In mid 2024 I spoke with one of our Church leaders and told him I was thinking it was time for a name change. I strongly felt that we had to focus on being Ready even more! Knowing that all sorts of things occur in life as well as know that at some point Jesus Christ will return, I felt like "Ready or Not" was an appropriate part of the name and thinking about how Pearls had been mentioned in scriptures it too should be part of the name. I originally thought of Preparedness Pearls as the name. When I spoke with my church leader, he made the suggestion "Pearls of Prepareness" Interestingly, we had never discussed the use of the word pearls previously. I made the decision to go with his suggestion and it ultimately became "Ready or Not - Pearls of Preparedness"

Ready or Not, Pearls of Preparedness #1

A new name for our Preparedness Blurb! – After talking to President Childs, we had discussed perhaps it is time for a new name and direction to the Blurb and other things in store regarding preparedness.

I wrestled with a few different names and could not figure out what it should be. While lying down for a nap I was half awake and half asleep when this new title came to me. It came ringing as I was listening to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic’ in my earbud. I especially noted the opening line which says, “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord”. Ready or not, He is coming. Hopefully these Pearls will be of great value to those who have them.

This message, however, is not about how it got its name but a reminder that whether we are ready or not, The Savior will come. I vote for ready.

So, what do we do? The most important piece of readiness gear we can have in our possession is our testimony of Jesus Christ. We must be spiritually prepared. I will never diminish the importance of our temporal preparedness, but it is really a means by which we can advance the Lord’s work here on Earth. Our temporal preparedness should be used to strengthen our spiritual preparedness by learning how we can use our resources to help ourselves, our family and our brothers and sisters who are not prepared for the things which will surely come.

Spiritual prep and temporal prep both require a plan of action. Nothing will change if we do nothing to change things. Our spiritual plan should incorporate following the regular counsel and guidance our latter-day prophets provide, which is always in harmony with the scriptures. In addition, we need to execute this plan by reading and trying to understand how the scriptures are meant for us. Between our latter-day prophet and the scriptures, combined with personal revelation, we can maintain a path of spiritual preparedness.

Temporal preparation requires a thoughtful plan as to what emergencies and situations we should prepare for. Once we list those potential emergencies, such as earthquakes, fires, civil unrest, to name a few, we can make our plans to deal with them. Much like Moroni did as he led his armies, he recognized their weaknesses and areas that needed to improve and then made them strong. The Lord gave Noah the plans for building the ark so we need to make sure we understand what our plans should be for our own ark.

The Lord will be back, whether we are ready or not. So, what stage of your planning are you in and what “pearls” can you help others with?

Ready or Not – Pearls of Preparedness # 2

In Omnia Paratus – I was recently excited to learn this Latin phrase meaning “Ready for Anything”. Wow, I thought – this is a phrase for Preparedness! I went on to learn that it is a phrase commonly used on a TV show called The Gilmore Girls. Not having watched that show, I am happy to say that is not where I learned it. Despite Hollywood, it truly fits our “Ready or Not” emphasis. This particular “Pearl” was inspired by feedback from one of our good Bishops.

How inspired President Nelson is! Our movement away from checking boxes as a Home/Visiting teacher to one who Ministers is truly inspired. Our role as ministering brothers and sisters can and will play a significant role in our preparedness efforts, especially in times of emergencies.

Our relationship with others is at the core of a great sequence of communication events in times of trouble. Not so long ago, many of us participated in an exercise called “The Great Shakeout” which was a trial run to understand what may take place to know about our members during a major earthquake. It was expected that the ministering brothers/sisters would be able to locate and report on those for whom they had responsibility. In many cases it was very successful, in some cases, not so much.

The ability to communicate in times of disaster provides safety and comfort to all those involved. When we hear of things that may affect someone we care about, the first thing we want to do is call and get a report on them. But what if there is no cell service due to disruption for an extended period of time? What then?

There are a good many ways communication can continue to take place. Obviously having an emergency AM/FM radio to hear what may be going on around us is important. Having a two-way radio available and how to use them is also very important- Ham radios are a great method and most people have heard of but requires a class and a test to obtain a license to operate.

 For most people having some sort of GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) radios and the understanding how to use them may be the key. They do require a license, but no test and the license is good for the entire family and obtained through the FCC website. They are fairly inexpensive and may prove very serviceable in a disaster and how we implement our personal communication plan. Additional information is also found on the website jjprep.org.

Social media can also play a role in contacting and finding people during a disaster. Many people were located using social media during the Camp Fire a few years back. This does not mean that if you can use Instagram or TicTok, that you are adequately prepared - not even close!

Our most reliable means of communication is talking directly to each other whenever possible. Ready or Not, the time will come when we need to step up our communication skills. Now is the time to figure out our best plans for communication. So - What is your best way to reach out and touch someone and become In Omnia Paratus?

Ready or Not – Pearls of Preparedness #3

It is often said that if we want to know what things will be like when our Savior returns, look at how things were the first time he came to us. The Book of Mormon is very illustrative of conditions at that time.

Prior to His return, the Gadianton Robbers were a strong force in government and politics causing murder and mayhem throughout the land. There were cultural shifts taking place wherein the Lamanites who had long disbelieved in the history of their forefathers became the more righteous group compared to the Nephites who allowed greed, immorality and secret combinations to prevail. The world of the Nephites and Lamanites was tumultuous at that time.

Does any of this sound familiar with what seems to be happening today? Throughout history, whether Old Testament times or more recently, as a nation became unrighteous in the desires of the people, government, politics and their nation became more and more corrupt. They forget God, persecution of Christians become more prevalent and civility towards one another seemed to end. Most of these things occur due to selfishness and the grasp for power and greed.

We as a nation seem to be falling into similar traps where we see corruption at every level with civil unrest, fear and doubt creeping in. Nations have fallen in very short times when corruption and moving away from God takes place.

So how do we become better prepared for these things which surround us.

It begins with listening to and following our prophet. He has stated clearly to “Let God Prevail”. It may seem difficult at times when we hear the gentle voices of our prophets, seers and revelators rather than them screaming and yelling to repent and be prepared. We must act with faith. We must develop our personal testimony of Jesus Christ and follow Him.

Can civil unrest become a part of the norm here in the U.S.? It has in the past and no doubt will again as people with differing opinions take to the streets to try to force others to agree with them. I still remember the LA riots in the 60’s. Even if we are not at the center of riots and unrest, we can still be affected when supply chains are interrupted. When the police are busy trying to control those situations law enforcement costs go higher which we all pay for.  If an insurance company has to pay a lot for claims, it affects us all, no matter where we are. Remember though, the Lord has told us, if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear!

What are the next steps you need to take in your preparation efforts? One suggestion is to know what scenarios to plan for. Talk to your families. Janet and I met with a lot of children in the Stake Primary and one of their biggest fears all centered around their personal safety. Gather your family and take up the challenge to have a plan – start with a simple plan but make it fit the needs of your own family. Use the links on my website, jjprep.org for some great information and guidelines. Most of those links come from the Church website or Ready.gov. The Nike Corp motto is “Just Do It” – President Spencer W. Kimball said, “Do it Now!”

Ready or Not – Pearls of Preparedness #4

It was about 3AM recently when I woke up. It is not like this hasn’t happened before. As I lay there tying to decide if it was simply because my back was a bit stiff or was there something else? I remembered reading that we ofttimes will be awakened because there is some nugget of inspiration that comes to us. In this case, I might call it a Pearl. It was then I realized that these Pearls can be a voice of warning. John the Baptist was a voice of warning prior to the arrival of our Savior. Let it be clear, If John was the Empire State Building, I would be the guy on the street level door tying to figure out how to get in.

D&C 93:36 states “The Glory of God is Intelligence”. Elder David A Bednar said in Oct 2007, “You might think intelligence means being gifted in academic work, but intelligence also means applying the knowledge we obtain for righteous purposes.”

What is the connection between this truth and our preparedness efforts? Each of us has things we have learned through the triumphs and failures in life. These learning events develop skills that can become very useful in our preparedness efforts. Some may have developed the ability to read and understand different life skills, while others have lived through them. I always think about my Pop who couldn’t figure out how to operate his TV and often got things messed up with his remote. I would then get a call to come fix it, He on the other hand had skills from living on a farm where he learned numerous skills that were necessary because there was no one else to solve problems. He also worked in construction where he learned to weld and eventually helped build the Transamerica Building in San Francisco. He couldn’t operate a simple remote but he possessed skills many of us don’t.

Many of the people who lived through the great depression era starting in 1929, by our standards today, might be considered uneducated and unable to survive in our modern society. But what if those roles were suddenly reversed? Could we find our way through difficult economic times like so many of them did? Do we have the basic skills needed to survive? Have we been wise in our own education or even the use of our money, regardless of how much it is? Experience tells us that we can’t even figure out how to get toilet paper in that scenario.

What will happen if all of a sudden, our bank says it cannot allow us to access our money? Is that even possible? According to the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation), there were 567 bank failures in the years 2001-2024. Many of those occurred in the 2008 Great Recession when the stock market crashed, and millions of people lost so much of their life savings. Much of this was due to unwise financial decisions. How are we doing with our financial decisions. Are we making sure our assets are protected regardless of how large or small they may be?

The prophets have been very clear on the need to be self-reliant and to stay out of debt. Avoid get rich quick schemes and be careful with our savings. Today, I would also add there is a very strong need to avoid the thousands of scammers that simply want to steal our money through electronic means. In some cases, with us just sending them the money! Cyber warfare is increasing every day, and we are the soldiers in that war whether we like it or not. Cyber criminals will stop at nothing to try to take our money or put us in very precarious situations.

Ready or Not – Pearls of Preparedness #5

One of the most important things we can do to prepare is to identify various emergencies that may occur in our area. We generally do not have to worry about impactful extreme cold/snowstorms, tsunami or hurricanes as is felt in other parts of our country - but what are some of the things we should prepare for? This is a question each of should be asking ourselves and others within our community.

One emergency that seems to be moving higher up on the list of concerns is civil unrest/civil disobedience. There are numerous government agencies that are preparing for such events. With the tension of the upcoming election process, it seems well established that one side of the political aisle or the other will be unhappy. So, can large groups in our population that are unhappy or mad cause unrest? Absolutely! If you happen to follow sports or even the news, you know that the LA Dodgers won the World Series and caused great jubilation for their fans. During their “jubilation” fans excitement quickly turned ugly by throwing rocks and shooting fireworks at police, burning a bus and looting local stores in the LA area.

So, what will happen when large groups are not happy? Hopefully cool heads will prevail, but it is not the time to stick our heads in the sand. It is a time to be spiritually prepared as well as taking necessary precautions to ensure our families and ourselves are safe and have whatever is needed to endure such a calamity.

There is a reason part of the title of these “Pearls” is Ready or Not. Whether we are ready or not, The Savior will return, and we know from our scriptures that there will be several disruptions throughout the world prior to His return. If we are truly studying our scriptures and want to know what things may be like prior to His return, we need only read and study what things were like prior to His arrival in the Americas. Understanding this will help us know how to become Ready. We know through revelation that times before His second coming will be tumultuous. If we compare what happened then to current affairs, we find that dishonesty, corruption and immorality was widespread. Sound familiar? Much of this was due to pride and people distinguishing themselves by ranks according to their riches. Basically, people turned their backs on the Lord and the gospel. Through all this there was commotion throughout the Earth.

We need only look at the number of wars, the immorality and selfishness prevailing around us to know that we must be ready for whatever may come our way.

The answers are straightforward. As President Nelson has instructed – Let God prevail. Draw close to Him by making and keeping covenants with Him. Draw close to Him by serving one another and protecting our families and others through proper preparedness efforts. As we do all that we can do, The Lord will help carry us the rest of the way, but we must be honest with ourselves and know that we have done all the He has asked. So – Ready or Not we must choose Ready.

Ready or Not – Pearls of Preparedness #6

In the Book of Ether, we find in chapter 1:

33 Which Jared came forth with his brother and their families, with some others and their families, from the great tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people, and swore in his wrath that they should be scattered upon all the face of the earth; and according to the word of the Lord the people were scattered.

34 And the brother of Jared being a large and mighty man, and a man highly favored of the Lord, Jared, his brother, said unto him: Cry unto the Lord, that he will not confound us that we may not understand our words.

35 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did cry unto the Lord, and the Lord had compassion upon Jared; therefore he did not confound the language of Jared; and Jared and his brother were not confounded.

36 Then Jared said unto his brother: Cry again unto the Lord, and it may be that he will turn away his anger from them who are our friends, that he confound not their language.

37 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did cry unto the Lord, and the Lord had compassion upon their friends and their families also, that they were not confounded.

With everything that was going on at that time, the one thing Jared and his brother seemed most concerned with was Communication between their family members. Communication is so important in our lives that we see everything from how friends are made to having wars begin because of communication or the lack thereof.

No doubt Jared’s family was concerned with the events of the day just as we may be today. While we aren’t necessarily going to have our language confused, we still need to be sure how we can and will communicate with others in the event of an emergency. We often communicate very differently when we are under stress, so it is important that we remain mindful of how we say things to others. I often have to apologize for things I say, not what was said, but how it’s said.

In an emergency, we must think about how we will communicate if we are separated from family or if normal communication channels are not available. Recently, I have begun to look more and more into the use of GMRS radios which stands for General Mobile Radio Service. I recently added more information about these and where to learn more on my website- jjprep.org - which is created solely to help others as a preparedness guide.  As always, most importantly, have a plan on how you can and will communicate when normal means are not available. Cell phones, texting, online communications are great but sometimes ineffective. It is always best to be prepared for whatever may come along.

Today may be the ideal day to give thanks for the opportunity to reach out and communicate with someone.

I know - I skipped #7 and went to # 8

Ready or Not – Pearls of Preparedness #8

The title of these “pearls” is significant because things in life will happen whether we are ready or not. Each of us has experienced some sort of event in which we did not feel adequately prepared for.

Our good friends, Brother and Sister Kwan were recently called to and are now serving a mission in the small country of Vanuatu. On Tuesday December 17th, Vanuatu experienced a 7.3 earthquake, an event I am certain the Kwans did not feel prepared for after having just recently arrived. I am also certain they understood the need to take care of their own immediate needs and those around them until help arrives. “Ready or Not” takes on a whole new meaning than just the title of these Preparedness Pearls.

On December 18th the following message was posted on the Church website

:

“The Pacific Area Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made the following statement today following yesterday's 7.3 magnitude earthquake in Vanuatu.

We are deeply concerned for the people of Vanuatu in the wake of the 7.3 magnitude earthquake which struck on Tuesday, December 17, 2024. We are communicating with Church leaders and government officials on the ground to understand the impact of the disaster on our members and friends throughout Vanuatu.

All full-time missionaries in Vanuatu are safe and accounted for.

As we understand needs more clearly in the coming hours, we will mobilize our humanitarian efforts to provide food, water, medicine, temporary shelter, and other supplies as needed. We will work with the Vanuatu Government and other organizations to contribute to the emergency response in an organized and effective manner.

We urge Latter-day Saints throughout the world, and all people, to pray for the people of Vanuatu, seeking God's comfort and blessing to be upon the people. 

We pray that our collective response will be swift, coordinated, and exactly what is needed to alleviate suffering and foster resilience and recovery.”

Please take note that while the Church response to these events is quick and decisive, it takes a matter of days to mobilize the Church response to such an event. Therefore, we as Latter Day Saints need to be vigilant in our efforts to be prepared to help ourselves and others until additional help can arrive.

Hopefully we can all take just a little time each week to become better prepared for such things because they do happen, Ready or Not.