Today the Relief Society was combined with the Priesthood for a presentation by Brother and Sister Farrel of the Novato Ward on Emergency Preparedness. Part of their presentation gleaned from a talk by President Eyring entitled Raise The Bar. I would encourage everyone to read this talk.
We all know that we are living in The Last Days and are witnesses to the fulfilling of many prophecies: "And after your testimony cometh wrath and indignation upon the people. For after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes, that shall cause groanings in the midst of her, and men shall fall upon the ground and shall not be able to stand. And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds. And all things shall be in commotion; and surely, men's hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people (Doctrine & Covenants 88:88-91)." President Eyring provides comforting words to the those that would follow the Lord: "Fear shall come upon all people. But you and I know that the Lord has prepared places of safety to which He is eager to guide us... Just as pondering the scriptures invites the companionship of the Holy Ghost, so does doing the things we have been told to do and doing them promptly. We are promised that the scriptures and the Holy Ghost will tell us all things that we should do. When we go and do what we have been told and do it the best we can, we qualify for more instructions of what to do. If we do not act, we will not receive further instructions."
We have been counseled to be temporally prepared for an emergency situation. The following web sites are excellent resources of how we can prepare for an emergency situation:
LDS Church Web Site: http://www.providentliving.org
Sonoma County Preparedness:county.org/health/ph/phpreparedness/community/index.htm
Sonoma Emergency Guide: http://www.sonoma-county.org/health/ph/phpreparedness/pdf/ep_guide.pdf
We have also been counseled to prepare ourselves spiritually to withstand the evils of our day and to prepare for the Second Coming of our Lord. President Eyring: "As the challenges around us increase, we must commit to do more to qualify for the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Casual prayer won't be enough. Reading a few verses of the scriptures won't be enough. Doing the minimum of what the Lord asks of us won't be enough. Hoping that we will have the Atonement work in our lives and that we will perhaps sometimes feel the influence of the Holy Ghost won't be enough. And one great burst of effort won't be enough. Only a steady, ever-increasing effort will allow the Lord to take us to higher ground."
I know that the companionship of the Holy Ghost is vital to our spiritual survival in the Latter Days, and that this companionship could very well be just as vital to our physical survival as we are instructed to prepare for our temporal needs in the case of an emergency.
