It is my honor to present the following interview with Todd Sepulveda – editor of The Prepper Website and host of The Prepper Website Podcast.
On with the interview…….
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Questions:
Can you tell my readers a bit about yourself and your background?
I guess the main reason I’m doing this written interview is because I’m the editor of Prepper Website. I started it in 2011 after realizing there wasn’t one central location where someone looking for preparedness information could find it.
By day, I work in education. I recently took a job at the district office where I manage the software that holds the district’s curriculum. Before then I was an assistant principal on an elementary campus.
I’m also a pastor. I pastor a small church in Katy, Texas.
What motivated your interested in preparedness?
Believe it or not, my motivation comes from a time of prayer. Because I am in education, I have the Christmas break off. I usually use that time to seek the Lord on direction for the next year.
In the past, I had come out of that time with positive words for the new year. But in 2009, I felt the Lord tell me to “tell my people to prepare.” That was kind of different and weird for me. But a Scripture came to me, one that I learned when I went through the video course, “Experiencing God.” The verse is Amos 3:7 – Indeed, the Lord God does nothing without revealing His counsel to His servants the prophets. (HCSB)
God always let His people know what was going to happen and He gave them plenty of time to do something about it. Unfortunately, like many people today, they were stubborn and didn’t see the writing on the wall.
Now, let me say this here. I never felt when the Lord was impressing on me to tell people to “prepare,” that it was about the end of the world, like in THE END. I felt more like it was about hard times were coming.
I can say, when the crash of 2008 happened, we didn’t feel it too badly like the rest of the country. I remember remarking about the price of gas and how stupid Lehman Brothers and the banksters were, but that was about it. I didn’t realize how close we came to the SHTF!
I went through the prepping because of fear thing, like a lot of people, and now am a lot more level-headed.
I never really bought into the be a closet prepper, probably because I felt like I needed to let people know that they needed to get prepared. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not detailing all my preps. But I talk openly about preparedness.
Is there something – some events or situation – that you are specifically preparing for?
No, not really. I think the event that I consider the most is an economic collapse.
From a spiritual perspective, we have become a godless country, really post-Christian. If God would discipline the Israelites, He has to do the same to us too.
But barring intervention from God, I think we are certain for a spiral downward, one day your money buys you all of this, the next day it buys you peanuts!
Of course, there is always a Black Swan event that can set things in motion even faster.
I just want to be aware and ready for whatever happens.
What significance does politics play when it comes to preparedness?
They’re all idiots! I think the minute you get to the national level, they are all corrupt. That’s just my opinion.
I believe that the best decisions are made at a local level, no matter the organization or government entity.
I don’t put too much faith in D.C. I still stay aware of what is going on because whatever is done on a national level can impact where I live.
What level of importance do you place on firearms when it comes to preparedness?
It is high up there! I’m grateful I live here and not in a country where you have to go through heck to own a firearm.
You need a means to defend yourself. Period!
Are there any particular items you consider “must haves” for a survival/bug out/get home kit?
Water, water, water! Water is so important. You must have multiple ways of filtering and purifying it.
I like the idea of a LifeStraw because it is so simple to use. I think if you’re prepping for family members who are not taking it as seriously as you are, that having something simple like a LifeStraw will be a “Life Saver” for you and your family.
But again, I think you should have multiple ways of purifying water.
Besides water, I think every kit needs to be specific to your situation. I work 10 minutes from home. My kit might look very different than someone who works 1 hours from home and has to travel through some “less desirable” neighborhoods.
Any advice to those on a budget who are trying to prepare?
Everyone can prep! I mean everyone! It comes down to prioritizing, taking the time to find deals and being wise. Those on a tight budget need to do a few things though.
They need to have a budget. If you don’t tell your money what to do, it will do whatever it wants.
They need to cut costs as much as possible. Get rid of cable TV or anything else that is not a necessity.
They need to get out of debt. Debt stifles any opportunities that might come up.
They need to increase income. I’m not talking about working harder at your current job. I’m talking about finding other streams of income. Start a micro-business of some sort. You are good at something and others are willing to pay for it. I know someone who pet sits. She gets paid to pet sit!!!!! There is something out there for you!
What do you consider to be the Top 5 survival & preparedness categories in order of importance?
- Plan – Prepping aimlessly will just get you acquiring more stuff. Know what you are prepping for and why.
- Water
- Food
- Sanitation
- Medical
This shouldn’t be a hard and fast list. It really depends on what your plan is and what you are prepping for. For example, defense could/should be in there too. But it depends on if you are prepping for a natural disaster, a slow economic spiral down or a full-fledged breakdown of the world as we know it. That’s why I have planning as the first category. That will dictate the rest.
I knew a guy who has all the same concerns as I about the future and when I asked about preparations he stated – “It doesn’t matter. Why prepare? When the Lord calls me home no preparations will interfere.” What role does Faith play in your preparedness efforts?
I think I answered this above. But to add, God gave us a brain to use. Those Christians who don’t think it is a good idea to prep, I would ask, do they change the oil in their car? Do they wash their clothes? Do they go to the grocery store and purchase food?
Maybe we should stop calling it “prepping.” See the last answer.
Care you give a prediction on what the next 5 years will look like?
No. That would be foolish. I’m not a prophet. However, if things continue to limp along like they are now, I foresee our purchasing power diminishing. We will spend more to get less. That is if everything continues without anything major happening.
Many of my readers are gun nuts – myself included. Any particular favorites?
I will say this. Growing up, my dad owned property in East Texas. He owned many firearms and I shot them all and enjoyed shooting. When he sold the property, he also sold off many of his firearms because we just didn’t have a place to go shoot like we did.
From the time he sold the property in East Texas, to the next time I pulled a trigger on a pistol was over 20 years. The second pistol I fired at the gun range was a full-size Px4 Storm. I liked that Beretta.
Any upcoming projects you would like to mention?
Yes. I recently started The Prepper Website Podcast. It is a weekday podcast. I feature audio versions of articles that I have posted on Prepper Website. I have had many people support the podcast and it is doing really well.
I’m also shifting away from “prepping” to living a more self-reliant life. This means that I want to put systems and procedures in place to help me and my family not be so dependent on the grid, government and grind.
As a result, I started a Facebook group specifically for this. It’s still in the infant stages, but I’m hoping that it will become a community of people who want to share ideas and strategies for becoming more self-reliant. You can get to the Facebook page by going directly to www.amoreselfreliantlife.com.
I also have a free e-course that I’m working on. But I will have more info. on that soon.
Thanks for the opportunity to share with your readers John!
Rourke: Thank you, Todd!