LDS Welfare Information

Last Updated 4/15/2011 (Look here first when you visit to see if any changes have been made since your last visit). This is a work in process. Be sure to click "Refresh" on your internet browser, to receive the latest version.

This site is a collection of Temporal Self-Reliance/Preparation Materials that I have found interesting or helpful. It is intended for members of or people familiar with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) and assumes such familiarity, but anyone is very welcome.

DISCLAIMER: This is my own personal web site (and NOT endorsed as any official LDS church-endorsed material) and collection of various preparedness materials that has been helpful to me. I alone am responsible for selecting this content and none of these should be considered "official church policy" in any sense nor "official church teachings" (except where so quoting official Church sources). Except for the sections quoting or linking the official LDS church website or the LDS general authorities, the remainder of the material is as indicated.

We have been counseled to research, study out in our own mind, pray, adopt the general principles for our specific situations and not blindly follow others, including me.

I have not tried to make this site fancy with pretty graphics, but simply a list of valuable resources. There is nothing for sale on this site. Attritubution to the author should be given. It is OK with me for you to share this page or material here with others. I list the size of the download files when they are bigger than 2-3MB.

Thanks

Brother Robinson

The material below is organized in the following manner-- first by broad topic, then by the quality of the source (church highest, other man-made organizations lowest, etc.)

********Here is the outline of content: (content below)****************

I. General Preparedness

II. Financial Preparedness

III. Food Storage and General Preparedness

IV. Pandemic Preparedness

IV. EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) Attack Preparedness

***************HERE IS THE MATERIAL:***********************

I. General Preparedness

A. Official church Material, Policy or Statements

Church Main Provident Living (Self-Reliance) home page here: Provident Living Home

New Welfare Booklet Is Now Available (March, 2008). A new booklet that summarizes basic welfare principles and elements of self-reliance is now available for priesthood and Relief Society leaders as well as members responsibilities. The new booklet, Providing in the Lord's Way: Summary of A Leader's Guide to Welfare, can help all Church members better understand their welfare responsibilities.

B. LDS Church General Authorities

"Be Not Terrified but Believing" by Elder H. Aldridge Gillespie Of the Second Quorum of Seventy; LDS Business College Devotional, February 9, 2005

James E. Faust, “The Blessings We Receive As We Meet the Challenges of Economic Stress,” Ensign, Nov 1982 (during last biggest recession since 1929).

Ezra Taft Benson, “Prepare for the Days of Tribulation,” Ensign, Nov. 1980, 32

"Lay Up in Store", April, 2007 Priesthood session, Bishop Keith B. McMullin. Announcement of two new major church pamphlets and changes. (Highlighted version)

C. General church-unit published material

Download the Guidebook to Self-Reliance distributed by the Lakewood WA Stake in 2006. This is an excellent, starting with the basics step-by-step to advanced in all the major areas of self-reliance.

North Salt Lake Stake suggested Family Home Evening Lesson on Preparedness (2007 PDF file)

D. LDS Members talks, material or presentations

***EXCELLENT. LOOK AT THIS IF NOTHING ELSE***Download an excellent 200 page plus general LDS Preparedness Manual here (A PDF document).

**ALSO A GOOD STARTER, only 14 pages*** On the Path to Preparedness

A summary three page document from one of a recent family home evenings with extended family that summarizes the broad preparedness areas and recommendation basic steps.

Great talk on Preparedness. I especially liked the thought that you have to start to live it, before the testimony of it comes, just like tithing, prayer, etc. Download here (It prints very slowly in PDF, but is worth it)

Basic simple 36 page Family Emergency Preparedness Handbook download here (A Word document)

Dry Pack handouts download here. (A PDF Document). This material was current before 2007 changes and has NOT been updated. So for example, it still references a year's supply and shorter years of storage, than new church life estimates of 20-30 years for the longer term storage foods. But much good other dry pack material and details.

Here is a nice short, one page list of likely needed preparedness items (A Word document).

Here is a long Preparedness list (An Excel document) of specific items to help you brain storm what you might need needed.

Here is a brain storm list of preparedness by 5 levels of preparedness in Word

E. Other material or presentations

December, 2008 official US Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism Report "World At Risk". Good discussion of the major terrorist risks facing us. Delivered to the US President.

From the Strategic Studies Institute, United States Army War College: "KNOWN UNKNOWNS: UNCONVENTIONAL 'STRATEGIC SHOCKS'" discusses the Bush administration game-changing "strategic shock" inside its first 8 months in office and the next [Obama] administration would be well-advised to expect the same during the course of its first term.

March 2009, Economist Intelligence Unit, United Kingdom: "Manning the barricades; Who's at risk as deepening economic distress foments social unrest".

Here is a starter "List of Lists" in Excel. Some are nicely filled in, some only started.

II. Financial Preparedness

A. Official church Material, Policy or Statements

Church Main Home Page on Financial Preparedness is here: Family Finances Excellent Training material here

Church home site for employment help: http://www.providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,8550-1-4774-1,00.html

Church official new 2007 Financial Pamphlet is here: http://www.providentliving.org/ff/pdf/WE_FamilyFinancesGuide_International_04007_000.pdf

B. LDS Church General Authorities

C. General church published material

D. LDS Members Talks, material or presentations

E. Other material or presentations

Wall Street Journal Article on Money and Marriage is here

Out of print, but excellent handout from the federal reserve of how they work

III. Food Storage and other General Preparedness

A. Official church Material, Policy or Statements

Church's home web page for Food Storage is here: Family Home Storage

Church official new 2007 Food Storage Pamphlet is here: http://www.providentliving.org/fhs/pdf/WE_FamilyResourcesGuide_International_04008_000.pdf

Church official current (as of 2/2/09) Family Home Storage Center ("Cannery") order form is here: http://www.providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,8133-1-4352-1,00.html

Church page with links and information on Gardening: http://www.providentliving.org/channel/0,11677,6637-1,00.html;

A recent article in the Ensign highlights a new message on home storage to help you be prepared.

B. LDS Church General Authorities

Important announcement of new official church food storage program in 2007: Bishop Keith B. McMullin Speaks on Family Home Storage

C. General church published material

D. LDS Members talks, material or presentations

93 Pages of good general food storage information, including lists for 72 hour kits, etc. Not updated for 2007 changes in Church programs. Download here (A Word document)

22 page Gardening Ideas Handout download here (A Word document)

Excellent summary article on all lighting options

Lesson on "so you think you have enough food storage" download here (a word Document)

Basic seven page handout on water storage (in Word)

Basic battery storage options and cooking options here and here

Recipe: Homemade Apple Pie from dehydrated apples

E. Other material or presentations

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, west of the cascades, the best specific vegetable gardening advice book I have ever seen is "Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades: The Complete Guide to Organic Gardening (Paperback) by Steve Solomon. Amazon link here: http://www.amazon.com/Growing-Vegetables-West-Cascades-Gardening/dp/1570615349/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246230127&sr=8-1

This Word list is a reported to be the 100 items to disappear first in Sarajevo at the start of the war. I don't know if true, but it is a good storage list.

Excellent detail discussion of good water storage options (PDF)

Good short handout of major water purification options here.

Good discussion of portable fuel containers (PDF). Some links a little dated.

Download State of Texas Manual on Rainwater Harvesting (88 pages, PDF, 2MB)

PDF of one author's suggestion of needed amounts of garden vegetables to be grown and preserved for a family of four.

Below is a very good You-tube video series on preserving food through dehydration. She talks about getting food items on sale...which means dehydrating right through the winter... even frozen foods. I personally am NOT an expert on dehydrating, and I have not watched every video here, but the series seems good. Please give me feedback.
How to dehydrate and store food PART 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxVpIHre2ao&feature=related
How to dehydrate and store food PART 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSK0o2TgcEQ&annotation_id=annotation_969264&feature=iv
How to dehydrate and store food PART 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoy-3ondVcE&annotation_id=annotation_437633&feature=iv
How to dehydrate and store food PART 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaiHThH-oUA&annotation_id=annotation_143400&feature=iv
How to dehydrate and store food PART 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaiHThH-oUA&annotation_id=annotation_143400&feature=iv
pink pill in oxygen bag means the oxy packets are still fresh... if they turn blue they are no good
How to dehydrate and store food PART 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd7kEAo3mJU&annotation_id=annotation_499168&feature=iv

Here is a video (music only, no narration) that shows the Dry Pack process at a LDS Family Canning Center. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQdVNBpOkM4

making basic white cheese: watch-v=YF8FbAbrzTE&NR=1 One woman said they did this one night at church for RS Enrichment night.

posts on how to make cheese with powered milk.

how to make cottage, cream, and barrel cheddar cheese...watch-v=fP_oTgBjjco

Amish Bleu Cheese: watch-v=22QcpK3BxNo&feature=channel

A family in the middle of Pasadena, CA has a 4,300 sq ft garden, produces 6-10,000 pounds of food a year, lives and eat well on $30,000 a year. Series of videos and a newsletter. http://www.youtube.com/user/dervaes

The Core Historical Literature of Agriculture (CHLA) is a core electronic collection of agricultural texts published between the early nineteenth century and the middle to late twentieth century. Full-text materials cover agricultural economics, agricultural engineering, animal science, crops and their protection, food science forestry, human nutrition, rural sociology, and soil science. Scholars have selected the titles in this collection for their historical importance. Their evaluations and 4,500 titles are detailed in the seven volume series The Literature of the Agricultural Sciences, Wallace C. Olsen, series editor. Albert R. Mann Library. 2008. Core Historical Literature of Agriculture (CHLA). Ithaca, NY: Albert R. Mann Library, Cornell University. click here to search complete collection: http://chla.library.cornell.edu.

For a related collection of core texts in the disciplines of home economics, see Home Economics Archive: Research, Tradition and History (HEARTH) at http://hearth.library.cornell.edu/

International Compendium of Sanitation Systems and Technologies This Compendium is intended to be used by engineers, planners and other professionals who are familiar with sanitation technologies and processes. It is not a training manual or stand-alone resource for people with no experience in sanitation planning, but lots on interesting and detailed sanitation information.

Some interesting space saving gardening ides: Growing Food in Times of Scarcity

The classic "Where There is no Doctor" handbook has just been updated in 2010. (8MB adobe).

IV. Pandemic Preparedness

A. Official church Material, Policy or Statements

Eight New 6/08 church pamphlets on Pandemic Preparations go here :Pandemic Preparedness Planning Also here is an EXCELLENT BYU-Idaho training video on Pandemic Preparedness. VERY IMPORTANT brand new Church Pamphlets.

Here is a PDF copy as down-loaded form the church's web site of all 8 new pamphlets.

Included in the above link, but below are links to the church individual Pandemic pamphlets:

B. LDS Church General Authorities

C. General church published material

Brigham Young University—Idaho offers an online training video for the prevention of Avian flu (http://streaming.byui.edu/safetyoffice/flu.wmv).

D. LDS Members talks, material or presentations

E. Other material or presentations

The Center for Disease Control (http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/tab3.html) Web site offers pandemic flu information for individuals and families.

The classic "Where There is no Doctor" handbook has just been updated in 2010. (8MB adobe).

IV. EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) Attack Preparedness

D. LDS Members talks, material or presentations

E. Other material or presentations

Wall Street Journal article on 8/9/08 "The EMP Threat", disusing an official US Government commission's report: "The subject of its latest, and little discussed, report to Congress is the effect an EMP attack could have on civilian infrastructure. If you're prone to nightmares, don't read it before bedtime....our vulnerability "can both invite and reward attack," the commission's chairman, William Graham, told Congress last month. Iran's military writings "explicitly discuss a nuclear EMP attack that would gravely harm the United States," he said. James Shinn, an assistant secretary of defense, has said that China is developing EMP weapons. The commission calls an EMP attack "one of a small number of threats that can hold our society at risk of catastrophic consequences. The threat is real. It's past time to address it."

A complete copy (7MB) of the "Report of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack, Critical National Infrastructures" available here, as referenced in the Wall Street Journal Article above. An official US Government commission report. Published April, 2008.