News from our Stake Leaders--PREPARE EVERY NEEDFUL THING...

       The dictionary defines provident as 1) preparing for the future and 2) frugal.  My father grew up very poor and often went to bed hungry, so having plenty of food on the shelves was a big deal to him.  His motivation was guided more by the first definition.  Mother was a bargain shopper, and always watched the shopping ads to stock up when items were on sale.  She was driven more by the second.  I have lived most of my adult life a considerable distance from stores, so being prepared and buying ahead has just been a way of life for me.
       For decades our prophets have advised us to live providently; to prepare for the future, to live within our means, and to be self-reliant.  Now, as never before in my lifetime, I am seeing the cost of food rising, in some cases alarmingly, every time I shop.  I have noticed that as prices have risen on many products, packaging sizes have decreased.  As this trend continues the need to live providently will increase.
       Our church leaders have advised that we all have a three months supply on hand of the foods we normally eat.  A good way to accomplish this it to begin to make a record of the types of food and quanities of food our families consume.
       Similar to making a shopping list, make a consumption list.  Start on a given day and keep a record posted on your refrigerator of the food your family uses.  For items that are used up gradually, like salt for instance, write the date you first open it right on the package with a Sharpie.  Over time you will begin to realize how much of each item you use and know how to plan for future preparedness.
       Involving the family in this process will increase your chances of success!  Plan a FHE lesson and include your children in plannng and keeping track of food consumption.  This will help them gain an understanding of the importance of living providently.  I believe that children who are taught these lessons will be less likely to be wasteful and more likely to feel gratitude for the blessings that provident living brings.
       Make provident living a goal and take your gials to the Lord in prayer for help and inspiration.  He will help and bless you for your desire to be obedient and prepared.

Leann Lundgren

Self-relience is a product of our work and undergirds all other welfare practices...It is an essential element in our spiritual as well as our temporal well-being.

President Thomas S. Monson