by Kellene Bishop

Do you have enough toilet paper in your storage? photo c/o scrapetv.com/

Yesterday I came across an “emergency preparedness blog” that was alarmingly incorrect. It was a basic topic, but it was addressed in a very misguided manner. The author wrote about what she plans to use in an emergency for her toilet hygiene—rags instead of toilet paper. So as not to risk educating anyone incorrectly, rather than providing a link to the article I will instead provide a few summations of the article which she posted on this national “preppers” site.

First of all, she was a big advocate of NOT using toilet paper during an occasion in which you had to rely on an outhouse, a hole in the ground, or some other such scenario. She labeled such a premise as useless, expensive, and unrealistic.  Instead she offered up a suggestion of using old rags and then storing the “used rages” in a lidded bucket filled with borax, bleach, water and laundry detergent.  She believes that such an option is “more eco-friendly” than toilet paper is.

While I read the article, I could sense the enthusiasm that this person had for sharing her knowledge with the rest of the world. I believe she was also trying to make the alternative solution as easy as possible for others. I certainly don’t believe that she was attempting to mislead anyone. However, I physically cringed while I was reading it, realizing that she was setting up herself and anyone else who bought into her instructions, for a major sanitation problem—even a deadly one.

To understand why planning on using a rag as opposed to TP or another like product, I think I should first point out a few things about feces and urine that some folks may not realize. First of all, sewer treatment employees receive HAZARD PAY because of the danger of their work. In fact, sewer treatment employees receive more “disaster prevention training” annually than police officers do to improve their firearm skills.  In other words, working with urine and feces is not a task to be taken lightly. The hazard in working with sewage isn’t just about the chemicals used to treat the sewers, but it’s also about working with the unavoidable—the waste itself.

Sanitation...a necessary preparedenss topic! photo c/o www.corecentre.co.in/

Urine contains compounded amounts of toxins, nitrogen, nitrates, and ammonia. As such, it is NOT recommended that it is simply thrown out somewhere uncontained or unprotected.  For those of you who are considering having two containers for solid and liquid waste in a worst case scenario, I beg you to rethink that plan. Solid matter actually needs the liquid to help it break down. Plus, it’s simply not realistic from a physiological standpoint to perfectly separate the two while someone is heeding a call from Mother Nature.  Separating the two compounds will only create more problems which I don’t have room to address in this post.

As urine and feces sit—especially in a heated environment—it develops deadly pathogens, dangerous combinations of microbes, bacteria, and viruses—including the well-known e-coli.  This compound attracts flies which feed on it and then spread it from one location to another. The point being that handling such a compound in any way is not a wise decision.  Staying away from it and disposing of it in all cases is critical.

Ye Old Outhouse photo c/o www.thegreenestdollar.com

Let’s also understand that a scenario that’s accompanied by the symptom of limited access toilet comforts that we’re presently used to is indicative of a serious scenario. Think about what would have to take place in order for a rationing of toilet paper to take place. (Other than the toilet paper shortage caused in 1973 by Johnny Carson jokingly telling his audience that there was a TP shortage. As a result, he actually CAUSED a shortage because millions of people cleaned off the shelves of TP that night. *grin*) Perhaps a natural disaster, a financial collapse, or act of war would cause such consequences.  Any of these scenarios would mean that we could no longer take our present state of sanitation for granted. 

One of most important aspects of establishing a society is to provide a community with reliable sanitation solutions. The reason is because poor sanitation can literally kill an entire community within a 50 meter radius in as little as 30 days. Bacteria, disease, and viruses are no respecter of persons, borders, or bank accounts.  Thus preventing the spread of such must be diligently practiced at the root of its origins. If sanitation is not practiced with the utmost of our capabilities during everyday or dire circumstances, then disease and death will speedily run rampant.  Remember disease is not easily curtailed to a specific environment. Disease is no respecter of persons, boundaries, or social positions Keep in mind that due to our easy methods of travel, disease can spread faster than it ever has in history.  That’s a significant statement considering that the Spanish Flu spread to over one-third of the earth in a matter of only three months—this prior to the availability of speedy international travel.

Anyone want a corn husk? Anyone? photo c/o thefuntimesguide.com

Preparing for alternative sanitation solutions can be practical, comfortable, and realistic.  The use of toilet paper should not be viewed as a luxury that can be easily dismissed.  While we should be aware of alternative options such as corn husks, phone book pages, or newspapers, it’s important that we recognize the need to provide us with a safe distance, minimal exposure, and safe disposal of our hazardous waste. Seaweed is also a good alternative as it’s got healing properties with it as well. The fact of the matter is ALL of these aforementioned alternative options are much safer options for you versus you planning on using rags and cleaning them as you go.

To be blunt, planning on using cloth or rags is not an ideal “plan B.” Just by nature of the rag method you are more prone to come into contact with the fecal matter. The longer it “hangs around,” being stored in buckets, being washed, etc, the more likely that contact is.  Additionally, the rag method requires storage of the fecal covered rags until you wash them. The storage—especially with any heat involved, will compound the hazardous toxins as the bucket of used rags sit. Something else I think we underestimate is that smells, especially unpleasant ones, strongly affect our morale. Unpleasant smells are not simply an affront on the senses. They are also an inhalation of dangerous microbes and airborne bacteria. If you’re storing the used rags, the smell lingers throughout your entire living environment. Instead it should be burned or broken down with something like Chemisan. It would definitely stink (excuse the pun) if you couldn’t enjoy the smells of sautéed garlic and onion because the wafting aroma of the outhouse overpowered it.

Use Thieves essential oil, or other essential oils instead of chemicals. photo c/o www.ylessentialoils.com

Lastly, in order to use rags for this particular hygiene care, most believe they need to use heavy chemicals such as borax or chlorine—neither of which are eco-friendly.  Where can you safely dispose of those chemicals?? If you absolutely HAVE to use rags, consider instead using essential oils to clean the rags with such as lavender, Thieves, and tea tree oil.  Exposing yourself to potential contact with fecal matter is such a bad idea, that even the reusable toilet wipe companies don’t recommend their product for use for anything else except straight urine. Additionally, it requires much more physical energy and water to take care of than does TP. You can never underestimate the importance of conserving physical energy and maintaining as much “normalcy” as possible during a crisis scenario.

On the other side of the debate, toilet paper can easily be broken down or safely disposed of.  It can easily be burned or buried. My favorite method of breaking down fecal matter and TP is the use of Chemisan. Chemisan eliminates a great deal of the smell, deadly pathogens and breaks it down completely in as little as two weeks leaving behind the equivalent of a soil.

Portable toilets use Chemisan photo c/o www.fivestarpreparedness.com

Contrary to some opinions, toilet paper does not have to be expensive.  For over a year now, thanks to coupons, I have put my mandatory price point on toilet paper at 25 cents a roll.  I don’t pay any more than that, ever.  But when I get it at that price, I do purchase as much as my budget that week will permit me.  I also use that same strategy on anything else I purchase and bring into my home. I set a price point and stick to it. This means that I don’t have to choose BETWEEN having wheat or toilet paper. I get to have what I and my loved ones need for every anticipated event. Planning well everyday means that you don’t have to choose between one vital necessity and another. Knowing you have all of the bases covered means more mental strength for you to deal with the other aspects of a survival scenario which may test you.

Also as an alternative view of the blog I’m referencing, toilet paper is a multi-purpose product. It’s often used by cost conscious individuals in lieu of facial tissue. It’s also used by some as a source of cooking fuel (along with isopropyl alcohol)—a waste to me considering so many other cooking alternatives, but to each his own. And hey, TP has even been used by the US. Military as camouflage during the Gulf War!

The comfort factor of toilet paper should not be underestimated either.  Promoting familiarity during a crisis scenario is as important as your medical supplies. This is why a survey two years ago revealed that over half of all of the respondents said that they would choose food first, then water, and then toilet paper as their supplies on a deserted island. In other words, it’s more important to peoples psyche and comfort than perhaps this author realized. I suspect more people didn’t mention toilet paper simply because it was off their radar. Perhaps a gorgeous companion and their favorite rock band made the list instead. When there is any kind of an “ick” factor involved, it’s much harder to expect persons to change their habits, even in a survival scenario. Trying to do so will inevitably bring about stress. If you’re using moss and leaves right now everyday, then you won’t have any problem with those items in the future—unless you don’t stock up. Otherwise, having what you’re familiar with for such an inevitable part of life is critical to your mental health.

Bottom line, in the event of true emergency scenario, having ample toilet paper will NOT be the least of your concerns. It falls in line with the Physical and Medical aspects of preparedness which puts it in the position of priority number 3 and 4 out of the Ten Areas of Preparedness.  So, watch for the sales, know how much your family uses in a week, and plan accordingly.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

by Kellene Bishop

What? The Preparedness Pro is wrong? photo c/o www.smh.com.

“Oh my. What was she wrong about?  Was it how she preserves eggs with mineral oil and without refrigeration?  Was it how she dares to store water on the concrete in her basement? Ooh. Maybe it’s that she uses Diatomaceous Earth in her whole grains.”  Nope. I’m 100% confident that I’m correct in all of those teachings.  However, I have been wrong about a critical aspect of preparedness in the past, and I’d like to correct it today.

I’ve been teaching preparedness classes for a little over 10 years. But I’ve been teaching it WRONG for most of that time. As I look back on what I used to teach and compare it to what I know now, I cringe at the dramatic difference.  I wish I had known this one important lesson back when I first started teaching so that I could have taught it properly all this time.  Instead, I too have had to learn the lesson over time. But doing so has made my world of preparedness much more realistic, applicable, simple, and peaceful. And so today I hope that I can effectively share with you this one lesson as well, in hopes that you too can have the same results.

I’m convinced we would all do significantly better in our preparedness results if we stopped looking at is a “emergency” preparedness and instead looked at it as having greater independence and freedom everyday. We would also do more to help others embrace any level of preparedness if we stopped referring to our preparedness efforts as “emergency preparedness.”

Panic and fear could be replaced by peace due to preparation photo c/o healthcare.zdnet.com

Reason #1:

Preparing for an “emergency” is simply too far-fetched for most people to comprehend. There’s a reason for that. It’s the natural defense systems that our brain automatically provides us.  The first stage of the mental process in the midst of a disaster is “denial.” That’s why so many persons stayed put in the WTC towers on 9/11—some did so even though they had already endured the bombing attack in 1993! Their brain simply refused to admit that a terrorist attack could happen twice!  What I’m saying is that you will always encounter a rational person’s brain denying the possibility that a “disaster” could even occur.  And unless you get them to embrace the possibility for a disaster, then they will NEVER embrace any actions designed to prepare against an “emergency.”  It’s not the delivery mechanism of the information that hinders preparedness efforts. It’s the brain’s natural responses.

Reason #2:

Preparing for an “emergency” is pre-planned panic. Everyone knows that where there’s an emergency, there’s great suffering, stress, and devastation. Who in their right mind wants to plan on encountering that? If you personally do not suffer in this manner, you still will be a witness to other’s suffering. Such a sight will then cause stress and panic in even the most well prepared person.  Trying to talk your mind into pre-planning for a disaster is simply not realistic.  Yes, there are a great number of folks who are better mentally prepared for a disaster than others. But I assure you; they did not open up some overhyped emergency preparedness catalog in the mail and simply decide to be prepared for World War III. Disaster preparedness is a compartmentalized part of preparedness.  It comes with mental conditioning one step at a time.  You are no more likely to be prepared for a disaster overnight than you are able to go from 100 pounds overweight to having a six-pack of abs the next day. 

Reason #3:

Mental Preparedness is imperative in handling emergency situations photo c/o www.katrinahelp.com

Preparedness occurs one day at a time. We have to learn to be prepared for TODAY before we can hope to be prepared for something more serious.  The good news is that being prepared to encounter the changes and challenges that come into your life daily is EXACTLY what you need to be prepared for the potential catastrophic events. Anything less than this would be in violation of natural and eternal laws.  We simply cannot violate them. Trying to do so will only manifest ignorance and stupidity in the midst of a true disaster. Its people who don’t understand this natural process who grow up to be an EMT and tell someone that “an EMP is not life threatening.” In my opinion, this is why FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security are so messed up and ineffective. These entities are run by people who have absolutely NO idea or belief in being prepared on an everyday basis, and yet they are attempting to prevent suffering on a catastrophic level.  Now that’s what I call a disaster and I believe it’s EXACTLY why these entities have been inept in aiding victims of disaster time and time again. Hurricane Katrina is a perfect example. It wasn’t’ FEMA that helped people or government officials.  In fact, New Orleans Mayor Nagin delayed issuing evacuation orders sooner because he was too busy checking on the legal liability that such orders would expose him to. His brain wasn’t trained to handle disasters. His brain was only prepared to administer and manage.  Instead, it was the better mentally prepared individuals, The National Guard, who began rescuing hundreds of people from Hurricane Katrina before a single order was given to them. Kind of an obvious contrast, eh? Their minds are actually trained to think in terms of disasters and catastrophes. No one had to tell them what to do. They knew what to do thanks to years of everyday mental preparation.

You simply cannot prepare for a disaster without having the foundation for daily preparedness. While some of us may quickly progress mentally from one aspect to the other, in order for us to be sane, effective, and credible in our large scale preparedness efforts, we must be successful in our everyday ones. What we are and who we are everyday will only be magnified under the fire of a serious disaster. If we fall apart mentally because we get caught in traffic on our way to an important job interview, we will be even more useless to those around us in the midst of a serious, life or death event. We won’t be able to fool anyone as to our “hoped-for strengths.” They will crumble in light of the Refiner’s Fire. We will not be able to suddenly overcome our weaknesses or infirmities simply because our heart intends to help others.  Our intentions will only be a mask to our true mental fortitude, and an unconvincing one at that.  All of our weaknesses—spiritual, mental, temporal– will be blatantly obvious when held up to the demands of a large-scale crisis.

Reason #4:

Preparedness Pantry

Preparedness simply isn’t about disaster management at its heart. It’s about independence, self-reliance, and freedom–everyday. That’s how we have to learn it, and that’s how it should be taught.  This is why I hate the phrase “food storage” for example. The term food storage is attached to the days of the Depression disaster, the days of famine during Joseph’s reign in Egypt, and other unpleasant thoughts. Whereas a pantry which can sustain myself and my loved ones for several decades—that’s not about doom and gloom. It’s about peace of mind knowing that I control my grocery bill, not Wall Street or any Administration. It’s about convenience. It’s about comfort. This is how all of our daily preparedness efforts should be perceived. It’s healthy. It’s realistic. It’s TRUTH.  Our brain is much more accepting of truth than it is of disasters. I firmly believe that there are no victims in life. There are only volunteers. The day I’m inconvenienced in my pursuit of freedom, peace, and self-reliance is the day in which I choose to be a victim, at the mercy of whatever life throws at me, bowing in submission and futility. I don’t know about you, but futility, submission, victim…none of those words describe me very accurately. If we choose to ignore the countless cases in support of independence from vulnerabilities in our food, nutrition, quality of life, water, medical care, our finances, and so much else, then we choose to be victims.  On the other hand, we are completely free now, every day, to counteract those vulnerabilities and stand independent and free from the manipulations of nature and mankind which are rampant around us. Acting on those freedoms now will ensure that we are fully prepared for more serious events in the future. And that, my friends, is what preparedness is really about.

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Copyright 2010 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to www.PreparednessPro.com & Kellene Bishop

By Kellene Bishop

Author’s Note: Before reading this article, I want to be perfectly clear that my objective is not to “freak you out.” Mental Preparedness comes more readily when we allow ourselves to mentally picture scenarios and then allow our brain to strategically work on solving the anticipated problems. I hope this article does that for you today.

If I were a terrorist, I would plan an EMP attack on a day like this. Photo c/o road-safety.blogspot.com

There’s no such thing as an opportune time for a trial, right? As such, it’s a bit naïve of us to think that if an EMP strike does hit, it will conveniently do so while we are gathered all comfy and cozy in our homes. If I was a nefarious terrorist, I would plan an EMP strike for a freezing snowy winter day affecting most of the country AND during a late time of day that would most affect rush hour. To add to that timing, I would plan it to occur while Congress was out of session for the Christmas break. That would be a true formula for chaos.

Our autos and other modes of transportation will be the most noticeable initial casualty as the result of an EMP strike. Just think what would happen if you were commuting home on the freeway and all of the sudden your vehicle, as well as all of the other cars around you, had all of their electronics stop functioning. The power steering would go out. The power brakes would go out. And like a synchronized swimming team, all of the autos that were made after 1970 would simple stop operating. Sure they might travel another few feet—until they slammed into another car that suddenly stopped operating. Imagine this scene on your jam packed freeway on the way home from work or while running errands. Now picture that scene duplicated throughout thousands upon thousands of bustling cities throughout the country.

In an EMP attack, planes would fall from the sky. Photo c/o AP

Keeping in line with the disruption of transportation, planes will fall from the sky as their electronics completely fail them. At any given time there are well over 5,000 non-military airplanes over the air space of the U.S. Boeing estimates that one of their 737’s take off or land every 4.9 seconds, although that’s for the world, not just the U.S. Boeing states that they have over 1.5 million planes in the air at all times of the day. Even without that, picture being one of the casualties stranded in the O’Hare or JFK Airport with no lights, no food, and no way to get out of town to your family.

The second part of this impact will be painfully felt in our modes of communication. Your cell phone will be completely useless for anything other than a paper weight. Your car radio will not function or provide you with any information to figure out what went wrong. Regardless of the abundance of injuries that will take place all over the nation, no ambulance, tow truck or life flight will be available to heed your call for help.

The third largest impact that you will notice is in the availability, or rather LACK of available medical care. If you can hobble your way to a hospital from the site of the freeway catastrophe, you will inevitably find the facilities in chaos, overflowing with panicked patients and medical personnel. Their backup generators will be useless in most cases as they typically operate with some electronics. The medical supplies such as bandages and medicine will be exhausted within a couple of hours, not to mention the medical staff. Can you imagine being in the middle of a life-saving surgery and suddenly have the power go off without even so much as a warning beep?

So, what do you do to be prepared? First of all, have your auto supplied with preparedness tools: first aid, water, coat, some food, etc. Be sure that you have a reliable pair of shoes—especially you ladies. Heels are great for partying in, but they make it pretty darn hard to hike in the snow 15 miles should a survival scenario come up. In addition to the obvious tools in your car, you MUST be prepared to defend yourself as well. Violence and desperation will reign supreme in such an environment. There’s no need to be a sitting duck, folks. Act quickly and decisively. When you’ve lost access to communication or news and your cars have suddenly stopped, you will KNOW it’s an EMP folks. Don’t wait around to deliberate with fellow travelers. Get to where you need to be ASAP.

Have a prearranged plan with your loved ones of where to meet in the event of trouble. At least this way your spouse or family and friends will have some peace of mind knowing that you will try to get to that location. Panic is not your friend in an emergency. Peace of mind is, even if it’s challenged by some “what if” scenarios.

Maintaining physical strength isn’t about being able to run a marathon for most people. But everyone’s physical strength will be tested in an EMP scenario. The simple act of getting a glass of water will require work. Flour for a loaf of bread will require arm muscles. Going to the bathroom will require full consciousness. :) That may not daunt some of you, but keep in mind that you may need to cover longer distances than between your house and the outhouse. Thus having working bikes and wagons you can tow on them may be a lifesaver.  

Familiarizing yourself with basic medical care such as breaks, sprains, deep cuts, rashes, colds, and flu will also be important. While an EMP won’t send us back to the 19^th century in all regards, it certainly would in terms of medical care. We need to take some of the responsibility for self-reliance in this area. 

Again, I hope I’ve given you just a few things to think about today. I also really liked how the books “Alas, Babylon” by Pat Frank, and “One Second After” by William Fortschen helped me through some mental preparedness in this exact type of scenario. If you allow your mind to think about and mentally participate in such scenarios, you’ll have a more sound Mental Preparedness to solve the problems in comfort now, rather than in chaos later.

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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By Kellene Bishop

EMP Range photo c/o irc-online.org

“Do you believe in EMPs?” questioned an older woman in one of my classes this weekend. Until she asked me this question, I suppose I never considered whether or not an EMP was to be “believed in” or not. None of my readers will be shocked to hear that I responded “Of course I believe in EMPs.” My follow-up question to her should have been “What’s not to believe?”

In a previous article I cover the logistics of an Electromagnetic Pulse. But I want to remind you that an EMP is the most economical approach for any enemy country to use against our nation. The EMP technology does exist in the Soviet Union, China, and North Korea. Because it exists in these other nations, that also means it could easily be “for sale” to even more ardent “haters” of the U.S. such as Venezuela or any number of Muslim enemies. Given that our nation is so reliant on electricity for all of the our money circulation, shipments of food and medications, water treatment, and healthcare, an EMP would be the perfect way to debilitate our nation—without the mess and expense that would be necessary with other forms of attack.

If an EMP is used on our nation, it would only take 3 EMP launches above the atmosphere to crumble our entire nation. Parts of Canada and Mexico would likely be affected as well. With an EMP strike there would be no need for an enemy to plan and prepare with all of the expense of shipping large armies and weapons over here. Besides, wouldn’t our detection systems see them coming from a long ways off? Additionally, there would be no need for the enemy army to bear the expense of caring for the sick and wounded. They would simply allow time to take care of that “problem” for them instead. Within 4 to 6 months the weak will have all died from a lack of medical care. (Just think about how many of Americans are dependent on gadgets and technology to keep us alive.) Afterwards, the enemy attacker could easily sweep in and no amount of communication would be available to provide any warnings. They would then have easy access to all of our nations assets along with a strong workforce. Easy peasy, right?

Faraday Cage photo c/o jeddaniels.com

It is due to this awareness that I strongly suggest that if you are going to prepare and protect any electronic devices from the effect of an EMP (via a Faraday Cage) that you focus primarily on communication devices first and foremost. Communication and our hardened resolve will be critical in surviving any enemy attack. Communication enables planning, protection, and strategy. The lack thereof only enables a “sitting duck” scenario. I hear too often of individuals thinking that they will need to protect their cell phones, internet access, and televisions. Excuse me while I laugh at such ignorance and naïveté. If you’re one of those people, think about this for a second. Cell phones, televisions, and computers are only viable communication aids when the originating core network is functional.

While he was a teenager in a small town in the middle of nowhere, Utah, my father-in-law operated a radio station from his bedroom closet. (He actually had a few listeners and he went on to be a great voice of radio many years later.) As I recall this story I’m reminded that having the ability to broadcast a radio signal doesn’t take much effort, equipment or expertise. So I would recommend that you put such skills in your Mental Preparedness category and get it checked off your list. Being able to hear broadcasts of the truth to counteract the broadcasts of brainwashing was critical to the survivors of every major war fought throughout the last 70 years of history. It’s something you can plan and prepare for now.

Now, take heart and fear not. To be clear, based on my scriptural knowledge and belief I do not believe that another kingdom or principality will ever hold this nation physically. But I DO believe that there will be many who try to conquer the U.S. on a more vicious level and an EMP would be the most likely tool. Whether or not an enemy is able to fully execute their plan, they would still be able to do an unfathomable amount of damage in their attempts—such as with an EMP. But the same scriptures which give us this ultimate peaceful assurance also tell us of our “chariots and horses” being “cut down.” (Just imagine an ancient prophet trying to describe our automobiles and other transportation methods hundreds and hundreds of years ago. I’m sure that horses and chariots were about the best they could come up with.) On that note, :) tomorrow I’ll address a bit more of the most likely time an EMP would be launched. Stay tuned.

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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By Kellene Bishop

My wheat bread cooked in the solar oven. Photo by Preparedness Pro

While the topic may sound a bit “ho hum” I assure you that if you’ve ever made bread—successfully or not—you will benefit from this these vital bread making tips.

Last night I took a little “me time” and attended a bread making class. I love to see how other folks do things and I always hope to learn something to “sharpen my saw” along the way as well. I’m happy to say the time spent was well worth my while and a successful addition to my Mental Preparedness aspect. However, while I was sitting there and listening to the instructor, I realized that I’ve never addressed some of the nuances of bread making in my articles, and to be frank, I discovered these little “secrets” are what makes or breaks a successful loaf of bread for me.

Before I go on, allow me to share with you why bread making is a vital skill everyone should have. To be perfectly honest, I used to think that learning how to make bread would put me in some antiquated category of a Mrs. Cleaver housewife that I could never relate to. In some respect, I thought if I was ever “one of those women” who made my own bread, I would also be the same woman who had 12 kids, a house that always smelled like dirty diapers who ate things like canned pickled beets for dinner. (I loathe beets, just FYI) In other words, for some dumb reason I thought I’d lose my unique identity as a “modern-day woman” if I embraced making my own bread. I’m happy to say that I was WAY wrong in those notions.

Vital bread making skills aren't just for making bread! Cinnamon roll photo c/o videojug.com

Making bread today has come a LONG way from when your grandma made it. I can make a loaf of bread from flour to fragrant in about 75 minutes total—including rising time thanks to today’s technological advances. Additionally, making my own bread increases my mealtime buying power easily by 400-500%! With one recipe I can have a couple loaves of bread, cinnamon rolls, an apple cinnamon breakfast braid, pizza dough, as well as some scones for Navajo Tacos and spend only a small fraction of cost for EVERYTHING that I would if I had to buy all of the ready-made processed stuff. Not the least of importance, storing wheat is a bit senseless and expensive if you don’t know how to use it, right? Wheat may be the cheapest form of food that will store long term, but that doesn’t mean a hill of grains if I can’t do anything with it that my family will eat. So I consider knowing how to take that same wheat and make yummy foods just as important as buying and properly storing the wheat in the first place. So, here are a few vital bread making tips for you to help your bread making experience more successful.

• Vital Bread Making Tip #1: It’s best to start out with freshly ground wheat, that way the nutrition and glutens are alive and frisky. Frisky glutens make for softer bread.

• Vital Bread Making Tip #2: SAF Yeast is my yeast of choice because is it isn’t coated with that additional coating that other yeasts are. As a result, I throw the yeast directly into my bread ingredients without having to proof it first. Also, I have successfully stored this kind of yeast for 10 years in my cool, dry pantry without any problems using it for bread. Once I open the package I put it in the freezer and simply scoop out whatever I need for my recipes directly from there. There’s no need to let it warm to room temperature. Also, you don’t have to measure with exactness when you’re putting your yeast in. I always use HEAPING spoonfuls of yeast. And if I know that I’m going to be freezing the dough for a while, I use even a bit more yeast. (Yes, this means that you never have to buy that frozen stuff again.)

• Vital Bread Making Tip #3: The kind of oil that you use in your bread really doesn’t make a bit of difference. It’s up to you. If you want to use cold-pressed coconut oil or vegetable oil—it doesn’t matter. You can use liquid soy lecithin for additional health benefits, or you can use lecithin granules. Either of these will store for YEARS on a cool, dry shelf and will last quite a while.

Lecithin granules photo by Preparedness Pro

• Vital Bread Making Tip #4: Dough enhancer makes your bread dough happy. Dough enhancer contains a little more yeast, some vitamin C, some more gluten, and a few other great vitamins. Yeast LOVES vitamin C. And if your yeast is happy, so is your bread. I always include some dough enhancer in my bread. Even when I make the 100% whole wheat bread, it’s not heavy and hard. My father-in-law still thinks I’m fibbing to him when I bring him a big fluffy loaf of 100% whole wheat bread. He swears that it’s white flour and is still not sure that I really make it my own home. I think he may secretly believe I buy bread commercially made, zap it in the  microwave and wrap it in foil before bringing him some.

• Vital Bread Making Tip #5: Vital Wheat Gluten is overrated. Really. As long as you’re grinding your flour fresh, you’ll never need to use vital wheat gluten. As you may recall, I do use vital wheat gluten. But that’s to make wheat meat/seitan with. Not to use in my bread.

• Vital Bread Making Tip #6: When you’re putting yeast and salt in the initial dry ingredients, don’t put the two on top of each other. Give them their own side of the bowl. Yeast doesn’t like being bullied by the salt in a naked fashion. When you initially mix the dry ingredients together it’s fine because then both the salt and the yeast have the flour as a shield for them.

• Vital Bread Making Tip #7: When dividing your dough into loaves, rolls, or what have you, don’t pull it apart. You need to either pinch it or cut it. The reason is that you need to give the live gluten clusters a clean break in order for them to stay intact. If you pull them apart, you are essentially leaving some of the clusters in shreds rather than contained.

My dough before being pinched or cut into pieces. Photo by Preparedness Pro

• Vital Bread Making Tip #8: A lot of folks simply add too much flour. When you’re rolling out your dough or separating it, or handling it, DON’T use flour on your counter or your hands. Use a non-stick spray instead. When you’re initially mixing your bread dough, within the first few kneads (rotations of the blade) you should see a few “peaks” topped with flour. If you do, it’s perfect. If you have a lot of “peaks” topped with flour then you need more water. If you have no “peaks” topped with flour then you need to add about another quarter cup of flour. Too much flour makes for an unpleasant baked good.

See the flour peaks? Photo by Preparedness Pro

• Vital Bread Making Tip #9: You can use sugar or honey or agave or whatever sweetener you choose in your bread recipe. It really doesn’t matter on a scientific level. However, honey has its own little “powers” so to speak. So if you’re going to use honey, add it in AFTER you’ve mixed your dry ingredients together.

• Vital Bread Making Tip #10: I used to be afraid that I would get the water in a recipe too hot or too cold and it sure seemed like a pain in the fanny to have to test it with a thermometer all the time. So here’s a simple rule. If you can put your finger into the water and hold it there without it burning, it’s not too hot for the yeast. You will kill your yeast if your water is too hot. But on the other hand, your yeast needs heat to develop. So bring on the hot water. But just be sure you test it with your finger first.

• Vital Bread Making Tip #11: You don’t need to wait for a long time for your bread dough to rise. When you begin making your bread, turn your oven on to 200 degrees. This level of heat should be just hot enough, but not so hot that you can’t touch that rack in your oven with your bare hand. When you’ve put your bread dough in whatever pan you’re baking it in, put it in that warm oven. Then turn the heat off and wait for it to rise until your dough is double in size. There’s no need for towels, plastic wrap, or anything else like that. Once it’s doubled in size then turn your oven back on to 350 degrees and bake it until it’s golden brown.

Dough rising twice the size in the oven. Photo by Preparedness Pro

• Vital Bread Making Tip #12: Remember, you’re not just making bread dough, folks. You are making a great dough for scones, rolls, doughnuts, bread sticks, cinnamon rolls, calzones, pizzas, and even tortillas. Feel free to get creative with your dough. You can roll it out flat into an oblong shape, put your favorite filling down the middle and then bring in the sides in a braided look or just roll it up and have all kinds of yummy meals. (Ideas: broccoli, chicken and cheese, apple or cherry pie filling, pizza fixings, taco fixings, etc. etc. etc.)

• Vital Bread Making Tip #13: My favorite bread making tool of all time is my Bosch mixer. It’s run with a bona fide MOTOR, not belts and such. The warranty on it has a “transmission” warranty—not some cheap plastic parts. I’ve had mine for over 10 years, and I know several homes that have had and used theirs for over 25 years. One single revolution of the Bosch mixer is like kneading your dough and turning it over four times. The dough hooks may look like they are just pushing the dough around, but they are indeed grabbing it and rotating it. As a result, I initially mix my dough for about 1 minute and then check for the small “flour peaks.” After that I mix/knead it in the Bosch for an additional 7 to 8 minutes. The first 5 or 6 rotations are going to tell me that I did it right as the dough will come cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. Yes, I realize a Bosch mixer won’t do me much good if there’s a prolonged power outage. But my husband is officially addicted to my bread and has assured me that if there’s a way, he will allow us to use our minimal battery power to operate our Bosch mixer for the 8 to 10 necessary minutes. (How gallant of him, right? )

The flour pulling away from the side of the bowl in my Bosch mixer. Photo by Preparedness Pro

For my original 100% whole wheat bread recipe, check out this previous article. And enjoy. I’ve suddenly got the urge to make some more bread!

The delicious finished product! Photo by Preparedness Pro

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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By Kellene Bishop

The second most important aspect of preparedness is your Mental Preparedness. This category isn’t just about attitude, it’s about knowledge as well. Today you will receive some resources for mental preparedness that I have found incredibly useful, all in one article.

James Wesley, Rawles, author of www.survivalblog.com

To start with, yes, there is an abundance of information available on the internet. However, a word of warning. In order to get the most reliable information for your mental preparedness, use the internet to access university studies, copies of speeches, and previous news articles. Obviously, if you have a website that you trust, use that as well in order to maximize your learning time. I believe that Preparedness Pro is one of those sites you can rely on. Personally I go to www.survivalblog.com since this is founded by James Wesley, Rawles. (He’s the author of “Patriots”, an excellent novel that teaches sound preparedness strategies. He’s truly an expert on matters of preparedness and is also a former US Intelligence Officer.) He has written on his blog every single day for five years, but recently his wife passed away after struggling with cancer. So I’m sure he’s taking a break. In the meantime, you MAY have a chance to catch up on a great deal of his content. I also love everythingunderthesunblog.blogspot.com (corrected link). This is created by one of my heroines, Wendy DeWitt. She was employed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for years to travel all over to teach various aspects of preparedness. The girl knows her stuff! (You can also find some video footage of her classes on YouTube.) Although she doesn’t update her site regularly, there’s a feast of information available otherwise. One last site that I would recommend is www.theheartlandusa.com by Dr. Gregory Evensen. (The site isn’t pretty, but the content is riveting.) Read his editorials and if you get a chance to attend one of his events—DO it! My husband and I attended an all day event of his last Saturday and I can assure you it was worth just about every minute! It’s great to associate with like-minded people, get to the root of concerns, and be educated by knowledgeable individuals instead of just web-spinners.

In addition to reading sites, I’ve found it VERY helpful to get to watch instructional videos for my mental preparedness as well. Videos on making solar powered heaters, or pressure cooking, making wheat meat, etc. I know, I know. You’re probably hollering at your screen right now wondering when I’M going to get on the stick with instructional videos as well. Well, it’s going to be THIS week, so there! )

This may sound a bit self-defeating, but when it comes to getting information on preparedness, focusing on the internet should not be your only resource. In fact, I smirk a bit every time someone asks me to “post links” to my resources when I write an article—as if we no longer had telephones and libraries anymore. I mean really, folks, not all “facts” are backed up with links to other websites. Seriously though, books are a great resource to have on hand every day—now and even in the midst of calamity.

I personally enjoy and highly recommend the following books for your mental preparedness:

• “Alas, Babylon” by Pat Frank. (A real eye opener! This is the first book I recommend everyone read who’s thinking about getting into being more prepared.)
• “Passport to Survival” by Esther Dickey. (Marked up all over with tags, etc.  I use this book all the time. Packed full of information on the use of only 4 food items for long-term survival, it’s also got lots of recipes.)
• “The Amazing Wheat Book” by LeArta Moulton. (Another book that is all marked up. I’ve never understood the value of wheat so well and felt so confident using it as I did after reading this book. It’s invaluable!)
• “One Second After” by William Forstchen. (Opened my eyes to components of a disaster I hadn’t thought of before…unfortunately. Note the realistic language in this book does make it “PG-13”.)
• “Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse” by James Wesley, Rawles.
• “The 5000 Year Leap” by Cleon Skousen. (This one is critical reading to me because it helps me study what kind of a government must be put back into play after the crisis, as well as what kind of government I need to strive for now in order to ensure that our freedoms stay in place.)
• “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” by James Wesley, Rawles. (This book just BARELY came out but I’ve already devoured it.)
• “Cooking Under Pressure” by Lorna Sass. (I consider her the foremost authority in cooking with a pressure cooker and MOST of her recipes have been great! She’s got many great cookbooks for pressure cooking that I would also recommend.)
• “When There is No Doctor” by Jane Maxwell. (Great resource book!)
• “When There is No Dentist” by Murray Dickson. (Another great resource book!)
• “The Bible” by…well, you know who all wrote that.
• “The Boy Scout Handbook” (This is also a regular read in my house—and not just by my husband.)

The key is that you actually READ these books–not simply have them on hand as some informational reading DURING a crisis. The time for preparatory learning is before the opportunity manifests itself. I heard a gal the other day claim that one of her preparedness “assets” was the fact that she had so many books on preparedness. Uh, nope. Not unless you think you can learn by osmosis.

If you’re inclined to read books from the LDS genre, I highly recommend Chris Stewart series, “The Great and Terrible.” This 6-book series is addictive! It’s like “Alas, Babylon” but on steroids and I absolutely loved it—when I could sneak it out of my husband’s clutches, that is. I also LOVED the book “Prophetic Statements of Food Storage for Latter-Day Saints” by Neil H. Leash.

Ok, those are the books that I’ve read that are fit to recommend for mental preparedness. (Unfortunately there are at least 50 others I’ve read in the last 18 months that AREN’T fit to recommend.)

May I also recommend that you go to as many classes on preparedness topics that you can possibly handle! Anything that fits within the 10 Areas of Preparedness would be worthy of your time. Take your family with you as much as possible, and understand that getting this kind of information is an investment in your family. I had one gal who drove 200 miles last Friday to attend two of my classes. There is another delightful woman who regularly drives 3 ½ hours to attend my classes whenever she can as well. (Yes, I call her a stalker. Hee hee.) And I don’t want to hear any griping about how I’m not any closer to YOU or in your area. I’ve told you a hundred times that I’d be willing to teach in your area if you just took care of travel expenses. All you have to do is contact my assistant Sarah to arrange for dates. We don’t charge anything to teach the classes–yet. It just can’t cost me anything except for time—otherwise I’d definitely go broke.

Bottling butter photo c/o Adventures in Self Reliance

Attending classes is an investment in time, and sometimes money, but with as much as you all think I know, you should be aware that I also attend classes at every possible chance I get. It also presents a great opportunity to “interview” other individuals. In doing so, I’ve been turned onto aspects of preparedness that I never would have thought about otherwise—such as cheesewaxing, bottling butter, canning meat, diatomaceous earth, etc. In fact, last Saturday my husband and I spent a rare “free” Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at a Dr. Greg Evensen event. I loved it. It was also great realizing that my husband isn’t crazy. Hee hee.

To be perfectly blunt, if I could do a “mind dump” to share what I know, what’s in these books that I’ve recommended, and what Dr. Evensen teaches to only 500,000 people in America, I would sure sleep better at night. And frankly, every other American could sleep better at night knowing that there are people like you who care and are prepared.

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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By Kellene Bishop

Food Storage.  It really doesn’t have to be complicated.

Medical Emergency Preparedness photo c/o ehow.com

When it comes to emergency preparedness, there are actually 10 different components to consider, listed below in order of priority:

1. Spiritual
2. Mental
3. Physical
4. Medical
5. Clothing/Shelter
6. Water
7. Food
8. Fuel
9. Financial
10. Communication

Food storage is only one part, and in order of priority would actually be “#7” out of those ten components.  What that means is there are a whole lot of other components that need attention more than your food storage in order for your food storage supplies to be usable and effective for you.  And yet when I mention “emergency preparedness” to folks, the first thing—and sometimes the ONLY thing that comes to their mind is food storage.  If your mind is fixated on all the obstacles of food storage, then of course it’s going to be overwhelming.  If you feel like you’ve got such a long ways to go yet to be even remotely “ready” then of course it’s going to feel overwhelming.  But just how much more of a burden do people create for themselves by trying to ignore it.  I assure you, if you think it’s tough doing food storage now, try doing it when there’s no food on the shelves, no money to exchange, no possibility of travel, and no way to prepare it.   That’s all you’ll be left with if you attempt to ignore or marginalize what may seem an “uncomfortable” or inconvenient activity.   But if you’re making progress on something that was previously uncomfortable, unknown, or inconvenient, then the feeling of stress and anxiety is eliminated.  You start thinking of what’s possible to accomplish in your preparation efforts.  If you continue in being overwhelmed, you’re likely arrive to a point of paralysis once you realize just how much more there is to preparedness besides food storage.  I assure you that such does not need to be the case.

When I teach my “UNDERwhelmed in Food Storage” class, my goal is to make food storage accumulation and preparation much less taxing on the attendees.  I desire to make it more of a “minor thought” instead of an overwhelming one, and thus free up time and resources to be spent ensuring your preparedness in the other categories.

Thus far I’ve shown you that food storage is cheap or free to accumulate in most instances, it’s easy to prepare, can still taste GREAT—so long as it’s a dish or food that you’re already familiar with—and finally, it’s even easy to prepare without electricity.  In fact, if you actually put into practice what I’ve taught you so far about alternative ways to prepare your foods, while initially you may feel out of your element, I’m certain that you will actually enjoy the alternative cooking recommendations.  In fact, the reasons I use a pressure cooker and a solar oven now in my everyday life is because it takes so much stress and time off my plate as I work from home and teach a bazillion classes.  Additionally it delivers a superior taste, texture and nutrition level than I would experience otherwise.

I think a lot of folks are overwhelmed simply because they don’t have the mental preparation necessary to succeed in their preparation efforts.  Let me give you an example.  What if you saw that your beef prices just raised to $12/pound and were of a lesser quality that you were accustomed to.  That would stress you out, right?  Whereas if you were able to obtain your desired beef for less a tenth of that price, and be assured that it was a quality product, your stress would be alleviated substantially, right?  Well, guess what?  If you go to McDonald’s right now, you can order a “1/3 pound Angus Beef Burger” for only $3.99.  Let’s see.  That makes that beef about $12 a pound.  You also have some serious nutritional concerns with such a burger due to the excess amounts of salt added to it, as well as McDonald’s reputation for using less-than-stellar grade beef.  So, my question is, when you pass that marquis outside of McDonald’s, do you feel a bit of anxiety to think that a “fast food joint” is selling beef for $12 a pound?!  Of course not.  But guess why that is the case?  Because you simply need a little more strengthening in your mental preparedness category.  Let’s explore this thought further. 

Look at it this way, if I was selling a product to you that was cheap or free, easy to use, safe, easily accessible, and it would save your family’s life, you would embrace it in a heartbeat, right?  Well, that’s exactly what food storage is.  The only reason why we think otherwise is because we’ve heard so much to the contrary for so long.  So really, why be overwhelmed with it? 

Now, contrast that with overly expensive, overly complicated, questionable quality and nutrition, inaccessible—especially during an emergency—and definitely NOT lifesaving for your family.  Just how fast would you embrace that?

Keep your food storage as simple as you need it to be.  Increase your knowledge and your food “repertoire” as you desire and in a pace you’re comfortable with.

Keep it as affordable as possible.

Keep it as nutritious as possible.

And keep on storing it.

If you do, you’ll find that “overwhelmed” is quickly replaced by peace and comfort.

UNDERwhelmed in Food Storage Series

• UNDERwhelmed in Food Storage Part 1 of 8
• UNDERwhelmed in Food Storage Part 2 of 8
• UNDERwhelmed in Food Storage Part 3 of 8
• UNDERwhelmed in Food Storage Part 4 of 8
• UNDERwhelmed in Food Storage Part 5 of 8
• UNDERwhelmed in Food Storage Part 6 of 8
• UNDERwhelmed in Food Storage Part 7 of 8
• UNDERwhelmed in Food Storage Part 8 of 8

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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By Kellene Bishop

Photo c/o classesandcareers.com

OK. It’s no secret.  I could very easily be called “zealous” in my emergency preparedness efforts.  Some lovingly or ignorantly (I don’t mind which) may even call me “paranoid.”  That’s OK.  The bottom line is I’m ready for the majority of crises that may occur.  And as such I have a great deal of peace of mind and fortitude.  Clearly it’s hard to be so prepared and stay completely under the radar of the notice of friends and family, and even more difficult when you regularly write a public blog.  :)  So I’m sure that many other likeminded people can relate when I share with you some of the following comments that I regularly hear from friends, family and associates:

• “When all hell breaks loose, I know where I’m going” (Translation—I’m coming to YOUR house, Kellene, and helping myself)
• “Why do I have to store any food and water?  You’ve got enough to feed an army.”  (Translation—I absolve myself of any responsibility to take care of myself or my family because I can manipulate your good nature to take care of me instead.  Meanwhile I can purchase my boats, fancy cars, have a mortgage bigger than I can afford, go into extensive debt, and ignore any reasonable indications that I must be prepared.)
• “I don’t need to be prepared.  I’ve got all the ammo I need.” (Translation—When the going gets tough, I intend to forsake all of my standards of morality and ethics and murder and pillage to get what I want.”
• “If you’re a good Christian, I’m sure you’ll share with my family in an emergency.”  (Translation—I have no need to comply with scriptural warnings on my own behalf.  So long as there are others that will be obedient, I can ride their coat tails and absolve myself of heeding the very same warnings that others have been given.  Oh and while you’re at it Kellene, can you also say my prayers for me, read the scriptures for me, get a college degree for me, and take over the care and nurturing of my family?)
• “Why be prepared?  When everything goes South, I just want to die anyway.”  (Translation—I choose to ignore the “enduring to the end” quotes in the scriptures.  Instead I choose to determine when my life ends and I do not value my worth and my ability to help others in a crisis and beyond.  I forsake the innate human desire for survival, perhaps even out of cowardice, but definitely out of a lack of faith that any good can come from surviving and helping through a crisis.)
• “I don’t need to be prepared for more than 72 hours.  The government will provide for us just fine.”  (Translation—I forsake my own accountability for the well-being of family and loved ones.  I also believe in the Easter Bunny, Socialism, and that pro-wrestling is real.  Oh, yeah.  And I also had no television, newspaper, or internet access during the Hurricane Katrina debacle.  And, and one more thing.  I also dabble in fortune telling.  I know that there’s no such thing as a disaster significant enough to last long-term, such as year or more.)

Unfortunately, anyone who’s made significant attempts to be prepared has heard all of this nonsense before.  And yet for some reason they struggle with the proper response.

Well, this is how I deal with it.  First of all understand that I absolutely LOVE my friends and family.  While family has always been important to me, I’ve somehow been blessed with lifelong friends as well.  In fact, my feelings of love and concern for one or the other are hard to differentiate at times.  Lately my circle of friends has increased significantly.  I find myself reaching out even to friends from junior high and high school and employment from years past.  I believe the reason is due to the fact that my awareness for the need to be prepared for a real emergency has been heightened substantially.  As I ponder the ramifications of such an event incurring in our nation, I can’t help but feel more connected to the people around me in a very humanistic way knowing that they will struggle if they aren’t prepared.  I know that witnessing their struggle may even be more difficult for me than the crisis itself.  That being said, while my concern is genuine, I realize that I cannot argue with reality.

Photo c/o wormsandgermsblog.com

First reality check—there’s a lot of assumption by a person who believes that they will even be able to MAKE it to my home for food, water or other supplies.  What’s to say that they haven’t moved by the time a disaster strikes, or that they are trapped in their home due to a nuclear blast or a pandemic quarantine for a long period of time?  PLANNING on going somewhere else in order to survive is NOT a plan. 

Second reality check—sharing is voluntary.  I’m sorry, but if I have a choice of bringing someone into my “community” who has been faithful and has done all that they could do to prepare and can contribute to the strength of the survival of the community, then they are going to get first dibs on what I have to contribute.  A community is only as strong as its weakest link.  Can any community afford to take on a dangerous liability or vulnerability and risk the lives and health of all others involved?  A person who has willfully, belligerently, and defiantly ignored all reasonable warnings of preparation is not an asset to anyone else.

Third reality check—and this I believe is the most important.  Food and water is NOT the real security.  They are only a material representation of the faith, confidence, knowledge, and mental preparation required for a person to survive an emergency.  Confidence cannot be instilled into a hollow soul simply by will.  The same goes with faith, mental preparedness and extensive amounts of knowledge.  Thus, as much as I wish to usurp the natural laws at times and give my friends and family a “brain dump” of my knowledge and the proper mentality I’ve acquired over the years to deal with most imaginable crises, I cannot.  To do so would be to violate an eternal law of choice and agency.  I have this peace of mind, emotional and mental attributes as a result of my preparedness efforts—the purchasing of food,  the classes I’ve attended, the countless hours of research.  Not the other way around.  Even more importantly, I must guard against the disease of fear.  I simply cannot allow your fear to infect the world of preparedness and peace that I’ve worked so hard to create.  While material goods can be willingly shared, the peace and confidence which one seeks in light of an emergency cannot.  It is only had by exercising faith and a commitment of action in response to that faith.  

I hope that this assist many of you who may be postponing your own preparedness, as well as those who are encountered with the kind of opposition I’ve shared previously.  

In closing remember this one phrase of wisdom. “You can warn them, but you can’t own their actions.” 

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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