Gaining a Testimony

Some of us may have grown up in homes that practiced principles of provident living and were able to gain a testimony from doing. Others of us need to hear the testimony of others.  Here is one such experience that I hope will help motivate you to do a little more.  It was printed in the September 2009 edition of the Ensign magazine which is a publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

As a young wife, Kolene Mills struggled with the principle of home storage. Although she wanted to obey the counsel of Church leaders, she was overwhelmed by the task and lacked motivation to learn how to store food.
One day during her scripture study she was reading in 3 Nephi. The Nephite people were being persecuted by the Gadianton robbers, who threatened to wage war against them if they did not surrender themselves and their land to the robbers. Humbled by this threat, the Nephites obeyed specific instructions from their leaders.
“[They] reserved for themselves provisions, and horses and cattle, and flocks of every kind, that they might subsist for the space of seven years, in the which time they did hope to destroy the robbers from off the face of the land …” (3 Nephi 4:4). Kolene was amazed as she realized that the Nephites had been commanded to prepare home storage.

“While reading these verses, the Spirit bore witness to me that it was important for me to prepare my family against whatever challenges might be ahead,” Kolene says. “I felt a bond with the Nephites, who had righteously listened to the counsel of their leaders in preparing themselves, and my desire to follow their example was strengthened.”

Like Kolene, some Church members may think it might be difficult to apply the principle of preparing for adversity by establishing a home storage supply. But as she found, obedience to the commandments can bring great blessings to families and individuals.

The First Presidency has said that our Heavenly Father’s purpose is “to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to ‘prepare every needful thing’ (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we may care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they care for others.”


For more information on how to get started on your home storage, visit www.providentliving.org.  Ensign, Sep 2009, 66–69