Trek

The Hurst Texas Stake Youth Pioneer Trek

 This last week was spring break.  On Thursday, I drove up to the Lyndon B. Johnson Grasslands, a national reserve close to Decatur Texas, for my stake's Pioneer Trek.  Now you should probably understand that I have been skeptical and even a little critical of the pioneer trek in the past.  I have always struggled with the fact that at times this activity has jeopardized the health of some of the youth through heat exhaustion and other potential dangers.  But being a part of my stake's trek committee has changed my mind about this activity in a lot of ways.  I'm still not comfortable with courses and challenges that put people in danger, but on Thursday I got to experience some of the blessings that can come from this activity.

My Pioneer Costume (if there is ever a production of Fiddler on the Roof, or
an activity commemorating Communist Revolutionaries, I can use the same costume)

My role in the Youth Trek was to tell stories about the Sweetwater river.  I was the very last experience that the kids had before they were able to pull their carts the last half mile and set up camp.  So by the time they got to me, they were tired and worn out and ready to set up camp and have some dinner.  I think we all know how hard the pioneer experience was, particularly for those who pulled handcarts, but this gave me a new understanding of just how exhausting the pioneer trail was.  There were hills to climb and, perhaps even more dangerously, hills to descend.  And it was day after day.

When the kids arrived at my station, I had ten minutes to tell them about the Sweetwater.  I had prepared journal entries and a lot of information.  But as the first company was approaching, I had the impression that I should just talk to them and shouldn't read a single journal entry.  I knew enough that I could tell the story without needing to read it.  So that's what I did.  I asked them to imagine that the lake in the background was a river, about 50 feet wide and 3 to 4 feet deep.  I asked them to imagine that there was 18 inches of snow on the ground and slush and ice in the river.  I reminded them that there were no boats and no bridges and they had to cross that river.  I then spoke of Brigham Young, who in 1848 waited at the river all day until each and every wagon in his company had made it safely across.  I told them about the Martin crossing of the Platte River on October 19, 1856, where mothers crossed several times with their children, and some men made 75 trips across the river to help those who were weak.  I then told them that two weeks later, those same pioneers wept as they looked at the Sweetwater, knowing they would have to cross it, and again rescuers and other pioneers stepped forward to help others across.

After sharing these details, I asked them to think about the question "Why?"  "Why would they do this?"  I shared a brief testimony of the Savior and of the covenants we make when we are baptized into this Church and then sent them on their way.

Each of the four times I shared this message, I was overcome with the feeling that it was a far better message than I was capable of preparing on my own.  The kids were worn out and tired and dirty, but I could tell they felt the spirit during this message and I knew that I felt it myself and learned from it myself.  It was one of those precious occasions where I knew that the right words had been spoken and that they had had nothing to do with my abilities as a speaker, a teacher, or a historian.  The Lord wanted those kids to know those things, and I was blessed to be a part of how He taught them.  It was a special experience and one that taught me more than I could have imagined.

Brett