November 6th, Thursday Evening 7:00pm
Please join us for a Ward Preparedness Gathering, at
the home of Kyle & Trish Christensen - 125 West Oak Drive.
We will be discussing:
- "Sheltering - In Place" - If ever necessary, How this may work in the Mt. Loafer Ward and
- Starting a Volunteer Ward Emergency Preparedness Committee
Also in this email, I've copied an excellent article - Behold, I Come
Quickly by Char Van Kouwenhoven. And for those who love cooking with
Cast Iron, we a a link for a sure fire way to season your cookware.
Blessings,
Brother Kyle
Brother Kyle
Behold I Come Quickly,
Be Not Afraid
|
by
Char Van Kouwenhoven
One Sunday morning
I participated in a lesson on the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. In it
we discussed the prophecies of Joel wherein he said the sun would be
darkened and the moon turned to blood and we wondered what that might
look like when it happens. I vaguely recalled another discussion
regarding this prophecy and after searching found President Hinckley's
talk entitled "Living in the Fulness of Times" (given shortly after
9/11.) He said that this vision, along with the words of Malachi have
been fulfilled, "The vision of Joel has been fulfilled wherein he
declared: 'And it shall come to pass after-ward, that I will pour out my
spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And
also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour
out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth,
blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into
darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day
of the Lord come...'
(Joel 2:28-32)."1
Knowing
that the prophecy of Joel has been fulfilled causes me to wonder where
we are in time? What we do know is that we are most certainly in His
time for "hastening." (D&C 88:73 and Isaiah 60:22 JST) So I also wonder, what are we hastening for?
When
I picture "pillars of smoke" I think of the burning twin towers.
Whether that was a part of the literal fulfillment of Joel's prophecy I
don't know, but what we do know is that the Lord uses signs, His holy
days, and symbols in His works. Seven for instance is used throughout
God's dealings with His covenant people, i.e. there were seven days in
the week and seven feast days in the year, etc. Jesus Christ in his
first coming fulfilled the first four of His holy or feast days. On 22
September, 1827, on the fifth feast day of the year or Feast of
Trumpets, Joseph Smith received the gold plates from the Angel Moroni
... this time on the Hebrew calendar traditionally signifies the final
in gathering or harvest.2 In this century we are also seeing amazing
occurrences. Traditionally, at the end of every seven years or
sabbatical week, on the last day of that year or 29 Elul was the
Shemitah when all debts were to be forgiven. It does not seem
coincidental then that shortly after 9/11 on 29 Elul, 2001, there was a
great stock market crash, then seven years later on 29 Elul, 2008, there
was an even greater stock market crash. The evening of 29 Elul, 2015,
is the next Shemitah and that evening will be the beginning of the Feast
of Trumpets (that night will be one of the six eclipses that are
occurring on significant Jewish days in 2014 and 2015.
We
are currently in the midst of a blood moon tetrad on His holy days.
Similar blood moon tetrads were seen when Israel became a nation and
again when Jerusalem became part of Israel. Additionally, there are two
solar eclipses on significant days and a supermoon as well on the final
lunar eclipse of the tetrad.)
Elder
Henry B. Eyring once said, "Because the Lord is kind, He calls servants
to warn people of danger. That call to warn is made harder and more
important by the fact that the warnings of most worth are about dangers
that people don't yet think are real...Here is the charge given to each
of the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:
'Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh
every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor.'"3 Some friends
have said that the brethren are no longer warning us so that must mean
that nothing significant will happen in our lifetimes, and they mention
how Elder Packer said we don't have to worry about bad things happening
until our grand-children or great-grandchildren's time. Personally, I
think they misunderstood as what he actually said was quite different
...although he did give wonderful hope and promises speaking to the
youth! He said we shouldn't think that, "The way things are going, the
world's going to be over with. The end of the world is going to come
before I get to where I should be." He then promised, "You can look
forward to doing it right-getting married, having a family, seeing your
children and grandchildren, maybe even great-grandchildren. If you will
follow these principles, you will be watched over and protected and you
yourself will know by the promptings of the Holy Ghost which way to
go..." He didn't promise that our lives would be non-eventful or easy;
he promised that we can be watched over and protected as we live
righteously and learn to follow the Spirit.4
Just
two years prior in 2009 President Packer said, "Your generation is
filled with uncertainties. A life of fun and games and expensive toys
has come to an abrupt end. We move from a generation of ease and
entertainment to a generation of hard work and responsibility. We do not
know how long that will last...the future will hold trials and
difficulties for you...However, fear is the opposite of faith. Do not be
afraid! I do not fear."5
It
seems many people are confused and don't realize that the Second Coming
is a progressive event with multiple appearances of Jesus Christ before
He comes in glory at the "end of the world"6...many of
His prophesied events are likely to happen long before His final appearance in glory.
I
do watch the brethren warning us to become more self-reliant, to
prepare for future calamities and to always follow the Prophet and the
Spirit.
Most
recently President Monson asked, "Are we prepared for the emergencies
in our lives? Are our skills perfected? Do we live providently? Do we
have our reserve supply on hand? Are we obedient to the commandments of
God? Are we responsive to the teachings of prophets? Are we prepared to
give of our substance to the poor, the needy? Are we square with the
Lord? We live in turbulent times. Often the future is unknown;
therefore, it behooves us to prepare for uncertainties. When the time
for decision arrives, the time for preparation is past."7 President
Uchtdorf explained, "Like two sides of a coin, the temporal and
spiritual are inseparable. The Giver of all life has proclaimed, 'All
things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a
law which was temporal.'"8
President
Eyring said that when the brethren quote other prophets or repeat
themselves we should give particular heed to their messages.9 So I paid
special attention when President Monson quoted another prophet, "Said
President Benson: 'In all ages, prophets have looked down through the
corridors of time to our day. Billions of the deceased and those yet to
be born have their eyes on us. Make no mistake about it-you are a marked
generation...For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve
to make your appearance in the final days before the second coming of
the Lord. Some individuals will fall away, but the kingdom of God will
remain intact to welcome the return of its Head-even Jesus
Christ...While this generation will be comparable in wickedness to the
days of Noah, when the Lord cleansed the earth by flood, there is a
major difference this time: [it is that] God has saved for the final
inning some of His strongest...children, who will help bear off the
kingdom triumphantly.'"10 President Benson then said this prophetic
statement, "And that is where you come in, for you are the generation
that must be prepared to meet your God."11
We are instructed to "watch" in these last days "with all perseverance" and we should do it with faith...not fear.
Elder
Bednar gave us this guidance, "Now brothers and sisters, these
teachings from modern and ancient prophets about latter-day tests and
trials are sobering and solemn. But they should not be discouraging, and
we should not be afraid. For those with eyes to see and ears to hear,
spiritual warnings lead to increasingly vigilant watching. You and I
live in 'a day of warning' (D&C 63:58)
.
And because we have been and will be warned, we need to be, as the
Apostle Paul admonished, 'watching ... with all perseverance' (Ephesians 6:18)
. As we watch and prepare, truly we have no need to fear (see D&C 38:30)."12
We
truly have no need to fear as our prophet President Thomas S. Monson
assured us, "The world seems to have slipped from the moorings of safety
and drifted from the harbor of peace...My counsel...is to look to the
lighthouse of the Lord. There is no fog so dense, no night so dark, no
gale so strong, no mariner so lost but what its beacon light can rescue.
It beckons through the storms of life ..."13
Sometimes
it is hard to keep watching though, President Kimball in his book,
"Faith Precedes the Miracle" talked about us when he said,
"I
believe that the Ten Virgins represent the people of the Church of
Jesus Christ...The wise had to go; else the bridegroom would have gone
unwelcomed."14
Starting
in 1998 President Hinckley talked of Pharaoh's dream and warned of an
approaching storm, "There is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which
we had better give heed...That's all I have to say about it, but I wish
to say it with all the emphasis of which I am capable."15 Then he
referenced Pharaoh's dream after the 9/11 attacks, "I wish to remind you
of the warnings of scripture and the teachings of the prophets which we
have had constantly before us. I cannot forget the great lesson of
Pharaoh's dream of the fat and lean kine and of the full and withered
stalks of corn. I cannot dismiss from my mind the grim warnings of the
Lord as set forth in the 24th chapter of Matthew...the time will come
when the earth will be cleansed and there will be indescribable
distress, with weeping and mourning and lamentation (see D&C 112:24)."16
Then in 2005, "What [calamities] we have experienced in the past was
all foretold, and the end is not yet...What do we do?...We can heed
warnings...the best storehouse is the family store-room. In words of
revelation the Lord has said, 'Organize yourselves; prepare every
needful thing'... Let us never lose sight of the dream of Pharaoh
concerning the fat cattle and the lean, the full ears of corn and the
blasted ears, the meaning of which was interpreted by Joseph to indicate
years of plenty and years of scarcity."17
President
Benson said, "What are some of the calamities for which we are to
prepare?... 'a great hailstorm sent forth to destroy the crops of the
earth'... 'an overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover
the land'... 'wars upon the face of the earth'... 'famines, and
pestilences, and earth-quakes.'
The
Lord declared that these and other calamities shall occur. These
particular prophecies seem not to be conditional. The Lord, with his
fore-knowledge, knows that they will happen."18 Also, if you have been
watching you will have heard of "record breaking" heat, droughts,
floods, freezes, winter storms, failed crops and farms, high food
prices, insect, rodent and other plagues, high transportation costs,
volcanic ash, new and changing diseases, etc..
Many
believe that the government will provide if there is a calamity, but
the United States government stopped storing emergency food for its
citizens years ago. Others believe that the Church will provide, yet
President Faust said, "The Church cannot be expected to provide for
every one of its millions of members in case of public or personal
disaster."19 Bishop Victor L. Brown said, "Many of our members appear to
feel that when difficulty comes, the Church will come to their aid,
even when they could have prepared themselves had their priorities been
appropriate...It is the opinion of many that more difficult times lie
ahead."20 In order to feed the members of the Church "longer-term
supply" bare survival rations for one year it would currently require
more than 5 BILLION pounds of grains and legumes.
Difficult
times for many are here. A friend in Northern Utah was called as the
ward employment specialist in his ward when there were two men who were
chronically unemployed, two weeks later there were 11 families
experiencing unemployment. Last we talked, he reported there were 56
members in his ward needing employment. Our prophet President Thomas S.
Monson more than once has said that, "Many more people could ride out
the storm-tossed waves in their economic lives if they had their year's
supply of food and clothing 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."21 President Ezra Taft Benson also
warned of difficult days ahead, he said, "Too often we bask in our
comfortable complacency and rationalize that the ravages of war,
economic disaster, famine, and earthquake cannot happen here. Those who
believe this are either not acquainted with the revelations of the Lord,
or they do not believe them."22
The First Presidency proclaimed to the world in, "The Family: A Proclamation to the World,"
"By divine design, fathers are...responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families."23
So
what is our responsibility, what are we to gather? Providentliving.org
says to gather a three-month supply of foods that we normally eat and a
supply of water. We should gather a longer-term supply of grains and
beans (as well as a financial reserve where possible.) What is meant by
"longer-term" is left between us and the Lord. Currently a year supply
of grains and beans could cost $265 (12 starter kits, 28 lbs. each) It
is recommended to store at least 25 lbs. of grains and 5 lbs. of beans
per month per person according to their food calculator. They also
recommend that you...add other items to your longer-term home storage
such as sugar, non-fat dry milk, salt, baking soda, and cooking oil...
[and] foods containing Vitamin C and other essential nutrients . " [
Providentliving.org ] A lot of people think if the government and church
can't feed their family they can turn to their neighbors, but a day's
"ration" would be 1/3 cup beans and 2 cups grains... before dividing it
with you. Those prepared few that I have talked to with food storage say
they are concerned for their numerous extended family members who have
said they "know where to go when things get bad." If your calamity
survival plan is that others will feed you, you need a new plan!
Many
believe that it is pointless to store food since it would be gone so
quickly...to them it seems better to continue on and use their money to
"eat, drink and be merry" as much as they can, while they can. The
reason I would give to prepare is probably different from most others. I
believe we should prepare because Heavenly Father has lovingly
commanded us to do so. Being obedient to the commandment to prepare may
be one of those irrevocable laws upon which future blessings are
predicated. In 2007, Bishop McMullin advised us to, "Be faithful.
Unencumber your life. Lay up in store...As we do our very best, we can
be confident that 'the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the
cruse of oil fail.' We shall enjoy greater wisdom, security, peace of
mind, and personal well-being. We shall be prepared, and because we are
prepared, we 'shall not fear.'"24 These are wonderful blessings!
President
Eyring counseled us, "Another fallacy is to believe that the choice to
accept or not accept the counsel of prophets is no more than deciding
whether to accept good advice and gain its benefits or to stay where we
are. But the choice not to take prophetic counsel changes the very
ground upon which we stand. That ground becomes more dangerous. The
failure to take prophetic counsel lessens our power to take inspired
counsel in the future. The best time to have decided to help Noah build
the ark was the first time he asked. Each time he asked after that, each
failure to respond would have lessened sensitivity to the Spirit. And
so each time his request would have seemed more foolish, until the rain
came. And then it was too late."9 How foolish do people who store food
for calamities seem to you? Pres. Benson said, "The revelation to
produce and store food may be as essential to our temporal welfare today
as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah."22 The door
of the ark was shut to those seeking entrance once the rains began, the
door was also closed to the five foolish virgins. So...if doors were
"shut" in the future would you be safely locked in? or would you be
locked out? For instance if there were a pandemic such as the 1918 flu,
you might be shut in with your family for three months or more. At the
government pandemic flu site it says, "In an affected community, at
least two pandemic disease waves (about 6-8 weeks each) are likely over
several months."25
Please
consider buying insurance for your family... famine insurance. It only
takes hours to clean out grocery stores' shelves when disasters are
imminent... unfortunately we don't always get advanced warning.
Also,
roads can be impassible, fuel can run out, truckers can strike, foods
can be out-of-stock, power outages or bank or card issues can make it
impossible to pay. Many say that they will just grow their food or buy
from farmers. Yet in many places the only local crop is hay and we can't
count on all calamities happening during the harvest. It takes
knowledge, good soil/land, water, fertilizer, seed, the right season, a
lot of ground, and often many months of work, good weather, water and
waiting before you can harvest your own food, then you have to be able
to adequately store it for the long term, etc. Now is the time during
this time of abundance to gather in what might be needed ... just in
case.
A
major change in what we should store occurred when a pamphlet, "All Is
Safely Gathered In," was distributed. It was first talked about by the
Presiding Bishopric, then it was handed out to the Bishop's to
distribute to all the families in their wards, and later was included in
the Ensign. It seems that it is important counsel meant for us to read
and follow:
Message from the First Presidency
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Our
Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance,
for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we
walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to "prepare
every needful thing" (see D&C 109) so that, should adversity come,
we may care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they
care for others. We encourage Church members worldwide to prepare for
adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some
money in savings. We ask that you be wise as you store food and water
and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for
example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once.
With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage
supply and a financial reserve. We realize that some of you may not have
financial resources or space for such storage. Some of you may be
prohibited by law from storing large amounts of food. We encourage you
to store as much as circumstances allow. May the Lord bless you in your
home storage efforts."26
May
the Lord bless all of us in the days ahead! I would like to add my
voice to others...I know that we are living in the fullness of times
when Heavenly Father has commanded us to prepare every needful thing
because he loves us (D&C 109:8). We must, "Believe on the name of
the Lord Jesus, who was on the earth, and is to come, the beginning and
the end ...Behold, I am Jesus Christ, and I come quickly ... "
(D&C 49:12, 28).
Brothers
and Sisters, the Lord sent us down in this blessed but difficult
dispensation for a purpose and He has a plan for us. Continuing the
quote by President Benson,
that
was begun by President Monson, he told us, "...God has saved for the
final inning some of his strongest children, who will help bear off the
Kingdom triumphantly. And that is where you come in, for you are the
generation that must be prepared to meet your God...Make no mistake
about it--you are a marked generation. There has never been more
expected of the faithful in such a short period of time as there is of
us. Never before on the face of this earth have the forces of evil and
the forces of good been as well organized...The final outcome is
certain--the forces of righteousness will finally win. What remains to
be seen is where each of us personally, now and in the future, will
stand in this fight--and how tall we will stand. Will we be true to our
last-days, foreordained mission?"11
Fortunately,
we have been prepared to meet the challenges of our day. President
Monson said, "My brothers and sisters, He has prepared us. If we heed
His words and live the commandments, we will survive this time...He is
ever mindful of us. He loves us and will bless us as we do what is
right."27 While President Monson was talking of spiritual survival, the
example he used was of how the Lord prepared a way for the physical
survival of his people. Regardless, we are assured that if we heed His
words and live the commandments we will be blessed. Heavenly Father does
love us, and He has lovingly commanded us to prepare every needful
thing. May the Lord watch over us, direct us, guide us and bless us with
His miracles as we do our very best to do so.
1. Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley, "Living in the Fullness of Times," Ensign, Nov. 2001
2. Lenet Hadley Read, "The Golden Plates and the Feast of Trumpets," Ensign, Jan. 2000
3. Pres. Henry B. Eyring, "Let Us Raise A Voice of Warning," Ensign, Nov. 1998 and Jan. 2009
4. Pres. Boyd K. Packer, "Counsel to Youth," Ensign, Nov 2011
5. Pres. Boyd K. Packer, "Counsel to Young Men," Ensign, May 2009
6. Pres. Ezra Taft Benson, "Prepare Yourselves for the Great Day of the Lord," BYU Devotional, April 1981
7. Pres. Thomas S. Monson, "Are We Prepared?," Ensign, Sep. 2014
8. Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Providing in the Lord's Way," Ensign, Nov. 2011
9. Pres. Henry B. Eyring, "Finding Safety in Counsel," Ensign, April 1997 and June 2008
10. Pres. Thomas S. Monson, "Dare to Stand Alone," Ensign, Nov. 2011
11. Pres. Ezra Taft Benson, "In His Steps," CES Fireside, Feb. 1987; "In His Steps," BYU Devotional 1979
12. Elder David A. Bednar, "Who's on the Lord's Side? Now is the Time to Show," BYU-I Education Week Address, July 2010
13. Pres. Thomas S. Monson, "A Word at Closing," Ensign, April 2010
14. Pres. Spencer W. Kimball, "Faith Precedes the Miracle," pg. 253
15. Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley, "To the Boys and Men," Ensign, Nov. 1998
16. Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley, "The Times in Which We Live," Ensign, Nov. 2001
17. Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley, "If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear," Ensign, Nov. 2005
18. Elder Ezra Taft Benson, "Prepare Ye," Ensign, Jan. 1974
19. Pres. James E. Faust, "The Responsibility for Welfare Rests with Me and My Family," Ensign, May 1986
20. Bishop Victor L. Brown, "Prepare Every Needful Thing," Ensign, Nov. 1980
21. Pres. Thomas S. Monson, "That Noble Gift - Love At Home, May 2001
22. Pres. Ezra Taft Benson, "Prepare for the Days of Tribulation," Ensign, Nov. 1980
23.
The First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles, "The
Family: A Proclamation to the World," read by President Gordon B.
Hinckley, Sep. 23, 1995
24. Bishop Keith B. McMullin, "Lay Up In Store," Ensign, May 2007
25. "School District (K-12) Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist," Flu.gov
26. First Presidency, "All is Safely Gathered In, Family Home Storage," Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 2007
27. Pres. Thomas S. Monson, "Closing Remarks," Ensign, Nov. 2009
But in all three accounts, He laments that there are those that simply
"would not." We need to listen to the Lords mouthpiece -- the Prophet --
and prepare, so that when the call from danger is declared to the
Church, we will be ready. In the First Presidency Message before this
month's, we were reminded of the law of the harvest; we reap what we sow
... nothing more.