We just got back from our AMAZING pioneer trek. In this post I'm gonna put a bunch of stuff, first of all, here's the talk that I gave today on pioneers. Ahem. Word for word.
Good morning brothers and sisters! I was asked to speak on a talk given by M. Russell Ballard in a 1996 General Conference called “Faith in Every Footstep”. This talk centers on the pioneers that crossed the plains, particularly the 3,000 men, women, and children that crossed bearing handcarts.
At the best of times, this journey was very difficult. The trek across “prairie, desert, mountains, and wilderness” was over 1300 miles. It usually, when the weather was good, took about three months, depending upon the delays and obstacles that were waiting along the way.
Elder M. Russell Ballard taught, “Our pioneer ancestors sacrificed virtually all they had, including their lives in many cases, to follow a prophet of God to this chosen valley…We need the same dedication today in every one of our footsteps as the pioneers had in theirs.”
Before I left on trek, the handcart pioneers were just a story to me. I knew that it was real, but I never really imagined it as actually taking place.
As I was up in Wyoming, hiking through the plains that the pioneers hiked through, the story of the pioneers became more than just a story. It became something real. Something that actually happened. These people became human beings who travelled across America on foot in order to obey the commandments of the Lord. The trials that they faced were very real. Not just obstacles made up by some fairy tale author to make the story more interesting. They were challenged with so much, and yet they remained faithful with every footstep they took.
As part of the pioneer trek, we were privileged to be able to visit Rock Creek Hollow, where thirteen saints of the Willie Handcart Company were buried. Among these were Bodil Mortensen and Neils’ Neilson, two children who were traveling with Jens and Elsie Neilson across the plains. Neils was Jens and Elsie’s six year old boy, and Bodil was a nine year old girl who had been traveling alone. Jens offered to take her to Utah. After they had made it to Rock Creek Hollow, over the treacherous Rocky Ridge, she was sent to gather sagebrush to burn to keep the company warm in the bitter winter air. She was found the next morning, frozen through, bundles of sagebrush in her arms.
Jens and Elsie continued onward without their son and Bodil. At one point, Jens’ feet both froze through and he was unable to take another step. He begged Elsie to go onward. He said, “Leave me in the snow to die, and you go ahead and try to keep up with the company and save your life.” Elsie refused. Like so many of the pioneer women, she had immovable courage that the Lord would help them. She said, “Ride. I can’t leave you, but I can pull the cart.” And so she did. “Such was the faith of many pioneer women”.
No matter how much tragedy faced them, the majority of the pioneers always looked forward with complete courage and faith. Some turned around and went back. Most plowed onward.
I noticed, while on the pioneer trek, that some people regretted that they had gone. I never heard anybody in our ward, but in others some people complained every step of the way. And those who did missed the whole point.
During the women’s pull, the men left the handcarts and went up the hill that we were going to be pulling on. Watching them go, imagining what it must have been like, was very hard. Thinking of all the women who had to carry on by themselves, sometimes caring for children and pulling the sick and the wounded in their handcarts, is very hard to describe. The faith it must have taken to go on is immeasurable. As we were pushing up the hill, our particular handcart, like many of them, had only three women pushing or pulling it. Ma Parker and Amanda Peterson were the only other women in our trek family, so the three of us started out by ourselves, Amanda and I pushing and Ma Parker pulling.
Prior to this, I had been very nervous for the women’s pull and had prayed for strength and help. As we got to the really tough parts, we were sent two angels to help us through the sand and the rocks. Camille Pay came up from her handcart, which had more girls than most, and pulled up front with Ma Parker. As we came to the end, and it was the final stretch, we were all sweating and pushing as hard as we could, and were still moving agonizingly slow, when Sister Marilee Davis came up and helped us with the last part. I had prayed for help. And God sent us angels.
I can only imagine the prayers of those women who walked for weeks, sometimes months on end, pulling a handcart by themselves. And I cannot believe that they were truly alone. I think somebody helped them. Because of their unfailing faith.
M. Russell Ballard teaches, “Truly the Lord encourages us to walk in faith to the edge of the light and beyond—into the unknown. After the trial of our faith, He once again shines the light ahead of us, and our journey of faith in every footstep continues…I utter a prayer to the Lord to help me to be loyal, to be true, to be faithful as they were! We must be sure that the legacy of faith received from them is never lost. Let their heroic lives touch our hearts, and especially the hearts of our youth, so the fire of true testimony and unwavering love for the Lords and His Church will blaze brightly within each one of us as it did in our faithful pioneers. Their accomplishments were possible because they knew, as I know, that our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, restored the gospel of Jesus Christ through the Prophet Joseph Smith and that this Church will continue to roll forth until it fills the whole earth.”
I’m personally so grateful for the pioneers and the examples they are of obedience, courage, and faith that they display. I am so glad that I went on trek and the amazing experiences that I had there. I’d like to thank all those who helped us make it, who gave us encouragement, love, lots of food, and who helped us come home with sunburns upon our noses and smiles upon our hearts.
I bear my testimony that the pioneers had the incredible faith to obey the prophet and the Lord. I know that, because of their exceeding faith in every footstep, they were able to make it to Utah or make it back to God’s arms. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
Sorry, that was probably more than anybody wanted, but oh well.
Trek was such an amazing experience. The two most spiritual parts for me personally were the women's pull and the testimony meeting that night.
Since the women's pull is pretty much described above, I'll just go into the testimony meeting.
Almost everybody bore their testimony. They shared their feelings about trek and their love for our ward family, especially the other youth. I was really impressed by the guys' testimonies. I don't get to hear them often, as most of them are too scared to bear them on fast sunday and I don't really hang out with most of them much.
I gotta say, it was awesome to come home and take a shower, but I really am glad that I went. I gained a greater knowledge and empathy for the pioneers and my ancestors and had some really cool experiences.
:)
