WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE/ 2ND TRY

WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE?

I remember the drought in the early 1950s living in Monticello, Utah. My father raised cattle and sheep. His livestock grazed desert ranges in the winter between Monticello and Moab and fed on the mountain grasses in the Colorado mountains north of Dolores, Colorado in the summer. It was strictly a grazing operation-no grain or hay was raised. The only way there was grass for the sheep and cattle to eat was if the Lord sent rain for the grass to grow.
During this time, the rain didn’t come and the ground was dry and dusty. It seemed the wind was constant and strong. Many times I witnessed the sky turn red as the winds carried red sand from the red soil around Monticello. Everything was dirty-the sand even seemed to blow through the window seals and settle inside our homes. The blown sand drifted into fences almost burying them. I remember building a new fence on top of an old fence completely covered by a sand drift. I helped my father move the cows which resulted in my eyes and mouth being irritated with sand. With no rain, every reservoir used to water the animals was dry.

I could feel my father’s helplessness about the situation because he had no control over the weather and when it would rain. He didn’t want to sell the mother cows and sheep because then he had no ways of raising calves and lambs to sell to support his family. He had the added burden because he was the bishop in Monticello charged with the welfare of his ward members- most were farmers and ranchers in his community. My father was a man of great faith. He literally believed the teachings of the Book of Mormon in Alma chapter 34 that a person should pray to the Lord about their houses, fields, flocks, crops and their own welfare and the welfare of others. This he did and also organized many community fasts , asking the Lord for rain in our area to help the farmers and stockmen. But he didn’t just fast and pray and sit back and wait for the rain. He drilled wells to provide water for his livestock. He purchased grain and hay to supplement the natural grasses. He didn’t give up and finally the rains came again, the sand storms ended, the skies were blue again and he and the community survived.

We live in uncertain times, both in respect to our nation’s and world economy but also our local financial situation. We are aware of the prophetic utterance given by Pres. Eyring at our stake conference in May of 2004 that our stake had become too comfortable and complacent and things were going to change. He didn’t tell us what was going to be our challenge but urged us to prepare our lives for what was awaiting us. We have been counseled to prepare ourselves financially and live within our means and get out of debt. We have been instructed to:
1. Prepare a 72 hour emergency kit.
2. Gradually build up a three months supply of food you normally eat.
3. Store drinking water.
4. Accumulate over time a reasonable cash financial reserve.
5. After these goals have been achieved, store long term basic foods such as grains legumes and other staples.
To help us with these goals, the stake is sponsoring a Preparedness Seminar at the stake center on April 18, 2009 to instruct us on food storage, getting out of debt, budgeting and other topics. Remember, “if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.”

In chapter 34 of Alma, Amulek counseled that it’s not enough to continually pray for our welfare and the welfare of others, but that we need to impart of our substance to those in need. We need to be generous in our fast offerings so that as a”Zion stake,” we take care of ourselves.

Is life uncertain? Of course it is. But we should prepare rather than despair. Just as my father survived the drought in the 1950s, so this community survived the 1980s after “Black Sunday” in May of 1982 when the oil shale bust began. We need to live providently and have our lives in order, both financially and spiritually. We will always be challenged with problems. When we came to the earth, we knew the conditions-we would be subject to physical laws and suffer the consequences of other people’s free agency. Yet we shouted for joy because we knew the rewards were worth it. Let’s have peace because we are right with the Lord and that we know we can survive no matter what occurs in the future.

Your brother in the gospel,
Kelly Summers
Stake President