Are You in Need?

[Rico]

I work online and my income has plummetted over the last few months. My wife just got a 20% raise that will just about cover inflation. Things could definitely be better, but they could also be a lot worse. We have families in our ward who live without any real home and struggle to earn enough each day to feed their families.

[Hemidakota]

The last year has been very hard on the economy. 1/3 of the workers at the company where I am currently consulting have been laid off. Many have seen their investments and retirement shrink as much as 40%. I am wondering – how many on the forum need help? Currently my wife and I are doing okay and are able to help our children and extended family members. One of our children has moved back home and another plans to move in at the end of the year and rent out his house to help keep ends together.

I am just wondering if anyone else is experiencing stress.

The Traveler

This economic down turned has effected many in and out of the church. In our own family, I have a son who looking at taking local university courses to save on living expenditures. We are looking at our immediate family also in supporting many as we can.

[banmexico]

This is a real issue we should all take interest in. I am 60 years old. Retired at 55 and live on the beach in Mexico. Made sure that I had one good job that I could retire from and stayed with the organization for 35 years. Did I have other chances to move and better my position? Yes Why not move? Because I would have to start over. Yea better pay but still at the bottom. I'm lucky, like most of you here, I have no debt. Lived within my means, made a few good investments. But the biggest thing for people of today is to avoid Credit Card debt. Its a killer. You can win. I'm not saying to throw them a way, but be responsible and pay them off every month.

Life is good and I wish all of you could come for a visit. The beach is nice and the weather is great.

[NeuroTypical]

Oh great - now I've got another hero.

I'm in my late 30's, and trying to pursue a similar course. There's really not much of the "lifetime with one company" stuff going on in America any more. So I'm doing whatever I can to have a skillset that just about any medium to large sized company always needs. The place we picked to live, is halfway between two big cities, to broaden the sources of future jobs. I'm always out to broaden or deepen my skillset, but not at the cost of landing in a job that nobody might want next year. We also avoid debt like the plague.

No offense, but if it works, we're probably headed to a secluded cabin in Alaska instead of a beach in Mexico. Maybe we can visit each other on the off seasons?

LM

[banmexico]

Hello Loudmouth. What a name. To a certain extent I think that you are right about 30+ year jobs availability. And I think there are numerous reasons for this: employer/employee/ dedication to each other, greed on both employee (jumping to higher paying job) and employer (hiring cheap labor to replace expensive and experienced labor ). However this being said that I do believe that you can find good jobs that will last a long time. If you can manage your retirement account and stay out of debt you can enjoy life after you stop working. Alaska sounds like a nice place. I would like to meet the governor. I think she is a nice lady and could be a very good VP and President if the need every came. Loud just stay focused on things now and the future will come. Family first and church you will do good for yourself. You take care.

[Moksha]

I think the Bishop's Storehouse was originally set up in response to the Great Depression, hopefully it will be able to help folks out this time too.

[banmexico]

I think the Bishop's Storehouse was originally set up in response to the Great Depression, hopefully it will be able to help folks out this time too.

The concept of the storehouse and the Church Welfare Services emerged from scriptural principles, elucidated by a series of revelations given to the Prophet Joseph Smith beginning in 1831, a year after the Church was organized. In one revelation, Church members were directed to "remember the poor, and consecrate [their] properties for [the poor's] support" (D&C 42:30). The goods and money thus contributed were to be "kept in [the Lord's] storehouse, to administer to the poor and the needy" under the direction of the local presiding leader, the bishop (verse 34). Bishops were charged to seek donations as well (D&C 104:15-16; Welfare Services Resource Handbook, p. 9).

As defined by Church doctrine, the concept of the bishop's storehouse is founded on the belief that members of the Church should care for themselves and for each other. This is done, first, in families and, second, through the Church. Members are discouraged from seeking assistance from governmental or other social agencies.

The implementation of the mutual help program has varied considerably according to the economic conditions of the members and the organizational structure of the Church. At various times, distribution of goods has occurred through bishops, tithing offices, or bishop's storehouses. Utilization of the storehouse concept received intense emphasis during the United Order effort of the 1870s. From that time forward, most wards maintained their own storehouse until the introduction of regional storehouses (1934-1936). Storehouses figured prominently in the Church's effort to care for its people during the economic depression of the 1930s and formed the basis for a more systematic approach to shared assistance