The Lord, the Prophet, the Twelve and Safety

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2008

PRINCIPLES: Elder Henry B. Eyring, in his talk entitled “Safety in Counsel” (Ensign, June 2008, p. 4-9), states that the Lord greatly desires our safety and will protect those who accept His protection. The Lord speaks to us through prophets, warning us as needed, and providing the path for us to take that will lead us to safety.

Latter-day Saints who heed the counsel of the Quorum of the Twelve will find security and refuge in that counsel. The Lord has chosen them, and Church members who support and stay close to the Twelve will find safety in these actions. Although individual members of the Twelve may make mistakes, the combined voice of the Twelve will never be wrong. Those who oppose the counsel of the Twelve put themselves in grave danger. (See Spencer W. Kimball, Conference Report, April 1951.)

Latter-day Saints will never be led astray by the President of the Church, the First Presidency, or the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve as a whole. These brethren will not speak in opposition to the will of the Lord. (See Joseph Fielding Smith, Conference Report, Apr. 1972.)

Sometimes the counsel given by general authorities may not seem to square with our personal, political or social perspectives. However, our safety depends on following that counsel. The President of the Church is someone to whom we need to pay particular attention. (See Harold B. Lee, Conference Report, October 1970.

“Wherefore . . . thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me; For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith. For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name's glory.” D&C 21:4-5

PRACTICES: In these, the last days, perilous times will come. There is safety only in following the Lord Jesus Christ. He will protect us as we heed the voice of His servants, the First Presidency of His Church, and the Quorum of the Twelve. These, as a group, the Lord will never permit to lead us astray. As we follow their counsel, the Savior will protect us against the powers of darkness.

Photo Credits: www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/05/images/20080529-2_utah-515h.jpg (modified in Paint to focus on one person at a time)

Long-Term Storage of Honey and/or Sugar

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2008

PRINCIPLES: The First Presidency, in a letter to the membership of the Church dated June 24th, 1988, provided a list of suggested foods to store. These included honey and/or sugar.

PRACTICES: Honey and sugar can be stored for many years without freezing, refrigeration, or canning. These products store best in air-tight HDPE buckets or glass jars with minimal or no exposure to moisture, light, bugs or contaminants. If honey crystallizes, it can be liquefied again by heating a jar for hours in water at 130oF, about as hot as hands can tolerate. At storage temperatures well above room temperature, honey tends to darken and lose flavor over time. Exposure to high humidity can cause honey to ferment and sugar to clump. Clumped sugar can be used if crushed.

Stored honey or sugar can be used as a sweetener for cereals, baked goods, spreads, yogurts and beverages. Honey comes in various colors and flavors depending on plant blossoms visited by bees.

Stored honey can be used as a substitute for sugar in baking recipes. For every cup of sugar in a recipe, substitute ¾ cup of honey. Decrease added liquids by ¼ cup, or add 4 Tbsp flour plus ¼ tsp baking soda. Measure honey in a measuring cup or spoon coated with fat or oil. To bake foods with honey, use an oven temperature 25 F lower than called for in the recipe. You can make no-yeast bread with honey using ½ to 1 tsp of baking soda per cup of honey. Low-pH honey reacts with high-pH baking soda to make CO2 bubbles. You need to bake the bread very soon after mixing it.

Honey and/or sugar can also be stored for future canning needs. Water-bath systems can be used for pickling cucumbers, beets and beans, or for canning high-acid fruits, preserves, jams, jellies and tomatoes. Pressure canners must be used for canning fish, meat and all vegetables except tomatoes. If honey is used in canning syrup, most practitioners recommend using a mix of sugar and up to 50% honey. It takes some tricks to can food well with just honey. Consider storing sufficient honey, sugar, equipment and supplies to meet your canning needs during a lengthy crisis, e.g., a pandemic.

Honey or food canned in honey should not be given to children one year old or less because natural, heat-resistant spores in honey can cause botulism in newly developed digestive tracts. Over 2,400 cases have been reported. For children older than one year, and for adults, honey is safe to eat.

Stored honey can also be used as a wound dressing for many types of wounds. Honey is reported to have excellent antimicrobial properties. Also, its use does not lead to growth of resistant strains of bacteria as use of antibiotics sometimes does. Honey dressings are said to also reduce inflammation, provide a moist healing environment, minimize adherence of bandages to newly forming skin, and promote rapid, effective healing. (Some journal articles with links below discuss relevant evidence.) . . .

Graphics credits:

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/k7240-6.htm/ =
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/aug01/k9566-1i.jpg/
http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/nal_web/fnic/content_images/canner.jpg

For more info, see http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/botulism.html; http://ijl.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/5/1/40; www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=1297205&blobtype=pdf; http://live.psu.edu/story/27584; http://missourifamilies.org/features/nutritionarticles/harvesttohealth/honey.htm; http://books.google.com/books?id=8vqp_XLfNKYC&pg=PA806&lpg=PA806&dq=canning+with+honey+carla&source=web&ots=OYa4ZbYz3K&sig=stJj2o8SDSMWhvHEiBnxq29FQD0&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result.