Self Reliance

Leadership Business Corner:

Updated list of stake welfare and self-reliance committee members:

Pr. Ted Griffis, Stake Presidency

Br. Steven Sarver, High Councilor, new addition to the committee

Sr. Chiemi Bentley, Stake Relief Society Presidency

Sr. Cynthia Prevatke, Stake Welfare and Self-Reliance Specialist

Sr. Debra Goodwin, Co-chair, Stake Welfare and Self-Reliance Specialist

Br. Michael Goodwin, Co-chair, Stake Welfare and Self-Reliance Specialist

June 2025 NEWSLETTER – Stake Self-Reliance Web Site Overview and Health 

Leadership Business Corner:

Two new callings:

Daniel Stallings, R1 – Stake Employment Specialist

ShaeLee Merrifield, Belvidere – Stake Education Specialist

Gardening tips:

I have mentioned in an earlier newsletter about propagating tomato suckers into new plants. I have discovered that you can also cut up a tomato stem into segments, each including one leaf, a leaf node and a stem portion below the node and propagating it in water for new plants. Each leaf node will produce a sucker, and the stem will produce roots and grow into a new plant.

Herb(s) of the Month Showcase:

Shepards’ purse and yarrow can be used to stop bleeding. Both are growing wild in my yard.

Cayenne pepper powder also works.

Shepards’ purse https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-51/shepherds-purse 

yarrow https://online.snh.cc/files/2100/HTMLredacted/snh_wound.htm 

cayenne https://online.snh.cc/files/2100/HTMLredacted/issue_3___cayenne.htm 

“One young man had cut his hand deeply, fingers as well as the palm. The blood spurted out in streams. He poured a large amount of Cayenne into the wound, and within seconds the blood flow slowed down, congealed, and stopped. He wrapped with wound, covering it first with a goodly amount of Cayenne. He was so excited about these results that he could hardly wait to attend the next herb lecture to tell about it. But when he unwrapped the bandage to show the audience, instead of a deep, ugly scar, the area was healed and there was no scar at all!” 

Hack of the month:

Over the years, I have accumulated several rain barrels and am converting them into raised growing beds. Easier to maintain, weed, watch and keep away from the critters.

Another hack: who doesn’t have a bunch of empty #10 cans at their disposal? I attach a garage door lift handle and two 5-7” heating duct hose clamps to make a wonderful 3 quart soil scoop.

Late and breaking news:

Humans in the Garden Series: Plant – Grow – Eat

A new endeavor to help everyone learn gardening.

If anyone want to collaborate with me on this, let me know.

The Newsletter

What is HERSHEY?

H – Health

E – Education

R – Resource Management

S – Social Emotional Spiritual Strength

H – Home Production and Storage

E – Employment

Y – Year’s Storage

The Web Site: The Domain: selfrelianceclub.com, Spanish and Swahili versions available here. 

The Subdomain: rockfordstake.selfrelianceclub.com 

Website splash page:

Rockford Illinois Stake Welfare and Self-Reliance Resources

Physical Health

Literacy and Education

Financial and Resource Management

Social-Emotional and Spiritual Strength

Home Production and Storage

Career Development

Rockford Area Community Resources for Immigrants 2025 Woodson (.pdf)

New Leader Training Information

Area Temporal Preparedness Guide

Area Temporal Preparedness Guide - Spanish

Skill Pods Module

Self-Reliance Group Classes

Monthly Newsletter and Committee Minutes

General Preparedness Information

Church Temporal Preparedness Resources

Language Learning

On this website, you will find:

No advertising

Nothing for sale

No cookies, the chef is too cheap to bake any for you.

Nothing but the Facts!

Training Module:

The purpose of this website is to provide church leaders, members and others, self-reliance resources in one concise location.

The format is taken from the Essentials of Home Production and Storage Booklet, published by the church many years ago. The 6 spoked wheel of self-reliance principles is the driving force for the entire project, HERSHEY.

Sr. Goodwin and I learned the meaning of Hershey while training at Welfare Square for our mission to Bulgaria in 2002, to serve as country welfare directors for Bulgaria, Turkey, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia.

Other pertinent information has been added to aid in many areas of need of leaders and members.

I have presented this website to many units in 2024 as a 5th Sunday Lesson. Please consider this a review and a new experience for those not visited. Those without internet access should be receiving pertinent information from their EQ/RS presidents about specific concerns.

As with all newsletters, please help the water get to the end of the row so all may benefit from this information. 

I will focus this month on Physical Health. 

I think this one shows up first because this is what kills you. Whether accident, illness, or other calamity, this is the most important principle. We need to be in the best physical health to provide service to others to assist Heavenly Father. We are his hands and legs.

We all know our shortcomings. The goal is work around them and do all we can to serve in any capacity, even if it is to just call members on the phone or help people learning English.

Physical Health:

Standard: Each person obeys the Word of Wisdom and practices sound principles of nutrition, physical fitness, accident prevention, weight control, immunization, sanitation, mother and child health, dental health, and medical care.

Members live in a healthy and clean environment. In addition, each member acquires appropriate skills in first aid and safety, home nursing, and food selection and preparation. (See D&C 88:124; 89.)

Suggested Goals:

a. Observe the Word of Wisdom.

b. Maintain proper weight and endurance through regular exercise, adequate rest, and a balanced diet.

c. Improve or maintain personal and home sanitation (water, waste disposal, food, etc.).

d. Practice preventive measures to preserve good health.

e. Learn and practice home health skills (first aid, home nursing, mother and child care).

f. Other: (add your goals here)

Getting older myself, I would add these also:

Flexibility/range of motion

Muscle mass maintenance

Link to this Ezra Taft Benson Institute of Food and Agriculture booklet: Eating Right and Enjoying Life More (.pdf)

NEXT MONTH:

Education and Literacy

“A lot of stigma is just a relearning process. Human waste is not waste, unless you waste it. Nature and the soil do not know waste. Waste is a human thing and is simply the unwise use or abuse of resources.”

Author Unknown

If you don’t wish to receive these emails, please let me know. I don’t want to unnecessarily clutter your mailbox. If you know someone who is self-reliance minded and would benefit from them, have them send me a request.

Respectfully Presented,

Michael Goodwin

Stake Welfare and Self-Reliance Specialist

779-203-0451

May 2025 NEWSLETTER 

Gardening tips:

Succession planting:

Same crop: radishes every 30 days

Determinate tomatoes: ripens all at once, then dies.

Cucumbers: produce for limited time, then dies.

Keep new transplants in the wing for continued harvest.

New annual fruit discovered: ground cherries (husk tomatoes)

Herb(s) of the Month Showcase:

Comfrey and nettles make great compost activators along with compost tea for liquid fertilizer production.

Hack of the month

Michael Faraday

He gave us electric motors, generators, electrolysis, transformers, …

Search on internet archive.org https://ia801301.us.archive.org/8/items/cu31924012323014/cu31924012323014.pdf

Michael Faraday: His Life and Work.

Project Gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/5541

Appropriate technology

I am a sucker for AT. Old fashion ways to do things.

New-fangled ways to do things.

I discovered how to use a 5-gal bucket with a small pond pump and remote switch to water my small plants with ease.

Remember the Foxfire books? They are available at the link in the next section.

Technical tip:  URL mining:

When I’m doing research on the net and find an article that labeled chapter 8, or something like that, I always shorten the URL to see the source. The results can be surprising.

Like this one for Suzanne Ashworth’s book Seed to Seed on Seed Saving. https://theswissbay.ch/pdf/Books/Survival/Farming,%20Animalraising,%20Homesteading/Farming%2Bgardening/Gardening/Seeds/Seed%20to%20Seed%20Complete.pdf 

Mine the URL to https://theswissbay.ch/pdf/ and see the wealth of free information available at your fingertips.

Late and breaking news:

The Optional Leadership training held on Sunday, May 18 by the Area Welfare Manager addressed Youth Anxiety and Depression issues.

Brother Gary Robinson lead the discussion.

Mentioned the continuous and exclusive use of technology can lead to serious issues with Youth.

Mental and emotional helps can be found on the church web site at: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/life-help/mental-health?lang=eng

Next meeting in July 20 at 7 PM on Strengthening Marriage and Families. Let me know if you need the zoom link.

The Newsletter: Children and Youth Self-Reliance

I will refer and link you to other sources more knowledgeable on these matters.

Hugo Martinez April 2022 - Teaching children self-reliance https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/04/46martinez?lang=eng

“How can we teach the doctrine and principles of self-reliance to our children and youth? One important way is to regularly apply the principles of the Children and Youth program. Parents and children learn the gospel of Jesus Christ, participate in service and activities, and work together in four areas of personal development that are unique for each child. It is no longer the same prescribed program for all.”

My underlining for emphasis.

Children and Youth Program

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/youth/childrenandyouth?lang=eng

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/content/ldsorg/content/pdf/children-and-youth/PD60005946_000-Service-and-Activity-Planner.pdf

Self-Reliance_ A Practical and Informal Discussion of Methods of Teaching Self-Reliance, Initiative and Responsibility to Modern Children – Dorothy Canfield Fisher 288 pages https://dn790000.ca.archive.org/0/items/selfrelianceprac00fishuoft/selfrelianceprac00fishuoft.pdf

Service Opportunity:

I am looking to start a local seed bank organization in the Rockford area.

If anyone is willing to share their time and passion of gardening, please contact me for a zoom introduction meeting coming soon.

For more information on Stake Self-Reliance, go to http://www.selfrelianceclub.com.

Respectfully Presented,

Michael Goodwin

Stake Welfare and Self-Reliance Specialist

779-203-0451