Happy Pioneer Day!

The 24th of July; today is the day that Mormons remember our Pioneer ancestors. Every year around this time, I pull out the autobiographies of my Pioneer family members. One that I have been thinking a lot about lately is John Loveless. He was born in Ohio in 1807. John was a member of the church, baptized by Solomon Hancock, confirmed by Simon Carter, ordained a Priest by Thomas B. Marsh and Selah Griffin and ordained a High Priest by George W. Miller and Isaac Higby. 

He wrote about his family, his farming, and his church callings, miracles, trials and his testimony.

The members of the church were chased from their homes eight times in eleven years by mobs who hated the Mormons, some of the moves were within months of each other. This happened from 1833, just before the Printing Press was torn down, to 1846, as he and his family were among the last group of Saints in his area who left for the West.

In his words; “In the fall of 1838, the mob arose and we were compelled to sign over all our property by force of arms. In this I was an eye witness to scenes that until this day, when called to mind, make my blood run cold and would almost make me fight a legion. Women were ravished, men murdered, houses burned, property destroyed, the Prophet and Patriarch, with many others, taken and cast into prison.” 

When the Saints left for their trek to the west, John was asked by Brigham Young to stay behind to salvage any crops or farm land. Most of the Saints left in November of 1845, he left with his group on April 27th, 1846. He wrote, “I left the city of Nauvoo, the home of the Saints where I had counseled with my brethren, received direct instructions from the Prophet of God, associated with him, been instructed by him with many important commissions, worshiped the everlasting God, Eternal Father in His own temple, a house built and set apart by the Saints of God for His worship, and all the near and dear associations connected with this. 

I say when forced to leave all of this and after crossing the Mississippi River and sitting upon its banks, looking back over the country and associations that I had left; the bodies of the Prophet and Patriarch of God ruthlessly, foully and deliberately murdered by the howling and blood thirsty mobs, damnable spirits that had caused it all, my feeling became so excited and aroused that it seemed to me that if myself and each of my little boys were endowed with the strength of Samson and had the power and strength of body been commensurate with that of my will, I fear that it would have been accomplished.”

He wrote about the day when he fought a destructive, fire-branding mob with the Sheriff and a large posse. They stopped the fires and the mob; he took his family and neighbors with a few of their things and went to Nauvoo to guard everyone from the fury of the mob. On that same day, he received his endowments in the Temple.

The Pioneers inspire me in their faithful endurance and hope. They put blame where blame was due, never upon the Lord. I love reading about the miracles that occurred because of their faith in God and the power of the Priesthood. I love reading his testimony and his expressions of gratitude for God. In their hardest trials, they remained full of faith and gratitude. One of the miracles that he recorded was when he was sick with inflammation of the lungs and was near death. In that condition, I imagine most people would give up. Even after he received a Priesthood blessing, the brethren who administered to him gave him up for dead. But after talking to his wife, who refused to accept his death, they both determined that he was going to recover and in four days he was back to driving his team, praising God for the mercy and power that was manifested to him.

When they experienced the most severe hail storm he had ever witnessed, and the suffering from cold and exposure, he wrote; “But what cannot the Saint of God endure, while in the discharge of their duties?”

He wrote about the country being flooded which didn’t allow them to pass through easily on the path that the other pioneers had left for them. They had to walk three hundred miles and two months out of the way, to get back to the original path. But of that trek, he said; “We continued our journey for Great Salt Lake City, blessed in every undertaking, and good spirit prevailing all of the time. All enjoyed good health, met with no losses of consequence and on the fifteenth day of September, 1851, we arrived in Salt Lake City.”

And some of his last words in his autobiography; “How big with importance, love and almost adoration, did it appear unto us, and how straight to my heart did the tones pierce as I heard them sending a thrill of pleasure, thanksgiving and praise to my soul. Yes to my very heart’s core, calling forth shouts of exultation and joy, praise, honor and glory to God, a perfect burst of enthusiastic joy. 

What, though it was a burning desert. What, if the farthest extent of vision could discover nothing but burning, sandy plains covered with sage brush and high rocky and burning mountains. It was the place selected by God for the gathering of His people and after the trying vicissitudes through which we had passed ever since the first organization of the Church. It was here a place of rest, of rejoicing, of delight and finally above all, of happiness. 

Here we could worship God and love Him, receive instructions from His prophets and teachers without fear of fire, sword or bayonet, without expecting to hear the sounds of an infernal mob ringing in our ears. Salt Lake City; I have not language to express my gratitude to God when first I entered thy sacred precincts. There I met with the pioneer, those holy and indomitable spirits led by Brigham Young their Prophet and Seer, the successor of the immortal Joseph with Heber, the beloved and noble spirit. The saints of God who had taken the burden and borne it, given to them by God that the ancient prophesy might be fulfilled and the Saints find a home; a home, how sweet the word. 

Here again was my family united, and here the union with old and tried brethren, the grasping of hands, the shedding of tears and shouting, rejoicing and praising God by the President, friends, family and all. Salt Lake City, can it be wondered that I call thy precincts sacred? Can I ever cease to love and praise God as long as memory holds her seat upon her throne?"

He settled in Provo, and lived there for two years. Then they moved to West Jordan, where he assisted in the building of the canal to bring irrigation water into the West Jordan area. Then in 1855, he moved to Payson to continue his occupation of farming, where generations of my family were born and raised. I was born in Payson, lived in West Jordan when I was a young child and in Provo as a college student; my path in Utah reversed his path. I don't consider that a coincidence; I believe that our ancestors are more involved with influencing our lives and the paths that we take than we give them credit for.

Speaking about the challenges that we are asked to face today as modern-day pioneers, Elder M. Russell Ballard says; “May we remember the pioneers and their stories, remember that they came to build Zion in a united effort. And then accept the responsibility to instill such faith in all we meet, especially in the rising generation, and to do so through offering our own living sacrifice of a life moved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and anchored by the hope of good things to come through Him.” See Pioneers, An Anchor For Today (page 50); in this month’s Ensign, written by Elder Marcus B. Nash, of the Seventy.

Trivia Question:

What is one thing that survivors of Hurricane Katrina didn't have that they wish they had more than anything else after their disaster?

Anyone want to guess? Click here for the answer.

Planning For Survival

Calamities, Hard Times, The Last Days... I don't know where our family will be in the next 10 years or even the next six months or what things we will need to “survive”. All of our planning is being done in faith and guesses and following the Spirit. I trust people who claim to know, like Researchers, Geographers and Gospel Scholars and Apostles about what they believe is going to come. And I study the Scriptures. But more than anything or anyone, I am following the Spirit. We don’t know exactly what is to come or when, but we know it will and we want to be ready.

The idea of having a 72 Hour Kit is so that you will survive for 3 days after a natural disaster, before rescue services find you or you find them, but it could take longer than that. I am counting on that as I put ours together this month. I know… Most people put theirs together in two hours, or just buy one already put together. But the need to be prepared is more realistic for me now and more urgent this time. I am taking this project seriously, so I am putting more thought and effort into these than I have in the past.

The first time I put our kits together it took me 20 minutes. I bought ours years ago and added a few things of my own. I used to replace the perishable items every 6 months, on General Conference Saturday in April and October. But it’s been awhile. I’m in the middle of my process this time, so I will write about my first three steps today; research, making a checklist and personal inventory. I'll finish writing when I finish the kits.

My First Step, Research: I was curious what people are saying about 72 hour kits these days. I could guess what we might need, but thought I’d search Pinterest anyway to inspire my creativity. I came across some great ideas, but I also found that it can get overwhelming if you put too much time into it. This project can be simple and painless or intense and strenuous and very expensive.

How hard can it be? You need food and water and first aid and a little comfort <-- that is where all the effort is! Comfort to most of us is health, safety, shelter and sanitation, and for some fun and games and electronics with solar powered chargers is important to sustain sanity. What else is there? The thought that I keep having in all of my planning and at times stressing, is that the Lord will provide for our needs according to our faith. We do our part in faith and within our means, and He will provide the rest. I want our kits to be complete for what we NEED, but if they weigh us down so that we can’t walk, or put us into debt, they won’t do us any good.

There are some great resources on the internet if you need some help with your kits. I'll keep my favorite links and ideas summarized on my home page. And if you find some favorites of your own, feel free to share those with me. Lisa Bedford, The Survival Mom, is a well-known Prepper (someone who spends a lot of time preparing for survival after a natural disaster). She’s also a highly recommended Blogger (see her promotion for Brad Pitts’ movie, World War Z). She was in the military; she knows what it takes to survive and she tests her kits through periodic emergency drills. See her post; 36 Lessons from a 72 Hour Kit for some great tips.

My Second Step, Make a Prioritized Checklist: I figured out most of the things that I wanted, but I added a few things from Lisa Bedford’s checklist. I went shopping at the Dollar Store and bought a few things that I wanted and needed and kept the remaining things on my list for "some other day"; things are not urgent, but will be nice to have, like a Shemagh, (these are great for pillows, head and face coverings, blankets, first aid wraps, and for some people, fashion); a water filter, some Paracord or better yet, Fishing Kits with Paracords! 

Glenn Beck has some great ideas too; things that I have not found on other lists, like copies of legal documents and patriarchal blessings.

See also 72 Hour Kits; Emergency Preparedness on a budget from The Krazy Coupon Lady. I love her site! I have saved a lot of money from her coupons, which has allowed me to stock pile some of my purchases for my food and supply storage (including and separate from our 72 hour kits).

My Third Step, Personal Inventory: I pulled out our kits two weeks ago to replenish them because I knew it had been awhile. I had items in each of them that expired years ago! The clothes and shoes that I saved for our daughter fit her two years ago. I thought we were prepared! Our kits would have lasted 2 hours (if we were lucky). Following the every six months at Conference replenishing plan, allows me to not only have fresh food, but I also switch out the clothing, bedding and shoes that will work for the next 6 months; warm, winter clothes in October and cool, summer clothes in April.

Our Next Step, Family Council: Everyone in the family needs to be on the same page when it comes to surviving a disaster, but being prepared spiritually is more important for kids than talking about the what ifs or the could happens. Most people (not just kids) want to focus on God's love for us, on hope and faith and miracles. We will have as much or more of that to go with the hard times and having faith in that will be crucial for our survival.

Those of us who do well at packing for trips (like me), and planning for camp outs (like my husband), can take care of the boring stuff like what to put in our survival kits. Most kids don't care about what you're going to pack when you go camping. They're just excited for the adventure! They have faith that we will take care of them, and we will, if we are prepared.

Food For Thought

The title of my calling is the Family Preparedness Coordinator. I don't plan on preaching about food storage or making anyone wrong for not being prepared temporally. Even though that is important, being prepared will take more than having enough food and water to survive through the hard times. We are also counseled to gain and build our own testimonies of Christ. For those who want to add to their personal and family's spiritual and temporal preparedness, or feel inspired to start now, I will offer encouragement, suggestions and opportunities. And if you don't feel inspired right now, I hope to be able to change that.

"As for me and my house", we are preparing in every way that we can, every day, every chance we get. It's on our minds more than it ever has been. I have been finding tons of helpful information on lds.org. Click --> here to check it out! Read through the talks and stories and all of the great suggestions that they have about getting our wards and stakes educated and prepared. If you find anything on there that inspires you, feel free to give me your suggestions. I can't promise you that we will be able to do what you suggest, but I promise that I will give it serious consideration and effort whatever that means. I found an inspirational video clip about the saints in Joplin, Missouri. Click --> here to watch it.

I just learned that the direction from the leaders of the church now is to have 3 months of food and water and longer term supply of basic food items. It is no longer suggested or expected of us to have one or two years of food and water.

If you don't have two years or three months of food and water, save what you can now. Just do your best. There will be a day when we will have to depend on the supplies that we have saved. After that, we will rely on miracles with the one fish and loaf of bread that we have left. Nothing wrong with that, just sayin'. Do what you can, the Lord blesses us as we strive to do our best.

At this point, I believe that having a firm testimony or a spiritual reservoir, is more important than reserving food and water! If I had to choose between physical death from starvation or spiritual death; eternal damnation (stopped progression), I would choose starvation.

I love the quote by President Kimball that I have on my home page;

"Your faith will perform miracles, especially when you get your hands and feet involved!" 

I have a testimony of that; we are guided when we seek for it. When God knows your desires and you ask Him for His help, He will show you where to shop for the biggest sales, where to find coupons or even handouts for the things that you want or need to have. I have many stories to share of experiences that reminded me about the fact that He knows our needs, He cares about our wants and wishes and He provides when we do our part.