It's About Being the Body

This entry is for those who asked me for more details. . .
~how I'm hearing the Lord's leading,
~what kind of confirmation has there been,
~how I'm preparing for emergency food storage.

Please understand, I am not assuming everyone should be storing food.
This is not about survival;
this is about the Body of Christ being in a position to bless others.

What are you to do? Seek Him.


REFUGE
Almost 17 years ago, influencing our decisions to buy & then remodel our house were strong in-the-back-of-my-mind thoughts about. . .
~ the necessity of something other than just city water supply,
~ the benefit of the wood burning stove,
~ heating & cooling efficiency
~ extra rooms that could be made a private living space if needed, etc.

We even played with the idea of naming our new home REFUGE ON THE ROCK.
I know. . . it makes me smile. Watching how God works is fun!
Truth is, I forgot all about those thoughts . . .until the past year or so.


"COINCIDENCE CONFIRMATIONS"
As I mentioned to a very few people in recent months that I was beginning to store emergency food, I was surprised to hear I was not alone. In the span of a couple weeks, the Lord revealed others:
~ a couple from church had similar urges and actions, as did her mother who is leading preparation meetings in her home;
~ a Christian businessman recently felt led to create emergency living space in a warehouse and to drill for water--which happened to be uncharacteristically close to land surface;
~ a local pastor is instructed to store food in large quantity.

Some are saying that God has called the city of Cincinnati in particular to be a city of refuge. A high percentage of chaplains are being trained here. That's a hmmmmmm.


WHY?
I don't know what the scenario is for this situation that is coming. I've heard everything from mid-west earthquake, social upheaval, enemy attack, and economic collapse to the beginning of the End Times. God often doesn't give us the "why"...

HOW?
My actions have been based mostly on research. I would LOVE a very clear check list from heaven, but that has not happened.

HOW LONG?
What time span are we preparing for? I don't know. My sense is about 2-3 months.
For what it's worth, here's what I'm doing.

WHAT?
The number one priority is water.
You can live a month without food, but not water.
Pray and research your best options.
I bought a water purification bottle in the camping section at a local store.
I wandered down the aisle to see what makes sense to have on hand: fire starters/ flint, water proof matches, water purification tablets, etc.

Food gets expensive; storage containers are important to consider. It's doable to stock up on rice and canned goods, but the expiration dates are generally within a year. [White rice stores longer than brown rice.]

Quite a few companies are specializing in emergency foods which are designed to last a decade or more. Web sites abound for homesteading, survival, and emergency life styles. I just glean from them what seems to make sense, and subtract fear based decisions.

Research indicates freeze dried food is the most palatable and easy to prepare. You can buy prepackaged meals or individual cans of things you like and want, such as dried milk, eggs, fruit, etc. Depending on how much you want to store, food is available in bulk packaging of daily meals for however many people (and years) you want to prepare for. I believe it is wise to make preparation for additional non-family members. Be sure to include salt in your stash.

One company I'm using is called Ready Reserve Foods.
http://www.readyreservefoods.com/home/

Another is Food Insurance
http://www.foodinsurance.com/


MEDS
Consider prescriptions. I'm holding onto 3-4 tablets from each prescription and building up a couple months worth in reserve.

POWER OUTAGE?
Not sure if we're just dealing with need for food and water, or also lack of electricity. I've been preparing for both scenarios.
Heating water to cook is essential, so I bought a camp stove. They can only be used outside because of gas fumes.


For what it's worth, that's the gist of what I've been doing so far.
Growing veggies is a whole other adventure! Talk about lessons in patience!


I like this thought that surfaced at this week's staff meeting. I think it applies well to this scenario of preparation. I close with this thought today:

Some spend their lives seeking to avoid a nightmare;
God gives us life to live it abundantly.