I gave a talk at church yesterday- Here it is...

This month we’ve been asked to give our talks about Pioneers. Yesterday we had a fun morning as we celebrated and remembered the pioneers who walked across the plains and settled in Utah. We had a handcart race that some participated in. Brother McKinley in particular was seen giving handcart rides throughout the entire activity. Many of us stood around and watched him as he pulled children around and around, around and around, around and around, around and around, and yet again around the park. We commented on his getting his exercise in for the day and I’m sure many of us were thinking “I’m glad it’s him and not me pulling that cart”

As long and as tedious as it may have been, it was only for a couple of hours. I’m sure he went home and put his feet up and rested for the rest of the day! Our pioneer forefathers who trekked across the plains in their handcarts pulled the handcarts day after day after day. Those pioneers are examples to us of obedience, and faith.

I didn’t know this, but the church has a website dedicated to the pioneer story with 41 different geographical places of significance along the journey. You can click on any of those places and read a few journal entries from pioneers that they recorded at those places. The faith of these pioneers as they journeyed is inspiring to all of us. Through all the tribulations and pain they just kept moving on.

We have had talks this past month about our modern day pioneers . Many of you are pioneers in your family. You are converts who made the choice to investigate, pray and join this church. You walk along a long path similar to the pioneers of years ago as you journeyed from your previous spiritual home to your current spiritual home. Elder Paul B. Pieper Of the Seventy spoke in conference in April of 2007 and said this:

Being a first-generation member of the Church is not always easy. You will walk where no one in your family has walked before. Conditions around you may be challenging. You may have few, or no, friends or relatives to understand and support you. At times you may become discouraged, wondering if it is all worth it. My purpose this morning is to assure you that it is.

And then went on and had this to say:

More importantly, as a first-generation member, you occupy an important place in your family. You are an example to your family of a true disciple of Jesus Christ. Whether they are members of the Church or not, as you live the gospel at home, those around you will feel the Savior’s love through you. They know that you are engaged in something good, even if they do not understand it or have enough faith to accept it. Be patient and kind, pray each day to know how you can serve them, and the Lord will help you and bless you to influence your family for good. By being consistently good and upright, you will establish patterns of faithfulness and righteousness. Those patterns will shape your life, but more importantly, they will become a standard for your family and posterity.

Those of you who converted to the church among us are pioneers and examples to us of obedience and faith as well.

We have all of these great examples of pioneers to look to and learn from. Yet we don’t have to have walked the plains, or be a convert to the church to be a pioneer. We can be a pioneer and make our own journey through our life.

In the April 2007 conference Elder Earl C. Tingey Of the Presidency of the Seventy talked about the recent renovations to the Tabernacle.  He said:

As one foot is planted in the past and the other in the future, I give thanks for pioneer and modern-day prophets and apostles who have had and still have the vision to construct and extend into the future this remarkable building.

He then went on to speak of the accomplishments both President Brigham Young and President Hinkley have done during their time as prophets. They both were pioneers in their days. He defines pioneer as “meaning someone who opens or prepares the way for others to follow”.

By this definition we can all be pioneers. We are the pioneers preparing for the future. We can lay the foundations and prepare ourselves and our children for the future. The same quilities of obedience and faith that we admire in the pioneers, can be found in us as well.

Growing up I remember a Tall Tale story that was circulated widely among the Utah county teens I grew up with.

The story was that after our earthly life we would be in the spirit world and as we stood around talking amongst the people there we would ask them which dispensation and which prophets time did they live. People would answer that they lived during the time of different prophets- Joseph Smith and Brigham Young... essentially that there are a lot of pioneers up there. Then in the story it would end with the story teller being asked when he lived, and his answer was that he lived during the time of President Benson, or Hinkley and that a “hush” fell upon the group realizing someone from that time period was amongst them.

This week as I’ve pondered about what to say today the story keeps coming to my mind... I hesitated to share it, but it kept coming back to my mind. It is a neat “feel good” story, but it isn’t true.

It is true that we were choosen to come to earth in these Latter Days, But I don’t think we can distinguish between the different times and dispensations. Just as we were choosen to come to earth now, they were choosen to come to earth during their time. One time is not greater than another.

As I often tell my children, life isn’t a competition. It’s not about who had it worst, or who did it better. Each of us is given our own trials and tribulations that we individually must use our faith and obedience to our Heavenly Fathers commandments to overcome. I am in awe of the faith and obedience that our pioneer fathers showed. I am in awe of the faith and obedience that I see around me as I observe new converts with their pioneering steps in joining the gosple. I am equally in awe as I see the pioneering efforts of others to bring their families closer to the Lord and strengthen and prepare the way for other to follow them.

In Elder Tingrey’s talk he referrenced a story President Hinkley shared in the october 2003 conference.
President Hinkley said

At the close of one particularly difficult day, I looked up at a portrait of Brigham Young that hangs on my wall. I asked, ‘Brother Brigham, what should we do?’ I thought I saw him smile a little, and then he seemed to say: ‘In my day, I had problems enough of my own. Don’t ask me what to do. This is your watch. Ask the Lord, whose work this really is.’

This is the Lords work. This is his church. We can all be pioneers. We can all follow the examples of our pioneer forefathers of their obedience and faith, and be pioneers in our own lives. We need only to look to the Lord and ask him for our answers.

I know that this is the true church. I have asked and received answers for myself. I have felt the strengthening of my own testimony as through trials I’ve been forced to question and re-ask and receive answers again to strengthen me. I am grateful for the pioneers in my life... for my forfathers who walked across the plains, and for my mom who joined the church as a teenager. I’m grateful for the opportunity I have to be a pioneer with my family. To open and prepare the way for my children and their children in the future.

I have a testimony of faith. Sometimes when we don’t know what to do, who to turn to, or where to go. Sometimes when the path before us looks bleak and dark. If we can just cling to our faith and take one step at a time we can accomplish great things. The handcart companies endured trials and tribulations, but they had to push those handcarts one step at a time. One foot after another, and they traveled an incredible distance. We too can travel a great distance one step at a time with faith in our Heavenly Father, and obedience to his teachings as our guide.