Trek Devotionals
Day 1 – Night
Remember Devotion: Walking
with Christ
Stories: One story from a
member of the family
President Henry B. Eyring:
You make choices every day and almost every hour that keep you walking in the
light or moving away toward darkness.
For each of us, life is a journey. Heavenly Father
designed it for us out of love. Each of us has unique experiences and
characteristics, but our journey began in the same place before we were born
into this world.
We all were taught by Elohim, the Father of our spirits.
We loved Him and wanted to be like Him and to be with Him forever. He told us
plainly what it would require for us to have that joy. We would have to receive
a physical body, with all of the trials that would bring. We would be subject
to illness and have within our bodies the processes which would finally lead to
death. And our bodies would have in them powerful cravings for physical
satisfaction.
Heavenly Father explained to us what it would take to make
the journey from where we were then to be with Him forever and live the life
that He lives. We would make the journey through life without a memory of our
time with Him in the spirit world. And the only way back to Him would be for us
to overcome physical death and the effects of sin which would come from our
breaking commandments. He told us that we could not overcome the effects of
either death or sin by ourselves—without our having a Savior who would break
the bands of death and provide a way for us to be washed clean from the sin
which we would surely commit.
Mormon’s words: “Seeing that ye know the light by which ye
may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge
wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged.
“Wherefore, … ye should search diligently in the light of
Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good
thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ.
“And now, … how is it possible that ye can lay hold upon
every good thing?”
Let me tell you of James Kirkwood. James was from Glasgow,
Scotland. On the trip west, James was accompanied by his widowed mother and
three brothers, one of whom, Thomas, was 19 and crippled and had to ride in the
handcart. James’s primary responsibility on the trek was to care for his little
four-year-old brother, Joseph, while his mother and oldest brother, Robert,
pulled the cart. As they climbed Rocky Ridge, it was snowing and there was a
bitter cold wind blowing. It took the whole company 27 hours to travel 15
miles. When little Joseph became too weary to walk, James, the older brother,
had no choice but to carry him. Left behind the main group, James and Joseph
made their way slowly to camp. When the two finally arrived at the fireside,
James, “having so faithfully carried out his task, collapsed and died from
exposure and over-exertion.” 1
Day 2 – Morning
Remember Courage: Follow
Christ
Stories: One story from a
member of the family
Elizabeth Horrocks Jackson Kingsford:
“I believe the Recording Angel has inscribed in the archives above, and that my
sufferings for the Gospel’s sake will be sanctified unto me for my good.”
President Faust:
In addition to the legacy of faith bequeathed by those who
crossed the plains, they also left a great heritage of love—love of God and
love of mankind. It is an inheritance of sobriety, independence, hard work,
high moral values, and fellowship. It is a birthright of obedience to the
commandments of God and loyalty to those whom God has called to lead this
people. It is a legacy of forsaking evil. Immorality, alternative lifestyles,
gambling, selfishness, dishonesty, unkindness, and addiction to alcohol and
drugs are not part of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Day 2 – Night
Remember Obedience: Faith in
Christ
Stories: One story from a member of the family
The real story is often better than the popularly told tale. Such is the
case with Francis Webster, the famous old man in the corner of a Sunday School
class who arose to silence criticism directed towards the Willie and Martin
handcart companies. While his statement is a moving tribute to the faith and
sacrifice of handcart pioneers, it becomes an even more inspiring testimony,
and takes on an added significance, when understood in light of the rest of the
story.
His obedience and sacrifice extended beyond the handcart companies’
well-documented struggles, to his personal commitment to follow counsel and to
reach out to his fellow men. While Latter-day Saints today may never encounter
circumstances similar to what the handcart pioneers endured, all face
situations where they have to make choices similar to those that Francis
Webster encountered both before and during the journey.
The Bible recounts that Jesus told a rich young man, “If thou wilt be
perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have
treasure in heaven: and come and follow me” (Matt. 19:21). Although we do not
know what became of that young man who went away sorrowful, we do know what
became of Francis Webster when faced with a similar decision. Webster’s story
is a reminder that testimonies grow largely through personal actions and
choices, and not simply because an individual is part of a journey, even if
that journey is notable because of tragedy and suffering. Francis Webster became a leader in the
Church and a leader in the communities of southern Utah. The following is an
account from the writings of William R. Palmer about an incident in an adult Sunday School
class in Cedar City at which over fifty men and women were in attendance:
'Nathan T. Porter was the teacher and the subject under discussion was the
ill-fated handcart company [Martin] that suffered so terribly in the snow of
1856.
"Some
sharp criticism of the Church and its leaders was being indulged in for
permitting any company of converts to venture across the plains with no more
supplies or protection than a handcart caravan afforded.
"One
old man in the corner sat silent and listened as long as he could stand it,
then he arose and said things that no person who heard him will ever forget.
His face was white with emotion, yet he spoke calmly, deliberately, but with
great earnestness and sincerity.
"He
said in substance, 'I ask you to stop this criticism. You are discussing a
matter you know nothing about. Cold historic facts mean nothing here, for they
give no proper interpretation of the questions involved. Mistake to send the
Handcart Company out so late in the season? Yes! But I was in that company and
my wife was in it, and Sister Nellie Unthank whom you have cited here was
there, too. We suffered beyond anything you can imagine and many died of
exposure and starvation, but did you ever hear a survivor of that company utter
a word of criticism? Every one of us came through with the absolute knowledge
that God lives for we became acquainted with Him in our extremities!
'I have
pulled my handcart when I was so weak and weary from illness and lack of food
that I could hardly put one foot ahead of the other. I have looked ahead and
seen a patch of sand or a hill slope and I have said, I can go only that far
and there I must give up for I cannot pull the load through it. I have gone to
that sand and when I reached it, the cart began pushing me! I have looked back
many times to see who was pushing my cart, but my eyes saw no one. I knew then
that the Angels of God were there. [See painting below.]
'Was I
sorry that I chose to come by handcart? No! Neither then nor any minute of my
life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to
pay and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin Handcart
Company."
"The
speaker was Francis Webster. And when he sat down there was not a dry eye in
the room. We were a subdued and chastened lot. Charles Mabey, who later became
Governor of Utah, arose and voice the sentiment of all when he said, 'I would
gladly pay the same price to personally know God that Brother Webster
has.’"
Day 3 – Morning
Remember Love &
Sacrifice: Search & Rescue
Stories: One story from a member of the family
President Faust:
I have wondered why these intrepid pioneers had to pay for their faith with
such a terrible price in agony and suffering. Why were not the elements
tempered to spare them from their profound agony? I believe their lives were
consecrated to a higher purpose through their suffering. Their love for the
Savior was burned deep in their souls and into the souls of their children and
their children’s children. The motivation for their lives came from a true
conversion in the center of their souls. As President Gordon B. Hinckley has
said, “When there throbs in the heart of an individual Latter-day Saint a great
and vital testimony of the truth of this work, he will be found doing his duty
in the Church.”
President Gordon B. Hinckley:
Between 135 and 150 of the Martin company alone perished along that trail of
suffering and death. It was in these desperate and terrible
circumstances—hungry, exhausted, their clothes thin and ragged—that they were
found by the rescue party. As the rescuers appeared on the western horizon
breaking a trail through the snow, they seemed as angels of mercy. And indeed
they were. The beleaguered emigrants shouted for joy, some of them. Others, too
weak to shout, simply wept, and wept, and wept.
There was now food to eat and some warmer clothing. But
the suffering was not over, nor would it ever end in mortality. Limbs had been
frozen and the gangrenous flesh sloughed off from the bones.
The carts were abandoned, and the survivors were crowded
into the wagons of the rescuers. The long rough journey of three hundred, four
hundred, even five hundred miles between them and this valley was especially
slow and tedious because of the storms. On November 30, 104 wagons, loaded with
suffering human cargo, came into the Salt Lake Valley. Word of their expected
arrival had preceded them. It was Sunday, and again the Saints were gathered in
the Tabernacle. Brigham Young stood before the congregation and said:
“As soon as this meeting is dismissed I want the brethren
and sisters to repair to their homes. …“The afternoon meeting will be omitted,
for I wish the sisters to … prepare to give those who have just arrived a
mouthful of something to eat, and to wash them and nurse them. …
“Some you will find with their feet frozen to their
ankles; some are frozen to their knees and some have their hands frosted … we
want you to receive them as your own children, and to have the same feeling for
them.” (Handcarts to Zion, p. 139.)
The two orphan girls, Maggie and Ellen, were among those
with frozen limbs. Ellen’s were the most serious. The doctor in the valley,
doing the best he could, amputated her legs just below the knees. The surgical
tools were crude. There was no anesthesia. The stumps never healed. She grew to
womanhood, married William Unthank, and bore and reared an honorable family of
six children. Moving about on those stumps, she served her family, her
neighbors, and the Church with faith and good cheer, and without complaint,
though she was never without pain. Her posterity are numerous, and among them
are educated and capable men and women who love the Lord whom she loved and who
love the cause for which she suffered.
President Gordon B. Hinckley:
I wish to remind everyone within my hearing that the
comforts we have, the peace we have, and, most important, the faith and
knowledge of the things of God that we have, were bought with a terrible price
by those who have gone before us. Sacrifice has always been a part of the gospel
of Jesus Christ. The crowning element of our faith is our conviction of our
living God, the Father of us all, and of His Beloved
Son, the Redeemer of the world. It is because of our
Redeemer’s life and sacrifice that we are here. It is because of His
sacrificial atonement that we and all of the sons and daughters of God will
partake of the salvation of the Lord. “For as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:22.) It is because of the sacrificial
redemption wrought by the Savior of the world that the great plan of the eternal
gospel is made available to us under which those who die in the Lord shall not
taste of death but shall have the opportunity of going on to a celestial and
eternal glory.
In our own helplessness, He becomes our rescuer, saving us
from damnation and bringing us to eternal life.
In times of despair, in seasons of loneliness and fear, He
is there on the horizon to bring succor and comfort and assurance and faith. He
is our King, our Savior, our Deliverer, our Lord and our God.
Those on the high, cold plains of Wyoming came to know Him
in their extremity as perhaps few come to know Him. But to every troubled soul,
every man or woman in need, to those everywhere who are pulling heavy burdens
through the bitter storms of life, He has said:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and
I will give you rest.
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and
lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is
light.” (Matt. 11:28–30.)
