TREK
Bryan and I were given the opportunity to serve as a Ma and Pa on a pioneer trek. We were blessed to have youth in our "family" that truly made the experience spiritually uplifting. This trek was an opportunity for us to remember the pioneers of our faith, and to experience, in a small degree, the hardships they endured. This trek offered our minds a chance to reverence the people who came before, and by so doing, solidify our own paths--our own pioneer experience. President Monson said, "We honor those who endured incredible hardships. We praise their names and reflect on their sacrifices. But what about our time? Are there pioneering experiences for us? Will future generations reflect with gratitude on our efforts, our examples? You can indeed be pioneers in courage, in faith, in charity, in determination. You can strengthen one another; you have the capacity to notice the unnoticed. When you have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to feel, you can reach out and rescue others."
For me, the most significant part of the trek was that my faith, my determination, my courage, my love of the Gospel, and my respect for the pioneers of the past was strengthened. I am grateful for this opportunity. I hope I never forget the lessons I have learned.
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| Day 1: Just before the actual trek began. This is the majority of the youth in our family: Dustin, Reagan, Katie R., Katie C., Riley, Melissa, and Rick. |
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| Rick, Riley, and Dustin The wind was incredibly fierce. I offered these two boys a handkerchief to help them breathe through the dust. |
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| Rick and Melissa pulling |
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| Reagan, Katie, and Melissa |
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| At our first stop. Dustin is holding our Courage Flag. It was symbol for our company. A reminder to be courageous in our lives. |
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| We cooked breakfast in the dutch ovens. |
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| My Best Friend |
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| I was so pleased at the Christ-like attributes the boys in our group demonstrated. A young woman had hurt her ankle, and rather than having her wait for the sick van--these boys pulled her through the snow and rain. We were blessed to experience all types of weather: wind storm, rain, snow, and heat. |
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| This was the women's pull. The men acted as if they were pioneers from our past, and joined the militia while the young women pulled the wagons onward. When we were able to meet with the young men again, we both sang a pioneer song that we had learned. It was a touching moment to hear the young men sing to the young women, and the young women sing to the young men. The lyrics of the song were: We are the daughters of Zion Courageous, Faithful and Strong We are the sons of our Fathers with a Calling to Rescue the One We will arise from the dust, put on the Armor of Righteousness Together our Light will Shine Forth Awake and Arise, Awake and Arise. |
When the Young Men were singing about the Young Women, they changed the words to "You", and the Young Women did the same for the Young Men's descriptions. It was powerful.
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| Family Shot: Front to Back; Left to Right Reagan, Riley, Me, Katie, Katie, Melissa, Bryan, Dustin, Rick, Boo |
I had the awesome opportunity to speak just prior to the women's pull. Here are my thoughts:
COURAGE
COUNTS
Each and every one of you has been
told of your divinity. Every Sunday as you recite the YW theme, you are
reminded of your divinity. Prophets through the ages have proclaimed this
truth. So much so that you are reminded time and time again. In the last
general conference, President Monson said that you were “precious, precious
daughters of our Heavenly Father sent to earth at this day and time for a
purpose”(Monson, Believe, Obey, and Endure, May 2012); Sister Dalton called you
“elect daughters”(Elaine S. Dalton, Now is the Time to Arise and Shine Forth,
May 2012); and Sister Dibb reminded you that you are “beloved daughters of
Heavenly Father”(Ann M. Dibb, “Arise and Shine Forth”, May 2012). These
statements are not new. They have been declared to us for as long as I can
remember. In speaking of the latter-day youth, President Ezra Taft Benson said,
“…for nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your
appearance in the final days before the second coming of the Lord…God has saved
for the final inning some of His strongest…children, who will help bear the
kingdom triumphantly” (Ezra Taft Benson, “In His Steps”, 1987).
Sisters you represent some of our Heavenly Father’s strongest children. So, why is it so important for you to understand your divinity? Why am I reiterating what you have already been told, what you already know? In a recent general conference, Sister Dalton related the knowledge of identity to the story of King Louis XVI of France. She said, “As a young man, [King Louis] was kidnapped by evil men who had dethroned his father, the king. These men knew that if they could destroy him morally, he would not be heir to the throne. For six months they subjected him to every vile thing life had to offer, and yet he never yielded under pressure. This puzzled his captors, and after doing everything they could think of, they asked him why he had such great moral strength. His reply was simple. He said, ‘I cannot do what you ask, for I was born to be a king.’ Dear young women, “The world would have you believe that you are not significant—that you are out of fashion and out of touch. The world calls to you with unrelenting, noisy voices to “live it up,” “try everything,” “experiment and be happy” (Remember Who You Are, Sister Dalton, May 2010). These are tactics used by Satan to pull you away from your goal of eternal life. Elder Holland described this contest between good and evil as a “life-and-death contest”—a life-and-death contest, because eternal life it at stake (Holland, “We Are All Enlisted”, 2011). Now more than ever you must know that you were “born to be a queen”. I know that if you believe you are daughters of God, you will have the courage to “Arise and Shine Forth”, and someday be crowned with eternal life! (D&C 115:5)
Some of my favorite examples of courage are found in the scriptures. Daniel demonstrated courage as he chose to pray even though he knew he may face death in the process. Courage was demonstrated by Abinadi as he testified of Christ to the wicked people of King Noah, and later gave his life for that testimony. The people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi demonstrated great courage as they chose to bury their weapons of war even though they knew a Lamanite army was about to attack them. I can only imagine the courage it took as they not only laid down their lives, but allowed their loved ones to die in the act of choosing the right. By simply participating on this trek, we are gaining an understanding of the courage that was demonstrated by the pioneers as they placed one foot in front of the other in their hopes of reaching their destination. While some completed the journey—others gave their lives’ for their testimony of the truth. We may not ever be called to give our lives’ for our testimony; however, we are commanded to be courageous. Joshua 1:9 reads, “Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.” In order to have the courage to choose the right when the moment of choice arrives, we must prepare now. Allow me to illustrate with a personal story.
About two years ago a friend of our family passed away. Ever since then, Jacob constantly asks questions concerning death. After a while those questions turned inward, and he began asking questions concerning his death. Jacob was afraid of dying, and anything that could be a “cause” of his dying. As his mother, I felt that we needed to help Jacob in his fears. As I turned to the Lord in prayer, I felt guided in taking off the training wheels from his bike; however, whenever Jacob cried for his training wheels—I questioned my methods. One day Jacob sat beside his bike begging me to “please put back on the training wheels”. I sat down beside him, and as tenderly as possible, I made a promise that I was not going to put the training wheels back on his bike. As I spoke these words, my heart broke. Why would I willingly cause my child fear? Another time as I encouraged Jake to start peddling, he looked up at me and asked, “what if I don’t?” Again, my heart fumbled. My mind reflected on our spiritual journey here on Earth. What if we don’t? What if we don’t follow the plan? What if? Just like I couldn’t MAKE Jake ride a bike, the Lord cannot MAKE us choose His way. Without answering his question, I silently prayed that he would, and he did. Slowly our work turned into progress, and Jake began riding his bike; however, each time he rode—he still struggled with fear. One morning as we were getting ready to ride, I felt prompted to have Jake pray. We talked about praying for help in riding his bike, and then we prayed for that help. After his prayer, I asked Jake to tell me his favorite scripture. He slowly began reciting Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid…” as soon as Jacob said those words, I stopped him and asked him to repeat the last part again. As he slowly said the words, “be not afraid”, understanding seemed to change his countenance. I then asked him to tell me the rest of the scripture, to which he concluded “for the Lord thy God is with thee” (Joshua 1:9). We set out to ride bikes with a new determination. As we started to ride, Jacob lost his courage, and started to cry out in desperation. It was at this moment that I reminded Jacob of our scripture, “Jake—be not afraid.” Remembrance flickered on his face and he began chanting, “be not afraid, be not afraid, be not afraid” (Joshua 1:9). Jake’s bike steadied, and ever since that moment, whenever he finds he is nervous—he chants, “be not afraid, be not afraid, be not afraid”. So, why was it so important for Jake to face his fear? The old adage remains true, “When the time for decision arrives, the time for preparation is past” (Monson, Dare to Stand Alone, 2011). As we choose to face our trials with courage now, we prepare ourselves to choose courageously when eternal life is at stake. In a recent general conference, President Monson said, “All of our choices have consequences, some of which have little or nothing to do with our eternal salvation and others of which have everything to do with it” (Monson, The Three R’s of Choice, November 2010). Our ultimate goal is eternal salvation—in order to reach that goal, we must have the courage to remain on the Lord’s side. President George Albert Smith said, “There is a line [of demarcation] well defined between the Lord’s territory and the devil’s territory. If you will stay on the Lord’s side of the line you will be under His influence and will have no desire to do wrong; but if you cross to the devil’s side of that line one inch you are in the tempter’s power and if he is successful, you will not be able to think or even reason properly because you will have lost the Spirit of the Lord” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church). I would like to reiterate a portion of this quote, “If you will stay on the Lord’s side of the line you will be under His influence and will have no desire to do wrong” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church). What an amazing promise to be given to us by a prophet of God. Sheri L. Dew said, “Very simply, our physical and spiritual safety lies in never even getting close to the line that separates light from dark, good from evil” (Sheri L. Dew, “The Lord’s Side of the Line”, 2000). If any of you have found yourself walking the line, and struggling with sin, I challenge you to courageously return—for it will take courage. If any of you find yourselves contemplating crossing the line—don’t. Choose to be courageous and stay safely on the Lord’s side.
In closing I would like to share one final story about the power of knowing who you are in courageously facing trials. Esther was a beautiful young Jewish girl who was chosen by the king to be queen. Haman was the chief prince in the king’s court who despised the Jews. Through deception he convinced the king that there were a certain number of people that would not obey the king’s laws and should be destroyed. He then sent letters to the governors “to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, … [on] the thirteenth day of the twelfth month” (Esther 3:13). When Esther learned of Haman’s plan, her cousin, Mordecai, asked her to go to the king and plead for the lives’ of the Jews. “Esther was at first reluctant—reminding Mordecai that it was against the law for anyone to go unbidden to the inner court of the king. Punishment by death would be the result—unless the king were to hold out his golden scepter, allowing the person to live” (Monson, May You Have Courage, April 2009).
Sisters you represent some of our Heavenly Father’s strongest children. So, why is it so important for you to understand your divinity? Why am I reiterating what you have already been told, what you already know? In a recent general conference, Sister Dalton related the knowledge of identity to the story of King Louis XVI of France. She said, “As a young man, [King Louis] was kidnapped by evil men who had dethroned his father, the king. These men knew that if they could destroy him morally, he would not be heir to the throne. For six months they subjected him to every vile thing life had to offer, and yet he never yielded under pressure. This puzzled his captors, and after doing everything they could think of, they asked him why he had such great moral strength. His reply was simple. He said, ‘I cannot do what you ask, for I was born to be a king.’ Dear young women, “The world would have you believe that you are not significant—that you are out of fashion and out of touch. The world calls to you with unrelenting, noisy voices to “live it up,” “try everything,” “experiment and be happy” (Remember Who You Are, Sister Dalton, May 2010). These are tactics used by Satan to pull you away from your goal of eternal life. Elder Holland described this contest between good and evil as a “life-and-death contest”—a life-and-death contest, because eternal life it at stake (Holland, “We Are All Enlisted”, 2011). Now more than ever you must know that you were “born to be a queen”. I know that if you believe you are daughters of God, you will have the courage to “Arise and Shine Forth”, and someday be crowned with eternal life! (D&C 115:5)
Some of my favorite examples of courage are found in the scriptures. Daniel demonstrated courage as he chose to pray even though he knew he may face death in the process. Courage was demonstrated by Abinadi as he testified of Christ to the wicked people of King Noah, and later gave his life for that testimony. The people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi demonstrated great courage as they chose to bury their weapons of war even though they knew a Lamanite army was about to attack them. I can only imagine the courage it took as they not only laid down their lives, but allowed their loved ones to die in the act of choosing the right. By simply participating on this trek, we are gaining an understanding of the courage that was demonstrated by the pioneers as they placed one foot in front of the other in their hopes of reaching their destination. While some completed the journey—others gave their lives’ for their testimony of the truth. We may not ever be called to give our lives’ for our testimony; however, we are commanded to be courageous. Joshua 1:9 reads, “Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.” In order to have the courage to choose the right when the moment of choice arrives, we must prepare now. Allow me to illustrate with a personal story.
About two years ago a friend of our family passed away. Ever since then, Jacob constantly asks questions concerning death. After a while those questions turned inward, and he began asking questions concerning his death. Jacob was afraid of dying, and anything that could be a “cause” of his dying. As his mother, I felt that we needed to help Jacob in his fears. As I turned to the Lord in prayer, I felt guided in taking off the training wheels from his bike; however, whenever Jacob cried for his training wheels—I questioned my methods. One day Jacob sat beside his bike begging me to “please put back on the training wheels”. I sat down beside him, and as tenderly as possible, I made a promise that I was not going to put the training wheels back on his bike. As I spoke these words, my heart broke. Why would I willingly cause my child fear? Another time as I encouraged Jake to start peddling, he looked up at me and asked, “what if I don’t?” Again, my heart fumbled. My mind reflected on our spiritual journey here on Earth. What if we don’t? What if we don’t follow the plan? What if? Just like I couldn’t MAKE Jake ride a bike, the Lord cannot MAKE us choose His way. Without answering his question, I silently prayed that he would, and he did. Slowly our work turned into progress, and Jake began riding his bike; however, each time he rode—he still struggled with fear. One morning as we were getting ready to ride, I felt prompted to have Jake pray. We talked about praying for help in riding his bike, and then we prayed for that help. After his prayer, I asked Jake to tell me his favorite scripture. He slowly began reciting Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid…” as soon as Jacob said those words, I stopped him and asked him to repeat the last part again. As he slowly said the words, “be not afraid”, understanding seemed to change his countenance. I then asked him to tell me the rest of the scripture, to which he concluded “for the Lord thy God is with thee” (Joshua 1:9). We set out to ride bikes with a new determination. As we started to ride, Jacob lost his courage, and started to cry out in desperation. It was at this moment that I reminded Jacob of our scripture, “Jake—be not afraid.” Remembrance flickered on his face and he began chanting, “be not afraid, be not afraid, be not afraid” (Joshua 1:9). Jake’s bike steadied, and ever since that moment, whenever he finds he is nervous—he chants, “be not afraid, be not afraid, be not afraid”. So, why was it so important for Jake to face his fear? The old adage remains true, “When the time for decision arrives, the time for preparation is past” (Monson, Dare to Stand Alone, 2011). As we choose to face our trials with courage now, we prepare ourselves to choose courageously when eternal life is at stake. In a recent general conference, President Monson said, “All of our choices have consequences, some of which have little or nothing to do with our eternal salvation and others of which have everything to do with it” (Monson, The Three R’s of Choice, November 2010). Our ultimate goal is eternal salvation—in order to reach that goal, we must have the courage to remain on the Lord’s side. President George Albert Smith said, “There is a line [of demarcation] well defined between the Lord’s territory and the devil’s territory. If you will stay on the Lord’s side of the line you will be under His influence and will have no desire to do wrong; but if you cross to the devil’s side of that line one inch you are in the tempter’s power and if he is successful, you will not be able to think or even reason properly because you will have lost the Spirit of the Lord” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church). I would like to reiterate a portion of this quote, “If you will stay on the Lord’s side of the line you will be under His influence and will have no desire to do wrong” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church). What an amazing promise to be given to us by a prophet of God. Sheri L. Dew said, “Very simply, our physical and spiritual safety lies in never even getting close to the line that separates light from dark, good from evil” (Sheri L. Dew, “The Lord’s Side of the Line”, 2000). If any of you have found yourself walking the line, and struggling with sin, I challenge you to courageously return—for it will take courage. If any of you find yourselves contemplating crossing the line—don’t. Choose to be courageous and stay safely on the Lord’s side.
In closing I would like to share one final story about the power of knowing who you are in courageously facing trials. Esther was a beautiful young Jewish girl who was chosen by the king to be queen. Haman was the chief prince in the king’s court who despised the Jews. Through deception he convinced the king that there were a certain number of people that would not obey the king’s laws and should be destroyed. He then sent letters to the governors “to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, … [on] the thirteenth day of the twelfth month” (Esther 3:13). When Esther learned of Haman’s plan, her cousin, Mordecai, asked her to go to the king and plead for the lives’ of the Jews. “Esther was at first reluctant—reminding Mordecai that it was against the law for anyone to go unbidden to the inner court of the king. Punishment by death would be the result—unless the king were to hold out his golden scepter, allowing the person to live” (Monson, May You Have Courage, April 2009).
Mordecia’s response was to the point saying: “If thou
altogether holdest thy peace at this time, …thou and thy father’s house shall
be destroyed” (Esther 4:13-14).
He then added, “Who knoweth whether thou are come to the
kingdom for such a time as this?”
To this question, Esther gathered her courage and said, “I
will go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I
perish” (Esther 4:16). Esther had been reminded of who she was—she “had
gathered her courage and would stand firm and immovable for that which was
right” (Monson, May You Have Courage, April 2009 General Conference). Esther
through courage—saved a nation.
Dearest Young Women, You have “come to the kingdom for such a time as this” (Esther 4:13-14). It is your day! You were “born to be a queen” (Dalton, Remember Who You Are, May 2010). I challenge you to pray to know of your divinity, for I believe that if you know that you are divine, then the adversary will have no power to tempt you, because you will not be persuaded. It is my prayer that as you look to the examples of Daniel, Abinadi, the Anti-Nephi-Lehies, and the pioneers, you will have the courage to remain on the Lord’s side, and you will “ARISE AND SHINE FORTH” and be crowned with eternal life (D&C 115:5).
It is how we face our fears that matter.
Dearest Young Women, You have “come to the kingdom for such a time as this” (Esther 4:13-14). It is your day! You were “born to be a queen” (Dalton, Remember Who You Are, May 2010). I challenge you to pray to know of your divinity, for I believe that if you know that you are divine, then the adversary will have no power to tempt you, because you will not be persuaded. It is my prayer that as you look to the examples of Daniel, Abinadi, the Anti-Nephi-Lehies, and the pioneers, you will have the courage to remain on the Lord’s side, and you will “ARISE AND SHINE FORTH” and be crowned with eternal life (D&C 115:5).
It is how we face our fears that matter.
