TREK

Craig and I were so blessed to have had the opportunity to be ma's and pa's for the pioneer trek that our stake participated in last week. Basically we were asked to act as "parents" to a group of nine 14-18 year olds over the course of three days. During this time we were asked to dress in pioneer style clothes and walk in the name of one of our ancestors who had a real pioneer experience. We also needed to walk about 21 miles while we pulled a handcart which carried all of our families possessions. The stake theme for the trek was "Tried*Tested*True" and the whole experience is one that I am sure I will remember forever. I have had so many thoughts swirling around in my head about this experience which is why I have taken so long to post anything about it, but I think that it may require multiple posts so I thought I would start with a summary of what we did while on the trek.

Before the summary I do need to say that I really did have the privilege of spending the weekend with some of the most amazing young men and young women that I have ever met. I don't want to share last names for the sake of privacy, but I will put in first names just so that I don't forget--Megan, Christina, Kristian, Aaron, Tyler, Jordan, Colten, Brett, and Nathan. Let's just say that I was amazed and inspired all weekend long and I will miss them all dearly.DAY ONE (Thursday)
There was a group of about 180 youth plus 50 adult volunteers that meet at the stake center for final instructions and an opening song and prayer. After that we drove to to Elberta, Utah where the church owns and leases land specifically for the purpose of hosting pioneer treks. Once there, we got in our family group and loaded our handcart and were ready to roll. Since it had been raining all Wednesday and for most of the drive down there, we were a little bit worried about the mud, but it turned out to not be too bad (at least that day). We were in a group with three other handcarts and once it was time to head out our family was thrilled to finally be moving. After about 20 minutes on the trail we ran into a mob that separated our families, ransacked our handcarts and harassed us for our beliefs. The mob did a great job and my only regret was that at this point on the trek, we were still to much in "normal-life" mode to play along. I was thinking more about getting the caked mud off mine and Megan's shoes than I was about the pioneers and the fear and agony they must have felt while being driven from their homes and persecuted for nothing more than their beliefs. I also am in awe at the strength so many of them had to stay true to the faith and sacrifice nearly everything they had in the name of religion. Reflecting on that experience made me realize how easy it is to let the distractions of daily life seem more significant than what is really important and it also made me want to do better at focusing on what is truly important in my life. After we escaped the mob, we got to continue walking and at about lunch-time we took a short stop during which we all thought we were going to eat lunch. However, after about 20 minutes, we were asked to start walking again with no mention of lunch or anything else. The kids grumbled a little bit, but really for the most part they had a great attitude. Shortly after we started up again, we were brought our daily rations of a biscuit and a very small bag of beef jerkey to share. It was our stake's way of helping us remember the meager rations and supplies the pioneers had to get themselves across the plains. We were fortunate in that we got to eat lunch about 2 hrs. later. They had to survive on mostly biscuits and broth for 3 months of hard labor which is yet another testament to the sheer strength and will of the early pioneers. We were able to have our first family devotional as we sat down to our lunch and it really did set the tone for a great learning experience for our family. We had a button for each of the kids to sew on their bonnet, neckerchief or shirt that represented each topic we were talking about and they really love the whole button thing. (I will write more about our devotionals in a later post.) About a half hour before we arrived at our campsite, four of our men were blinded by a snow blizzard and we had to travel for 15 minutes with blindfolded men. It was actually easier that some of the challenges that the other families faced. There was a spot on the handcart for everyone who was blind and so all they had to do was hold on as we led them. When we rolled into our camp that afternoon, we had a few minutes to crash,and then it was time for games. We had so much fun playing all kinds of games--pioneer and not--the favorite of which was poison bucket. Best of all all the running, pushing, pulling, and playing really did a great job loosing up our bodies and no one was quite as sore that evening as they were that afternoon. That evening we were fed well and then entertained by a wonderful speaker/storyteller. We closed the day with another family devotional which was by far my favorite--it was about taking time every day to learn from your experiences. At the end of the devotional we posed the question "What did you learn today?" and we really got some amazing answers from our youth.

DAY TWO (Friday)
This was by far the most memorable day of the trek for everyone involved. We started out the day by taking down our camp and reloading our handcart. Since we were the last company to leave that day, we had a long wait during which we shared some of our pioneer stories and just hung out with our family. The day started out with much of the same. We walked and were met by stake volunteers who gave us additional challenges to face as a family. We also passed a woman sobbing on the side of the trail who had stopped because she had to bury her husband--again a very visual reminder of the sacrifice some early pioneers had to make. We also had to pretend our handcart had a broken wheel and lift one edge as we traveled for about 100 yards. I also had a baby which meant that our family had to carry me on the handcart for 30 minutes. This was by far the worst part of the trek for me--I hate making someone else bear my burden and I didn't want to make this experience any harder on our family than it already was. I tried to make the best of it by taking everyones mind off the experience by telling stories and starting games. Our family was so sweet to me and they really didn't mind carrying me at all--but I still felt bad. About half way through our mileage for the day, we arrived at a spot where all the handcarts were parked waiting. We knew something was up, but we weren't sure what. Our stake leaders informed us that the road we were supposed to travel on had been washed out and that rather than risk getting our handcarts stuck in the mud, they would like us to camp there tonight. They instructed us to unload our handcarts and set up camp and just as most groups were beginning to do this, an angry mob came in (with pop guns and all) and drove us out of our camp. At this point, the only thing that we could do was go through the mud. I have heard conflicting reports as to whether it was a mile or a mile and a half, but having traveled it myself, I am inclined to say it was a mile and a half. As we turned the corner to head down this road, everyone was greeted with puddles and mud as far as the eye could see. To start this stretch of road, we had to wade through a muddy puddle that was about knee-deep. After a moment's hesitation our family jumped right in to the task at hand and we had a blast working together and getting dirtier than I have ever been. (Craig decided to join us in the mud about half-way through the trail when he realized that it wasn't going to go away any time soon.) I know that the trek through the mud must have been harder work for us, but our whole family worked together as a team and we bore one and other's burdens and it really didn't seem that hard. In fact the hardest part for me was that I kept tripping over my skirt and almost fell face first in the mud several times. (I finally got smart enough to tie up my skirt so that I could remain upright the entire time). This was absolutely the best part of the trek--it was such a bonding experience to be able to work together with our family in a way that challenged both our minds and our bodies and I will never forget the experience or the laughter that accompanied it. By the time the day was finished, I was covered in dirt and mud up to the tops of my thighs, and I was absolutely in love with the kids who I had spent the day with and who I had seen rise to the occasion and spend a whole day laboring without complaint. I was also beyond impressed with the members of my ward family who trudged back and forth through the mud to help every single handcart company along the way. It really is hard to describe the impact that this experience had on everyone involved, so I will just leave it by saying that it was an awe-inspiring experience and it made an impact on everyone who went through it. Sadly this day, we also had one of our girls get so sick that she couldn't walk with us, rather she had to ride in a handcart for the last half of the trek. We really missed her in the mud, but I know that she had a learning experience of her own that let her know that there are always people there to help you out if you need it. That evening everyone was exhausted so the evening's games were scrapped, but we enjoyed the hoe-down and then split up into families for devotional/testimony meeting time. We started our family time with the mini-version or 3 devotionals so that they could get all the buttons we had for them. (The most nerve wracking part of that whole experience was that the newly called stake president choose to sit with our group and it terrified me having to talk and teach with him just sitting there.) After our devotionals we turned the time over for testimonies and let's just say we had one of those painfully quiet testimony meetings. After what Craig felt was a long enough time of the gut wrenching silence, he suggested that we try what we had done the night before and we went around the circle answering the same question: "What did you learn today?" If I was impressed the night before, I was beyond impressed this evening. The youth gave such insightful answers and through their words, they let us know that they had testimonies and that they were growing through the experience. My favorite comments were made by Aaron who let us know before the trek that he wasn't a fan of camping and that he didn't even think he was going to come. We were actually quite surprised to see him show up on Thursday morning. When it was his turn to share, he told us that he learned if you're where you're supposed to be, doing what you're supposed to be doing, even if you don't want to, your life will be blessed because of it. His thoughts just really hit home for me because so much of life is about doing what you are supposed to even if you don't really want to and for him to recognize and that really impressed me.

DAY THREE (Saturday)
I slept horribly because of wind and rain storms and we woke up wondering when and if we would start treking because of the weather. Thankfully we were able to go and for the most part, we had the same experiences as the previous days. We had our men leave because they had to go serve in the army and me and my two remaining girls pulled our handcart alone for about 20 minutes. We all wished it was harder, but were glad we got the experience. After that everyone stopped to hear some words of wisdom from the stake president and then we were asked to walk in silence for the next little while. There was actually a great spirit there as we walked along the hardest part of the trail in silence as everyone took the moments of silence to reflect on their experiences throughout the trek. I think everyone involved came away with a greater appreciation for the sacrifices that were made for us by so many of the pioneers to have the blessings we so easily take for granted today. We truly have a rich heritage to live up to and I am grateful for those who have come before me and I only hope that I can make them proud with the way that I live my life. Our final task we had to conquer on the trail was crossing a small "river" that represented the pioneers struggles as they crossed the frozen Sweetwater river. It was one last task that we all had to perform together and as we reached the banks on the other side, I was sad to know that this experience was almost over. We finished out the day with lunch as a family and one final devotional so that our family could receive all their buttons. After that, it was over, with a few final hugs and a few moments of reflection, we were done with what I know will have been a life changing experience.

Let me just say one last thing. I couldn't have done this if I didn't believe. There is no way I would have left my own four kids (two of who were throwing up) to take care of someone else's teenagers for 3 days if I didn't believe in what I was doing. This gospel is such a central part of me and who I am and it is what guides and dictates my daily life. It makes me a better wife, mother, friend and person. It gives me a sense of belonging that it so much bigger than myself and most of all, it gives me the peace and comfort I need to make it in this world that sometimes seems to hard to bear. I love the fact that I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and I am grateful to the pioneer heritage that I share with every other member of this church. I know my Heavenly Father loves me and is watching down on me, and for that I will be forever grateful.