I have been thinking back to the trek I went on a very long time ago and how I didn't really appreciate it that much and now I wish I would have taken advantage of going to those amazing places and realized what all those pioneers went through. I know we went in the middle of the summer when it was very hot and the pioneers had the opposite temperatures with snow and freezing cold water. I wish I would have written down all that I had done so I could look back at how the experience was.
I went to see the movie "17 Miracles" when it came out and that really put everything in perspective for me and showed how much these pioneers suffered. They had family members dying, they got very sick, they starved, and they had to walk all that way. I think if I would have lived back then I would have given up and just died on the plains. None of them ever gave up and kept going if they could. They suffered so much and still kept pushing on. The pioneers are what have given me a testimony of this church and when I hear about their stories, it makes my testimony grow so much more. I hope that when I get to heaven I can talk to them about these different stories and meet all of those amazing people that had such great faith and courage that they would make it.
While on this trek I got a taste of how pulling a handcart a ways felt. It was very tiring and there were sometimes rocks and sand and all kinds of weather bringing you down, but you had to keep going. One thing I remember is a guy came pretending he was from the Mormon Battalion and took all the guys with him up to the top of a sandy hill. Then all the women had to pull their handcarts up that steep, sandy hill and it was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Most of the men couldn't handle seeing the women go through this and came to help even though they weren't supposed to. I can only imagine these women not having any help pulling it up the hill. I know they had angels there helping them along the way.
I recently got a calling in the primary as the assistant music director and last week I taught them the pioneer song that everyone should know. It's "To Be a Pioneer". The lyrics are as followed:
"You don't have to push a handcart.
Leave your family dear.
Or walk a thousand miles or more
To be a pioneer.
You do need to have great courage.
Faith to conquer fear.
And fight with might for a cause that's right
To be a pioneer."
Today as I listened to the kids sing it, it really got me thinking. It may also be the few talks I heard today about pioneers too. Anyways we are all sent to earth at different times and like the pioneers were sent at that time because they knew what they were doing and the trials they faced were the ones that would test them. Which were mainly the physical trials. We were sent here to go through the more emotional trials and temptations that maybe those pioneers wouldn't need for their trials.
I think we are all latter day pioneers and we do need to have great courage and faith and stand up for what we believe in. Those pioneers went through a lot with a lot of people not believing them and even had their lives threatened for the gospel. They fought to keep this amazing gospel on the earth for their future generations. I am so grateful for them and all that they did. I'm proud to come from such amazing heritage.
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