Fellow Patriots,
Greetings and welcome to the Patriot Express Newsletter Edition #146. Thanks for sharing your time with us here at Hope for Survival. Many of you endured some snow, ice, and strong winds this week and rumor has it another storm will hit many of you again this weekend. Stay safe out there and make sure everything is still working okay between storms.
It was another great week in the world of Hope for Survival. We woke up to some snow Monday morning but not nearly as much as many communities around us. We may have hit the two-inch mark along with some ice. Our friends just south in Western N.C. hit the ten-inch mark or more. Festus and Ms. Festus had a beautiful spread across the Cumberland Plateau also. I know snow inhibits travel and a sense of security for many. When I'm home I spend many hours at my desk writing and doing HFS stuff. Part of my enjoyment and peacefulness is looking out a window beside my desk and viewing the scenery behind the American flag waving in the breeze. After the snow stopped, Wilson and his four-legged buddies hit the ground scampering around the snow looking for more food. It reminded me, no matter what we face each day, just like Wilson and his squirrel buddies, we must continue to prepare for what tomorrow could bring. It is not only an action, but also a mindset. It shouldn't feel like a job to you. Make it fun and adventurous when possible.
I spent last weekend on the road over in the region of Huntsville, Arab, and Joppa, Alabama doing some day job stuff and then Hope for Survival events in the evening and all-day Saturday. It was a 600-mile round trip which meant about 9 hours of drive time. You know what this means, right? Drive time equals lots of thinking. I will share some of my mental adventures down in the "Thoughts for the Week" section.
Herbal Studies - I continue getting good feedback on the link below so I left the information in for a third week. Thanks to our Patriot sister in Western N.C. provided the following website and information from Botan Logos to share with fellow Patriots regarding Herbal learning and studies. The following website has a wealth of information to include self-paced virtual studies to help educate Patriots. The particular course she is currently taking is $25.00 and you can download and complete at your own pace. Herbal Basics for Everyone – BotanoLogos School of Herbal Studies (wildhealingherbs.com). Thanks much for sharing this great opportunity with us. BotanoLogos is located in North Georgia.
Thursday Zoom Rallies – Zoom Rally #80 was conducted this week and one of our HFS Patriot brothers filled the guest speaker seat by teaching us about "How to Make Gel Fuel and Using Gel Fuel for Emergency Heat." It was a great brief loaded with useful information. HFS is very appreciative of the effort and information shared with fellow Patriots. We then covered extreme poverty and starvation and transitioned over to the "what would you do" segment of the rally. We closed with the "chatter that matters" segment. Thanks to everyone who could attend the event. The next HFS Thursday Zoom Rally #81 will be held on Feb 3, 2022, 0730 EST.
HFS Digital Football Sticks - The feedback on this product has been outstanding. It is a tool to help the individual or family preparer consolidate critical documents on one device. The stick is already set up with numerous file folders such as bank records, marriage certificates, deeds, titles, loans, passports, births, graduation diplomas.....and more. Several of the folders you see below will include sub-folders to break out the specific title.
You simply place your scanned document in the proper folder for storage. When you travel away from home or evacuate because of a disaster you now have all your important documents available on the football stick. It is also waterproof. You can order one or multiple sticks through the HFS website for $25.00 per stick.
Hope for Survival YouTube and Odysee Channels- If you have not already, please consider subscribing to the HFS YouTube, MeWe, Parler and HFS Odysee channels. We would appreciate your consideration. Because I still work a full-time day job, time is limited, and I have not been able to set up a routine schedule for recording and posting videos yet. Thanks for hanging with me. Share the link with family and friends.
Communications: You can now follow HFS social media on the following outlets:
Facebook – Hope for Survival
YouTube Channel – Hope for Survival
MeWe: - //mewe.com/p/hopeforsurvival2
Odysee - Hope for Survival (odysee.com)
Parler - Preparedness101
Connect and give me a shout. Share with family and friends.
Guest and Newcomers
If you are a guest or newcomer to the HFS journey, please check out this link for additional
information offered through HFS. https://www.hopeforsurvival.com/post/guest-and-newcomers-information-page
Hope for Survival books: You can obtain information on the two HFS books at this link: Survival, Preparedness, Disaster Management for individuals or family (hopeforsurvival.com)
Hope for Survival - How Food, Water, Shelter, and Security Could Save Your Life (Book 1)
Hope for Survival - The Mindset (Book 2)
We must make this brief public announcement to protect the innocent.
Ding, Ding, Ding....Attention HFS readers..... Opinions shared in this newsletter are just that, opinions, and nothing more. Read at your own risk. The owner and author of this site is not responsible for hurt feelings or thin-skinned readers. I do my best to show restraint and respect to the best extent possible. I take as many precautions as possible and try to remain as nonpolitical as possible, however, there are times when I just can't help but point certain things out. Occasionally I use words only Patriots recognize and understand. It's not personal against any non-Patriot. It's just the truth. Sometimes we must pull up our spenders and suck it up. Just saying. Stay the course, read what you want, and avoid the rest. Avoid fear porn as much as possible and the day will be okay. When all else fails… Keep the faith and always have Hope.
Let’s move along and get to some thoughts...
Thoughts for the week –
My trip to Alabama had multiple objectives in the short two-day period covering roughly 600 miles. After the morning drive, I spent the afternoon doing day-job tasks which required multiple stops around Huntsville. While achieving the objectives I noticed this weird feeling of everything seeming different. Fewer people on the roads and around the facilities was the biggest thing that stood out. It was just different. I had a few minutes at the end of the first objective, so I journeyed by the military base exchange store (like a Target or Wal Mart) just to walk and get some exercise. The first thing I noticed was how empty the parking lot appeared. Fewer cars and shoppers on a Friday just before the forecasted snow approaching the region. One would think folks would be shopping to purchase last minute items before the snow storm. This was out of the norm.
I had dinner plans to meet with the HFS Huntsville Co-Leader to catch up and get updated on the status of training and team topics. We spent three hours conversing on numerous topics to include issues, growth, training, communications, and personalities. One concern expressed was team growth and meeting new like-minded Patriots to be vetted and join the team. The unanswered question remains, "in a community of 250,000, with many like-minded preparers, why are so many remaining in the shadows hesitating to join like-minded groups?" We can name several reasons and it still leaves us in the same place. If the current approach and delivery of information on the group is not gaining followers, maybe readdress the information and delivery. We are living through a period in history where trust is lacking, and people wish to not be labeled as a crazy person who eats conspiracy nuggets for breakfast. Many who prepare in the privacy of their home will hopefully figure out at some point they can't go it alone. I appreciate our Patriot brothers time to share a meal and have a lengthy discussion on local preparedness items.
I traveled to Arab, AL in the evening to lodge before my trip to Joppa, AL the following morning. to provide a full day of preparedness training. After a fairly restless night I woke up early on Saturday to prepare for the day and a visit to a few local stores, which is my normal routine, to see how well stocked things appeared. I visited a local Wal Mart and Dollar General in the Arab, AL community. On this particular Saturday morning, it was within 24 hours of a forecasted blizzard set to hit the area. I would have predicted the stores to be stocked and ready for a busy day of locals buying grocery needs to survive the predicted weather. I arrived around 645 AM and found the parking lot about 25 % full of shoppers. So, it was safe to assume the majority of the daily shoppers had not yet arrived to the store. I walked through the meat section and then journeyed over to the dairy and bread aisles. I was surprised to find about 20% or less stock in any of the areas mentioned. This would mean by noon most key essentials would be depleted. Locals would have to travel another 30 miles to Huntsville to shop at another Wal Mart type store. I read comparable reports coming out of Western N.C. and other areas. Trucks showed up with routine deliveries carrying 30% or less of the routine products requested. The situation appears to be getting no better, storm or not.
Now, this could be caused by numerous circumstances on the local, state, and national level. We continue hearing about available resources, truck driver shortages, truck part shortages, and weather. What we aren't hearing is one of the biggest problems that started part of this supply chain problem 22 months ago was issues in China. Two of the largest airports and three seaports are currently closed due to Covid-19 lockdowns (news reports) where the Chinese government has locked down over 11 million citizens in northern China. Does it sound like things are getting better? I'm not writing this to create fear. I'm simply sharing the reality of our circumstances. Think about it.
I arrived in Joppa, AL to set up and conduct preparedness training for those who would attend from Joppa, Florence, Athens, Huntsville, and Gurley, AL as well as our Patriot brother from south Nashville, TN who made the trip. It was great to see everyone again. We had new HFS members and current HFS Patriots. Thanks for joining us for the training and spending time meeting the new team from Joppa who could attend. I want to extend a big "thank you" to the host of the event at the Gathering Place church. You are very much appreciated, and it was a pleasure spending time with you again. Oh, we also had a great lunch break with amazing chili, smoked pulled pork, and other goodies like donuts, cake, and lots of cookies. Thanks to everyone who made this event happen. I give a big salute to our Huntsville Patriot sister and brother from Huntsville who connected HFS with the Joppa family. Maki will never taste the same again.
Something I am learning and adjusting with along this journey is this. Just as we train and encourage people to tailor their lifestyle to one of preparedness, we also must tailor preparedness expectations to that of the individual and family. Why? There are numerous tasks in preparedness that requires physical abilities and long hours. Age and physical limitations can limit what capabilities one can produce daily. This must play into the planning picture. How a 50-year-old plans and moves 10 gallons of water is different from a person who is post 75 years old. This is just one example of many possibilities. We must work smarter, not harder. This is where the team and community effort are very important to survival.
The journey back to East TN was long, windy and wet but with the Lord's protection I got home. Driving at night is not one of my favorite things to do these days but it worked out fine. Just as the trip down to Alabama allowed, the drive home also afforded me lots of time to think. Of course, this can mean a multitude of topics from family to preparedness, people to personalities, and trends and responses by people. I rarely turn on the radio these days because quiet time is more valuable now than at any point in my post-military life. No writing, no internet, no emails, no research, and it is simply a break. When traveling in the jeep it is hard to talk on the phone with the roar of the tires rolling down the highway. It's a beautiful sound though.
Something that continues to haunt some preparers (in the mind only) is this. I probably hear from 50 to 100 like-minded individuals per month who state they are preparers, and they use the same method to prepare. Let me first state this is a personal choice of the individual and that is fine. I'm just pointing it out as an observation we all probably witness. Numerous folks want to tell me about all the things going on in the world from wars around the world, financial debt and the coming crash, asteroids and solar flares, civil strife, and a broken government. This could go on for hours and hours. Then when I get a chance to interject a question, I ask "what are you doing about it?" Almost always I get more information on the problems we face. I smile and again ask "what are you doing about it?" Crickets. My question is code for "how are you preparing yourself and family to get through the potential outcomes of all the problems you are sharing?" The answer is 95% of the time....drum roll....nothing. So, my question is this. If you have hours spent each day reading and watching YouTube podcast and then time telling me all the things wrong with the world and our nation to prove your point of things being very messed up, why are you doing nothing about it to protect yourself and your family? You have told me how the supply chains are broken, and the government is causing it or allowing it to happen, why aren't you being responsible to protect yourself and your family? So either I need to stop taking long trips and thinking about these things; or, just lock myself up in my house.
The bigger issue here is the vast number of people around us who are kidnapped daily by psychological psychosis and simply cannot escape. It may seem crazy, but they have-fear porn withdrawals when not exposed. It is like a big puzzle, and they wait daily for the pieces to be put together and then it turns out simply a puzzle in a box with no real impact. Remember the magic rabbit and the black hat? Remember? This was the one our former President was supposed to pop out of in the oval office. I'm still waiting. Not on the magic hat trick, but for those who are mentally kidnapped to escape and come back to reality.
Something we all must do is keep grounded and stay focused to what we know to be true and things we control and can control. We are living through a whirlwind of events, many are negative and lies being pushed out of the media, both national and international, to control narratives to sway us and keep us uncertain. Hold tight and don't be persuaded to lose focus on who you are, what you know to be true, and your beliefs that makes you who you are. Each and every one of you are good people with solid core beliefs and desires.
Festus and I work hard to dig through way more information than we present to you in the different HFS platforms. We try to give you the important points to help you and give you HOPE each and every day. At the end of each day, we pray you are at peace and can rest another night having the knowledge and determination to make tomorrow a better day for you and your loved ones. Keep the faith.
Next ....
The Book and the Shovel - During Sunday's church service I was listening to our pastor preach from the book of Romans. He is good at always prompting me to think about his message, how it applies to my life, and over my past life. While we listened to his message, I was thinking about the predicted blizzard forecasted for our area later in the day and night. One ear was hearing his message and the other ear was hearing my brain scanning to messages I needed to put out on HFS social media sites with tips for snow and ice. Then it hit me, how the good book the preacher was holding in his hand and shovel I would possibly have to use later have something in common.
I was thinking to myself, where is my snow shovel at? I know it's in my garage or building most likely. Was I certain? No. But it was most likely buried amongst yard tools since we have not had a reason to shovel snow in years. Maybe one time in the past 15 years? But it was there in case it was needed.
There is another item we treat like our shovel, and it is a book we keep around in most homes. Sometimes it was inherited. Sometimes it was gifted. And maybe other times we used to use it and have more need for it. Just as we move location to location and it never snows, our life events sometimes change, and we make excuses for why we no longer believe we have a need for the book.
Some folks may get rid of their snow shovel because they grow to no longer believe forecasters and predictions of snow. Some may grow older and unable to use the snow shovel and depend on others to hopefully help clear snow when it occurs.
Just like those who start ignoring meteorologist and forecast, we may reach a point where we also ignore the word of the book I am speaking about. Just as the snow shovel is maybe the most sold tool in certain regions of America, the book is the number one sold book in the world. That's right. Number one. You can have many different types of the snow shovel and also different versions of the book titled the Holy Bible.
Interestingly, just as folks use the shovel wrong and end up hurting their back, neck, arms, and legs because, people also use the Bible wrong by never reading it. Now I am pretty certain of this because in periods of my own life I was guilty. Yes indeed. Something I continually observe on different internet platforms, as well as in life, are so many folks who seem to believe when a person dies, they immediately go to heaven. Now I'm not judging what is in another person's heart nor do I know their history or profession of faith. Something that is sometimes a giveaway is how every time they mention faith, God, or religion, they are asking for prayers or voicing how they can't understand how God let certain things happen. I just never see, hear, or read, any mention of the person giving thanks for any blessings in life. Heck, maybe just a "thank you" for the fact of waking up each day would be a good starting point, right? Prayer, repentance, and building a personal relationship with God is awesome. I just haven't figured out why people are saying all the prayers complaining about bad things when God already knows about them. Just as not using the snow shovel properly can hurt you, not reading your Bible regularly can do the same. Both requires one to establish a good routine and proper understanding of the purpose. Just saying.
Next ...
Just as a sidenote of need, if you wish to order four free Covid-19 home testing kits you can go to https://www.covidtests.gov to order yours. I don't know how long the supplies will last so you may wish to get on this ASAP. Good luck.
Yes, when we are well and feeling good we can think of many reasons why not to apply and get these free test kits. However, when you are around Covid or feeling lousy and living in the rural communities or all the box stores are out of stock, you certainly will wish you had one.
And those are my thoughts for the week.
Preparedness News –
1. From Prep School Daily - Prep School Daily: The Ins and Outs of Oxygen Absorbers - I still find it pretty amazing the number of preparers not familiar with oxygen absorbers, the purpose, or how to use them. This is a great enhancer for canning dry foods and other items. Check it out.
2. Old World Garden Farms - How To Grow Cucumbers In Straw Bales - The Best Way To Grow Ever! (oldworldgardenfarms.com) - Depending on where you live, it is getting closer to "go" time for starting your seasonal garden preps. I don't know about you, but I love this time of year. Check it out and give it a shot.
3. From Melissa K. Norris - How to Raise Pigs: 12 Tips to Raising Pigs for Meat (melissaknorris.com) - This is a very good article with good information regarding pigs.
4. From Julie Dees - Homestead Survival Site - 15 Cast Iron Cooking Mistakes to Avoid - Homestead Survival Site - This is good information to learn and also keep on hand. We have built up on our cast iron collection over the past ten years from yard sales, thrift stores, holiday gifts and estate sales. This may be something you wish to add to your cooking collection for long term use.
5. From Mavis Butterfield - One Hundred Dollars Per Month - How Can I Maximize My Grocery Budget? - One Hundred Dollars a Month - We all want more food to stock away and we want to do it for as cheap a price as possible. Right? Here's some thoughts from another source to check out. Save money? I will listen to the pitch. Check it out.
Other News -
1. From ISecurityGuru - Peak Prosperity - Are You Cyber Resilient? | Peak Prosperity - Have you noticed around your friends home, advertised technology, television commercials, magazines, the internet, and other platforms, how technology is king? If it isn't "smart" capable then it's not hip and part of the new world of high-tech living. With every cool gadget and capability comes vulnerabilities and loss of privacy. Have you figured your vulnerabilities out yet?
2. From Charles Hugh Smith - Of Two Minds - oftwominds-Charles Hugh Smith: Should You Move While You Can, Or When You Must? - Well? What will it be? I know lots of preparer types who are still juggling the question. Tick tock, tick tock, the time is running out. Good read.
3. From Brandon Smith - Alt-Right Market - For Leftists, Your Freedom Is Their Misery – Your Slavery Is Their Joy - Alt-Market.us - Historically, if you have followed Brandon Smith at Alt-Right Market, you have determined he is a deep thinker and often times you need a few weeks/months of reading to pick up his ability to hide messages or thoughts between the lines. (Thanks Festus for this submission)
4. From Allen Stevo - LewRockwell - Separate Yourselves from Those Lacking Courage, Group Yourself with The Courageous - LewRockwell LewRockwell.com - This is one of the best points made I have read or heard in a very long time. But in order to decide you must know who you are. Have you heard this before? What makes you tick? Figure it out now before it's too late.
5. From Jack Bingham - Life Site News - Speech therapist blames face masks for massive spike in children with speech delays - LifeSite (lifesitenews.com) - Does this surprise anyone? Childrens speech development is not just through verbal listening but also nonverbal movement of the speaker's lips. In the era of Covid-19 mask protections, children are not developing in key skills. How long will this craziness continue?
6. From Mark Jarrett - American Thinker - Wokeness Hits the Upper Echelons of the Air Force - American Thinker - Having spent the last eight years of my military career in this arena working with Special Tactics professionals and witnessing almost daily the required physical demand to perform under indescribable conditions, I could understand the noted revolt by the lower ranks. There is simply no room for wokeness in these professions. We are not just talking about the life of the weaker candidate, but also the life of the warriors surrounding the weaker trainee. (Thanks Festus for this submission)
7. From Gabrielle Reyes - Breitbart - China Lost 5 Million Women of Childbearing Age in 2021 (breitbart.com) - This is huge national threat to the survivability of China. Is it possible China could import females from surrounding Pacific locations simply for breeding purposes? (Thanks Festus for this submission)
Drum roll...........
That's all my Patriot brothers and sisters.
Prayers - Please keep our great nation, our elected leaders, military and first responders in your thoughts and prayers. We pray for good health and wisdom. Please pray for our leadership to find answers and guidance to the problems facing our great nation. May your faith remain strong and answers to the unknown provided. God is good and may our prayers blanket and protect you and your circumstances. I pray for each, and every one of our Patriots.
May we pray for all the blessings and things in life to be thankful about and continued hope for revival around the world. We must continually pray for the unsaved, our family and friends who live each day without the protection for eternal life and salvation.
The struggle with Covid-19 continues as several HFS families are going through the protocol to recovery. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. If you have been down this path you know it is not over when the protocol ends. We pray for your strength and quick recovery. Take care of yourself and focus on you through this process.
Even with all the worldly challenges, struggles, and heartbreaks we must always give thanks for the blessings in our own life and our family each day. Life can be hard and sometimes unfair to us, but we still have many things to be thankful for each day. We must not forget them.
As we have prayer needs for answers to health and family matters, we also have prayers of thanks for recent health answers and recoveries.
We all must pray strong and often for the citizens of our great nation. Many of our sisters and brothers are struggling daily with things they witness, encounter, and are surprised with out of the norm. Many times, we are in unchartered areas, however, we still must keep our faith and focus on the big picture. Our prayers and faithful strength together will be required often to battle the evils being thrown upon all of us minute by minute.
As Patriots we must stay strong and never give up. Our home, community and nation needs us now more than ever. Stay focused on your local community and things that will impact you around the nation. Don't allow the events around you to create fear in your life. Build your own self-reliance and focus on hope. Remember we are a blessed nation and we must continue to be great people today and make a better tomorrow. Keep charging.
Blessings,
Bravo Echo Out,
