Carolyn's Provident Living Column - April 2009

I made a discovery this past month which surprised me,--- but shouldn’t have, because I know I need to do this. I have several first aid kits at my house in various sizes for various needs. With my husband’s recent surgery on his hands, I needed some more tape and some steri-strips to cover his incisions, because the ones the doctor had put in place had become wet and needed to be replaced. When I went searching for the steri-strips, I found several items in the first aid kit that had expired, and I remembered I had not checked them recently to replace those items.

A good first aid kit should be in every household. It can be simple or complex, depending on your needs, skills, and first aid knowledge. I have put together several kits over the years from a very large one for Young Women’s Girls camp, to a small one that fit inside an old metal bandaid box. The size and purpose will determine what needs to be in a first aid kit. Once a kit is assembled, it needs to be checked annually to replace items used and to replace outdated supplies. Rolled tape of most types, adhesive, paper, or plastic, can turn yellow or become extremely sticky and difficult to use under certain conditions, and long storage. If you have instant cold or heat packs, they can become unstable and need replacing. Antibiotic ointments, medications, alcohol or hydrogen peroxide all have expirations dates on them. So it is a good idea to date your kit to know when it was last checked and do a clean out and checkup of the kit on a regular basis.
If you have basic supplies you are better prepared to handle any situation when you or a family member is hurt or injured. Most injuries are not life threatening and do not require immediate medical attention. But if you know how to treat and care for minor injuries, you can make a difference in any emergency. So brush up on first aid skills.
A very basic kit should have things to help with immediate first aid needs:

• A couple of pairs of latex gloves
• Sterile dressings to stop bleeding
• Adhesive bandages in various sizes---I love a Liquid Bandage too
• Tape
• Antibiotic ointment to prevent infections
• Burn ointment ( I love Burn Free pain relieving gel)
• Thermometer
• Ace wrap bandages
• Cleansing agent, soap or antibiotic towelettes to disinfect

Nice to have:

• Scissors, Tweezers, tube of petroleum jelly or lubricant, some type of ice pack, Moleskin or corn pads, blister treatment
• Prescription medications you need daily-especially need to rotate these regularly
• Basic non-prescription medications: Aspirin, or non-aspirin pain reliever, Antihistamine such as Benadryl, Anti-diarrhea medication, antacid, Laxative
• Medical supplies for special needs, (Diabetics, glucose, blood pressure monitoring equipment)
• Eye wash solution to flush eyes or as a general decontaminate
• Feminine hygiene supplies
• Paper and pencil, Flashlight or pen light, Space blanket, First aid book

I’m going to refresh my First Aid kits, how about you?

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President Hinckley & Pharoah's Dream

You may have noticed that over the years President Hinckley made many references to the message of Pharoah's dream and it's application to our day:

• "We are mindful of the story of Pharaoh’s dream of the fat and lean cattle and the full and thin ears of corn..." - GC, April 1991


• "Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, dreamed dreams which greatly troubled him. The wise men of his court could not give an interpretation. Joseph was then brought before him: 'Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:
  'And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:
  'And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed. …
  'And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: …
  'And I saw in my dream … seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good:
  'And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:
  'And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: …
  'And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, … God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.
  'The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. …
  '… What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.
  “Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:
  'And there shall arise after them seven years of famine;
  '… And God will shortly bring it to pass' (Gen. 41:17–20, 22–26, 28–30, 32).
  "Now, brethren, I want to make it very clear that I am not prophesying, that I am not predicting years of famine in the future. But I am suggesting that the time has come to get our houses in order."
  - GC, Oct 1998 (also included in his book, Standing for Something, p. 84)


• "I cannot forget the great lesson of Pharaoh’s dream of the fat and lean kine and of the full and withered stalks of corn." - GC, Oct 2001


• "Let us never lose sight of the dream of Pharaoh concerning the fat cattle and the lean, the full ears of corn, and the blasted ears; the meaning of which was interpreted by Joseph to indicate years of plenty and years of scarcity." - GC, Oct 2005

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Pres. Hinckley, GC Oct 1998: "Get your house in order"

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Employment - March 2009

We certainly live in challenging times. Some who still have jobs say that we are having an economic downturn or a slump in the economy, those who face the reality of unemployment, loss of benefits, reduction in hours, or forced time off without pay would say we are in an economic collapse or recession. Whatever your individual circumstances maybe there are those within our Ward boundaries who need assistance in finding a full or part-time job or in upgrading their current employment.

When faced with the loneliness and frustration of unemployment it is important to utilize all the resources that can be mustered. In times such as these we turn to the words of a Prophet of God, President Gordon B. Hinckley:
"I am satisfied, my brethren, that there is enough of expertise, of knowledge, of strength, of concern in every priesthood quorum to assist the troubled members of that quorum if these resources are properly administered."
Our good Bishop also believes that we have many outstanding resources within the Ward to assist those in need and encourages each individual to watch and listen for job opportunities that may be available now or in the future. One of the most important keys to finding a job is networking with people who learn of companies who may be hiring and seeing that that information is quickly disseminated to those needing jobs. We are currently looking at practical methods to accomplish this within the ward and hope to announce a plan soon.
In the mean time if you are aware of employment opportunities, please call Carl Mackay at 224-4885 and leave a message if he is not able to answer your call at the time. If you are in need of a job call him and also consider the following aids:
Big Business & Technology Expo
UVU: March 11-12; 11am – 5 pm, McKay Center
Job Fair
UVU: March 25, McKay Center
LDS Provo Employment Center: 801-818-6161 -- 1415
North State Street, Provo – located at the Provo DI
Basic Employment Services Training
Career Workshop – learn to find and land a job
Career Counseling to Explore Options
Coaching on Resumes, Interviewing &
Networking
Monthly Employment Training
Professional Placement Program
Personalized Coaching
Also consider reviewing the wealth of information available on lds.org (click on Home & Family – then click on Employment and review all that is of interest or help) you may also check ldsjobs.org
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Carolyn's Provident Living Column - March 2009

Planning and preparing your family for unexpected events that may happen, such as illness, loss of employment, economic downturns, or manmade and natural disasters requires planning, commitment, and effort. Being prepared requires an individual and family commitment. It just doesn’t happen with good intentions. I would challenge all ward members to actively prepare themselves, and make this a regular part of family planning and activities. Small steady steps eventually accomplish any goal, but it has to start with the first step. So make it a goal to start this month.
Start with an assessment of your family needs. Is it to do an inventory of your storage room, assess your food storage needs, update a first aid kit, buy some water storage containers, or prepare a budget plan that helps you? Each family will have different needs. The important words are “just do it!” There are multiple sources of information available, and a good place to start is the website of lds.org. Being prepared starts with you!
Pat Conrad was kind enough to pass on some valuable information:
Mountain Valley Seeds in Salt Lake City has non-hybird seeds available in a sealed #10 can for your food storage. I Googled that name and found their catalogue information, address and phone number. For those without Internet: 1438 So. 700 West , Salt Lake City. Phone number 801-486-0480. (Remember after March 1st we all need to dial the area code on all our calls.) Cost is $43.23, but decreases with bulk orders.
Next: A “to-die-for” homemade yogurt recipe, originally from Becky Nyman and now from Serena Warner. What is great about this, it gives us all a way to use and rotate our food storage powdered milk.
Yield: 5 quarts
1 gal 2 % milk
1 Cup sugar or honey
3 Cups powered milk, (it needs to be fairly fresh for best results)
1 Cup Vanilla yogurt (organic—need fresh yogurt culture as a starter)
1 tsp. vanilla
Pour half gallon of the milk in a large pot and half gallon in a large bowl. To the milk in the pot add 1 Cup sugar or honey. Bring to boil and then turn off heat and set aside.
To the milk in the large bowl add 3 cups powdered milk, 1 Cup vanilla yogurt, 1 tsp vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
Mix two milk mixtures together in the large pot, stir to blend. Then divide into 5-- Quart bottles. Will be full --- Makes exactly 5 quarts.
Put the lids on.
For winter months or homes with air conditioning in the summer, heat oven to 200 degrees and then turn it off. Put the quart bottles in a pan with towel wrapped around bottles. Leave in oven overnight. Next day, put in refrigerator to thicken. Enjoy!
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