Stocking Up

I have mixed feelings about stocking up on food and supplies for the time of trouble. I believe that God will take care of my family and even send us food to eat if we were hungry. He did it for Elijah. He can do it for us as well. I think that if we stock up on food and other supplies that we will risk having others take the supplies from us by force.

On the other hand, we have no way of predicting when the “great time of trouble” will actually begin. There could be a depression like the Great Depression before the real “time of trouble” begins. We just don’t know. I have been praying about it and asking God what I should do to prepare for my family.

I feel strongly that I need to do what I can to prepare for an uncertain future. My first priority is to prepare my heart and the hearts of my children for the return of Jesus. They are ready! I praise God for this. My five year old loves to pray at meal time and during family worship. She always ask Jesus to come back soon. I am so thankful for my children who love the Lord and are anxious for His return!

So, what am I doing to prepare our home? In order to come to terms with my trust in God – believing that He will take care of us, I know I cannot rely on my own means to care for my family. I have to do what I can in the here and now to make sure that we have the supplies we need, but also be prepared and prepare my family with the knowledge that our home, our food, our belongings do not really matter. We need to be ready to walk away a moment’s notice and leave all of our earthly possessions behind. I actually cannot wait to see Jesus, so I am definitely ready! How exciting this time we live in is! Like the great hymn… It’s a Grand and Awful Time.

So here is a list of things that might be important to have. This is my own list, you might find a better one some where else. You might want to add to it, or take away from it.

1. Water. They say 1 gallon of water per person per day. We don’t have that much – there are a lot of people in our family and keeping 20 gallons of water per day for even a month would be too much space – that would be 500 gallons a month! We get our water free from springs here in Harlan County. The spring we get our water from is about 30 miles from here, though, so we would need another water source.

2. Rain Barrels. If you are not able to store enough water, rain barrels are a viable option – if you live in an area where it rains on a regular basis. This water will not be pure so you will need to have some way to purify the water. Boiling, bleach, or filters will work. In the event of an emergency, you can rig a tarp to catch water and drain into a barrel or large bucket. For every inch of rain, 1 square foot of space on your tarp or roof will yield about 1/2 gallon water. So, a 10 x 10 tarp could produce about 50 gallons of water for every inch of rain. That’s a lot of water!

3. Activated Charcoal. We use activated charcoal on a regular basis in our home. We use it mostly for stomach/ intestinal upsets. Once I drank some water that was contaminated (I didn’t realize it until after I drank it) and I took charcoal then. Activated charcoal can be used to purify your water if you need to. You can actually just stir in a teaspoon into your water and drink. Activated charcoal is tasteless and odorless. You can mix the powder into your water and drink or you can fill gelatin capsules with the powder, or you can buy it in tablet form. I prefer the powder. We use the Millard & Wilson Brand of charcoal. You can probably find this in your local health food store.

4. Toiletries. Think about the basics: toilet paper, feminine products, soap. You might want to invest in cloth feminine napkins, or have supplies on hand to make your own. Cleanliness would also be an issue – how would you wash cloth napkins if there was no pure water source? If there is no water running in your house, toilets would not be operating. They teach us in Pathfinders to dig a hole and bury it and to not “go to the bathroom” within 100 feet of a water source. If you have a baby in the house… what about diapers? You should have a stock of cloth diapers (about three dozen) on hand – and not the really nice thick ones. If you are needing to wash diapers out by hand, thin birdseye cloth diapers would be ideal – and they dry quickly. These are available at any Wal-Mart.

5. Cleaning Agents. In this country we are so used to having running water (in most places – here in Harlan County where I live, 1/3 of the county still does not have running water!) that we have no real idea about what it means to have to haul water from the nearest source in order to clean ourselves and our homes. A large pot that would be suitable for a fire pit would be good to have on hand. And some of the basics – vinegar, baking soda, borax, plain soap, bleach, and a wash board. I have a large sink in my basement that has a washboard on it.

6. Medicines and More. What would happen if the economy collapsed and you had no way to get your medicines? And then there are the basics: Tylenol, aspirin, cough syrup. If you had an injury you might need: hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol, peroxide, bandages, bandage tape, guaze, burn ointment, calamine lotion. In our house we rely often on herbal medicines. We make our own tinctures and ointments. I recommend that everyone have on hand: Cayenne Tincture, Dried Ginger Root, Lobelia Tincture, Garlic.

7. Food. We can’t live without food, right? I suggest you stock up on things that will last. Dried beans, grains such as rice, oats and wheat, cornmeal, sugar, TVP, popcorn kernels, powdered milk, canned foods. There are some great websites about food storage that I have recently found. One of my favorites is the Food Storage Made Easy. This group of ladies teaches you how to store what you eat and eat what you store. Maybe I am the only one, but I didn’t know that the Mormons have always stored up food for the time of trouble! On Food Storage Made Easy, these ladies have even provided a handy worksheet for helping you plan a 3 month supply of food for your family. Again, remember that if you have a baby and you do not breastfeed, you need to stock up on formula. Food grade buckets with gamma seals are ideal for storing food. If you do decide to stock up on a large amount of food, you need to rotate your food and keep your supply updated regularly. Eat it or by the time you need it, it may be no good.

8. Lighting. If we have no electricity, candles and solar lanterns would be really good to have on hand. My son has a neat flashlight that you can shake and it recharges itself.

Like I said before, I am preparing for the worst with the idea that if/when I need to “flee into the wilderness” that my heart is also prepared for that. I am going to get a topographical map so that we can learn more about our area.

Jesus said, “But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.

“For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.” Mark 13: 14-23 (emphasis mine)

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