a self-help system, not a quick handout system. Our Bishop's face increasing calls to councel members with problems that have more to do with emotional than physical. There is an epidemic in the church of Counselitis. This problem drains spiritual strength from the church. We live in an instant society and seem to demand instant everything, including instant solutions for our problems. Spiritual independence and self-reliance is a sustaining power in the church. If we rob members of it by solving all of their problems, how will they learn to get revelation for themselves. They need to know how to get answers to their prayers."
It is meant that life would have challenges. I think we sometimes forget that we are but a prayer away from the Master Counselor of the Universe. A 24/7 service, free of charge! I know that we can be directed in every problem that we are faced with when we involve the Lord. He knows us and always knows what we need, He is the one to whom we should turn to for answers to life's problems. The scriptures are full of examples of people taking their problems to the Lord. One I find very remarkable is the Brother of Jared in the book of Ether. He was truly a man who knew how to pray and get answers. Read Ether Chapter 1, 2 and 3.
We are sent here to learn to become like the Savior and to learn to become God's and Goddesses. Without experience and growth, we can not do this.
Our trial may be physical, spiritual, economic, or emotional but when we treat them as opportunities to grow, standing self-reliant, doing our part and involving the Lord, great blessing will come into our lives.
March Spotlight
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My name is Lillie Schramm Francom
I was born in a little two room adobe house on 3rd South and 6th East in Payson, UT where I grew up and went to school. With the exception of about 3 years when my family lived in Pioche, NV. I spent my youth in Payson. I went to Peteetneet grade school, Payson Junior High School and graduated from Payson High School in 1945.
I met my Husband Arthur L. Francom at my brother’s Missionary Farewell Dance in January of 1946 and we were married on July 5th 1946. We have four children they are Stewart, Ivy, Paula and Michele. We have 13 grandchildren, one granddaughter and 12 grandsons, and 11 great grandchildren five boys and six girls.
We were married for 60 years. My husband died just six weeks after our 60th wedding anniversary. We spent the first 25 years of our married life as farmers on our farm between Salem and Payson and he worked at Ironton and Geneva Steel form 1954 to 1986 running the farm on the side.
I went back to school at the age of 46 and got my LPN degree in nursing from Utah Technical College in Provo and worked at Payson Hospital until my retirement in 1991.
Both sides of my family have belonged to the church since its early beginnings and some helped build the Kirtland and Nauvoo temples and served in the Mormon battalion. My favorite scripture is the 23 Psalm.
I no longer do any work that I can get out of. My hobbies are spinning, knitting, sewing and whatever strikes my fancy. I have just finished compiling a book of family histories.
My husband and I did a little traveling before his health failed that included trips to Europe, Alaska, and Hawaii and trips to see our children that live in Kansas, Idaho and Iowa.
My greatest joys are family and friends and my greatest frustration is the computer.
Cooking Tips and Other tricks
Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.
Eggs: To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.
Eggs: To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.
February Presidency Message
In Matthew 5:48, we are commanded to "Be ye therefore perfect." That is a scripture that can cause turmoil, when we think of all our weaknesses and faults. But when we read the last part of the verse "even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect", it raises the question, "What is perfection in Heavenly Father's eyes?" Does it mean to have a perfectly decorated and clean house, with perfectly cooked food? Does it mean to have perfectly straight teeth in a perfectly trim and healthy body? Does it mean to have perfect kids?
That doesn't sound like perfection - it sounds like exhaustion!
In what ways does Heavenly Father want us to be perfect? Surely not worldly ways.
The vision of the tree of life may help us understand. In this vision, Lehi sees a tree with beautiful white fruit. He partakes of this fruit and finds it delicious. It also fills him with indescribable joy. It fills him with such joy that desires his family to partake, too. Some of them do, but some of them don't. Laman and Lemuel are drawn to a large and spacious building where crowds of people are looking at those who are eating the fruit and scoffing at them. As Lehi and his family eat of the fruit a dark mist overcomes the scene. Those who still desire to eat the fruit must walk on a straight and narrow path, holding on to a rod of iron in order to make it to the tree. Even once they reach it, they are not safe. Some who eat are ashamed due to the continued mocking of the crowd and fall away. But all who eat are filled with joy.
Lehi's son, Nephi, wanted to know what his father's vision meant. He prayed in faith and was able to see a vision of his own which answered many questions. Because of Nephi's inquiry we find out that the fruit of the tree of life represents God's love for us. We realize that feeling charity, the pure love of Christ, is the most desirable thing we can attain in this life.
Wouldn't this be one way of defining perfection? Being perfect in love towards our Heavenly Father, Christ, and our fellow beings? That sounds easier than having a perfectly clean house, doesn't it?
Or maybe not. Because according to the vision, we are surrounded on all sides by mists of darkness, or the temptations and pride of the world. Satan uses everything he has to keep us from that joy. It is not easy to stay on the path.
But there is a way. It is to keep hold of the iron rod. This, according to Nephi, represents the word of God.
Where do we find the word of God? We immediately think of the scriptures and the words of the prophets. But there is another source and that is our personal revelation. All of us have access to
the gift of the Holy Ghost, which we received at baptism. Pres. Lorenzo Snow said, "It is the grand privilege of every Latter-Day Saint...to have the manifestations of the spirit every day of our lives...[so] that we may know the light, and not be groveling continually in the dark."
We can access the Holy Ghost simply by asking, listening, and following its promptings. We do need to be worthy - the Spirit thrives in some environments and is stifled in others. But we don't need to be perfect. We just have to ask, listen and obey. When we feel promptings, we need to heed them, or that gift leaves us for a while until we are willing to obey.
Learning to speak the language of the Spirit takes spiritual labor. It is no different than learning another language. It takes time. It takes practice. But it is the most important work one can do on earth. For, step by step, through the Holy Ghost we can recieve promptings that will help us overcome weaknesses, strengthen our testimonies, and, most of all, be filled with the perfect, joyous love of God.
That doesn't sound like perfection - it sounds like exhaustion!
In what ways does Heavenly Father want us to be perfect? Surely not worldly ways.
The vision of the tree of life may help us understand. In this vision, Lehi sees a tree with beautiful white fruit. He partakes of this fruit and finds it delicious. It also fills him with indescribable joy. It fills him with such joy that desires his family to partake, too. Some of them do, but some of them don't. Laman and Lemuel are drawn to a large and spacious building where crowds of people are looking at those who are eating the fruit and scoffing at them. As Lehi and his family eat of the fruit a dark mist overcomes the scene. Those who still desire to eat the fruit must walk on a straight and narrow path, holding on to a rod of iron in order to make it to the tree. Even once they reach it, they are not safe. Some who eat are ashamed due to the continued mocking of the crowd and fall away. But all who eat are filled with joy.
Lehi's son, Nephi, wanted to know what his father's vision meant. He prayed in faith and was able to see a vision of his own which answered many questions. Because of Nephi's inquiry we find out that the fruit of the tree of life represents God's love for us. We realize that feeling charity, the pure love of Christ, is the most desirable thing we can attain in this life.
Wouldn't this be one way of defining perfection? Being perfect in love towards our Heavenly Father, Christ, and our fellow beings? That sounds easier than having a perfectly clean house, doesn't it?
Or maybe not. Because according to the vision, we are surrounded on all sides by mists of darkness, or the temptations and pride of the world. Satan uses everything he has to keep us from that joy. It is not easy to stay on the path.
But there is a way. It is to keep hold of the iron rod. This, according to Nephi, represents the word of God.
Where do we find the word of God? We immediately think of the scriptures and the words of the prophets. But there is another source and that is our personal revelation. All of us have access to
the gift of the Holy Ghost, which we received at baptism. Pres. Lorenzo Snow said, "It is the grand privilege of every Latter-Day Saint...to have the manifestations of the spirit every day of our lives...[so] that we may know the light, and not be groveling continually in the dark."
We can access the Holy Ghost simply by asking, listening, and following its promptings. We do need to be worthy - the Spirit thrives in some environments and is stifled in others. But we don't need to be perfect. We just have to ask, listen and obey. When we feel promptings, we need to heed them, or that gift leaves us for a while until we are willing to obey.
Learning to speak the language of the Spirit takes spiritual labor. It is no different than learning another language. It takes time. It takes practice. But it is the most important work one can do on earth. For, step by step, through the Holy Ghost we can recieve promptings that will help us overcome weaknesses, strengthen our testimonies, and, most of all, be filled with the perfect, joyous love of God.
Dry Cannery
*********** DRY PACK UPDATE*************
In late December, the Lindon Home Storage Center (Dry Pack) requested the information about price changes happening on January 16th be sent to our distribution list. It was amazing to see the effects this had. Brother Anderson, Manager of the Lindon Home Storage Center, has now asked that we share the following with you:
Lindon Home Storage Center (Dry-Pack) update. For Dry Pack questions call: 801-785-0997
• Powdered Milk
On January 16th the price of powdered milk rose $10.60 per 25# bag, from $24.80 to its current price of $35.40. As noted on the Family Home Storage Center price sheet (found on-line at www.providentliving.org), prices are subject to change without notice. The $24.80 price was in effect for almost seven months prior to the increase.
As soon as we were notified of the price increase in early December, I sent out a notice via the great sisters in the Wet-Pack Cannery Office. The results were interesting:
o In November 2009, our patrons canned just under 800 #10 cans of milk.
o In December, they canned just under 700 #10 cans of milk (remember that we were closed for ~the last two weeks in December.)
o In the first two weeks of January - before the price change on the 16th - just under 2,500 #10 cans were processed.
o On Thursday, January 14th, there was so much demand that we literally ran out of product fairly early in the day. It should be noted that if the demand had peaked in the weeks before, we could have replenished the milk to meet the demands since we order each week for the following week. But, by the last week, it was too late to order more.
o Note: the canning stats above do not include the thousands of pounds that were purchased in bulk during this time.
o The parallel to the parable of the 10 virgins came to my mind after all the (milk) dust settled. Those who waited until the last minute lost the benefit of the better price.
o Please note that the price of our powdered milk is still excellent considering that ~two years ago the price was over $70 per bag!
• Potato Flakes
A new opportunity has now presented itself. With the new price changes, potato flakes (NOT potato pearls!) have dropped from $30.20 per 25 lb. box to $22.20, a decrease of $8 per box.
Potato Flakes are only dried potatoes. Their shelf life, when properly canned and stored under ideal conditions (as noted on the order form), will be 30 years. You can make them taste just as good as potato pearls by adding salt, butter and milk.
We recommend that you plan early to increase your own home storage inventory and take advantage of the lower price of this and other items.
Other items to take note of are:
• White Rice: Price dropped $1.90 (11.1%) per 25# box to $$8.45
• Black Beans: Price dropped $1.85 (4.1%) per 25# bag to $14.50
• Spaghetti: Price dropped $1.70 (7.4%) per 25# box to $14.55
• White Beans: Price dropped $1.65 (7.6%) per 25# bag to $14.10
• Pre Packs
As you were informed earlier, the prices of our pre-packed items are no longer the same price as the do-it-yourself cans of equal quantity. They are slightly higher, ranging from 11 cents to 23 cents per can higher depending on the product. This is still a great buy if you want to save time in securing these products for your home storage. You can buy these pre-packs directly off the shelf.
New Pre-Pack Items: Starting sometime after the 1st of April, we will be offering two additional pre-pack items:
• White Wheat
• White Flour
Pricing and availability will be forwarded to you as soon as we are notified. This information, as always, will also be posted when the time comes on the Home Storage Center Order Form at www.providentliving.org.
We strongly suggest that the counsel of the Brethren be followed and that you build up your home storage items by:
• First securing your 3 months supply of those items your family eats every day.
• Then slowly build up your long-term food storage.
o You don't have to do it all at once! But keep at it!
o We have some very excellent and EASY instructions to help you determine what you will need for a year's supply of food for your family. Come in and talk to one of our excellent missionary staff! They are all willing and anxious to assist you.
The Lindon Home Storage Center is open on a walk-in, first-come/first-serve basis on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Price and product information is located on www.providentliving.org. (Make sure to use .org extension since there is a .net website with the same name.) You are looking for the Home Storage Center Order Form link on this website. It is an interactive form where you can plan your expenditure by entering order amounts and seeing the total amount you will spend. After you complete the order form, print it off and bring it with you to expedite the check-in process at the Home Storage Center. Do not fill out your check prior to arriving at the Center just in case they are out of any of the products you planned to order.
One last note: Remember that it isn't enough just to buy food stuffs in bulk and store them, as-purchased, without preparing them to last long-term.
I talked with a patron a few months ago who wanted to buy 2,000 lbs of White Wheat. When I asked how she planned to store it, she said she had no idea what I meant. She felt that all that was needed to be prepared was to buy it in bulk. No thought was given to safe and secure storing procedures. Don't get caught with a lot of food storage that may be at risk because of improper storage preparations.
We love serving you!
Y'all come in and see us! Hear?
Elder Anderson, Manager
Lindon Home Storage Center
In late December, the Lindon Home Storage Center (Dry Pack) requested the information about price changes happening on January 16th be sent to our distribution list. It was amazing to see the effects this had. Brother Anderson, Manager of the Lindon Home Storage Center, has now asked that we share the following with you:
Lindon Home Storage Center (Dry-Pack) update. For Dry Pack questions call: 801-785-0997
• Powdered Milk
On January 16th the price of powdered milk rose $10.60 per 25# bag, from $24.80 to its current price of $35.40. As noted on the Family Home Storage Center price sheet (found on-line at www.providentliving.org), prices are subject to change without notice. The $24.80 price was in effect for almost seven months prior to the increase.
As soon as we were notified of the price increase in early December, I sent out a notice via the great sisters in the Wet-Pack Cannery Office. The results were interesting:
o In November 2009, our patrons canned just under 800 #10 cans of milk.
o In December, they canned just under 700 #10 cans of milk (remember that we were closed for ~the last two weeks in December.)
o In the first two weeks of January - before the price change on the 16th - just under 2,500 #10 cans were processed.
o On Thursday, January 14th, there was so much demand that we literally ran out of product fairly early in the day. It should be noted that if the demand had peaked in the weeks before, we could have replenished the milk to meet the demands since we order each week for the following week. But, by the last week, it was too late to order more.
o Note: the canning stats above do not include the thousands of pounds that were purchased in bulk during this time.
o The parallel to the parable of the 10 virgins came to my mind after all the (milk) dust settled. Those who waited until the last minute lost the benefit of the better price.
o Please note that the price of our powdered milk is still excellent considering that ~two years ago the price was over $70 per bag!
• Potato Flakes
A new opportunity has now presented itself. With the new price changes, potato flakes (NOT potato pearls!) have dropped from $30.20 per 25 lb. box to $22.20, a decrease of $8 per box.
Potato Flakes are only dried potatoes. Their shelf life, when properly canned and stored under ideal conditions (as noted on the order form), will be 30 years. You can make them taste just as good as potato pearls by adding salt, butter and milk.
We recommend that you plan early to increase your own home storage inventory and take advantage of the lower price of this and other items.
Other items to take note of are:
• White Rice: Price dropped $1.90 (11.1%) per 25# box to $$8.45
• Black Beans: Price dropped $1.85 (4.1%) per 25# bag to $14.50
• Spaghetti: Price dropped $1.70 (7.4%) per 25# box to $14.55
• White Beans: Price dropped $1.65 (7.6%) per 25# bag to $14.10
• Pre Packs
As you were informed earlier, the prices of our pre-packed items are no longer the same price as the do-it-yourself cans of equal quantity. They are slightly higher, ranging from 11 cents to 23 cents per can higher depending on the product. This is still a great buy if you want to save time in securing these products for your home storage. You can buy these pre-packs directly off the shelf.
New Pre-Pack Items: Starting sometime after the 1st of April, we will be offering two additional pre-pack items:
• White Wheat
• White Flour
Pricing and availability will be forwarded to you as soon as we are notified. This information, as always, will also be posted when the time comes on the Home Storage Center Order Form at www.providentliving.org.
We strongly suggest that the counsel of the Brethren be followed and that you build up your home storage items by:
• First securing your 3 months supply of those items your family eats every day.
• Then slowly build up your long-term food storage.
o You don't have to do it all at once! But keep at it!
o We have some very excellent and EASY instructions to help you determine what you will need for a year's supply of food for your family. Come in and talk to one of our excellent missionary staff! They are all willing and anxious to assist you.
The Lindon Home Storage Center is open on a walk-in, first-come/first-serve basis on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Price and product information is located on www.providentliving.org. (Make sure to use .org extension since there is a .net website with the same name.) You are looking for the Home Storage Center Order Form link on this website. It is an interactive form where you can plan your expenditure by entering order amounts and seeing the total amount you will spend. After you complete the order form, print it off and bring it with you to expedite the check-in process at the Home Storage Center. Do not fill out your check prior to arriving at the Center just in case they are out of any of the products you planned to order.
One last note: Remember that it isn't enough just to buy food stuffs in bulk and store them, as-purchased, without preparing them to last long-term.
I talked with a patron a few months ago who wanted to buy 2,000 lbs of White Wheat. When I asked how she planned to store it, she said she had no idea what I meant. She felt that all that was needed to be prepared was to buy it in bulk. No thought was given to safe and secure storing procedures. Don't get caught with a lot of food storage that may be at risk because of improper storage preparations.
We love serving you!
Y'all come in and see us! Hear?
Elder Anderson, Manager
Lindon Home Storage Center
February Spotlight
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Our Spotlight this month is Rita Jeffery
I was born in Ririe, Idaho, but I grew up on a dry farm near Sun Valley, Idaho.
I went to school in a two room schoolhouse, and was the only graduate. We skied to school most everyday in the winter months. My dad would leave our car in town and then our horses would pull us in a sleigh back and forth to our home. My dad was the bishop most all of my growing up years. So on Sunday mornings we would get into town and clean up the town tavern, (which was always a dirty mess from the bar the night before) then that is where we would hold church. So that is where I was taught and learned the gospel).
In the spring time it was such a wonderful time of year, so many gorgeous birds! Lots of meadow larks and bluebirds.
I graduated from college and I have a bachelor degree in Elementary Education. I taught school for 15 years. Kindergarten is my favorite. In Arizona I taught near an Indian reservation. I loved these children. Papago Indians and many Mexican children were in my kindergarten class. I also taught in a private school. That year when school was out for the summer, we had three missionaries out, and I thought what can I do to help out here, that is when I decided to start a preschool in my home, which worked out great, and I had it for 6 years.
I met my husband Ray a few years after our missions. We both served as missionaries in the Western Canada mission. We were serving at the same time, so I'm sure we must have met at zone meetings, but I really met him at a mission reunion some years later.
We have been married for 51 years. Ray worked for IBM. We lived in San Jose, Calif. in Longmont, Colorado and Tucson Arizona. He is always helping people. He honored every call in the church. He has served in two bishoprics and many other callings. We've both been very active in the church. After Ray retired we have served two missions. Santa Rosa, California where we worked mostly with Native Americans. We had several baptisms. One very special one with a paralized lady named Wonda. After she died I did her temple work.
We served as temple missionaries in Santiago Chili (2002-04) We learned all the ordinances in Spanish.
A special experence we had in Chili. The temple was closed for nearly a month in Dec. (this is their Summer.) We flew south with a group of missionaries. What an experience! We went to Penguin Island and saw 40,000 pairs of penguins plus their babies. It was unbelievable! I also have washed my hands in the Straights of Magellan. I have seen birds and animals that are no place else in the world! Also waterfalls and glaciers that are just breath taking. I've been in a wind that picked up rocks as big as your fist.
Ray and I have had many wonderful experences together.
We have 7 children. 5 living. I have had 2 sets of twins. Rawlin was our first then one year later, Ralph and Ryan (twins), Mary and Cinda (twins) they lived just a few hours. Jeana, and Jonathon. All of our children have served missions. All have graduated from college, three are doctors.
We have 11 grandchildren and 4 step grandchildren that we love so much.
My favorite hobbies are reading, walking, working in the garden, reading to children, and watching birds.
My greatest joys are my children, grandchildren, and working in the Temple.
My favorite scripture is; 2 Nephi 31:19-21
We love having Sister Jeffery in our ward!!! She lives at 577 S. Towers Dr.
Pictures are the Jeffery family on their 50th wedding anniversery and Grandsons who were serving missions at the time.
GOOD NEWS MOMENT
Jimmie and Lynette Black have been called on a service mission at the MTC.
Congratulations to the Fillmore family, they have a new baby boy!
Congratulations to the Fillmore family, they have a new baby boy!
January Presidency Message
"This is God's work, and God's work will not be frustrated. But there is still much to be done before the Great Jehovah can announce that the work is done. While we praise and honor those faithful Saints who have brought us to this point of public prominence, we cannot afford, my brothers and sisters, to be comfortable or content."We are all needed to finish the work that was begun by those pioneering Saints over 175 years ago and carried out through the subsequent decades by faithful Saints of every generation. We need to believe as they believed. We need to work as they worked. We need to serve as they served. And we need to overcome as they overcame."Of course, our challenges are different today, but they are no less demanding. Instead of angry mobs, we face those who constantly try to defame. Instead of extreme exposure and hardship, we face alcohol and drug abuse, pornography, all kinds of filth, sleaze, greed, dishonesty, and spiritual apathy. Instead of families being uprooted and torn from their homes, we see the institution of the family, including the divine institution of marriage, under attack as groups and individuals seek to define away the prominent and divine role of the family in society."This is not to suggest that our challenges today are more severe than the challenges faced by those who have gone before us. They are just different. The Lord isn't asking us to load up a handcart; He's asking us to fortify our faith. He isn't asking us to walk across a continent; He's asking us to walk across the street to visit our neighbor. He isn't asking us to give all of our worldly possessions to build a temple; He's asking us to give of our means and our time despite the pressures of modern living to continue to build temples and then to attend regularly the temples already built. He isn't asking us to die a martyr's death; He's asking us to live a disciple's life."
M. Russell Ballard, "The Truth of God Shall Go Forth," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 83–84
M. Russell Ballard, "The Truth of God Shall Go Forth," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 83–84
Cooking Tips and Tricks
Reheat Pizza - Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy.
Conditioner: Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair...or those little bottles you bring home from a hotel.
Conditioner: Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair...or those little bottles you bring home from a hotel.
Powdered milk, syrup, egg, hot cocoa
Two recipes for cocoa mix using powdered milk:
Instant Cocoa Mix
1 8-qt. box powdered milk (9 c)
1 1-lb. box powdered sugar (4 c)
1 1-lb. container Hershey’s or Nestles Quick (5 c)
1 10-oz. jar powdered creamer (3 c)
½-1 c unsweetened cocoa (to taste)
Mix in very large bowl. Store in covered container. Mix about 3 heaping spoonfuls to one cup hot water. Makes a lot!
Cocoa Mix Karen Wilcox
15 c instant powdered milk
1 ½ c sugar
1 c cocoa
1 ½ tsp. salt
Makes enough for 10 quarts or 40 1-cup servings. To use the mix, stir ½ c mix into 1 c hot water for a warm drink or ice cold water for chocolate milk.
Other recipes for using food storage: (These were in my recipe box along with the beans. I’m sure all of these recipes were from a homemaking meeting in the ‘90s, when 2nd Ward went clear to the Woodland Hills stoplight.)
Homemade Maple Syrup Tori Goudy
2 c sugar
1 tsp salt
1 c water
½ c Karo (opt)
1 tsp maple extract
Mix all ingredients except flavoring; boil to dissolve sugar. Add flavoring.
Egg for baking Tori Goudy
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
3 Tbsp cold water
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp boiling water
This mixture will substitute for 1 egg in a recipe.
Condensed milk
½ c hot water
1 c sugar
1 Tbsp butter
1 c pwd. Milk
Blend thoroughly in blender. Can be stored in refrigerator or frozen.
Buttermilk or Sour Milk
1 c water
1/3 c pwd milk
1 Tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice
Drinkable Powdered Milk
To improve the flavor of powdered milk, mix it half and half with whole milk. Or try adding a little sugar or vanilla to enhance flavor. Let it chill several hours before drinking.
Instant Cocoa Mix
1 8-qt. box powdered milk (9 c)
1 1-lb. box powdered sugar (4 c)
1 1-lb. container Hershey’s or Nestles Quick (5 c)
1 10-oz. jar powdered creamer (3 c)
½-1 c unsweetened cocoa (to taste)
Mix in very large bowl. Store in covered container. Mix about 3 heaping spoonfuls to one cup hot water. Makes a lot!
Cocoa Mix Karen Wilcox
15 c instant powdered milk
1 ½ c sugar
1 c cocoa
1 ½ tsp. salt
Makes enough for 10 quarts or 40 1-cup servings. To use the mix, stir ½ c mix into 1 c hot water for a warm drink or ice cold water for chocolate milk.
Other recipes for using food storage: (These were in my recipe box along with the beans. I’m sure all of these recipes were from a homemaking meeting in the ‘90s, when 2nd Ward went clear to the Woodland Hills stoplight.)
Homemade Maple Syrup Tori Goudy
2 c sugar
1 tsp salt
1 c water
½ c Karo (opt)
1 tsp maple extract
Mix all ingredients except flavoring; boil to dissolve sugar. Add flavoring.
Egg for baking Tori Goudy
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
3 Tbsp cold water
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp boiling water
This mixture will substitute for 1 egg in a recipe.
Condensed milk
½ c hot water
1 c sugar
1 Tbsp butter
1 c pwd. Milk
Blend thoroughly in blender. Can be stored in refrigerator or frozen.
Buttermilk or Sour Milk
1 c water
1/3 c pwd milk
1 Tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice
Drinkable Powdered Milk
To improve the flavor of powdered milk, mix it half and half with whole milk. Or try adding a little sugar or vanilla to enhance flavor. Let it chill several hours before drinking.
Rice
To cook rice:
One cup of uncooked rice will make 3 cups of cooked rice, or four servings.
Combine:
1 c uncooked rice
1 tsp. salt
2 c boiling water
Combine the ingredients. Bring to boil in a saucepan, stirring now and then to keep rice from clumping. When it reaches a boil, cover with lid and lower the heat to simmer. Cook about 15-20 minutes without removing lid or stirring, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
Ideas for using rice Karen Wilcox
• Cook rice in beef or chicken broth instead of water.
• Mix cooked rice with a variety of things—sliced mushrooms, sautéed onions, crumbled pieces of bacon, slivered almonds, or grated cheese.
• Try sour cream and chives mixed into cooked rice.
• Substitute ½ c fruit juice (apple, orange, cherry) for ½ c water when cooking. Vegetable juice cocktail or tomato juice may also be exchanged for 1 c of the water used in cooking.
• Add on of the following herbs to the cooking water when preparing rice.
o 1/8 tsp. dried thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary, basil, or savory
o ½ tsp. celery seeds or dried dill
o ¾ tsp. dried marjoram
o seasoned salt instead of regular salt
o 1 small bay leaf
Sweet Rice Lili Hartman
Melt ¼ c butter in non-stick frying pain. Add 1 c rice, uncooked. Sauté rice. Add 2 c water and bring to a boil. Add ¼ c butter, turn to low. Cover and cook 20 min. or until liquid is absorbed.
One cup of uncooked rice will make 3 cups of cooked rice, or four servings.
Combine:
1 c uncooked rice
1 tsp. salt
2 c boiling water
Combine the ingredients. Bring to boil in a saucepan, stirring now and then to keep rice from clumping. When it reaches a boil, cover with lid and lower the heat to simmer. Cook about 15-20 minutes without removing lid or stirring, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
Ideas for using rice Karen Wilcox
• Cook rice in beef or chicken broth instead of water.
• Mix cooked rice with a variety of things—sliced mushrooms, sautéed onions, crumbled pieces of bacon, slivered almonds, or grated cheese.
• Try sour cream and chives mixed into cooked rice.
• Substitute ½ c fruit juice (apple, orange, cherry) for ½ c water when cooking. Vegetable juice cocktail or tomato juice may also be exchanged for 1 c of the water used in cooking.
• Add on of the following herbs to the cooking water when preparing rice.
o 1/8 tsp. dried thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary, basil, or savory
o ½ tsp. celery seeds or dried dill
o ¾ tsp. dried marjoram
o seasoned salt instead of regular salt
o 1 small bay leaf
Sweet Rice Lili Hartman
Melt ¼ c butter in non-stick frying pain. Add 1 c rice, uncooked. Sauté rice. Add 2 c water and bring to a boil. Add ¼ c butter, turn to low. Cover and cook 20 min. or until liquid is absorbed.
Beans
Refried Beans Dawn VanNosdol
Soak and cook small red beans until very, very tender. Drain and while still hot, put in food processor or blender. Add a little water and process until desired consistency is achieved. Then add spices—these may include: garlic, onion, chili pwd., salt, dried green peppers, pepper, bacon fat or rendered ham fat, liquid smoke, or any others you like. All of the spices are optional.
Cook just long enough to blend spices together. This is all “make to taste.” You may use immediately or freeze.
*If beans are old, add ½ tsp. baking soda or more to your beans while you are soaking them. Rinse before cooking.
To cook old hard beans:
Wash and sort to remove any discolored beans or foreign material. For each cup of dry beans, add 2 ½ c hot tap water and 2 tsp. of baking soda and soak overnight. Drain and rinse two times. Then add water to cover. Cook until tender and soft, about two hours, adding more water as needed.
Adding a Tbsp. of oil will cut down on foam as beans cook. Stored beans should be rotated regularly. They continue to lose moisture and will not reconstitute satisfactorily if kept too long.
Cooking Beans Karen Wilcox
Soaking and cooking beans before mixing with other recipe ingredients helps to get the right tenderness and can minimize final cooking time.
Overnight Soaking:
For each 1 lb. beans, dissolve 2 tsp. salt in 6 c water. Wash beans, add to salted water, and soak overnight.
Quick Soaking:
For each 1 lb. beans, bring 8 c of water to boiling. Wash beans, add to boiling water, and boil for 2 min. Remove from heat, cover and soak 1 hour.
To cook soaked beans:
For each 1 lb dried beans, dissolve 2 tsp. salt in 6 c hot water; bring to boil. Add soaked beans. Boil, uncovered, adding water if needed to keep beans covered until tender. Yield: 6-7 cups.
To soak/cook beans in crock pot:
For small crock pot:
2 c beans. Fill the rest with water. Add 2 tsp. salt. Leave to cook all day (8 hrs.)
For large crock pot:
4 c beans. Fill the rest with water. Add 4 tsp. salt. Leave to cook all day (8 hrs.)
Soak and cook small red beans until very, very tender. Drain and while still hot, put in food processor or blender. Add a little water and process until desired consistency is achieved. Then add spices—these may include: garlic, onion, chili pwd., salt, dried green peppers, pepper, bacon fat or rendered ham fat, liquid smoke, or any others you like. All of the spices are optional.
Cook just long enough to blend spices together. This is all “make to taste.” You may use immediately or freeze.
*If beans are old, add ½ tsp. baking soda or more to your beans while you are soaking them. Rinse before cooking.
To cook old hard beans:
Wash and sort to remove any discolored beans or foreign material. For each cup of dry beans, add 2 ½ c hot tap water and 2 tsp. of baking soda and soak overnight. Drain and rinse two times. Then add water to cover. Cook until tender and soft, about two hours, adding more water as needed.
Adding a Tbsp. of oil will cut down on foam as beans cook. Stored beans should be rotated regularly. They continue to lose moisture and will not reconstitute satisfactorily if kept too long.
Cooking Beans Karen Wilcox
Soaking and cooking beans before mixing with other recipe ingredients helps to get the right tenderness and can minimize final cooking time.
Overnight Soaking:
For each 1 lb. beans, dissolve 2 tsp. salt in 6 c water. Wash beans, add to salted water, and soak overnight.
Quick Soaking:
For each 1 lb. beans, bring 8 c of water to boiling. Wash beans, add to boiling water, and boil for 2 min. Remove from heat, cover and soak 1 hour.
To cook soaked beans:
For each 1 lb dried beans, dissolve 2 tsp. salt in 6 c hot water; bring to boil. Add soaked beans. Boil, uncovered, adding water if needed to keep beans covered until tender. Yield: 6-7 cups.
To soak/cook beans in crock pot:
For small crock pot:
2 c beans. Fill the rest with water. Add 2 tsp. salt. Leave to cook all day (8 hrs.)
For large crock pot:
4 c beans. Fill the rest with water. Add 4 tsp. salt. Leave to cook all day (8 hrs.)