Mary McBride
Dear Ward Specialists,
Included below are two snippets about food storage. Feel free to pass these along to your wards.
Christmas is a great time to give gifts of preparedness!
A Legacy of Obedience
In the weeks leading up to our engagement, Shelley and I had spent significant time talking about how we wanted to raise our family and what we wanted our marriage to be like. One of the things at the center of that discussion was our determination to always follow the prophet. Two months before we were engaged, we listened to lots of talks at the October 1976 general conference reinforcing the principles of self-reliance. President Kimball, in the closing session of the conference, reminded Latter-day Saints of the scripture in Luke 6:46, where the Savior says, “Why call me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” After our engagement, unbeknownst to each other, both of us were thinking about how to start home storage for our family. But how were we supposed to do it? We were students–and would be for many years to come–and didn’t have a lot of money. The Holy Ghost gave both of us, separately, the same answer: we needed to sell the engagement ring.
A Legacy of Obedience
In the weeks leading up to our engagement, Shelley and I had spent significant time talking about how we wanted to raise our family and what we wanted our marriage to be like. One of the things at the center of that discussion was our determination to always follow the prophet. Two months before we were engaged, we listened to lots of talks at the October 1976 general conference reinforcing the principles of self-reliance. President Kimball, in the closing session of the conference, reminded Latter-day Saints of the scripture in Luke 6:46, where the Savior says, “Why call me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” After our engagement, unbeknownst to each other, both of us were thinking about how to start home storage for our family. But how were we supposed to do it? We were students–and would be for many years to come–and didn’t have a lot of money. The Holy Ghost gave both of us, separately, the same answer: we needed to sell the engagement ring.
Please don’t misunderstand me and please don’t sell your rings! There are many ways we can follow the prophets and apply their counsel to our personal lives. In the years since, we have been blessed in many other ways by heeding the prophetic word. We have learned that by acting–and acting immediately–on their counsel, our lives are blessed. Now we watch our children raise their children, we are grateful that faithfully following the Lord’s prophet, Pres. Monson, is part of their family life as well. To us this obedience is a wonderful legacy. (Elder Randal K. Bennett of the Seventy, "Follow the Prophet" Ensign, Mar. 2012)
Where Do I Get The Money?
“Here is how you do it:
1. Decide as a family this year that 25 or 50 percent of your Christmas will be spent on a year’s supply. Many families in the Church spend considerable sums of money for Christmas. Half or part of these Christmas monies will go a long way toward purchasing the basics.
2. Cut the amount of money you spend on recreation by 50 percent. Do fun things that do not require money outlay but make more lasting impressions on your children.
3. Decide as a family that there will be no vacation or holiday next year unless you have your [food] supply. Many Church members could buy a full [food] supply of the basics from what they would save by not taking a vacation. Take the vacation time and work on a family garden. Be together, and it can be just as much fun.
4. If you haven’t a [food] supply yet and you do have boats, snowmobiles, campers, or other luxury possessions, sell or trade one or two or more of them and get your year’s supply.
5. Watch advertised specials in the grocery stores and pick up extra supplies of those items that are of exceptional value.
“The Lord will make it possible, if we make a firm commitment, for every Latter-day Saint family to have a supply of food reserves. . . All we have to do is to decide, commit to do it, and then keep the commitment. Miracles will take place; the way will be opened.... We will prove through our actions our willingness to follow our beloved prophet and the Brethren, which will bring security to us and our families. . . . The great God of heaven will open doors and means in a way we never would have supposed to help all those who truly want to get their [food] supply. I know we will have time and money if we will commit and keep the commitment.” (Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone, “Food Storage” Ensign, May 1976)
1. Decide as a family this year that 25 or 50 percent of your Christmas will be spent on a year’s supply. Many families in the Church spend considerable sums of money for Christmas. Half or part of these Christmas monies will go a long way toward purchasing the basics.
2. Cut the amount of money you spend on recreation by 50 percent. Do fun things that do not require money outlay but make more lasting impressions on your children.
3. Decide as a family that there will be no vacation or holiday next year unless you have your [food] supply. Many Church members could buy a full [food] supply of the basics from what they would save by not taking a vacation. Take the vacation time and work on a family garden. Be together, and it can be just as much fun.
4. If you haven’t a [food] supply yet and you do have boats, snowmobiles, campers, or other luxury possessions, sell or trade one or two or more of them and get your year’s supply.
5. Watch advertised specials in the grocery stores and pick up extra supplies of those items that are of exceptional value.
“The Lord will make it possible, if we make a firm commitment, for every Latter-day Saint family to have a supply of food reserves. . . All we have to do is to decide, commit to do it, and then keep the commitment. Miracles will take place; the way will be opened.... We will prove through our actions our willingness to follow our beloved prophet and the Brethren, which will bring security to us and our families. . . . The great God of heaven will open doors and means in a way we never would have supposed to help all those who truly want to get their [food] supply. I know we will have time and money if we will commit and keep the commitment.” (Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone, “Food Storage” Ensign, May 1976)
