Prepared For A Time LONGER Than The Great Depression?

The upcoming ‘Greater Depression’ may likely last even longer than ‘the Great Depression’ of the 1930s and will have far worse consequences for more people than ever before.

The Great Depression that took place during the 1930s was a severe worldwide economic depression, the timing of which varied across nations; however, in most countries it started in 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s. It was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century.

If (when) the next ‘Greater Depression’ hits us smack in the face, you might want to be prepared to survive a minimum of 5-10 years, relatively on your own, without .gov assistance.

Read more…

What You Need to Know About Eating Expired Food

Have you ever been rooting through your pantry and come across a package that is well past its expiration date? Despite our good intentions, attempts at organization, and careful rotation of supplies, it still happens from time to time.

What about a really amazing sale on a packaged food? Sometimes that good sale is a last-ditch effort to clear out the product before the date. Should you still buy it?

When sorting supplies for my recent relocation, I discovered to my dismay that a couple of items had passed their expiration dates.

. . . Read More

10 Awesome Rubber Band Hacks & Tricks

Still not practicing preparedness skills? Nearly half of U.S. homes to be hit by natural disasters, warns research firm

(NaturalNews) If you are one of those people who believes that prepping is for doomsday prophets and survivalist wackos or you've simply not begun practicing preparedness because you think a disaster won't happen to you, you might want to readjust your attitude after reading the results of a recent study conducted by the real estate research company RealtyTrac.

The report, which was released on August 28, found that a whopping 43 percent of American homes are at "high risk or very high risk" of being struck by a natural disaster.

That's right - nearly half (roughly 35.8 million) of all American homes and condos are likely to be hit by at least one type of natural disaster. The figures are based on an examination of 2,318 counties throughout the nation that were subsequently assigned a natural disaster risk score between 0 and 300.

The scores were assessed according to the likelihood of being damaged or destroyed by wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods or earthquakes.

Natural disasters on the increase

Many people might be wondering if natural disaster incidents have increased in recent times. According to another study conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine, three times as many natural disasters occurred between 2000 and 2009 compared to the period between 1980 and 1989. Nearly four out of five of these disasters were "climate-related."

This study also found that the scale of disasters has grown due to increased "urbanization, deforestation, and environmental degradation" as well as "intensifying climate variables" including hotter temperatures, extreme amounts of precipitation and more violent storms.

The trend is on the increase and evidence suggests that as many as twice the amount of people have been displaced by disasters in recent years compared to the rate of displacement in the 1970s.

A sobering reality

Whether one attributes the increase to the results of human-induced climate change or to larger natural cycles matters little when your home is in ruins from a wildfire, flood or other disaster.

The bottom line is that it's happening more often. If the experts' predictions are correct, it will continue to happen more frequently in the future.

This means that if you're not already practicing preparedness by stockpiling food and survival supplies, making emergency plans and possibly taking steps to reinforce your home, you are bit like the proverbial ostrich burying its head in the sand.

Start prepping now

Even if you don't live in one of the high-risk areas, it's simply good common sense to at least begin preparing for a short-term or relatively "mild" disaster. This means making sure you have on hand enough emergency supplies to last for several days at the very least. Water, non-perishable food, flashlights, candles, first aid and self-defense equipment are among the main items that should be stockpiled.

To be on the safe side, you should consider stockpiling enough supplies to last for a month or more. The most essential commodity to have on hand when the SHTF is drinking water.

To many readers here, this is not new information, but you might be surprised by how many Americans have not done anything at all to prepare themselves for the unforeseeable.

The results of these studies should serve as a wake-up call for those who have not bothered to take the simple, inexpensive steps that could very well mean the difference between life and death.

It's also important to consider that these figures do not take into account other possible disaster scenarios, including other natural occurrences such as solar flares that could knock out the power grid or man-made calamities such as war or a breakdown of social order due to a complete financial collapse.

Unfortunately, all of these scenarios and many others are well within the realm of possibility.

The important question is: are YOU prepared?

http://www.naturalnews.com/051221_prepping_natural_distasters_survival_skills.html

Lindsey Williams – Warning to prepare for an emergency. Stock up on food, water and supplies now!

Lindsey Williams –Warning to prepare for an emergency. Stock up on food, water and supplies now!

Here is the scenario.  “Government agencies are having difficulty making their payments.  State governments are issuing vouchers to pay their bills.  US Social Security is late in issuing its payments to retirees and the disabled.  Many banks are issuing warnings about liquidity.   The prices of food are escalating by the hour.  Instead of talking about the latest inane reality TV show, everyone is talking about inflation, money, mass layoffs, etc.  It is 5 days before the economic collapse.”   So, what do you do?

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Improvised Methods of Measuring Food

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Lessons Learned from a Home Invasion Attempt

I was working day shift police patrol when a call went out at about 9:00 a.m.  I was dispatched to a very large house in a nice neighborhood. The dispatcher said that the resident had called to report suspicious activity.  The resident said that she had heard someone banging on her back door.  She was worried because no one ever came to the back side of her house.  She thought that the knock was a burglary attempt and she had locked herself in an upstairs bedroom until we could arrive.

This isn’t an exceptionally unusual call.  I work in a very wealthy city that has a high percentage of elderly residents.  Many of these residents live alone, are disabled, or suffering from dementia.  They tend to call us fairly often whenever they think something strange is happening.

As I drove to the call, the dispatcher gave me an update.  They had received an additional call from the resident’s alarm company stating that a lower level door had been opened.  The dispatcher was still on the phone with the resident.  She hadn’t moved from her upstairs bedroom and no one else should have been in the house.

Another officer and I arrived within a few minutes.  As we checked the perimeter of the house, we noticed that the lower level rear door had been kicked in.  The door was standing open and most of the door frame was lying on the floor inside the house.  Not knowing if the burglar(s) were still inside, we called for additional units to secure the perimeter as we searched the house for the intruders.

We cleared the lower levels and worked our way slowly upstairs until we reached the caller’s bedroom.  We had the dispatcher tell her that we were right outside her door and that it was safe to come out.  She did, and was relieved to hear that the intruders had left the house.

After we assured the resident’s safety, we began an investigation of the incident.  Besides the rear door being kicked in, there had been an additional attempt to break a rear window.  The burglars picked up a pointed rock from the homeowner’s landscaping and made three attempts to bash the window.  There were obvious marks and chips, but the glass didn’t break.  We surmised that the burglars’ attempts to break the window were the “knocking” sound the resident heard.

Frustrated with their inability to make entry, the burglars dropped the rock and made another attempt by kicking in the door.  This time they were successful.  The door opened easily, but the burglar alarm was triggered in the process.  Since nothing was taken from the house, we believe that the burglars fled after being scared off by the alarm.

The homeowner here was quite fortunate.  Other than the expense of having to replace a window and a door frame, she didn’t suffer any financial loss.  Even though she wasn’t hurt, the burglary attempt clearly traumatized her.  She was visibly scared and shaking.  The thought that someone could so easily invade her house is likely to cause some disturbing thoughts for her in the future.

Unfortunately, events like this are quite common.  How can you ensure that you aren’t victimized in a similar manner?  Let’s take a look at a few of the lessons we can learn from this incident:

1)      Don’t make it easy for criminals to break into your house.  Given enough time and effort, a burglar can break into just about any location.  Most, however, will look for the easiest targets they can find.  The burglars here initially attempted entry by trying to break a window using a handy piece of landscape rock.  Take a look around your house.  Are you providing the burglar with the tools he needs to break in?

I can’t tell you how many houses I see with ladders leaning up against the exterior wall, tools like hammers and axes laying around in the yard, or concrete blocks being used as improvised steps leading up to a back door.  All of these items make it really easy for a criminal to force entry.

How easy are you making it for criminals to get into your house?

2)      Secure lower level windows.  Although this burglary attempt involved force, many of the ones I see do not.  Most often criminals enter through unlocked lower level windows and doors.  Make sure any entry point that a criminal can reach from the ground level stays locked.

If you are concerned about criminals breaking your windows to gain entry, I would suggest visiting your local home improvement store to look at ways you can better secure them.  “Hurricane Film” is readily available and easy to apply.  It provides a transparent plastic coating over the windows that will resist all but the most determined efforts to break the glass.  Decorative and removable steel bars are also available for both the inside and outside of your windows.

Hurricane Film to protect against window breakage

3)      Invest in good exterior locks.  This woman’s door was opened with a single kick.  She had a deadbolt on the door, but the strike plate (reinforced hole into which the deadbolt slides) was not secure enough.  The deadbolt stayed extended but the entire door frame was knocked off.

Make sure each of your exterior doors has a deadbolt that is sturdy and extends at least one inch into the door frame.  Install the strike plate and door hinges with extra long (three to four inch) wood screws that reach all the way into the door frame.  Additionally, there are metal reinforcing plates available for both the boor and the strike plate area to prevent kick-ins.  They are worthwhile if you think you are likely to experience a door kick.

Make sure the deadbolt is at least 1″ long

4)      Have good locks on your safe room or bedroom door as well.  The homeowner here was hiding in a bedroom with a hollow core door and no deadbolt.  If the criminals had wanted to get to her, it would provide no resistance at all.

I personally upgraded my bedroom door to one that is constructed of a solid wood and has a deadbolt.  It isn’t impenetrable, but it will take a lot of effort to break in.  The $100 I spent doing so was a good investment.

Also make sure you have a way to call for help in your safe room.  Phone contact with the resident was critical here.  I suggest that you have both a landline phone and a cell phone in your master bedroom in case of power outages or if the criminals cut your phone line.  When you upgrade your cell phone, keep your old one on a charger hidden in your safe room.  Even if the phone is deactivated, the carrier must allow it to connect to 911.  The phone won’t work for any other number, but federal law requires that it still connect when dialing 911.

5)      Know your neighbors.  After this incident we interviewed the caller’s neighbors to see if they had seen anything.  One alert neighbor gave us the description of a car she saw rapidly departing the victim’s driveway just before our arrival.  That description might give us enough information to make an arrest.

You should pay enough attention to know when something is “out of place” at your neighbors’ houses.  You should encourage them to do the same for you.  If you or a neighbor sees something suspicious, make a call to the police.

Most criminals are lazy.  They are looking for the absolute easiest place to acquire drugs, cash, and jewelry.  A few simple interventions like I suggested above will ensure that you won’t have to suffer like the resident in this case.  Make your house a harder target and you will be less likely to suffer a loss!

http://www.activeresponsetraining.net/lessons-learned-from-a-home-invasion-attempt#sthash.85g48FXi.dpuf

Preppers It Is Never a Good Time to Panic

It is safe to say that by and large nothing has changed for the better. However, the change in some cases has come in increments, which allows us all to adjust to the point that potential threats become like furniture.

You do not always see what has been there right under your nose, because you have become accustomed to it, used to seeing it to the point you no longer notice. The adversaries of the United States of course prefer it this way. If the country and its citizens do not recognize something as a threat then no one prepares to counter that threat.

Russia is flying their jets off the coast of the United States. Our military jumps in the cockpit of their jets and wags a wing telling the interloper to change course. Common practice in some cases and in other cases, it may mean a direct threat and a wrong move would cause an international incident. Just how far we are willing to go to keep Russian fighter jets away is a question that Russia wants answered. They will continue their aggression until a firm hand is applied, and once that happens what’s next.

Iran is racing toward a nuclear device (who knows for sure, they may already have one). North Korea has a number of nuclear devices. Pakistan and India have dozens, as do other countries in the world including the United States.

Therefore, it is not a matter of if, but when, there is an accidental launch, or a device is stolen or someone gets an itchy trigger finger and launches one over some perceived or real threat from another country. How long (if it hasn’t occurred already) before the secrets to the bomb are given or sold to the wrong country or group. It’s just a matter of time.

Pakistan, North Korea, and India do not adhere to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and all three have conducted nuclear testing.

Wall Street halts trading, a computer glitch they tell us. On the same day United Airlines grounds all flights, a computer glitch they tell us, and still yet on the same day the Wall Street Journal’s website had computer glitches and their site went dark. Other reports that cannot be confirmed also indicate problems with computers and power outages on the very same day across the country.

Wall Street, airlines and the news media all symbols of America, and capitalism, which in some people’s minds is the root of the world’s problems. America is a problem that must be solved according to the ideology of some groups, countries, and individuals in the world.

It Is Never a Good Time to Panic

There are articles and headlines out there that indicate or state outright that now is the time to panic, but of course you should never panic. The point is if there ever was a good time, it may be now according to some. You cannot panic, because you need your wits about you.

Instead of panicking, now is the time to pay closer attention to what is going on in the world. Have you ever watched the segments on certain news and entertainment shows that have reporters interviewing people on the streets?

The number of people that cannot name or even recognize the Vice President of the United States or other elected officials that essentially dictate our daily lives is very troubling. Some think the war of 1812 ended 10 years ago and that humans killed off the dinosaurs because we failed to recycle properly. In case you didn’t know this the dinosaurs died off over 65 million years ago.

The number of people in this country that are uniformed, and live in their own little world is alarming. Apparently some, if not many get their news from websites, blogs, and Facebook pages. These outlets cannot be called news outlets in many cases, because often times what is presented is simply someone’s opinion, their take on the events, in other words.

There are of course blogs, websites, and Facebook pages that do a great job of keeping their readers informed with articles and news blurbs, and keep people informed with the facts. If you find a site that does supply you with facts, even opinion, and relevant content and allows for discourse regardless of ideology, then you had better support them, because they are getting rarer as the days go by.

Everyday there is a crisis in someone’s life. It may only affect an individual, family, or small community, but for them it can be a life ending or life altering crisis.

You have to stay informed and you have to stay prepared, but be careful of where you get your news, and information from, because not all news or websites are created equal. You would think it would be difficult to change the facts, but if you do not verify what you are reading and hearing, then you may come to believe something that is not true. It may only be someone’s perception that you are hearing. Some people tend to only listen to those that share the same beliefs and opinions, and so this can lead to believing in things that are simply not true.

Do your own research. Prepping is not that complicated when it comes down to it. You will need many of the same things during a crisis that you need now. Accomplishing tasks will be more difficult, but if you prepare, stay informed, and gain knowledge and skills you can survive if you do not panic.

When the Trucks Stop Delivering, ‘The System’ Will Collapse

by Tess Pennington

Ready Nutrition 

Collectively speaking, most Americans take for granted the system in place to deliver essential supplies to their area. “The system,” an underlying infrastructure that keeps goods, services and commerce in America flowing creates a sense of normalcy and order. Food, water, gasoline and medications are just a few of the items restocked weekly in order for our dependent society to maintain a steady flow. What many fail to grasp is just how fragile the system is and just how quickly it can collapse.

Our transportation systems are one of the weakest links in the system. Mac Slavo explains:

In a 2012 report prepared for legislators and business leaders by the American Trucking Associations highlights just how critical our just-in-time inventory and delivery systems are, and assesses the impact on the general population in the event of an emergency or incident of national significance that disrupts the truck transportation systems which are responsible for carrying some ten billion tons of commodities and supplies across the United States each year.
A shutdown of truck operations as a result of elevated threat levels, terrorist attacks, or pandemics would, according to the report, have “a swift and devastating impact on the food, healthcare, transportation, waste removal, retail, manufacturing, and financial sectors.”
So too would events such as an EMP attack or a coordinated cyber-attack that could shut down global positioning systems and the computers responsible for inventory control.

The report goes on to explain that consumer fear and panic will exacerbate shortages. News of a truck stoppage—whether on the local level, state or regional level, or nationwide—will spur hoarding and drastic increases in consumer purchases of essential goods. Shortages will materialize quickly and could lead to civil unrest.

What the following graphic will demonstrate is just how quickly our system will fail. When the trucks in America stop, all commerce and delivery stops with it.

To avoid falling into this recipe for disaster, use the information presented in this graphic as a guideline to being self-reliant. Listed within the graphic are critical supplies that willdisappear off the shelves at the first signs of this disaster. These are the items you want to stock up on before the trucks stop delivering. Many items such as powdered milk and canned meat are versatile supplies that can be used for short-term and long lasting disasters. When I wrote The Prepper’s Blueprint: The Step-By-Step Guide To Help You Through Any Disaster, I emphasized the importance of having a well-rounded preparedness plan that encompasses many different types of emergency scenarios. This essential survival guide stresses how important is to have plans and supplies in place in order to be better prepared for the disasters that are on the horizon.

•  Create a food pantry. Creating a food supply is very beneficial to your budget. It is an investment into your future livelihood. One thing analysts and financial pundits agree on is that, in general, commodities will continue to rise. When others are buying foods at inflated prices, you will be consuming your investment when it was purchased at a lower price. Using a combination of shelf stable foods, you can create a well-rounded food supply to depend on when an emergency arises.
• Store water. We need water to survive – and our preps should reflect this important need. An aspect that I love the most about preppers is that we love to have back ups for our back ups. Having a short-term water supply that you regularly rotate into your kitchen will ensure you have a freshwater source to turn to during a short lived emergency. As well, having filtration systems and portable water purification tools will ensure you can purify water for longer term purposes.
• Attain needed supplies. If you are dependent on certain medications or supplies you need for your daily living, make sure you have enough to see you through a short-term disaster. The more supplied you are, the less you will have to leave your home during the emergency. As well, look into natural alternatives for medications.
• Preserve your wealth. Choose hard assets (dry goods, precious metals, land, livestock, skills, etc.) for long term investments so they will hold their intrinsic value over time. Holding these types of investments will insulate you from inflation and other economic issues. Further, by tying your money up in assets it will help you avoid spending the money, thus furthering your cause of self-reliant living.
• Become a neo-pioneer! Carve a path in life where you are no longer dependent on consuming at stores to live. Garden and grow your own food, raise livestock, learn skills to live self-reliantly, barter for goods and services.

The above graphic is a reminder of how fast our population can breakdown and quickly spiral into a disaster of epic proportions. But surviving during this type of scenario is possible by simply preparing for it ahead of time.

It’s Getting Crazy Out There – Don’t Be Distracted! An Open Letter to Family & Friends

I first penned this letter in December 2011.  Back then, I was very concerned about our world and the direction that I saw it going.  The signs have been there for a while.  For those paying attention, looking, researching and reading, you could easily find a myriad of problems that point to how fragile our world, country, state… is.  But now, the problems are glaring and in your face!  You really have to be Mary Poppins to think there isn’t “something” wrong!

From our economy, to terrorism, to natural disasters, to deadly viruses, crime and more, you can easily find reasons to be concerned for yourself and your family!

The thing is, many of the problems that can arise because of these issues can be mitigated if you just put a little effort into being prepared.  Many of you won’t though because you are too distracted with “living the dream” and having fun or you just are irresponsible!  Responsibility is a problem in today’s world!  We all want the government or some other entity to come through for us!  And what if they don’t?  Are you willing to have your family staring you in the face, wanting to know what to do because they are in a desperate situation that could have been avoided or not as bad because you weren’t man enough to make some decisions and get off your butt!

People always ask, what if I prepare and nothing happens?  Well I say, that is good!  You don’t really want anything to happen!  You don’t want terrorist to hack the electric grid and be without power for however long!  You don’t want the economy to tank and possibly lose your job!  You don’t want the drought in California to effect the food supply so much that you forgo buying fruit because it is too expensive!  You don’t want any of that stuff to happen!  But if it does….you wan to be ready!

Being prepared doesn’t mean you go buy a lot of camo, guns and go out into the woods.  Being prepared or living a prepared lifestyle just means you live responsibility by planning, thinking ahead and putting some things back for a rainy day!  There are so many aspects to it and each family is going to be different!  But failing to plan and prepare is setting your family up to fail!

You will tell that my letter below is a lot “softer” than what I’ve written above!  Back then, I didn’t want to freak people out.  I wanted them to think critically!  But now, I think people need a wake-up call!

After you read the letter below, I would be happy to answer any questions or point you to resources that can explain your question in better detail!

Peace,
Todd
July 2015

An Open Letter to Family & Friends

I’m writing this letter because I care about you.  Please take a few minutes to read it and think about what I’m saying.

Why the Letter?

Our lives are crazy.  We take care of our family, work, eat, play chauffeur, pay the bills, etc.  When we have a little bit of free time, we like to just veg in front of the TV and watch some brain numbing pictures flicker across the screen.  We can go at it like this for days, weeks and even months, not knowing what is going on in the world outside our local community and just get by with the talk around the water cooler.

And when we take life in these little chunks, separate blocks of our time and attention, it seems a little bit more manageable.  We move from one task, event, errand, chore to the other.

The problem is when we look at our lives from a big picture perspective.  What if our lives, all of the sudden changed?  What if the stress of the day came bearing down at you all at once?  How could this happen?  This can easily happen during an emergency.  I’m not talking about your son just stuffed his GI Joe down the toilet, or the dog is out of food emergency.  I’m talking about the BIG stuff.

The Big Emergency

The BIG emergency is the one that stops you in your tracks.  It can be personal, based in your local community or worldwide.  But it is the one that everything else stops and all resources and energy are put towards it.

The problem is that most people are not prepared for the BIG one.

Prepared?

Are you and your family most people?  Do you have an emergency fund for financial emergencies?  Do you have insurance for medical emergencies?  Do you have food and water if there is a food supply/transportation emergency?  Do you have other means of cooking and preparing your food if utilities weren’t available?  Do you have first aid supplies and extra medicine on hand?  Do you have basic skills that could help you: fire starting, water purification, gardening, first aid, etc.?

This is the whole reason for my letter.  I want to help you see the importance of being prepared and to start being more self-reliant.  It’s not too hard, but it does take time, planning and effort.  But then again, what would the time, planning and effort that you put in ahead of time be worth in the middle of an emergency?  You’ll be glad you did!

Action Steps

1. Make a plan – What are you preparing for?  What needs to be done?  Don’t look at the magnitude of the plan, that can be overwhelming. Take it in chunks.  In reality, you will never be “prepared.”  You can be “not prepared” or “overly prepared,” but never “perfectly prepared.”  Consider the basics: financial, medical, etc…but also keep in mind your region of the country; hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, fires, etc…

1. Set goals– When do you want _____ accomplished?
   1. Get a 3 day supply of food.  Then move to a 3 week supply.
   2. Revisit insurance: house, vehicle, medical, life, etc…
   3. Think about home and personal security.
   4. Start an emergency fund – 3-6 months of expenses
   5. Start a garden
   6. Take a class: first-aid, sewing, gardening, firearm, wilderness survival
   7. Watch some videos on Youtube (search preparedness)
   8. Read blogs and articles on “preparedness” and “prepping

1.  Get active – go meet your goals!

Warning

The world of preparedness/prepping can be an addictive one.  It can suck you in, mess with your emotions and get you seeing the world in the fragile states that it is in.  It is always best to approach preparedness within community.  You should go it alone only if no one else is willing. Eventually, they will realize that you were right, even if that is in the midst of a storm.

Fragile

It is not in the scope of this letter to discuss all the possible emergency scenarios that you should prepare for.  But outside of regional, natural disasters, it is important to me to briefly mention our global situation.  Things outside our local community have gone from bad to worse!  At first, we might not care about what is going on in some Asian or European country, but the fact is that we are ALL tied into each other now.  What happens over there, affects us over here.

There are many “End of the World as We Know It” type scenarios out there.  One such scenario is an economic collapse.  Someone recently replied to me and said, “Yes, times can get hard, but we have been through it before during the Great Depression.”  The fact is that it is way different this time.  Our country didn’t have the debt that we have now.  And, if for some reason the world loses faith in our government’s ability to pay its debts, we are up the creek.  It really isn’t too far-fetched to imagine this happening if you’ll look into it.  The concern has gone beyond the foil hat people.  Just research it!

Do Something

Please take this letter seriously.  If you prepare and don’t need it, the worst is that you have some food (food costs are going up/buy now at cheaper prices) and other supplies.  But if you ever find you are in a position that you do need it, you and your loved ones will be glad you were prepared!

This article first appeared on Ed That Matters.

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THE COMING PERSECUTION… WHAT’S A PATRIOT TO DO? (TEN STEPS)

Ahhh, that ‘moment.’ The moment when it all sunk in and you realized I wasn’t joking about the coming persecution of Christian patriots in America. And now the stage is set and ‘it’ is at the threshold.

I’ve received several emails and want to offer you some encouragement, which also ties in with the series I’m doing, titled ‘The Coming Underground.’ So, some action steps are in order. WHAT TO DO!

1a. PRAY. Stop! This isn’t a half-hearted, driving down the road to work or whistling while your doing laundry, thinking about God, kind of prayer. Lock yourself away, with no distractions, for an hour. Make a list so you know what to pray ABOUT.
A. Wisdom and Discernment and pray for a HUNGER for His word for
– You and your spouse and your children
– For your friends and family who are likeminded who you will all be leaning on in the future for encouragement and counsel
– For patriot leaders (Legislators, Clergy, Community Leaders, Patriot Leaders, Sheriff, other Officials, your Bible Study leader and group)
B. For courage to stand for truth no matter the cost, and to know how to tell the difference as deception rules the days ahead
C. For your church. For THE church, as items A & B above apply to them, especially for the Godly men, the pastors, and other decision makers.
D. Pray that He will strengthen your faith in Him. To give you the wisdom to prepare, and that He provide for your needs in those areas you are not able to physically prepare.

1b. Put on the full armor of God

2. PREPARE – Do not be a refugee.
A. Be self reliant and stock up enough food for at least one year. Have the ability to produce/capture/filter water. Have medicines and medical supplies.
B. Communications. Be able to at least receive communications locally (scanner) and long range (Shortwave radio with SSB). Then be able to communicate with everyone in your group (handheld or mobile/vehicle radios). Then invest in at least one person, preferably two, who will get their ham licenses in the next 6 weeks. AT LEAST one of them should quickly get his General class license and the group invest in getting at least one HF Radio and all the digital communications software for digital modes. And practice! Go to www.AmRRON.com for more info.

3. SAFE HOUSES – The decision of where and when to conduct underground church meetings can be done later, and will change often.  So don’t worry about that part right now.

Develop your home into a safe house where you could host someone who needs a place to go, such as someone in your church, your pastor, or some other leader who may be wanted for who-knows-what ‘crimes.’ Next, develop a secondary safe house that has no connection to you, such as the old man who was your Boy Scout leader when you were a child, or someone else you can trust and confide in.  There are plenty of elderly people who think they don’t have a role to play in the underground because they’re “no spring chicken anymore.”  Nonsense!  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  If they have their head and their heart in the right place, there’s a place for everyone.  Give them a role.

– Don’t tell ANYONE that you have developed a safehouse, and don’t tell anyone except your closest inner circle (the two guys who would take a bullet for you) about your preps. Don’t tell your children! They can be easily exploited and manipulated.
– Develop a safehouse for your immediate family. This is a place where they can be safely hidden for months or years if necessary. This SHOULD ABSOLUTELY NOT be a place with direct ties to you, such as yours or your spouse’s parents, your brother, your pastor, your vacation cabin, etc. Store everything they will need there for a year without having to leave.

4. NETWORK NOW – There are not special agents infiltrating home groups and home churches and Bible studies at this time. Begin discussing the potential future now while you can still trust people. Carefully vet those who you discuss this with (only like-minded people), and take your time broaching the topic. It won’t take long at all for you to realize who is ‘there’ mentally. Do NOT push the issue with those who need ‘convincing’.

Tell those who are of the proper mindset to begin items 1 – 3 above. Do not share each others’ secondary safehouse locations. All you need to know is how to link up with each other in the event it becomes necessary. Example: Develop dead drop locations where you can leave notes for each other with visual indicators to let the other parties know:
A. I have left a message for you
B. *Duress: I have been compromised, do not retrieve message, keep moving
*These can never be written down, but rather committed to memory. Quiz each other from time to time.

Or, Have a plan to be at milemarker xx on Hwy xxx on frequency xxx.xxx at xxxxhrs until you link up, should you become separated and need to link up.

5. Be prepared to defend yourself and others.  If you do not already have one, acquire a combat rifle and a handgun, thirteen 30-rd magazines for the rifle, three magazines for your pistol, and a harness or vest for carrying all of them. Become proficient with your rifle.

6. Get in shape NOW.  Stop stuffing your face, and start walking. Stop reading this and go do ten pushups and 20 situps, then come back and continue. Do that every hour you’re awake (Okay, so I’m not a hypocrite, I just went and did it. You can too!)

7. Protect your wealth.  Get your cash out of the bank and transfer it into liquidable, tangible assets (leave your next mortgage payment and car payment in there, and anything else you need for monthly expenses which come directly out of your bank account). You shouldn’t have more-than-necessary cash just sitting in your account. Convert it to cash, guns, silver, gold, food, garden seeds and ‘lead’ (copper jacketed type) that you can use or trade or barter with.

8. Read the following books, besides the Bible:
– Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand
– When the Almond Tree Blossoms by David Aikman
– Resilient Nations by Robert F. Dees (retired Army Major General)
– The 5000 Year Leap by Cleon Skousen
– Knighthood of Christian Warriors by Dr. Donald Bell (retired Marine Major)
– Patriots: A Novel of the Coming Collapse by James Wesley Rawles

9.  Come out of your hole!  You’re no good to anyone by hiding somewhere to save your own skin and never getting involved, waiting for SOMEBODY to do SOMETHING so you can crawl out to a new safe world that someone else fought for.  It’s not going to happen if you don’t get involved and start making connections now.  Join your local county assembly or committee of correspondence, your local Tea Party, or conservative action group.  Attend preparedness and patriot events and start meeting likeminded people like yourself.  Begin carefully vetting and making new relationships and building networks of others you can trust and count on when the world maxes out the insane meter.  These people (and you) will be needed in making it through, fighting through, and restoring and rebuilding after the collapse of our culture.  And it WILL have to be fought for.  Nothing of lasting value will come for free or without a fight.

10.  Identify and serve.  Identify proven leaders in your community and choose who you will support, protect, and join.   Many self-proclaimed leaders will surface in a time of crisis.  They will claim that they have the solutions and demand that everyone follow them.    There are patriots and there are loyalists and at times it will be hard to tell the difference.  How will you discern?  You judge by their track record.  Does this legislator or county commissioner have a proven track record of fighting for liberty and traditional American ideals, or does he/she have a reputation of compromising and appeasing the powers that be?  You need to know who they are as early on as possible.  NOW would be a good time to start.  Build relationships with them and support them now.

How do you build a relationship with a proven patriot leader now?  You serve!  How do you become ‘friends’ with a high profile leader in the patriot community?  You volunteer to help that pastor and tell him you have skills and would like to contribute to the ministry.  You volunteer to help on that legislator’s or commissioner’s reelection campaign.  You help that community leader who is a mover and shaker and is connected with all the ‘who’s who’ in your community, and you volunteer to help make signs, set up sound equipment at the next rally, lick envelopes.  YOU SPEND TIME AROUND THEM!  Buy them a cup of coffee and share your heart, but don’t chew their ear off ‘philosophizing’ to them.  They have a bazillion other people all vying for ‘just five minutes’ of their time who want to philosophize and give them some profound, soul-stirring insight to their ‘wisdom.’   But more than anything, just BE THERE, and you will get five minutes with them, and more.  That’s your calling and mission.  Stick to it and don’t get distracted.  THEN you will have some influence — The ‘king’s ear’, if you please.

In a crisis situation, he will be looking for, and needing, a support network.  He may need a safe place to go into hiding.  What you never told him is that there are four people you could send an encrypted text to RIGHT NOW who could get him or her into a safe house network.  Or put him in touch with other leadership your group has been developing.  Or a network of medical personnel who have been quietly developing an underground hospital at three potential locations.

Those leaders may be advocating for the patriots in the public arena.  One of the best ways for you to advocate for your group, church, family, militia, or community is to have a previously-established relationship with him.  He will be needed in the political arm of a movement to secure liberty, and you will be needed by him for support and security.

Now, you have a mission, and we’re on borrowed time.  So GO!

http://www.radiofreeredoubt.com/2015/06/29/the-coming-persecution-whats-a-patriot-to-do-ten-steps/