News Report in the Salt Lake Tribune: See link below
http://www.sltrib.com/faith/ci_11942258
"I am a Mormon. I Know it, I Love it and I Live it!"
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Mormons and Temple Worship
News Report in the Salt Lake Tribune: See link below
http://www.sltrib.com/faith/ci_11942258
Monday, March 23, 2009
The 179th Annual General Conference of the Church
General Conference will be held April 4 and April 5, 2009. The sessions will begin at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time for both Saturday and Sunday. Additionally a Priesthood meeting will be held Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time. The Priesthood meeting will only be broadcast in your local meetinghouses and Stake Centers.
You can watch the general sessions of conference at your local meetinghouses, online at BYUTV or at the church's website. Additionally you can watch it on the BYU channel available on both Dish Network and DirectTV. Many local cable channels also broadcast it as a community service, so be sure to check with your local leaders if this is available to you. Last October's session of conference was easy to access online and it stayed on with very few glitches. This was the general consensus of everyone I know that watches conference online across the world.
All are welcome to come, watch , and hear from the leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We love and respect all our neighbors and friends of other religious beliefs. These and other conference sessions are available to you for the understanding of our true doctrines, practices, and beliefs. If material or information on the Church does not have our logo or come from the mouth of our leaders, it is false! Please listen and find for yourself what is correct! With Love to my readers! God Bless!
You can watch the general sessions of conference at your local meetinghouses, online at BYUTV or at the church's website. Additionally you can watch it on the BYU channel available on both Dish Network and DirectTV. Many local cable channels also broadcast it as a community service, so be sure to check with your local leaders if this is available to you. Last October's session of conference was easy to access online and it stayed on with very few glitches. This was the general consensus of everyone I know that watches conference online across the world.
All are welcome to come, watch , and hear from the leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We love and respect all our neighbors and friends of other religious beliefs. These and other conference sessions are available to you for the understanding of our true doctrines, practices, and beliefs. If material or information on the Church does not have our logo or come from the mouth of our leaders, it is false! Please listen and find for yourself what is correct! With Love to my readers! God Bless!
This month's Ensign Article Message
Come unto Him in Prayer and Faith
By President Thomas S. Monson
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”1 So spoke the wise Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel.
Jacob, the brother of Nephi, declared, “Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith.”2
In this dispensation, in a revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord said, “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.”3
This divinely inspired counsel comes to us today as crystal clear water to a parched earth.
We live in troubled times. Doctors’ offices are filled with individuals who are beset with emotional problems as well as physical distress. Divorce courts are overflowing because people have unsolved problems. Human resource administrators in government and industry work long hours in an effort to assist people with their problems.
One human resource officer assigned to handle petty grievances concluded an unusually hectic day by placing facetiously a little sign on his desk for those with unsolved problems. It read, “Have you tried prayer?” What he may not have realized was that this simple counsel would solve more problems, alleviate more suffering, prevent more transgression, and bring about greater peace and contentment in the human soul than could be obtained in any other way.
A prominent American judge was asked what we as citizens of the countries of the world could do to reduce crime and disobedience to law and to bring peace and contentment into our lives and into our nations. He carefully replied, “I would suggest a return to the old-fashioned practice of family prayer.”
Strength in Prayer
As a people, aren’t we grateful that family prayer is not an out-of-date practice with us? There is no more beautiful sight in all this world than to see a family praying together. There is real meaning behind the oft-quoted “The family that prays together stays together.”
The Lord directed that we have family prayer when He said, “Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed.”4
Will you join me as we look in on a typical Latter-day Saint family offering prayers unto the Lord? Father, mother, and each of the children kneel, bow their heads, and close their eyes. A sweet spirit of love, unity, and peace fills the home. As father hears his tiny son pray unto God that his dad will do the right things and be obedient to the Lord’s bidding, do you think that such a father would find it difficult to honor the prayer of his precious son? As a teenage daughter hears her sweet mother plead unto the Lord that her daughter will be inspired in the selection of her companions, that she will prepare herself for a temple marriage, don’t you believe that such a daughter will seek to honor this humble, pleading petition of her mother, whom she so dearly loves? When father, mother, and each of the children earnestly pray that the fine sons in the family will live worthily that they may, in due time, receive a call to serve as ambassadors of the Lord in the mission fields of the Church, don’t we begin to see how such sons grow to young manhood with an overwhelming desire to serve as missionaries?
I am sure that family prayer motivated a letter written some years ago by a young Latter-day Saint girl attending a Colorado high school. The students had been asked to prepare a letter to be written to a great man of their choice. Many addressed their letters to well-known athletes, to a noted astronaut, to the president of the United States, and to other celebrities. This young lady, however, addressed her letter to her father, and in the letter she stated: “I have decided to write this letter to you, Dad, because you are the greatest man that I have ever known. The overwhelming desire of my heart is that I might so live that I might have the privilege of being beside you and Mother and other members of the family in the celestial kingdom.” That father never received a more cherished letter.
As we offer unto the Lord our family prayers and our personal prayers, let us do so with faith and trust in Him. Let us remember the injunction of Paul to the Hebrews: “For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”5 If any of us has been slow to hearken to the counsel to pray always, there is no finer hour to begin than now. William Cowper declared, “Satan trembles, when he sees the weakest Saint upon his knees.”6 Those who feel that prayer might denote a physical or intellectual weakness should remember that a man never stands taller than when he is upon his knees.
We cannot know what faith is if we have never had it, and we cannot obtain it as long as we deny it. Faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other.
Accepting His Invitation
If our desire is to discard all doubt and to substitute therefor an abiding faith, we have but to accept the invitation extended to you and to me in the Epistle of James:
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”7
This promise motivated the young man Joseph Smith to seek God in prayer. He declared to us in his own words:
“At length I came to the conclusion that I … must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to ‘ask of God,’ concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.
“So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. … It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.”8
Now, if we have hesitated in supplicating God our Eternal Father simply because we have not as yet made the attempt to pray, we certainly can take courage from the example of the Prophet Joseph. But let us remember, as did the Prophet, our prayer must be offered in faith, nothing wavering.
It was by faith, nothing wavering, that the brother of Jared saw the finger of God touch the stones in response to his plea.9
It was by faith, nothing wavering, that Noah erected an ark in obedience to the command from God.10
It was by faith, nothing wavering, that Abraham was willing to offer up his beloved Isaac as a sacrifice.11
It was by faith, nothing wavering, that Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt and through the Red Sea.12
It was by faith, nothing wavering, that Joshua and his followers brought the walls of Jericho tumbling down.13
It was by faith, nothing wavering, that Joseph saw God our Eternal Father and Jesus Christ, His Son.14
Now, the skeptic may say that these mighty accounts of faith occurred long ago, that times have changed.
Have times really changed? Don’t we today, as always, love our children and want them to live righteously? Don’t we today, as always, need God’s divine, protecting care? Don’t we today, as always, continue to be at His mercy and in His debt for the very life He has given us?
Times have not really changed. Prayer continues to provide power—spiritual power. Prayer continues to provide peace—spiritual peace.
Faith in Action
Wherever we may be, our Heavenly Father can hear and answer the prayer offered in faith. This is especially true in the mission fields throughout the world. While presiding over the Canadian Mission, under the direction of President David O. McKay (1873–1970), Sister Monson and I had the opportunity of serving with some of the finest young men and women in all this world. The very lives of these young missionaries exemplified faith and prayer.
There sat in my office one day a newly arrived missionary. He was bright, strong, happy, and grateful to be a missionary. He was filled with enthusiasm and a desire to serve. As I spoke with him, I said, “Elder, I imagine that your father and mother wholeheartedly support you in your mission call.” He lowered his head and replied, “Well, not quite. You see, President, my father is not a member of the Church. He doesn’t believe as we believe, so he cannot fully appreciate the importance of my assignment.”
Without hesitating and prompted by a Source not my own, I said to him, “Elder, if you will honestly and diligently serve God in proclaiming His message, your father will join the Church before your mission is concluded.” He clasped my hand in a vise-like grip, the tears welled up in his eyes and began to roll forth down his cheeks, and he declared, “To see my father accept the truth would be the greatest blessing that could come into my life.”
This young man did not sit idly by hoping and wishing that the promise would be fulfilled, but rather he followed the sage advice that has been given of old: “Pray as though everything depended upon God. Work as though everything depended upon you.” Such was the missionary service of this young man.
At every missionary conference I would seek him out before the meetings and ask, “Elder, how’s Dad progressing?”
His reply would invariably be, “No progress, President, but I know the Lord will fulfill the promise given to me through you as my mission president.” The days turned to weeks and the weeks to months, and finally, just two weeks before we ourselves left the mission field to return home, I received a letter from the father of this missionary. That father wrote:
“Dear Brother Monson:
“I wish to thank you so much for taking such good care of my son who recently completed a mission in Canada. He has been an inspiration to us.
“My son was promised when he left on his mission that I would become a member of the Church before his return. This promise was, I believe, made to him by you, unknown to me.
“I am happy to report that I was baptized into the Church one week before he completed his mission and am at present time athletic director of the MIA and have a teaching assignment.
“My son is now attending BYU, and his younger brother was also recently baptized and confirmed a member of the Church.
“May I again thank you for all the kindness and love bestowed upon my son by his brothers in the mission field during the past two years.
“Yours very truly, a grateful father.”
The humble prayer of faith had once again been answered.
There is a golden thread that runs through every account of faith from the beginning of the world to the present time. Abraham, Noah, the brother of Jared, the Prophet Joseph Smith, and countless others wanted to be obedient to the will of God. They had ears that could hear, eyes that could see, and hearts that could know and feel.
They never doubted. They trusted.
Through personal prayer, through family prayer, by trusting in God with faith, nothing wavering, we can call down to our rescue His mighty power. His call to us is as it has ever been: “Come unto me.”15
Footnotes:
. Proverbs 3:5–6.
2. Jacob 3:1.
3. D&C 6:36.
4. 3 Nephi 18:21.
5. Hebrews 11:6.
6. William Cowper, Olney Hymns, in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, 2nd ed. rev. (1966), 161.
7. James 1:5–6.
8. Joseph Smith—History 1:13–14.
9. See Ether 3:1–16.
10. See Genesis 6:13–22.
11. See Genesis 22:1–14.
12. See Exodus 14:15–22.
13. See Joshua 6:2–20.
14. See Joseph Smith—History 1:14–19.
15. Matthew 11:28.
By President Thomas S. Monson
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”1 So spoke the wise Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel.
Jacob, the brother of Nephi, declared, “Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith.”2
In this dispensation, in a revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord said, “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.”3
This divinely inspired counsel comes to us today as crystal clear water to a parched earth.
We live in troubled times. Doctors’ offices are filled with individuals who are beset with emotional problems as well as physical distress. Divorce courts are overflowing because people have unsolved problems. Human resource administrators in government and industry work long hours in an effort to assist people with their problems.
One human resource officer assigned to handle petty grievances concluded an unusually hectic day by placing facetiously a little sign on his desk for those with unsolved problems. It read, “Have you tried prayer?” What he may not have realized was that this simple counsel would solve more problems, alleviate more suffering, prevent more transgression, and bring about greater peace and contentment in the human soul than could be obtained in any other way.
A prominent American judge was asked what we as citizens of the countries of the world could do to reduce crime and disobedience to law and to bring peace and contentment into our lives and into our nations. He carefully replied, “I would suggest a return to the old-fashioned practice of family prayer.”
Strength in Prayer
As a people, aren’t we grateful that family prayer is not an out-of-date practice with us? There is no more beautiful sight in all this world than to see a family praying together. There is real meaning behind the oft-quoted “The family that prays together stays together.”
The Lord directed that we have family prayer when He said, “Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed.”4
Will you join me as we look in on a typical Latter-day Saint family offering prayers unto the Lord? Father, mother, and each of the children kneel, bow their heads, and close their eyes. A sweet spirit of love, unity, and peace fills the home. As father hears his tiny son pray unto God that his dad will do the right things and be obedient to the Lord’s bidding, do you think that such a father would find it difficult to honor the prayer of his precious son? As a teenage daughter hears her sweet mother plead unto the Lord that her daughter will be inspired in the selection of her companions, that she will prepare herself for a temple marriage, don’t you believe that such a daughter will seek to honor this humble, pleading petition of her mother, whom she so dearly loves? When father, mother, and each of the children earnestly pray that the fine sons in the family will live worthily that they may, in due time, receive a call to serve as ambassadors of the Lord in the mission fields of the Church, don’t we begin to see how such sons grow to young manhood with an overwhelming desire to serve as missionaries?
I am sure that family prayer motivated a letter written some years ago by a young Latter-day Saint girl attending a Colorado high school. The students had been asked to prepare a letter to be written to a great man of their choice. Many addressed their letters to well-known athletes, to a noted astronaut, to the president of the United States, and to other celebrities. This young lady, however, addressed her letter to her father, and in the letter she stated: “I have decided to write this letter to you, Dad, because you are the greatest man that I have ever known. The overwhelming desire of my heart is that I might so live that I might have the privilege of being beside you and Mother and other members of the family in the celestial kingdom.” That father never received a more cherished letter.
As we offer unto the Lord our family prayers and our personal prayers, let us do so with faith and trust in Him. Let us remember the injunction of Paul to the Hebrews: “For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”5 If any of us has been slow to hearken to the counsel to pray always, there is no finer hour to begin than now. William Cowper declared, “Satan trembles, when he sees the weakest Saint upon his knees.”6 Those who feel that prayer might denote a physical or intellectual weakness should remember that a man never stands taller than when he is upon his knees.
We cannot know what faith is if we have never had it, and we cannot obtain it as long as we deny it. Faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other.
Accepting His Invitation
If our desire is to discard all doubt and to substitute therefor an abiding faith, we have but to accept the invitation extended to you and to me in the Epistle of James:
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”7
This promise motivated the young man Joseph Smith to seek God in prayer. He declared to us in his own words:
“At length I came to the conclusion that I … must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to ‘ask of God,’ concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.
“So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. … It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.”8
Now, if we have hesitated in supplicating God our Eternal Father simply because we have not as yet made the attempt to pray, we certainly can take courage from the example of the Prophet Joseph. But let us remember, as did the Prophet, our prayer must be offered in faith, nothing wavering.
It was by faith, nothing wavering, that the brother of Jared saw the finger of God touch the stones in response to his plea.9
It was by faith, nothing wavering, that Noah erected an ark in obedience to the command from God.10
It was by faith, nothing wavering, that Abraham was willing to offer up his beloved Isaac as a sacrifice.11
It was by faith, nothing wavering, that Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt and through the Red Sea.12
It was by faith, nothing wavering, that Joshua and his followers brought the walls of Jericho tumbling down.13
It was by faith, nothing wavering, that Joseph saw God our Eternal Father and Jesus Christ, His Son.14
Now, the skeptic may say that these mighty accounts of faith occurred long ago, that times have changed.
Have times really changed? Don’t we today, as always, love our children and want them to live righteously? Don’t we today, as always, need God’s divine, protecting care? Don’t we today, as always, continue to be at His mercy and in His debt for the very life He has given us?
Times have not really changed. Prayer continues to provide power—spiritual power. Prayer continues to provide peace—spiritual peace.
Faith in Action
Wherever we may be, our Heavenly Father can hear and answer the prayer offered in faith. This is especially true in the mission fields throughout the world. While presiding over the Canadian Mission, under the direction of President David O. McKay (1873–1970), Sister Monson and I had the opportunity of serving with some of the finest young men and women in all this world. The very lives of these young missionaries exemplified faith and prayer.
There sat in my office one day a newly arrived missionary. He was bright, strong, happy, and grateful to be a missionary. He was filled with enthusiasm and a desire to serve. As I spoke with him, I said, “Elder, I imagine that your father and mother wholeheartedly support you in your mission call.” He lowered his head and replied, “Well, not quite. You see, President, my father is not a member of the Church. He doesn’t believe as we believe, so he cannot fully appreciate the importance of my assignment.”
Without hesitating and prompted by a Source not my own, I said to him, “Elder, if you will honestly and diligently serve God in proclaiming His message, your father will join the Church before your mission is concluded.” He clasped my hand in a vise-like grip, the tears welled up in his eyes and began to roll forth down his cheeks, and he declared, “To see my father accept the truth would be the greatest blessing that could come into my life.”
This young man did not sit idly by hoping and wishing that the promise would be fulfilled, but rather he followed the sage advice that has been given of old: “Pray as though everything depended upon God. Work as though everything depended upon you.” Such was the missionary service of this young man.
At every missionary conference I would seek him out before the meetings and ask, “Elder, how’s Dad progressing?”
His reply would invariably be, “No progress, President, but I know the Lord will fulfill the promise given to me through you as my mission president.” The days turned to weeks and the weeks to months, and finally, just two weeks before we ourselves left the mission field to return home, I received a letter from the father of this missionary. That father wrote:
“Dear Brother Monson:
“I wish to thank you so much for taking such good care of my son who recently completed a mission in Canada. He has been an inspiration to us.
“My son was promised when he left on his mission that I would become a member of the Church before his return. This promise was, I believe, made to him by you, unknown to me.
“I am happy to report that I was baptized into the Church one week before he completed his mission and am at present time athletic director of the MIA and have a teaching assignment.
“My son is now attending BYU, and his younger brother was also recently baptized and confirmed a member of the Church.
“May I again thank you for all the kindness and love bestowed upon my son by his brothers in the mission field during the past two years.
“Yours very truly, a grateful father.”
The humble prayer of faith had once again been answered.
There is a golden thread that runs through every account of faith from the beginning of the world to the present time. Abraham, Noah, the brother of Jared, the Prophet Joseph Smith, and countless others wanted to be obedient to the will of God. They had ears that could hear, eyes that could see, and hearts that could know and feel.
They never doubted. They trusted.
Through personal prayer, through family prayer, by trusting in God with faith, nothing wavering, we can call down to our rescue His mighty power. His call to us is as it has ever been: “Come unto me.”15
Footnotes:
. Proverbs 3:5–6.
2. Jacob 3:1.
3. D&C 6:36.
4. 3 Nephi 18:21.
5. Hebrews 11:6.
6. William Cowper, Olney Hymns, in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, 2nd ed. rev. (1966), 161.
7. James 1:5–6.
8. Joseph Smith—History 1:13–14.
9. See Ether 3:1–16.
10. See Genesis 6:13–22.
11. See Genesis 22:1–14.
12. See Exodus 14:15–22.
13. See Joshua 6:2–20.
14. See Joseph Smith—History 1:14–19.
15. Matthew 11:28.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
"Savior of the World" Production in Vegas!
I have the awesome opportunity to play the role of Mary Magdalene in this wonderful production of the birth, life, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ! The production is being produced through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Henderson Pavilion April 17- 25th, 2009! Below is the link for more information of this production and ticket information!
http://www.savioroftheworld.info
What Does a One- Year Supply look like?
Exactly What Does a Basic 1 Year Food Storage for 1 Person Look Like?
These are the MINIMUM Basic Amounts of Food Needed for Survival for ONE PERSON for ONE YEAR:
Grain 400 lbs
Legumes 60 lbs
Powdered Milk 16 lbs
Cooking Oil 10 Quarts
Sugar 60 lbs
Salt 8 lbs
Water 14 Gallons (2 week supply)
(I have a photo but it will not upload, will try again later)!
Food Storage COST for ONE PERSON for ONE YEAR: (Approximate)
Grains $200
Legumes $75
Instant Milk $94
Cooking Oil $44
Sugar $120
Salt $3
TOTAL APPROX. COST = $523
PLUS $70 shelf = $600
NOTE: There are LOTS of places you can buy food and supplies. This list is intended as a basic outline to show general amounts, locations, and prices of food. The important thing is to DO SOMETHING.
Food Storage Prices and Locations (as of 1/7/09)
All prices are approximate.
White Wheat Walton Wheat #50 for $25.55
Legumes (various) Winco #25 for $20 - $25 depending on variety
Powdered Milk Walton $94.00 for 22.5 lbs in six #10 cans
Cooking Oil Winco $3.65 for Quart Size
Sugar Winco $2.00 lb
Salt Winco $.33 Pound
Steel Shelf Sam’s Club $70.00
The following quotes come from talks
on the Church’s website, providentliving.org
“Encourage our members to regularly put into their home storage a few wholesome, basic food items and some water that is safe to drink. They should save some money, if only a few coins each week. This modest approach will soon enable them to have several months’ reserve. Over time they can expand these modest efforts into a longer-term supply by adding such essentials as grains, legumes, and other staples that will keep them alive in case they do not have anything else to eat. 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.”
Bishop Keith McMullin, Lay up in Store, General Conference, April 2007
“As we have been continuously counseled for more than 60 years, let us have some food set aside that would sustain us for a time of need...I do not wish to sound negative, but 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.”
President Gordon B. Hinckley, The Times in Which We Live, General Conference, October 2001
“ As long as I can remember, we have been taught to prepare for the future and to obtain a year’s supply of necessities. I would guess that the years of plenty have almost universally caused us to set aside this counsel. I believe the time to disregard this counsel is over. With events in the world today, it must be considered with all seriousness.”
Elder L. Tom Perry, If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear, General Conference, October 1995
“Recent surveys of Church members have shown a serious erosion in the number of families who have a years supply of life’s necessities. Most members plan to do it. Too few have begun.”
Thomas S. Monson, Guiding Principles of Personal and Family Welfare, Ensign, September 1986
“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.”
Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, November 1980, p. 33
Please Start Tomorrow…
(Or better yet: TODAY!)
These are the MINIMUM Basic Amounts of Food Needed for Survival for ONE PERSON for ONE YEAR:
Grain 400 lbs
Legumes 60 lbs
Powdered Milk 16 lbs
Cooking Oil 10 Quarts
Sugar 60 lbs
Salt 8 lbs
Water 14 Gallons (2 week supply)
(I have a photo but it will not upload, will try again later)!
Food Storage COST for ONE PERSON for ONE YEAR: (Approximate)
Grains $200
Legumes $75
Instant Milk $94
Cooking Oil $44
Sugar $120
Salt $3
TOTAL APPROX. COST = $523
PLUS $70 shelf = $600
NOTE: There are LOTS of places you can buy food and supplies. This list is intended as a basic outline to show general amounts, locations, and prices of food. The important thing is to DO SOMETHING.
Food Storage Prices and Locations (as of 1/7/09)
All prices are approximate.
White Wheat Walton Wheat #50 for $25.55
Legumes (various) Winco #25 for $20 - $25 depending on variety
Powdered Milk Walton $94.00 for 22.5 lbs in six #10 cans
Cooking Oil Winco $3.65 for Quart Size
Sugar Winco $2.00 lb
Salt Winco $.33 Pound
Steel Shelf Sam’s Club $70.00
The following quotes come from talks
on the Church’s website, providentliving.org
“Encourage our members to regularly put into their home storage a few wholesome, basic food items and some water that is safe to drink. They should save some money, if only a few coins each week. This modest approach will soon enable them to have several months’ reserve. Over time they can expand these modest efforts into a longer-term supply by adding such essentials as grains, legumes, and other staples that will keep them alive in case they do not have anything else to eat. 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.”
Bishop Keith McMullin, Lay up in Store, General Conference, April 2007
“As we have been continuously counseled for more than 60 years, let us have some food set aside that would sustain us for a time of need...I do not wish to sound negative, but 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.”
President Gordon B. Hinckley, The Times in Which We Live, General Conference, October 2001
“ As long as I can remember, we have been taught to prepare for the future and to obtain a year’s supply of necessities. I would guess that the years of plenty have almost universally caused us to set aside this counsel. I believe the time to disregard this counsel is over. With events in the world today, it must be considered with all seriousness.”
Elder L. Tom Perry, If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear, General Conference, October 1995
“Recent surveys of Church members have shown a serious erosion in the number of families who have a years supply of life’s necessities. Most members plan to do it. Too few have begun.”
Thomas S. Monson, Guiding Principles of Personal and Family Welfare, Ensign, September 1986
“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.”
Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, November 1980, p. 33
Please Start Tomorrow…
(Or better yet: TODAY!)
Monday, December 8, 2008
First Presidency Christmas Devotional
The Best Christmas Ever
By President Thomas S. Monson
At this season of the year, the airways are filled with the music of Christmas. My heart often turns to home and to Christmases past as I listen to some of my favorite Christmas songs, such as this one:
Oh, there’s no place like home
For the holidays, ’cause no matter
How far away you roam
If you want to be happy in a million ways
For the holidays, you can’t beat
Home, sweet home.1
One writer said: “Again Christmas, abiding point of return. Set apart by its mystery, mood and magic, the season seems, in a way to stand outside time. All that is dear, that is lasting, renews its hold on us: we are home again.”2
President David O. McKay (1873–1970) declared: “True happiness comes only by making others happy—the practical application of the Savior’s doctrine of losing one’s life to gain it. In short, the Christmas spirit is the Christ spirit, that makes our hearts glow in brotherly love and friendship and prompts us to kind deeds of service.
“It is the spirit of the gospel of Jesus Christ, obedience to which will bring ‘peace on earth,’ because it means—good will toward all men.”3
Giving, not getting, brings to full bloom the Christmas spirit. Enemies are forgiven, friends remembered, and God obeyed. The spirit of Christmas illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than things. To catch the real meaning of the “spirit of Christmas,” we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the “Spirit of Christ.”
Remembering Him
When we have the spirit of Christmas, we remember Him whose birth we commemorate at this season of the year. We contemplate that first Christmas day, foretold by the prophets of old. You, with me, recall the words from Isaiah: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel”4—meaning “God with us.”
On the American continent, the prophets said: “The time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent … shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay. … He shall suffer temptations, and pain. … And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”5
Then came that night of nights when the shepherds were abiding in the fields and the angel of the Lord appeared to them, announcing the birth of the Savior. Later, Wise Men journeyed from the East to Jerusalem, “Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. …
“When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
“And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”6
Times change; years speed by; but Christmas continues sacred. In this marvelous dispensation of the fulness of times, our opportunities to give of ourselves are indeed limitless, but they are also perishable. There are hearts to gladden. There are kind words to say. There are gifts to be given. There are deeds to be done. There are souls to be saved.
A Gift of Christmas
In the early 1930s, Margaret Kisilevich and her sister Nellie gave a Christmas gift to their neighbors, the Kozicki family, which was remembered by them all their lives and which has become an inspiration to their families.
Home to Margaret back then was Two Hills, Alberta, Canada—a farming community populated largely by Ukrainian and Polish immigrants who generally had large families and were very poor. It was the time of the Great Depression.
Margaret’s family consisted of her mother and father and their 15 children. Margaret’s mother was industrious and her father was enterprising—and with all those children, they had a built-in labor force. Consequently, their home was always warm, and despite their humble circumstances, they were never hungry. In the summer they grew an enormous garden, made sauerkraut, cottage cheese, sour cream, and dill pickles for barter. They also raised chickens, pigs, and beef cattle. They had very little cash, but these goods could be exchanged for other commodities they could not produce themselves.
Margaret’s mother had friends with whom she had emigrated from the old country. These friends owned a general store, and the store became a depot for folks in the area to donate or trade surplus hand-me-down clothing, shoes, etc. Many of these used items were passed along to Margaret’s family.
Alberta winters were cold, long, and hard, and one particularly cold and difficult winter, Margaret and her sister Nellie noticed the poverty of their neighbors, the Kozicki family, whose farm was a few miles away. When the Kozicki father would take his children to school on his homemade sleigh, he would always go into the school to warm himself by the potbelly stove before returning home. The family’s footwear consisted of rags and gunny sacks cut into strips and wrapped about the legs and feet, stuffed with straw, and bound with twine.
Margaret and Nellie decided to invite the Kozicki family, by way of the children, for Christmas dinner. They also decided not to tell anyone in their family of the invitation.
Christmas morning dawned, and everyone in Margaret’s family was busy with the preparations for the midday feast. The huge pork roast had been put in the oven the night before. The cabbage rolls, doughnuts, prune buns, and special burnt sugar punch had been prepared earlier. The menu would be rounded out with sauerkraut, dill pickles, and vegetables. Margaret and Nellie were in charge of getting the fresh vegetables ready, and their mother kept asking them why they were peeling so many potatoes, carrots, and beets. But they just kept peeling.
Their father was the first to notice a team of horses and a sleigh packed with 13 people coming down their lane. He, being a horse lover, could recognize a team from a long distance. He asked his wife, “Why are the Kozickis coming here?” Her response to him was, “I don’t know.”
They arrived, and Margaret’s father helped Mr. Kozicki stable the horses. Mrs. Kozicki embraced Margaret’s mother and thanked her for inviting them for Christmas. Then they all piled into the house, and the festivities began.
The adults ate first, and then the plates and cutlery were washed, and the children ate in shifts. It was a glorious feast, made better by the sharing of it. After everyone had eaten, they sang Christmas carols together, and then the adults settled down for another chat.
Charity in Action
Margaret and Nellie took the children into the bedroom and pulled from under the beds several boxes filled with hand-me-downs they had been given by their mother’s merchant friends. It was heavenly chaos, with an instant fashion show and everyone picking whatever clothes and footwear they wanted. They made such a racket that Margaret’s father came in to see what all the noise was about. When he saw their happiness and the joy of the Kozicki children with their “new” clothes, he smiled and said, “Carry on.”
Early in the afternoon, before it got too cold and dark with the setting sun, Margaret’s family bid farewell to their friends, who left well fed, well clothed, and well shod.
Margaret and Nellie never told anyone about their invitation to the Kozickis, and the secret remained until Margaret Kisilevich Wright’s 77th Christmas, in 1998, when she shared it with her family for the first time. She said it was her very best Christmas ever.
If we are to have the very best Christmas ever, we must listen for the sound of sandaled feet. We must reach out for the Carpenter’s hand. With every step we take in His footsteps, we abandon a doubt and gain a truth.
It was said of Jesus of Nazareth that He “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”7 Do we have the determination to do likewise? One line of holy writ contains a tribute to our Lord and Savior, of whom it was said, He “went about doing good … ; for God was with him.”8
My prayer is that at this Christmas season and all the Christmastimes to come, we may follow in His footsteps. Then each Christmas will be the best Christmas ever
Sunday, November 16, 2008
The Churches official Statements on Prop8
SALT LAKE CITY 7 November 2008 The Church issued the following statement today:
It is disturbing that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is being singled out for speaking up as part of its democratic right in a free election.
Members of the Church in California and millions of others from every faith, ethnicity and political affiliation who voted for Proposition 8 exercised the most sacrosanct and individual rights in the United States — that of free expression and voting.
While those who disagree with our position on Proposition 8 have the right to make their feelings known, it is wrong to target the Church and its sacred places of worship for being part of the democratic process.
Once again, we call on those involved in the debate over same-sex marriage to act in a spirit of mutual respect and civility towards each other. No one on either side of the question should be vilified, harassed or subject to erroneous information.
Other links:
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/first-presidency-urges-respect-civility-in-public-discourse
Or to find out our doctrines, practices, and other new information see the lds.org link to the left of the screen.
Thank you and I pray we can all live peacefully and end this protesting. It seems that CA is the only state that has had problems with the ammendment of traditional marriage to its consitution. 40 other states have chosen to ammend their constitutions in favor of "traditional marriage". The voters have spoken and we must make our peace with that!
It is disturbing that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is being singled out for speaking up as part of its democratic right in a free election.
Members of the Church in California and millions of others from every faith, ethnicity and political affiliation who voted for Proposition 8 exercised the most sacrosanct and individual rights in the United States — that of free expression and voting.
While those who disagree with our position on Proposition 8 have the right to make their feelings known, it is wrong to target the Church and its sacred places of worship for being part of the democratic process.
Once again, we call on those involved in the debate over same-sex marriage to act in a spirit of mutual respect and civility towards each other. No one on either side of the question should be vilified, harassed or subject to erroneous information.
Other links:
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/first-presidency-urges-respect-civility-in-public-discourse
Or to find out our doctrines, practices, and other new information see the lds.org link to the left of the screen.
Thank you and I pray we can all live peacefully and end this protesting. It seems that CA is the only state that has had problems with the ammendment of traditional marriage to its consitution. 40 other states have chosen to ammend their constitutions in favor of "traditional marriage". The voters have spoken and we must make our peace with that!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)