David A. Bednar, October 2020 General Conference (“We Will Prove Them Herewith,” Ensign, November 2020, p. 9)
“Some Church members opine that emergency plans and supplies, food storage, and 72-hour kits must not be important anymore because the Brethren have not spoken recently and extensively about these and related topics in general conference. But repeated admonitions to prepare have been proclaimed by leaders of the Church for decades. The consistency of prophetic counsel over time creates a powerful concert of clarity and a warning volume far louder than solo performances can ever produce.”
J. Reuben Clark, Jr. (Conference Report, April 1937, p. 26)
“Let every head of every household see to it that he has on hand enough food and clothing, and, where possible, fuel also, for at least a year ahead. You of small means put your money in foodstuffs and wearing apparel, not in stocks and bonds.”
Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2001 General Conference (“The Times in Which We Live,” Ensign, November 2001)
“As we have been continuously counseled for more than 60 years, let us have some food set aside that would sustain us for a time in case of need. But let us not panic nor go to extremes. Let us be prudent in every respect.”
1 Timothy 5:8
“But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”
Ezra Taft Benson, October 1973 General Conference (“Prepare Ye,” Ensign, January 1974, p. 80)
“The revelation to store food may be as essential to our temporal salvation today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah.”
Hebrews 11:7
“By faith, Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet…prepared an ark to the saving of his house…”
W. Don Ladd, October 1994 General Conference (“Make Thee an Ark,” Ensign, November 1994, p. 29)
“We all need to build a personal ark . . . And we shouldn’t wait until it starts raining but prepare in advance. This has been the message of all the prophets in this dispensation . . . as well as the prophets of old…
“When it starts raining, it is too late to begin building the ark. However, we do need to listen to the Lord’s spokesmen. We need to calmly continue to move ahead and prepare for what will surely come. We need not panic or fear, for if we are prepared, spiritually and temporally, we and our families will survive any flood. Our arks will float on a sea of faith if our works have been steadily and surely preparing for the future.”
Brigham Young (The Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 291)
“If we are to be saved in an ark, as Noah and his family were, it will be because we build it…My faith does not lead me to think the Lord will provide us with roast pigs, bread already buttered, etc. He will give us the ability to raise the grain, to obtain the fruits of the earth, to make habitations, to procure a few boards to make a box, and when harvest comes, giving us the grain, it is for us to preserve it—to save the wheat until we have one, two, five or seven years’ provisions on hand, ….”
Thomas S. Monson (“That Noble Gift—Love at Home,” Church News, May 12, 2001, p. 7)
“Many more people could ride out the storm-tossed waves in their economic lives if they had their year’s supply of food . . . and were debt-free. Today we find that many have followed this counsel in reverse: they have at least a year’s supply of debt and are food-free.”
Proverbs 21:20
“There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.”
The First Presidency (All is Safely Gathered In: Family Home Storage, April 2007)
“We encourage Church members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings.
“We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve.
“…We encourage you to store as much as circumstances allow.”
Russell M. Nelson, October 2020 General Conference (“Embrace the Future with Faith,” Ensign, November 2020, p. 74)
“For decades, the Lord’s prophets have urged us to store food, water, and financial reserves for a time of need.….I urge you to take steps to be temporally prepared.”
Spencer W. Kimball, Regional Representatives’ Seminar, 30 September 1976
“Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program.”
Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2002 General Conference (“To Men of the Priesthood,” Liahona and Ensign, November 2002, p. 58)
“The best place to have some food set aside is within our homes, together with a little money in savings. . . .
“We can begin ever so modestly. We can begin with a one week’s food supply and gradually build it to a month, and then to three months. . . I fear that so many feel that a long-term food supply is so far beyond their reach that they make no effort at all.
“Begin in a small way, . . . and gradually build toward a reasonable objective.”
W. Christopher Waddell, October 2020 General Conference (“There Was Bread,” Ensign, November 2020, p. 44)
“When considering the principle of preparedness, we can look back to Joseph in Egypt for inspiration. Knowing what would happen would not have been sufficient to carry them through the “lean” years without a degree of sacrifice during the years of abundance. Rather than consume all that Pharaoh’s subjects could produce, limits were established and followed, providing sufficient for their immediate, as well as their future, needs. It was not enough to know that challenging times would come. They had to act, and because of their effort, “there was bread.””
James E. Faust, April 1986 General Conference (“The Responsibility for Welfare Rests with Me and My Family,” Ensign, May 1986, p. 22)
“It is . . . necessary that each home and family do what they can to assume the responsibility for their own hour of need. If we do not have the resources to acquire a year’s supply then we can strive to begin with having one month’s supply.”
D&C 29:34
“Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal…”
W. Christopher Waddell, October 2020 General Conference (“There Was Bread,” Ensign, November 2020, p. 44)
“…aspects of a spiritual foundation for temporal preparedness include acting “in wisdom and order,” which implies a gradual buildup of food storage and savings over time, as well as embracing “small and simple” means which is a demonstration of faith that the Lord will magnify our small but consistent efforts.”
W. Christopher Waddell, October 2020 General Conference (“There Was Bread,” Ensign, November 2020, p. 44-45)
“As we embrace spiritual principles and seek inspiration from the Lord, we will be guided to know the Lord’s will for us, individually and as families, and how best to apply the important principles of temporal preparedness. The most important step of all is to begin.”
W. Christopher Waddell, October 2020 General Conference (“There Was Bread,” Ensign, November 2020, p. 45)
“…in an ever-changing world, we must prepare for uncertainties. Even with better days ahead, we know that the temporal peaks and valleys of mortality will continue. As we seek to become temporally prepared, we can face the trials of life with increased confidence, peace in our hearts, and like Joseph in Egypt, we will be able to say, even in stressful circumstances, “There was bread.””
Marion G. Romney, October 1976 General Conference (“In Mine Own Way,” Ensign, November 1976, p. 124)
“Salvation is an individual matter, and we must work out our own salvation, in temporal as well as in spiritual things.”
1 Nephi 3:7
“…I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”