Local Pages
The Emergency Backpack, Protection of the Lord
Shortly after becoming a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I began to hear warnings, from Church leaders encouraging members to prepare for difficult times, including those caused by natural phenomena. My situation as a student at the time, made me think that it was not something important to do and that I could think about it later.
A few years after I became a husband and father, we planned to create a reserve, little by little. In recent months, the Presidency of the Caribbean Area has encouraged us to focus on the need to prepare, not only with storage, but also with an emergency backpack.
Awareness
We were able to observe how we were blessed and saved from the hurricanes in 2020, while some of our Caribbean brothers and sisters suffered from its effects. So, in 2021, we decided not only to say preparation was a good thing, but we decided to act.
Act in faith
In 2020, we had taken steps to assemble our emergency backpack. We relied on the list provided by the Area, as well as the documentation that state services made available to us.
However, despite our best efforts, we were unable to build our backpack. As I said before, we were thankful that no major hurricane hit us that year.
In 2021, we wanted to be obedient and set an example for our children. We now have emergency backpacks for the whole family, and we are aware that we are one of the “pioneers of emergency backpacks.”
Be a witness to others
Our local leaders, branch president, elders quorum president, and Relief Society president have relayed the information to our branch members and regularly encourage us to pack our backpack and let them know if we are having trouble doing so.
As a ministering brother, I take the time to ask the families that I minister to, “How are you doing with preparing your emergency backpack? Do you know how to prepare it? Do you need help to do it?” A simple way to teach how to do it is to show visual aids with objects that we could put in backpacks.
I can testify to the hard work this has required, and also to the blessing of the sweet feelings of serenity and security that we now feel.
I know that the Lord, in his omniscience, “knowing the calamity which should befall the inhabitants of the earth” (D&C 1:17), has inspired our Church leaders and even our political representatives to insist on this important preparation and to show us what to do.