SodySpokes

Sacrament Meeting Talk – April 22, 2007

** Food Storage **

Good Afternoon sisters & Brothers, My prayer is that the spirit will speak here today.

Let us begin with D&C 59: 16 – 20

“16 Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, (“this” being repenting, fasting & praying – taken from the scriptures above)the fulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth;17 Yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards;18 Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, ( I had a sister tell me once that with the grocery stores around everything was in season year around) are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart;19 Yea, for food and the raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul.20 And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion.”

Now let us go to D & C 49: 18, 19

“18 And whoso forbiddeth to abstain from meats, that man should not eat the same, is not ordained of God; 19 For, behold, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air; and that which cometh of the earth, is ordained for the use of man for food and for raiment, and that he might have in abundance.

It would be nice to have all things that we need, but sometimes circumstance makes it so we do not. When I looked up “Food Storage” in the Topical Guide it directed me to “Famine” I thought that was interesting – but maybe today this word “famine” could be a synonym of “adversity”. Everyone of us has had some type of adversity – maybe it was medical, or schooling, or job loss, or anything else that makes our lives miserable or causes a “famine” in them.Join me at Genesis 41: 25 – 32

Here we have Joseph called before Pharaoh to interpret the dreams …

“25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one; God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.

27 And the seven thin and ill favored kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.

(Jump to) 31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous. 32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because that thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.”Our Prophets today have counseled us to be self-reliant, to plant gardens and store the harvest. That we should store against adversity or famine.The Food Storage programs in the past have charts that plan out for you how much of each item you needed – How many pounds of wheat per person per day – how many pounds of rice or beans – how much water and so forth. These programs just assumed that the person storing the food knew what they were doing. For example: it says so much WHEAT per person – this is figuring you knew how to store the wheat so it didn’t spoil, sprout, or become rodent supper. Should you store it correctly, did you have a grinder and did you know how to use it? And if it was electric – could it be converted to be used by hand? This program figured you know what to cook from this wheat that you have stored and c0uld grind. Lastly it figured you liked what was cooked from the wheat. For most of us on this program – we got the wheat, that all. ( there is a comedian that has said, “You might be a Mormon if you have more wheat in your basement that most 3^rd world countries.)

Beans is another staple of this old program – my parents had beans for years. We had beans twice a month – sometimes more often and still the beans lasted. Me? I could not cook beans to save my life – or my families either. No matter what or how I try to cook beans – they never turn out edible. So to have beans in my food storage they would have to be for bartering purposes or pre-cooked, because I can not cook beans to live on.The current program is called “All Is Safely Gathered In”. It is a wonderfully simple and understandable program to follow.

The First Presidency says this, “…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.”

Start with a Three Months Supply – as follows: “Build a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet. One way to do this is to purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply of food. Then you can gradually increase your supply until it is sufficient for three months. These items should be rotated regularly to avoid spoilage.”

How simple - store what you eat and eat what you store. Last week Brother Hatch mentioned buying a can and throwing it under the bed and pretty soon you would have a lumpy bed. I suggest that you roll the cans under in an orderly fashion – roll under from one side and take out for use from the other – this way it will be organized under your bed and maybe not too lumpy.We know people who have had to live off of their food storage, and they testify of it’s importance. I believe them and have made an attempt to start on this important program. Fortunately, we have not yet had to live off of our food storage – I am sure we would not last long.

Some years ago it was the practice, in some areas for the Bishop to call on families to live off of their food storage for a week or two and see how they did. Some were ok and some had to beg him to relent and excuse them from the experiment. We might last a week – no way much longer. But this current program will be easier to follow and makes more sense to me for me. All I have to remember to store with these items is a can opener and fuel for the stove.

I have a testimony of this Church that is led by a Prophet that speaks with, and is directed by Jesus Christ. He will not lead us astray – he has told us to store against adversity and I know this is good and wise.

Let me end with the words of Jacob:

Jacob 6: 12 ” O be wise; what can I say more?” I know that the Church is true and that the Prophets have only given us information for our own good. I know that this current program for food storage can and will work for all of us, we only need to be dilligent and obedient. I know that Jesus did all that we say he did and I am grateful for it.

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