~by Michelle

A lot of people come to our website wondering why members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“Mormons”) do food storage. It’s clearly something for which Mormons are known.

We are counseled by Church leaders, who we believe to be living prophets of God, to have three month’s supply of foods we normally eat, and then a longer-term supply of basic staples.

Some think of this as a sort of apocalyptic behavior, as though Mormon food storage is a doom-and-gloom, end-of-the-world kind of behavior. I suppose some may approach it in that way in our culture, but for me, it’s just plain practical and brings me a lot of peace of mind for the normal ups and downs and ebbs and flows of life.

For example, I’ve been sick for the past couple of weeks. Because I had a supply of food we already eat, I didn’t have to worry about last-minute runs to the store, which I didn’t have energy to make. My husband picks up fresh food like milk and produce, but I cook from foods we have on hand on the shelf and in our freezer.

Even without any mini-crisis, food storage comes in handy. Avoiding those last-minute shopping trips can save money. I typically stock up on the foods we use regularly when prices are lower than usual. For example, when we recently went out as a family for 50-cent ice cream, I saw spaghetti for about half its regular price, so I bought several bags of it.

My husband takes plastic zip-bags with rolled oats, powdered nonfat milk, and dried fruit for his work lunches. We save a lot of money over time with this habit, and he’s eating food that is healthy, in portions that are controlled.

And even when we run out of produce in our fridge, I always have frozen fruit (bought in bulk) and frozen vegetables (again, usually bought on sale) that we can use. I also store a few cans of freeze-dried fruits and veggies for longer-term storage. (They are expensive, so we don’t use them often.)

Years ago, I had the assignment in our congregation (ward) to help ward members with emergency preparedness. As part of that responsibility, I shared some of the foods I store and use in my three month supply. Of course, each family will choose different foods and recipes, but it can give you an idea of one Mormon’s approach to food storage.

p.s. The photo from this post is actually from my friend’s house.

The post Mormons and Food Storage appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Twice a year I take time to do an inventory on how my food storage and emergency preparations are going. Six months ago I put together 72 hour kits and go bags for all of my family members. I also received a food storage shelf for my birthday that my husband has built and installed in our garage. I’m currently working on filling that with foods my family eats regularly. I would like to get a deep freezer this year too.

The next step in my food storage adventure is creating a three month supply of foods to be stored in-house. That will require me to clean and organize all of my kitchen cupboards. I’m really going to have to get geared up to make the next step as the thought of taking everything out of my cupboards with four kids around “helping” makes me weak in the knees. I find that smaller projects are easier for me to get the motivation to do.

Here is my To Do list for the next two weekends:

• Check all of the 72 hour kits for expiring foods. See if the clothes will still fit the kids. Update as needed.
• Make an inventory of all food on hand in kitchen and garage
• Refill the water tanks with fresh water
• Check the emergency car kits and make sure all of my husband’s work trucks have emergency supplies/food/water

I bet I can get that done in two weeks. Setting manageable goals for myself makes food storage and emergency prep more accessible. I found some great videos on youtube that I found motivating for me to make some progress in my long term food and water storage though.

In this video, a mormon woman shows us her long term storage room.

In this video another woman shares tips on how to start a three month supply.

And finally here is a tour of one woman’s year supply of food in her basement.

Watching these videos you may wonder, “Why do Mormons store food?” I love the answer Melanee gave here at Mormonwoman.org over a year ago. The following is an excerpt from that article.

Church leaders have always counseled members to become self-sufficient—to be prepared to meet the challenges of life. We’ve been counseled to get out of debt and live within our means, to prepare families and neighborhoods for natural disasters (which really do occur frequently all over the world) and yes, to build a long-term supply of food storage.

Even if you’re not a Mormon, having a long-term supply of food you can eat is a good idea. Though most people haven’t experienced a natural disaster big enough for the movies, there are plenty of situations that occur every day in which food storage would be a huge asset, such as unemployment, injury, or illness. Surely no one needs to be reminded of the thousands of people today who are losing their jobs and their homes in a tumultuous economy. Families facing tough times can have an extra sense of stability and confidence if they are able to keep food on the table without appealing to others for help. President Thomas S. Monson said, “Many more people could ride out the storm-tossed waves in their economic lives if they had their… supply of food… and were debt free. Today we find that many have followed this counsel in reverse: they have at least a year’s supply of debt and are food-free.” (“That Noble Gift — Love at Home,” Church News, May 12, 2001, 7, quoted in “Family Home Storage: A New Message,” Ensign, Mar 2009, 56–60.)

Though this is not a primary motivation for most people to store food, my husband and I like to look at our food storage as something of a financial investment. When food prices are rising rapidly (as they have in recent years) the money we’ve used to buy food storage seems to generate higher returns than money we have in a high-interest savings account.

Perhaps the most important reason for storing food is that doing so will bring a sense of peace to us and our families. Members of the Church can take comfort in the fact that they have followed the counsel of those whom we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators and that their best efforts will be magnified in times of crisis. And anyone—Mormon or not—can take comfort in knowing that no matter what challenges they face in life, they’ll never have to send their children to bed with empty stomachs.

I think the major motivator for me in creating a supply of food and water for my family at home is the peace and comfort that I have done what I could to prepare my family for harder times. Even if I don’t experience a major disaster in my lifetime, I hope I am teaching my children valuable tools of self reliance that can be passed down for generations to prepare them for the inevitable ups and downs of life.

The post Food Storage and Emergency Preparations appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

~by Michelle

I was interested to read this MSNBC article last night: “In Japan, the Mormon Network Gathers the Flock.” I think Kari Huus did a good job explaining how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is able to respond quickly in times like this disaster in Japan, both to care for its own and to care for others.

For example, you can read a little about how it is that church members and missionaries were so quickly accounted for after the earthquake and tsunami. [Find out more about that here.] The article mentions the home teaching program and how that is an essential part of Mormon emergency preparedness abilities. [Read more about the Mormon home teaching program here.] Huus also explains how the Church is involved in relief efforts – both in sending monetary aid and also in sending human resources to the country to help assess needs and determine how best to fill them.

My friend’s husband works for LDS Humanitarian Services. A recent Facebook update from Laurie communicated that her husband was off to Japan to help. As I read the MSNBC article, I thought of something she wrote here at Mormon Women not long ago about how the Church works at times like this. She writes:

One of the blessings I have received as an observer of LDS humanitarian work is my testimony of how the Church works….During a disaster, local leadership at the local branch and ward level is able to quickly assess the situation, which is communicated to stake and regional leaders, and then to Church headquarters. There are rarely glitches when it is done as instructed.

Huus shares something similar in her article. Quoting Elder Richard Hinckley, the article notes:

“With four or five calls from a bishop — using phone trees — we can locate any one of 14 million church members in the world in a matter of minutes.”

If phone lines are down (as is often the case in disasters like this), that’s when the home teaching program (and the visiting teaching program) fill in the gaps. We really do believe in being each others’ keepers.

We also work to organize ourselves to help others around us in our communities and also in the world. As Steve Allen, a Church public official said in Huus’ article:

We strive to help people whenever there is a disaster….Our desire to help is not based on religious affiliation or any other affiliation.

I love what my friend, Laurie, said about all of this:

Watching this system in place has greatly strengthened my understanding of the temporal and spiritual ways the Lord has established to make sure His children are well cared for. Heavenly Father loves His children, and I am thankful for His wisdom in providing the priesthood and Church administration to bless others. I am grateful for wonderful leaders who are led by the Spirit in this work.

Again, I appreciate Huus’ article. I think the article’s title captures how Mormons feel about “the Mormon network.” To us, it is more  more than just evidence of a culture that focuses on emergency preparedness and discipline. This is evidence of our doctrine, too. A doctrine that believes in caring for one another, both in and outside of the Church. We take seriously the commandment of the Lord, Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd, who said, “feed my sheep.” And we believe He is involved in helping the Church organize itself in a way to facilitate our ability to do that.

My thoughts and prayers are with the people in Japan, and also are with those (both from the Church and from other organizations — hats off to them, too!) who are trying to figure out how best to help.

p.s. Just wanted to provide a link to LDS Humanitarian Services for those interested in ways to help. 100% of monetary donations go to help those in need.

The post “The Mormon Network” – Mormons and Emergency Response appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

(For ideas on emergency preparedness, see the Church’s information here. Also, this website, compiled by two Mormon women, has a lot of helpful information.)

Read about one missionary’s experience helping near the epicenter in Chile.

Read about LDS relief efforts in Chile here.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who served for several years on assignment in Chile, shares his thoughts after hearing about the earthquake. He reminds us that, “Even for those who have sustained terrible loss the Spirit can bring peace, tranquility, a hope for the future.”

Please remember to pray for those in Chile, Haiti, and Taiwan…as well as in other places where trial and tragedy abound.

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Read several stories and see photo essays of Mormon Church members helping in Haiti here.

Read the thoughts of former mission presidents and their wives on life in Haiti before the earthquake here.

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The recent tragedy of Marie Osmond’s son committing suicide may raise question in some people’s minds about LDS views on this difficult topic.

First of all, we want to encourage those who may feel they or someone they know is in danger of hurting themselves to get help. There are numerous crisis lines and online resources available if you search “suicide hotline” or other similar topics.

Following are some resources about Mormon beliefs regarding suicide:

“What do Mormons believe about suicide?” Two-part series, part 1 and part 2 here at Mormon Women: Who We Are.

Articles on suicide from the LDS Family Services section of the LDS Church’s website, Provident Living

The post Links: Helping After Earthquakes in Haiti, Chile; Mormon Beliefs re: Suicide appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

My name is Amanda and I am an LDS woman. I have been married to Bryan for ten years and we have three children – a boy who is 8, a girl who is 6, and another boy who is 4. I was born and raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My mother is an active member of the Church and showed her testimony and faith to us by taking five children to church meetings each week by herself.  Her doing this showed me how important the church is to her. My father is a baptized member of the church but doesn’t attend church. He always supported my mother in bringing us to church and would help to get us ready, but he never attended with us. It would have been much easier for my mother, I suspect, to stay home and not bother. I am so grateful to her that she didn’t take the easy road.

I was raised in Utah, where almost everyone (then) was a member of the LDS church. We went to church with our friends and neighbors. I loved being with so many people that shared my beliefs and standards. It was a safe place for me. When Bryan and I had been married for eight years, we moved from Utah to Oregon. Here, we are not surrounded by members, and that has been a hard adjustment for me. I miss going to church with my neighbors, but I have enjoyed branching out and meeting people from all walks of life. It has given me the chance to really show people what is important to us as well.

When I find myself with down time, I love to read and watch movies. I get nightmares easily though so nothing too scary! I spend time reading every single day. I also play volleyball in a league with other women each week. I love the physical activity and it gives me a breather from my regular life that I need. I am a crafty person, so I do some quilting and scrapbooking. I am not a perfectionist though so my quilts are always far from perfect. And that’s okay with me.

I am a stay-at-home mother – a homemaker. I enjoy it. Sometimes I find myself wishing that we had more money and I consider trying to find an outside job. I am a trained hairstylist and I miss regularly doing other people’s hair. I find that I when I am considering finding a job, the Lord reminds me why it is important for me to be in the home with my children. I enjoy taking care of them and being there for them. It is good for me, and I find that I am constantly learning new things about my “job.”

In church, my calling right now is Provident Living [preparedness] Specialist. I am new at the calling and I am not really yet sure what it means. I hope to help the women in my ward to build a three-month supply, [see this article as well], to learn to garden and be self-reliant, to use food storage, and to know how to budget and be responsible with money. We’ll also focus on exercise, nutrition and emotional and social health. I am also on the RS meeting [formerly Enrichment] committee, which is where a group of us plan midweek activities for the benefit of the ward Relief Society sisters.

In a former calling a few years ago, I was serving in the Young Women organization of the ward I was in. Our stake president [who oversees about 10 local congregations (wards/branches) issued a challenge for the youth to read the entire Book of Mormon over a summer. It meant reading a lot of pages each week to finish in the amount of time presented. I didn’t feel like I could issue a challenge to the young women in my group and not do this myself. Before this time I had not read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover, because when I study scriptures, I tend to research a specific topic that I want to know more about. Over the course of the summer, I was able to develop the discipline that I needed to read the book in such a short amount of time. I was able to have a greater understanding of verses that beforehand I would have found confusing. I was also able to feel the truth of the book – I now know without a doubt that the Book of Mormon is scripture; another account of the Savior, a companion to the Bible. And I know this to my core.

I love being a LDS woman because I love knowing that I am part of a worldwide sisterhood. I love knowing that there are many people out there that believe what I believe, that understand and can help me. I love that I know that I can be with my family forever if I make the right choices here. I love going to church and feeling that spiritual uplift that encourages me through another week. I know the reason I am on earth, and I know where I am going when my life is done. I know that the Lord loves me.
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For more portraits of Mormon Women, please click here.

The post Portraits of a Mormon Woman: Amanda appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

We thought we would pass along helpful information (a series of fact sheets) about preparing for a pandemic as provided on the Church’s emergency preparedness section of its Provident Living website. There’s much else on these sites that can help with general preparedness as well.

A powerful but relatively simple piece of advice that is often shared is to have a supply of food, medicine, and other necessities on hand (at least a couple of weeks’ worth, if not more) in case you are unable to get to a store (or stores are unable to provide what you need). Even a stressful period in one’s personal life could make such a supply helpful.

We live in wonderful, but also uncertain, times. Let’s not panic, but let’s try to be prepared.

(For your convenience, we have included the pandemin preparedness fact sheets from the website below.)

• Home and Family Preparedness
• Personal Hygiene
• Personal Protective Equipment
• Infectious Disease Cleanup
• Sheltering In Place
• Social Distancing
• Workplace Preparedness
• Health Care Worker Preparedness

The post Preparing for a Pandemic (even as we hope one won’t come) appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Of course, we will recommend, first and foremost, the Church’s Provident Living website, which includes many resources about the many facets of preparedness (emergency preparedness and response, employment, family home storage, education and literacy, family finances, social and emotional strength, physical health).

But perhaps you have found websites that have been helpful, such as food storage recipes sites, or financial hints and tips, or employment help.

(We’d prefer non-commercial sites, if possible…just looking for sites that share basic ideas for personal and family preparedness.)

For example, we just randomly selected a few videos, and included a couple of sites of which we are aware.

See this video with Mormon women showing some of their ideas for storing food storage.
Or this video on cooking with food storage.
If you are curious about what dry pack canning is all about, you can see this video.
(Look up “Mormon food storage” on YouTube for many more!)
Here’s a food storage forum which we found linked on this food storage blog.

Please help us add to the list!

The post Mormon Women Share: Preparedness blogs and resources appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.