IT'S NOT ALWAYS WHAT IT SEEMS, PEOPLE!

I'm amazed at the reaction we get when people find out we're putting in a years supply of food.  It has ranged from; "Oh, you don't have to do that anymore," to "I don't want to spend all that money on food we're just going to throw away," to "You only have to have three months now."  This astounds me.  Clearly these are people who not only know nothing about the prophecies concerning these times, or perhaps they do not believe these are the last days spoken of in the prophecies, but they also don't understand what our prophets are saying when they stand at the pulpit.

I recently had a Relief Society President tell me that the "NEW" standard for food storage was a 3 months supply and that the "ONE YEAR" counsel was out dated.  In her defense, she was basing her beliefs on the pamphlet; "All is Safely Gathered In" in which we are counseled...now listen carefully...to store "at least" a three month supply of food.  Clearly this is a starting goal for those just starting out, or those who's financial condition makes a one year supply seem depressingly overwhelming.  Our efforts are what we will be judged by, not the contents of our pantry.  And we all know there are exceptions to every rule, but that doesn't mean we willfully make ourselves that exception, especially when we don't meet the criteria for it.

Let me put it this way;  Aside from the occasional out of work provider, economic downturns, rising cost of living, and an ever increasing rate of unemployment and poverty, the only other reason for even having a food supply is in the event of famine or food shortages, which have been widely reported recently.  Now, given everything you've ever read in the history books and in the bible--when have you ever known a famine or food shortage to last only three months?  The harvest cycle is one year, so you will need to store food for at least one harvest cycle.  Which brings us to the next issue.  Water.

We recently installed a 525 gallon water tank in addition to our six 55 gal. barrels.  People were surprised that we'd want to store so much water, when in fact, this is only a six month supply of drinking water for our family size.  The general belief is that you should only be storing a 2 week supply, which seems more than ridiculous to me.  Our bodies need water.  We die without it.  A drought is defined as abnormally low rainfall which result in water shortage.  The length of any drought on record is no less than three years.  Seven, if you include the droughts in the bible.  When Nephi closed the heavens, creating a drought for the people's sake, it lasted for over two years, but that was no rain at all and many people died.  In latter-day prophecy we are told to watch for the sign of the rainbow, or rather the lack thereof.  Do you realize that in order to have a year without a rainbow, you have to have a year without any rainfall whatsoever?  In what plausible scenario could a two week supply of water be considered adequate?  Again, the confusion comes from the church pamphlet (which I believe to be good counsel) which suggests "starting" with a two week supply, and then going from there to complete your storage.  The guidelines suggest a minimum 1 gallon per person, per day.  MINIMUM!  You need to store according to the needs of each individual in your household.

Having said all that, all of which should matter, it really boils down to one thing.  Obedience.  It doesn't matter if we never have to use our food storage.  It doesn't matter if it gets handed down from one generation to the next, or if we have to throw it out and replace it again, and again, and again.  We have been commanded to get prepared, and those who don't will be the first to suffer.  Not from any natural calamity, but from spiritual malnourishment--an empty lamp, so to speak.

The first law ever broken was broken in the garden of Eden and it was the law of obedience.  Adam and Eve were commanded not to partake, and they disobeyed.

We are told that while the Bridegroom prepared for the wedding feast, the ten virgins slumbered and slept.  The question you have to ask yourselves is; "Am I wise, or foolish?"  Do I obey the commandments of God minimally, or do I give it my best effort?  Wake up and be obedient.  And if the prophets say nothing about food storage or emergency preparations in the next general conference, I'll shut up.  But I know they cannot keep quite in times like these and it would be wise to listen.  It's not as much about storage, though there is that--but it's about obedience.  It doesn't matter to anyone else whether you have food storage, or not.  What matters is that we do what the Prophets counsel us to do.