A part of the celebration typically includes the reading of journals from pioneer ancestors. Of course, not everybody in the church has pioneer ancestors. For those who are new converts to the church, there is a feeling that something is missing, when your Mormon neighbor takes out his or her family history and begins to recount the trek from old journals. In time, however, those of us without pioneer heritage just adopt the histories of those we read or hear about. We find inspiration in pioneer sacrifice, faithfulness, and steadfastness in Christ.
Here is an example of one such story related in a devotional address was given on 22 July 1997 in the de Jong Concert Hall by associate dean of Religious Education at BYU, Brent L. Top. This story was shared in sacrament meeting today:
One such pioneer who was guided by the "fire of the covenant" was Stillman Pond. He and his family were among the last to leave Nauvoo in September 1846. Having already endured much persecution and harassment from the enemies of the Church, the Pond family was ultimately driven from their Nauvoo home at the point of a bayonet. Without adequate preparation for their trek, they were left without proper food, clothing, and shelter. Their trek across Iowa to Winter Quarters was fraught with almost unimaginable suffering and heartache.
Snow came early to the Iowa territory that year, making travel extremely difficult. Weakened from trudging through the deep snow, Stillman's pregnant wife, Maria, who had already been afflicted with consumption, then contracted malaria. She, along with every member of her family, suffered greatly from this sickness. Bowed down with grief and aching from the pain and fever of malaria, Maria could no longer walk. Amidst these grim circumstances she gave birth to twin boys who were named Joseph and Hyrum. They both died only a few days later. The deaths of these children coming across the plains from Nauvoo to Winter Quarters were only the beginning of the sacrifice and trials of Stillman Pond.
With all of the members of the Pond family sick with malaria, Stillman, who was unable to walk or even sit up, lay on his stomach in the bed of his wagon. Bracing himself with one arm and extending his other over the dashboard to hold the reins, he drove his team the last 150 miles. On October 16, 1846, they arrived at Winter Quarters. During the winter there the Pond family continued to suffer. In the space of five days, three more children died. A sixth died a few weeks later:
Laura Jane Pond, age 14, died of "chills and fever" on December 2, 1846.
Harriet M. Pond, age 11, died "with chills" on December 4.
Abigail A. Pond, age 18, died "with chills" on December 7.
Lyman Pond, age 6, died with "chills and fever" on January 15, 1847.
Having survived the heartache of burying all of her children, the hardships of the trek across Iowa, and the hunger and privations of a long, hard winter, Stillman's beloved wife, Maria, finally succumbed to her sicknesses on May 17 at Winter Quarters. Yet despite all this, Stillman Pond journeyed onward in the pioneer company led by Elder John Taylor, arriving in the Salt Lake Valley in the early fall of 1847. His testimony of the gospel, his faith in the Lord, and the fire of the covenant that burned in his soul gave him the strength to go on.
A similar story is found in Chris' family history. Her great, great, great grandfather (Jacob Peart Sr.) lost his wife and four daughters while still in Nauvoo and went on to Salt Lake City, remaining a productive member of the church.
We can hope that we would measure up, as they did, if we were in similar circumstances.
As the first person to join the church in my family, I am often reminded that I am a pioneer. In a way, I guess I am. Being a pioneer is not just about handcarts and Conestoga wagons! Certainly the saints in Moscow are every bit the pioneers as those who traveled the plains in the 1840's, 50's and 60's.
More than that though, I think one could argue that anyone who blazes a new trail would be considered a pioneer.
We are all learning new things in our lives that cause us to make simple course adjustments, and in doing so, we end up on a different path. Thus, we become pioneers. We explore, study, experience and prove to ourselves whether we are on a good path or one of lesser value. In the church, we are constantly studying gospel doctrines and principles and try to apply them in our lives. When we do, we often find ourselves on a new and different path, for the better. This path may not be new to some, but it is to the one who has just discovered it. We learn the gospel, line upon line, precept upon precept. We discover new paths all the time. That's what I love about the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is renewing. It's a journey in self-improvement--to become more like Christ, in every way that we can. I just hope we use our time wisely to become all that we can be.
Rudyard Kipling wrote:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run; you'll be a man someday my son.
The Mormon hymn, Improve the Shining Moments echoes a similar theme: Time flies on wings of lightening; you cannot call it back.
My hat's off to all of you pioneers who are doing all you can to improve each shining moment!!
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