Recent conversations in our house hold have centered on the recommendations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to have a minimum of one year supply of food on hand. Food storage and emergency preparedness seems more practical today as gas prices increase due to the $160 barrel of oil imports.

Minimum wage is set so low as to make a wage earner not afford a vehicle and all of its expense (gas, insurance, maintenance, payments), especially the new graduate or family. Walking, car pooling, or city transport systems must be used more fully in order for the average American to afford the necessities of life; like food, housing, clothing.

Those who have been blessed with higher wages due to years on the job, education or expertise, know that they are not guaranteed against hardships either. It is taking more and more effort for the dollar to spread as far as what is required to survive.

Recently we made the decision to take satellite TV out of our home. The resulting savings equaled over $900 a year. Likewise the excess home phone, extra garbage can and other non-essential amenities are being deleted. The savings from these few changes are enough to focus more financially for the storms ahead.

We have been blessed exceedingly in life. We do not own a huge fancy house, though it is large enough to house the children who seem to constantly flux in and out of its walls, due to the hard economic pressures of society. We do not own sporty or excessive cars. Our clothes still mainly come from Wal-Mart and our food from bargain sales.

As a family we have sacrificed and invested in tents which can and will house our large family if needed. We have dutch ovens in various sizes. Winter survival gear (sleeping bags, low temperature clothing, etc) has slowing been added to our efforts. We have been blessed of the Lord with these things.

Many people think "I have applied my money for these things in order to provide for my family in a day of need." This thinking is completely wrong. The "I" and "my"s are way too plentiful. The Lord has blessed you with these things, so that He might be able to use them as He sees fit at some future date.

Everything we have comes from the Lord and is only in our possession because of His goodness and mercy towards us. Even the very breath we breath is a gift. The Lord knows our needs, but He also knows the full story. He knows who is willing to impart of their substance in order to support the whole.

A thirty + man tent is sufficient for our seven children and their families to live in if homes should be lost. However, so is a twenty + man tent. Should the Lord require a larger tent, and should we own that larger tent, for a school building, infirmary, kitchen, office or whatever, then He is more than welcomed to it. He has provided it in the first place. He has laid up in store those things, with people that He trusts, so that He can have them available when they are needed to save His people from tragedy. Who are we to say no to the Lord who has given us so much in the first place?

A Christ like people and a Zion community must not think of themselves or their family first. They must have foremost in their heart and mind the will of the Lord. The City of Enoch was such a society. There was no poor among them and wickedness could not enter in, because the people of the city desired only to do the Lord's will, not their own.

Keep this in mind if we are asked to depart with worldly substances. We may never know if it is an Angel or the Lord himself asking for these things. When Bishops and leaders of the Church ask what you have available to share with a community in need, do not hesitate to respond, honestly and willingly.

This past week I underwent an emergency surgical procedure, which has left me with a little more time on my hands than usual; hence more research has occurred. This blog is a result of that research and thought process.

Have all of you seen "I am Legend" with Will Smith? A Sci Fi adventure film about New York City being annihilated and left with only mutated beings in control. Then there is Will Smith struggling to survive by day, and locked in tight at night.



Let's move on to the Mad Max Series starring Mel Gibson. Gibson is a good guy in a world that has gone a muck after civilization has deteriorated into gang control. Fuel has become a precious commodity. He who controls it, has the power. Gibson, like Smith, only wants to survive. He becomes an unlikely hero in this harsh world of survival.



In Revelations we read about a 13 month world war which will cripple the United States, and leave about 1/3 of the world population dead. Many will be like Smith and Gibson, only wanting to survive until mankind has regained his senses. Government control and "sanity" will come about because of those who have survived and are true supporters of the Constitution.

On the banks of the Delaware, George Washington looked around and saw his troops suffering from cold, fatigue and hunger. His compassion was full and his determination rekindled to build a nation that would allow it's members lifelong freedoms. Even as he sat there building this nation in his heart and soul, he was shown a vision. This vision showed Washington that this great Nation would eventually fall into enemy hands.


The movie "Red Dawn" with Patrick Swayze gives us a good view of how a foreign invasion could occur. A small group of high school rebels known as the Wolverines try to defend their home town and Nation from Russian troops. This not so happily-ever-after movie needs to be found in an edited edition, as the stark reality of what could be is too graphic in language and violence to be tolerated as a whole.



Just as "Red Dawn" gives us a glimpse of safety, and "I am Legend" verifies camps of safety and protection, so does the Lord promise us safety and protection. This promise is based on obedience and purity of heart. Not all who cry "Lord, Lord" will be saved.

Purity of heart does not mean perfection of heart. It simply identifies those like Gibson, Smith and Swayze, who want only to help others survive. There can be no selfish agendas. It must be an "all for one" desire of heart.

Though this blog may appear disheartening to some, I believe the movies mentioned above, can give us an inward motivation to seek more earnestly to follow the prophet and his counsels. Obedience to the Lord always and without hesitation.

Return to the Neighborhood.