Spokane East Stake Youth Trek
June 24-27, 2015
www.spokaneeasttrek.org
Welcome!
Welcome! You are about to embark on a journey that, if you so
choose, will increase your faith in the Lord and the strength of
your testimony. This very well may be an experience that will
change the course of your life in many ways.
As with any extensive journey, preparation is essential. Much
time, sacrifice, work, and expense have gone into preparations
and arrangements, making it possible for you to travel on this
journey. But all of this pales in comparison to the truly most
important preparation: that which will occur in your own mind
and heart.
In your hands you hold the instruction manual that will guide
you on your own personal preparation. Follow the instructions
contained herein, and you will arrive on the trail ready for a
great experience. May the guidance offered here open your
mind and heart to the inspiration and blessings your Heavenly
Father has prepared for you as you begin down this road.
Your Father in Heaven is aware of the nature of the days you
live in and the trials you face. While we honor the pioneers
with our admiration and remembrance, we too travel daily the
hot and dusty road of temptation. Elder Neal A. Maxwell said,
"...though we have rightly applauded our ancestors for their
spiritual achievements and we don't and must not discount
them now, those of us who prevail today will have done no
small thing. The special spirits who have been reserved to live
in this the dispensation of the fullness of times will one day be
praised for their stamina by those who pulled handcarts."
Follow carefully the instructions within these pages. Open your
mind and heart to the inspiration of the Lord. Prepare daily
and faithfully. Only then will you be able to fully feel the spirit
behind our prophets words, as he referred to the sacred place
where the pioneers walked:
"We hope that a spirit of peace and reverence and sacred
remembrance will hover over this whole area as a beneficent
cloud on a hot summer day, and that those who here perished
will not have died in vain.
"I make a plea: go in a spirit of reverence and respect, and
know that you are walking on hallowed ground."
Though we will not be walking in the same place where they
walked, we will be able to feel a connection to them and what
they endured if we are well prepared and we go in a spirit of
reverence.
This handbook is laid out with homework for each month
from November through June. Please take time each
month to work through these activites. On the last page
there is a list of optional activities that we encourage you
to complete also. If you have any questions please refer
to the trek website.
Website:
Contact:
www.spokaneeasttrek.org
Larry Longhurst
509 999-1327
larry.longhurst@gmail.com
November:
"Lessons from the pioneers"
--President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
As I think about our pioneer heritage, one of the most moving things that
comes to mind is the song “Come, Come, Ye Saints.” Those who made that
long journey often sang this hymn during their trek. They sang it at night as the
campfire was fading, giving way to the darkness of night.
When I think of the lyrics of that hymn and the context in which it was sung, it
brings tears to my eyes. I am very much aware that all was not well with these
Saints. All they had to do was to look around and see how it really was. They
were plagued by sickness, heat, fatigue, cold, fear, hunger, pain, doubt, and even
death.
But in spite of having every reason to shout, “All is not well,” they cultivated an
attitude that we cannot help admiring today. They looked beyond their troubles
to eternal blessings. They were grateful in their circumstances. I am in awe of
those wonderful souls who, despite every evidence to the contrary, sang with all
the conviction of their souls: “All is well.”
On a day such as this when our hearts and minds are turned to the great
sacrifices of those pioneers, our praise for them is empty if it does not cause
inner reflection on our part.
Compassion
The pioneers looked out for one another. They cared for each other irrespective
of their social, economic, or political background. Even when it slowed their
progress, even when it caused inconvenience, even when it meant personal
sacrifice and toil, they helped each other.
Work
The pioneers knew the value of work. The first line of that great pioneer hymn
is “Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear.”
This phrase became an anthem to the weary travelers—“No toil nor labor fear.”
It is difficult to imagine how hard these great souls worked. Walking was one of
the easiest things they did. They all had to pull together to supply and provide
food, repair wagons, tend to the animals, minister to the sick and feeble, seek
and collect water, and protect themselves from the pressing dangers of the
elements and the many hazards of the wilderness.
Optimism
When the pioneers sang “Come, Come, Ye Saints,” they voiced a third lesson:
“But with joy wend your way.”
It is one of the great ironies of our age that we are blessed with so much and yet
we can be so unhappy. The wonders of prosperity and technology overwhelm us
and shower us with security, entertainment, instant gratification, and
convenience. And yet all around us we see so much unhappiness.
How many people do you know who are truly happy? Can you say the same for
yoursellf? The pioneers, those wonderful souls who sacrificed so much, went
without and hungered for even the most basic of necessities to survive. The
pioneers understood something about happiness. They understood that
happiness doesn’t come as a result of luck or accident. It most certainly doesn’t
come from having all of our wishes come true. Happiness doesn’t come from
external circumstance. It comes from the inside—regardless of what is
happening around us.
If they were here with us today there is no doubt in my mind that they would tell
us we can be gloriously happy even if our favorite TV show is cancelled, traffic
comes to a crawl, the rain spoils our picnic, or the fast food worker forgot to
include straws or packets of ketchup at the drive-through window.
All is well
From the pioneers we can learn to have faith and trust in God; we can learn to
be compassionate to others; we can learn that work and industry not only bless
us temporally but spiritually and that happiness is available to us no matter our
circumstances.
In the end, the best way we can honor the pioneers—the best way for us to
repay our debt of gratitude to them—goes beyond making and hearing speeches,
marching in parades, or attending fireworks celebrations.
The best way we can show our gratitude is by incorporating into our own lives
the faithfulness to God’s commandments, the compassion and love for our
fellowmen, the industry, optimism, and joy the pioneers demonstrated so well in
their own lives.
As we do so, we can reach across the decades of time and take the hands of
those noble pioneers in ours. We can add our own voices to theirs as we sing
with them the great pioneer anthem and “make the air with music ring, shout
praises to our God and King; above the rest these words we’ll tell—all is
well! All is well!”
Monthly Homework:
1. Read "Lessons from the pioneers" talk summary.
2. Write your thoughts and feelings about this talk in your journal
3. Go on a walk once each week
December:
"You Have Nothing to Fear From the Journey"
--Elder M. Russell Ballard
We cannot begin to understand the journeys made by those who laid the
foundation of this dispensation until we understand their spiritual
underpinnings. Once we make that connection, however, we will begin to see
how their journeys parallel our own. There are lessons for us in every footstep
they took—lessons of love, courage, commitment, devotion, endurance, and,
most of all, faith.
For the Utah pioneers of 1847, their faith was grounded in principle. They left
their homes, their temple, and in some cases their families, in search of a place
of refuge where they could worship without fear of persecution. There was little
that they could carry with them in the way of provisions and material
possessions, but each wagon and handcart was heavily laden with faith— faith in
God, faith in the Restoration of His Church through the Prophet Joseph Smith,
and faith that God knew where they were going and that He would see them
through.
One of those who traveled the Mormon Trail in 1847 referred to it as the "trail
of hope." I love that title: "trail of hope." It speaks of the universal yearning of
each person to find a safe haven, a community of Saints where hearts are united
and hope prevails.
Those 19th-century pioneers to whom we pay special tribute during this
sesquicentennial year never set out to be heroes, and yet they accomplished
heroic things. That is what makes them Saints. They were a band of believers
who tried to do the right thing for the right reasons, ordinary men and women
who were called on to perform an extraordinary work. At times, they gave in to
discouragement and allowed themselves to murmur and complain. But
ultimately their faith in God and the man they sustained as their prophet and
leader prevailed, and they righted their vision and attitudes along with their
wagons. In the process they found joy amid the hardships and trials of the trek.
Nearly seven years before the pioneer exodus to the mountains of Utah, William
Clayton wrote to his fellow Saints in England, urging them to come to Zion, not
realizing that Zion would soon be in wagons and handcarts moving west. He
wrote: "Although we are ... distant from each other I do not forget you. ... But to
the praise of God be it spoken, all I have endured has never hurt or discouraged
me, but done me good. ... We have sometimes been almost suffocated with heat
... , sometimes almost froze with cold. We have had to sleep on boards, instead
of feathers. ... We have had our clothes wet through with no privilege of drying
them or changing them, ... had to sleep ... out of doors, in very severe weather,
and many such things which you [have] no idea of. ... [Yet] we have been ...
healthy & cheerful. ... If you will be faithful, you have nothing to fear from the
journey. The Lord will take care of his saints." William Clayton would later pen
the lyrics to "Come, Come, Ye Saints" (Hymns, no. 30) during the trek across
Iowa. He and a host of others would learn even more intimately during the
1,300-mile exodus to Utah that there is "nothing to fear from the journey" if
faith is your constant companion.
Is there a lesson in the pioneer experience for us today? I believe there is.
The faith that motivated the pioneers of 1847 as well as pioneers in other
lands was a simple faith centered in the basic doctrines of the restored
gospel, which they knew to be true. That's all that mattered to them, and I
believe that is all that should matter to us. Our faith needs to be focused on the
fundamental truths that God lives, that we are His children, and that Jesus
Christ is His Only Begotten Son and He is our Savior. We need to know that
they restored the Church to the earth in its fulness through the Prophet Joseph
Smith. Through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ we
learn that our Father's plan for the happiness of His children is clear and quite
simple when studied and accepted with real faith.
Traveling from Nauvoo to the valley of the Great Salt Lake in 1847 is not
unlike a young missionary from Idaho traveling to Siberia in late 1993 as
one of the first Latter-day Saints to labor in that land. Nearly every day our
missionaries arrive in countries where they have little knowledge of the language
and where the food, culture, and living conditions are often much different from
that which they are accustomed to. And yet they go boldly as modern pioneers,
not fearing the journey, walking with faith in every footstep to bring to people
everywhere the good news of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our faith can help us be equally bold and fearless during the course of our
respective journeys, whether we are parents working with a troubled child, a
single parent trying to raise a worthy family, young people struggling to find a
place in a wicked and confusing world, or a single person trying to make the
journey through life alone. No matter how difficult the trail, and regardless of
how heavy our load, we can take comfort in knowing that others before us have
borne life's most grievous trials and tragedies by looking to heaven for peace,
comfort, and hopeful assurance. We can know as they knew that God is our
Father, that He cares about us individually and collectively, and that as long as
we continue to exercise our faith and trust in Him there is nothing to fear in the
journey. Like the pioneers of 1847 who ventured west along a trail that kept
them relatively close to life-sustaining fresh water from rivers, particularly the
Platte and the Sweetwater, we need to follow and partake of the Living Water of
Christ to refresh our faith and sustain our efforts as we travel the road through
mortality.
Life isn't always easy. At some point in our journey we may feel much as the
pioneers did as they crossed Iowa—up to our knees in mud, forced to bury
some of our dreams along the way. We all face rocky ridges, with the wind in
our face and winter coming on too soon. Sometimes it seems as though there is
no end to the dust that stings our eyes and clouds our vision. Sharp edges of
despair and discouragement jut out of the terrain to slow our passage. Always,
there is a Devil's Gate, which will swing wide open to lure us in. Those who are
wise and faithful will steer a course as far from such temptation as possible,
while others—sometimes those who are nearest and dearest to us—succumb to
the attraction of ease, comfort, convenience, and rest. Occasionally we reach the
top of one summit in life, as the pioneers did, only to see more mountain peaks
ahead, higher and more challenging than the one we have just traversed.
Tapping unseen reservoirs of faith and endurance, we, as did our forebears, inch
ever forward toward that day when our voices can join with those of all pioneers
who have endured in faith, singing: "All is well! All is well!"
And how will we feel then, as we stand shoulder to shoulder with the great
pioneers of Church history? How will they feel about us? Will they see faith in
our footsteps? I believe they will, particularly as they view our lives and
experiences from the expanded perspective of eternity. Although our journeys
today are less demanding physically than the trek of our pioneers 150 years ago,
they are no less challenging. Certainly it was hard to walk across a continent to
establish a new home in a dry western desert. But who can say if that was any
more difficult than is the task of living faithful, righteous lives in today's
confusingly sinful world, where the trail is constantly shifting and where divine
markers of right and wrong are being replaced by political expediency and
diminishing morality. The road we travel today is treacherous, and the scriptures
tell us it will continue to be so until the very end. But our reward will be the
same as that which awaits worthy pioneers of all ages who live faithfully the
teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, make right choices, and give their all to build
the kingdom of God on earth.
We are the inheritors of a tremendous heritage. Now it is our privilege and
responsibility to be part of the Restoration's continuing drama, and there are
great and heroic stories of faith to be written in our day. It will require every bit
of our strength, wisdom, and energy to overcome the obstacles that will
confront us. But even that will not be enough. We will learn, as did our pioneer
ancestors, that it is only in faith—real faith, whole-souled, tested and tried—that
we will find safety and confidence as we walk our own perilous pathways
through life.
We are all bound together—19th- and 20th-century pioneers and more—in our
great journey to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and to allow His atoning sacrifice
to work its miracle in our lives. While we all can appreciate the footsteps of faith
walked by Joseph Smith and his followers from Palmyra to Carthage Jail and
across the Great Plains, we should ever stand in reverential awe as we
contemplate the path trod by the Master. His faithful footsteps to Gethsemane
and to Calvary rescued all of us and opened the way for us to return to our
heavenly home.
Let us remember that the Savior is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and there
can be no greater promise than to know that if we are faithful and true, we will
one day be safely encircled in the arms of His love (see D&C 6:20). He is always
there to give encouragement, to forgive, and to rescue. Therefore, as we exercise
faith and are diligent in keeping the commandments, we have nothing to fear
from the journey.
Three of my grandsons stood with me on the crest of the hill known as the
Eminence last summer. Looking down at the Sweetwater where the Willie
Company was stranded, cold and starving, we read from their journals of the joy
of their rescue. As John Chislett wrote: "Just as the sun was sinking beautifully
behind the distant hills, ... several covered wagons ... were seen coming towards
us. The news ran through the camp like wildfire. ... Shouts of joy rent the air;
strong men wept till tears ran freely down their furrowed and sun-burnt cheeks.
... That evening, for the first time in quite a period, the songs of Zion were to be
heard in the camp. ... With the cravings of hunger satisfied, and with hearts filled
with gratitude to God and our good brethren, we all united in prayer, and then
retired to rest."
Monthly Homework:
1. Read "You Have Nothing to Fear From the Journey"
2. Write your thoughts and feelings about this talk in your journal
3. Go on a walk twice each week
4. Research possible options of persons/ancestors for whom you could
trek
January:
"Jens Nielson Story"
We have no account of Jens Nielson's childhood, and much of the littlie we
know of his early manhood is gleaned from a letter he wrote to his son, Uriah, in
1901. In that letter he says, "I was born April 26, 1821, on the island of Laaland,
Denmark, son of Niels Jensen and DorotheTomson. How long Jens stayed in
Laaland is uncertain, but at some time he made his way to Aarhus, a coast city
on the mainland 100 miles to the northwest. He belonged to the better middleclass. He was thrifty, industrious, and he had many friends, many of them people
of some importance. Being a natural farmer, he liked to possess land and
livestock.
In this letter he goes on to say, "I was married to Elsie Rassmussen when I was
30 years old. Soon after that I bought five acres of land that cost $600, and I
built a house that cost about $400. I had very little money to start with, but the
Lord blessed me on my right hand and on my left and I was very successful and
prospects in temporal concerns were very bright. I was looked upon as a
respectable neighbor, and many times was invited to the higher class of society.
"In the fall of 1852, two Mormon elders came to our neighborhood. I knew
nothing of the Mormons, except very bad reports. They had the privilege of
holding a meeting close to my home. I thought I would go there for curiosity
sake. As soon as I saw those men's faces, I knew they were not the men as
represented to be, and I told my friends so before I heard them speak. Before
the meeting was out, I knew the testimony they bore was of God. We bought
some few of their tracts and studied them for a few weeks and were perfectly
satisfied the work was of God.
"On the 29th of March, 1854,1 and my wife went into the waters of baptism.
From that time on all my former friends turned against me and spoke all kinds
of evil against me, and that falsely. All my possessions had no power over me
then, my only desire was to sell out and come to Zion. That same year I partly
made a bargain with a man for my home but before the bargain was closed, the
president of the conference paid me a visit and told me I had not done my duty.
He told me I had been warned and it was my duty to warn others.
That counsel came right in contact with my natural feelings, but the Spirit
whispered me I must obey, for 'obedience is better than sacrifice.' Then I was
ordained a priest and sent out to preach with another young man holding the
same priesthood. We baptized some 12 or 15 persons but we did not have the
power to confer the Holy Ghost. Soon after that I was ordained an Elder and
called to preside over the branch where I lived. I was very successful in my
mission, after which I received an honorable release to go to Zion. I sold my
place, got my money, and paid all my obligations."
It is not stated exactly how much money Jens had realized on the sale of his
farm, only that when he reached Copenhagen, he paid sixty dollars in tithing, so
the assumption is that it was the equivalent of about six hundred dollars. He
kept that first tithing receipt throughout his life.
About 400 of the immigrants who came on the last two ships in the 1855-56
season were well enough off that they planned to cross the plains in wagon
companies. These people contracted with many of those going by handcart to
carry their heavier goods to Utah for them. The Nielsons had garnered sufficient
funds from the sale of their farm that they originally planned to go by wagon
with one of those independent companies. In a letter written much later to one
of his sons, Jens Nielson said only this: "I had enough money to come to Utah,
but we were counseled to let all the money go we could spare and cross the
plains with handcarts." That decision would put him and Elsie and the children
in the Willie Handcart Company and not with the Hunt or Hodgett wagon trains
that followed some weeks later.
Jens and Elsie Nielson made it possible for many other people to come to Zion,
pushing handcarts. Because of the hardship of the journey and the elements they
faced, their son of six years perished, along with a nine year-old girl who had
been entrusted to their care to bring to Zion with them.
Monthly Homework:
1. Read "Jens Nielson Story".
2. Write your thoughts and feelings about this story in your journal
3. Walk, run or bike three times each week.
4. Continue working to select a person/ancestor for whom you would like
to trek
5. Begin work on finding an ancestor who you can be baptized for in the
temple
February:
family connections are fulfilled when we are linked to our ancestors through
sacred ordinances of the temple.
When I think of the love I feel for each member of our family, I sense, to a
slight degree, the love that our Heavenly Father bears for His children. While
the family is under attack throughout the world, The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints proclaims, promotes, and protects the truth that the family is
central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children. “The Family:
A Proclamation to the World” and our vast family history efforts are but two
evidences of how this Church brings hope and help to the sacred institution of
the family.
Because of the importance of this work, the Church has built temples closer to
the people, 5 and family history research is being facilitated as never before.
Methods to find and prepare names for temple ordinances are also improving.
At the October 2005 conference, President Gordon B. Hinckley announced an
exciting step forward in family history and temple work. He said: “One of the
most troublesome aspects of our temple activity is that as we get more and more
temples … across the earth there is duplication of effort in proxy work. … We,
therefore, have been engaged for some time in a very difficult undertaking. …
The solution lies in complex computer technology.” 6
"Generations Linked in Love"
--Elder Russell M. Nelson
We teach that God’s love for His children is infinite. Regardless of race,
nationality, or gender, He loves all of them. 1 He has done so from the beginning
and will continue to do so. He invites all to gain eternal exaltation for their
family. His work and His glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal
life—the exaltation—of His children. 2 “For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.” 3
The Atonement of His Beloved Son enabled both of the Father’s objectives to
be fulfilled. Without the Atonement, there would be no immortality. Without
the Atonement, there would be no return to the presence of the Father and no
continuation of the family beyond the grave.
Because of the Atonement, these consummate blessings can be realized by each
of God’s children who obey His eternal laws. Through the ages, many of His
children have had access to the blessings of the gospel, but many more have not.
Before the foundation of the world, our Heavenly Father instituted the
ordinance of baptism for those who die without a knowledge of the gospel. 4 He
loves those children too.
He also provided a way for them to be part of an eternal family. Every human
being who comes to this earth is the product of generations of parents. We have
a natural yearning to connect with our ancestors. This desire dwells in our
hearts, regardless of age. Consider the spiritual connections that are formed
when a young woman helps her grandmother enter family information into a
computer or when a young man sees the name of his great-grandfather on a
census record. When our hearts turn to our ancestors, something changes inside
us. We feel part of something greater than ourselves. Our inborn yearnings for
Since then, not only has duplication been reduced, but procedures have been
simplified so that virtually every member of the Church can participate in temple
and family history work. Gone are the days when this sacred work was done
only by specialists. No matter your situation, you can make family history a part
of your life right now. Primary children can draw a family tree. Youth can
participate in proxy baptisms. They can also help the older generation work with
computers. Parents can relate stories of their lives to their posterity. Worthy
adult members can hold a temple recommend and perform temple ordinances
for their own kin.
The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “The greatest responsibility in this world that
God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead.” 7 New technology makes it
easier than ever to fulfill that responsibility. Temple and family history work is
now facilitated by a system known as the “new FamilySearch.” 8 This Internetbased system helps members identify their ancestors, determine what ordinance
work needs to be done for them, and prepare their names for the temple. It can
be accessed from home, a family history center, 9 or wherever the Internet is
available.
Monthly Homework
1. Read "Generations Linked in Love" talk summary
2. Write your thoughts and feelings about this talk in your journal
3. Walk, run or bike 1 mile, three times each week.
4. Finalize selection of name of person/ancestor for whom you would
like to trek
5. If not completed, continue working to find an ancestor who you can be
baptized for in the temple
March: "Reddick Allred Story"
Reddick Allred, a veteran of the Mormon Battalion, in his own words,
"responded to a call upon the brethren to assist them (the handcart
companies)...and on the 7th (of October, 1856) about 50 men and 20 four-horse
wagons with 10 ton of flour with other provisions and clothing left the city. I
got a pony to ride from William B. Pace. George D. Grant camped at the foot of
the big mountain with 10 wagons and I camped at the east foot of the little
mountain with 10 wagons." Thus, Reddick was ready and on his way only one
day after Brigham Young's famous rescue call.
When they crossed the Continental Divide at south pass, a storm met the
rescuers head on. It was the same storm which had stranded the Handcart Saints
further east. From that time on, they countered increasingly cold days and bitter
nights. When an animal was killed to take to the immigrants, there was no need
to salt the beef. It froze during quartering and stayed frozen. It now seemed
necessary to leave more teams behind so that they might be able to assist when
the immigrant parties came through. This would also enable the rescue party to
travel faster, without the weakened beef cattle slowing them down, and have
more space in the wagons for the sick and weak immigrants they were sure to
find. Reddick recorded, "The 19lh (of October), Captain Grant left me in charge
of the supplies of flour, beef cattle, 4 wagons, the weak animals and 11 men for
guard. I killed the beef cattle and let the meat lay in quarters where it froze and
kept well as it was very cold and storming almost every day. We were reinforced
by 3 wagons and 6 men loaded with flour."
Reddick had been assigned to wait with the extra supplies at South Pass and
meet the handcart companies and the rescuers on their way back to Salt Lake.
There were several other men who were assigned to wait with him. After a
period of time, most of the others presumed that the handcart pioneers were
either dead or had decided to wait out the winter where they were, so they left
and returned to Salt Lake. They tried to convince Reddick to go with them but
he was faithful in completing his assignment and waited for the pioneers to
arrive. Because of this dogged determination to remain at his post, he was
known as the 'Bulldog.'
Dan Jones, a fellow rescuer, recorded the following: "I followed the train
(Martin Company) this day (November 11) to their second encampment
(Cottonwood Creek) and the next day traveled with them. There was much
suffering, deaths occurring often. Eph Hanks arrived in camp from the valley
and word that some of the teams that had reached South Pass and should have
met us here, had turned back towards home and tried to persuade Reddick
Allred, who was left there with a load of flour to go back with them. The men
who did this might have felt justified; they said it was no use going further, that
we had doubtless all perished. I will not mention their names for it was always
looked upon by the company as cowardly in the extreme. If this had not
occurred, it was the intention of Capt. Grant to have sent someone down to us
with a load of flour (at Devil's gate where Dan Jones and some others spent the
winter guarding the pioneer's things). As it was, by the time any was received,
the people were in a starving condition, and could not spare it."
After the Willie Company had met their initial rescuers, Reddick was able to help
them. Reddick had arrived at Rock Creek early in the morning just before the
last of the stragglers had arrived from their long march that had begun at the
base of Rocky Ridge the morning before. He records meeting them at Rock
Creek: "I found some dead and dying laying over the camp in the drifting snow
that was being piled in heaps by the gale and burying their dead. We set in with
the rest to make them as comfortable as possible and remained in camp till (the)
next day."
After helping the Willie Company get back on their way, Reddick returned to his
station as instructed, for the next two weeks, where he was again persuaded by
rescue wagons that came through, to turn back with them. Many of them did
turn back, but were met by others who persuaded them to turn back once again
and complete their mission. Reddick wrote of this time ".. .President Young told
William Kimball that he did not care if he turned some so quick that I would
snap their neck(s). But I saved my neck by sticking to my post..."
Reddick also records helping the Martin Company as they came through:
"Captain Grant got into my camp on the 17th of November just 30 days since
he left me and saluted me with 'Hurrah for the bulldog, good for hanging on.'
The teams having all arrived we were again organized into companies of tens by
wagons, each 10 taking up a company of 100 as they were organized in their
handcarts. All could ride although much crowded. We then set out for the city
with the half-starved, half frozen and almost entirely exhausted company of
about 500 Saints. But from that time on they did not suffer with hunger or
fatigue but all suffered more or less with cold. As well as I was provided I even
lost my toenails from frost.
Monthly Homework:
1. Read "Reddick Allred Story"
2. Write your thoughts and feelings about this story in your journal
3 . Walk, run or bike 2 miles three times each week
4. Begin compiling/writing a brief history of the person for whom you
will trek
5. If not completed, continue working to find an ancestor who you can be
baptized for in the temple
April:
"Faith in Every Footstep"
--Sister Bonnie D. Parkin
Anna Matilda Anderson was a young girl who lived in Sweden in the 1880s.
When she and her family joined the Church, they were ridiculed for their beliefs.
Anna's mother decided they should move to America and join the Saints in
Utah. Anna was 11 years old when she and her sister, Ida, were sent ahead to
earn money and bring the rest of the family. They sailed to the United States,
then traveled by train to Ogden, Utah, where Ida left by covered wagon to work
for her sponsors in Idaho. Anna was completely alone on that train as it
continued to Salt Lake City. She spoke no English and knew no one. Can you
imagine the loneliness and terror of her ride?
The train pulled into the darkened Rio Grande station just before midnight. The
relative who was to meet Anna was not there. Anna stood watching with dread
as the station slowly emptied. Finally, she was alone with a German family who
also had no one to meet them. The darkness was thick and threatening, closing
in around her. She later recalled: "I started to cry and thought about the last
thing my mother told me: 'If you come to a place where you can't understand
what the people are saying, don't forget to pray to your Father in Heaven
because He can understand you.'" Anna knelt by her suitcase and pleaded with
all her might for heavenly help. Haven't we all said prayers like that?
The German family motioned for Anna to follow them. Having no other choice,
she walked behind them, crying. Arriving at Temple Square, they heard rapid
footsteps. A woman was hurrying toward them, studying each person she
passed. She looked at the German family, then pressed on. Anna caught the
woman's searching gaze. The woman stopped, unbelieving. She recognized the
young girl! And with a shock, Anna recognized the woman. She was her Sunday
School teacher who had left Sweden a year earlier! Pulling Anna tightly into her
arms, the teacher wiped away her frightened tears. She told Anna: "I was
awakened over and over again. ... Images of the arriving immigrants raced
through my mind. I could not go back to sleep. I was prompted to come to the
temple to see if there was anyone I knew here" (journal of Anna Matilda
Anderson, in author's possession).
Can you believe it? A Sunday School teacher sent in a pitch-black night like an
angel of light! "So you see," Anna remembered, "my Heavenly Father more than
answered my prayers. I only asked for someone who could understand me, and
He sent someone I knew. "
Monthly Homework:
1. Read "Faith in Every Footstep" talk excerpt
2. Write your thoughts and feelings about this talk in your journal
3 . Walk, run or bike 2 miles three times each week
4. Finish compiling/writing a brief history of the person for whom you
will trek and submit to your ward YM/YW president
5. If not completed, continue working to find an ancestor who you can be
baptized for in the temple
May:
"Keep the chain unbroken"
--President Gordon B. Hinckley
Recently, at the dedication of the Columbus Temple in Ohio, I had an
interesting experience. As I sat in the celestial room, I thought of my greatgrandfather, the first in my family to join the Church. I had recently visited his
place of burial in Canada just to the north of the New York boundary line. He
accepted the gospel when the first missionaries came there from Kirtland. His
children were too young for baptism. He died at the young age of 38. Tradition
has it that he was the victim of a smallpox epidemic that raged through that part
of the country. I do not know of anything of significance that he did in the
Church other than he kept the faith.
Then there was my grandfather, who was baptized in Nauvoo and who
subsequently crossed the plains in the migration of our people. His young wife
and his brother-in-law both died on the same day. He made rough coffins and
buried them and picked up his infant child and carried her to this valley.
At the request of Brigham Young he built Cove Fort, was the first president of
the stake in Fillmore, and did a thousand other things to move this work
forward.
Then came my father. He came here to the BY Academy as a very young man
and was taught by President Karl G. Maeser. He went east to school, and then
he taught here in the business department until the Brethren asked him to move
to Salt Lake City and take over responsibilities there. He became president of the
largest stake in the Church with more than 15,000 members.
These three good men represent the three generations of my forebears who
have been faithful in the Church. Reflecting on the lives of these three men
while I was seated in the temple, I looked down at my daughter, at her daughter,
who is my grandchild, and at her children, my great-grandchildren. I suddenly
realized that I stood right in the middle of these seven generations—three
before me and three after me.
In that sacred and hallowed house there passed through my mind a sense of the
tremendous obligation that was mine to pass on all that I had received as an
inheritance from my forebears to the generations who have now come after me.
I thought of an experience I had long, long ago. In the summer we lived on a
farm. We had a little old tractor. There was a dead tree I wished to pull. I
fastened one end of a chain to the tractor and the other end to the tree. As the
tractor began to move, the tree shook a little, and then the chain broke.
I looked at that broken link and wondered how it could have given way. I went
to the hardware store and bought a repair link. I put it together again, but it was
an awkward and ugly connection. The chain was never, never the same.
As I sat in the celestial room of the temple pondering these things, I said to
myself, “Never permit yourself to become a weak link in the chain of your
generations.” It is so important that we pass on without a blemish our
inheritance of body and brain and, if you please, faith and virtue untarnished to
the generations who will come after us.
You young men and you young women, most of you will marry and have
children. Your children will have children, as will the children who come after
them. Life is a great chain of generations that we in the Church believe must be
linked together.
I fear there will be some broken links. Do not let yourself become such, I pray.
Stay close to the Church. Stay close all of your lives. It really does not matter
where you serve, or what office you fill. There is no small or unimportant duty
in this Church and in the kingdom of God.
God bless you, my dear friends. Be faithful. Be true. Be loyal to the great cause
of which you are a part. Never become a weak link in the chain of your family’s
generations. Do whatever you are asked to do, and do it with a glad heart.
Monthly Homework:
1. Read "Keep the Chain Unbroken" talk summary
2. Write your thoughts and feelings about this talk in your journal
3 . Walk, run or bike 3 miles three times each week
4. Finalize identification of an ancestor who you can be baptized for in
the temple and notify your ward YM/YW president that task is complete
June:
"Becoming"
--Elder Dallin H. Oaks
The Apostle Paul taught that the Lord’s teachings and teachers were given that
we may all attain “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph.
4:13). This process requires far more than acquiring knowledge. It is not even
enough for us to be convinced of the gospel; we must act and think so that we
are converted by it. In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us
to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something.
Many Bible and modern scriptures speak of a final judgment at which all persons
will be rewarded according to their deeds or works or the desires of their hearts.
But other scriptures enlarge upon this by referring to our being judged by
the condition we have achieved.
The prophet Nephi describes the Final Judgment in terms of what we have
become: “And if their works have been filthiness they must needs be filthy; and if
they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God” (1
Ne. 15:33; emphasis added). Moroni declares, “He that is filthy shall be filthy
still; and he that is righteous shall be righteous still” (Morm. 9:14; emphasis
added; see also Rev. 22:11–12; 2 Ne. 9:16; D&C 88:35). The same would be true
of “selfish” or “disobedient” or any other personal attribute inconsistent with
the requirements of God. Referring to the “state” of the wicked in the Final
Judgment, Alma explains that if we are condemned by our words, our works,
and our thoughts, “we shall not be found spotless; … and in this awful state we
shall not dare to look up to our God” (Alma 12:14).
From such teachings we conclude that the Final Judgment is not just an
evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an
acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we
have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The
commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of
deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus
Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires
us to become.
Monthly Homework:
1. Read "Becoming" talk summary
2. Write your thoughts and feelings about this talk in your journal
3 . Walk, run or bike 3 miles three times each week
Optional list of activities:
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Participate in family or ward service project
Participate in baptisms for the dead.
Present a family home evening lesson using one of the monthly gospel
principles and using a pioneer story to enhance it.
Memorize the words to 2 hymns. Choose from:
o Come, Come Ye Saints (p. 30)
o Carry On (p. 255)
o I Know That My Redeemer Lives (p. 136)
o I Need Thee Every Hour (p. 98)
o I Believe in Christ (p. 134)
o Faith in Every Footstep
Memorize the words to 2 primary songs. Choose from:
o Whenever I Think About Pioneers (p. 222);
o To Be A Pioneer (p. 218)
Give a talk in Sacrament Meeting using a pioneer story
Write your personal history-500 words or more
*Read a pioneer book. Examples are:
o "The Fire of the Covenant,"
o "The Price We Paid,"
o "Handcarts to Zion"
*We strongly encourage you to read one of these books. They will bring the
handcart experience to life for you.
Spokane East Stake Youth Are
Awesome!