Farmington West Provident Living

LDS Church News, September 13, 2018 :            "Hurricane Florence was still months away, 'but I felt a need to spend a fairly significant amount of time [during the zone conferences] on emergency preparedness."           "Under President Holland’s direction, the missionaries were soon building 72-hour kits, stocking up on drinking water and developing communication and evacuation plans."             "'When [Hurricane Florence] did come, I felt that our missionaries were feeling quite peaceful and well-prepared,' he told the Church News on Thursday."             "For anyone residing in hurricane-threatened communities, 'peace' and 'preparedness' are priceless qualities."  Don't give up your sense of peace because of a lack of preparedness. Do something today to prepare for the unexpected.

"Because the Savior offered Himself as the infinite Atonement, you and I have the opportunity, the privilege , to be forgiven when we repent. We can also turn to Him for healing of our hearts, for strength where we are weak, and for help to do things we simply cannot do on our own,"  Russell M. Nelson ,  Special Witnesses of Christ .                                       

It's that time again--back to school! Now is the perfect time to put together a small kit for the kids, in case of emergency. If placed in an oversized pencil pouch, your emergency kit will be small enough to fit in a backpack or locker. The following is a list of items that could be included in your back-to-school emergency kit: High-calorie snacks Water pouches or a water bottle Flashlight Glowstick Whistle  Disposable gloves  Bandana  Tiny notebook and pen  Lighter (if allowed) Pocket-knife (if allowed) Tissues Disposable poncho Hand warmers Face mask Small solar charger  Emergency blanket Pair of socks Pictures of child and family  Contact information for child  Contact information for relatives that can be contacted in case of emergency Instructions for child of what to do in an emergency Note of comfort

When we speak of preparedness, we often tend to focus on the temporal aspects such as food, clothing and shelter. We may be tempted to think that temporal preparedness is just temporal, but the Lord said, “All things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal.” ( D&C 29:34 .) Being prepared isn't easy. It requires commitment, work and faith. In order to truly prepare for the trials and hardship we may face in life, we must be diligent in learning and living the doctrines of Jesus Christ. Elder Neil L. Anderson said, "A stronger personal faith in Jesus Christ will prepare [your children] for the challenges they will most surely face... "Each needs his or her own light, his or her own 'steadfast and immovable' faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, independent of parents, youth leaders, and supportive friends. "The stories of Jesus can be like a rushing wind across the embers of faith in the he...

Do you know what you are preparing for? We often think of natural disasters when we're thinking preparedness, but there are so many other reasons to be spiritually and temporally prepared. We never know when there will be a crisis in our lives, so now is the best time to  sit down and walk yourself through a potential emergency, then figure out what you need to do to get yourself through it.   Check out this woman's story of what she learned from her personal crisis and how she is using that knowledge to help her better prepare for the future. 

 Our gardening and pruning class last Thursday was A-MAZING! We started by learning about seeds, how to store them and how to "wake them up" we you're ready to use them. Seeds from heirloom plants can be harvested and saved for the next planting season. Seeds store longer in the freezer. But before you store your seeds, make sure they are completely dry. Storing your seeds in the freezer extends the life of your seeds, but if you don't usually store them in the freezer, you'll want to freeze them for 24-48 hours before you plant so that they'll wake up and grow faster when you're ready to plant. Our contact for the heirloom seeds we purchased in the stake order is Mitch West.  Next, we learned about pruning. We learned that it's best to prune stone fruit trees (apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums) while the trees are dormant and other fruit trees while they're blossoming (apple, pear, etc.). But it's better to prune than not to prun...

A wood-burning or coal-burning tent stove is typically used for heating or cooking in tents. In camping or emergency situations, tent stoves are great for heating larger tents. Most tent stoves feature a damper at the stove's outlet that can be closed to force the exhaust through an after burner at the top of the stove. Using an enclosed tent stove initially requires leaving the damper and air vents open until a bed of coals has been formed. After that, the damper is closed and the air vent can be regulated to control how quickly the wood or coal is burned. A properly loaded and controlled air-tight stove will burn safely for eight hours or more without further attention. Correct air flow and ventilation are critical to efficient and safe burning. The safe operation of a tent stove requires regular maintenance such as emptying ash pans beneath the wood grate. Routine cleaning of the stove pipes and chimney is also needed to prevent chimney fires. Creosote and soot gradually build u...

For the month of September, we're focusing on emergency preparedness. This post is about one of the most forgotten or avoided emergency preparedness topics--sanitation. When we think of disaster scenarios, we often tend to focus on the destruction that comes during a natural disaster, like the possibility of falling objects injuring us during an earthquake. But there's a more serious threat than falling objects, and it comes AFTER a disaster has occurred. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have compiled a list of health and safety concerns for disasters. Among that list is illness and injury prevention . Because usual hygiene practices may be disrupted after a disaster, the risks of illness and disease are greatly increased. It's important to know how to prevent disease by learning how to properly dispose of trash and human waste, and by making sure you have access to clean water. There's a reason why many third world countries, without proper sewage and wa...