I was asked to speak in church yesterday. We are usually assigned one of the conference talks and this was true for me. I have linked the title to the original talk, if you would like to watch or read it for yourself.
My
subject today is the talk Live True to the Faith delivered by Elder William
R. Walker of the 70 in the last conference.
The
talk is subtitled with ``Each of us will be greatly blessed if we know the
stories of faith and sacrifice that led our forefathers to join the Lord’s
Church. ``
Brother
Walker began this talk with the statement that he loves church history. I also like history, I especially like the history
that pertains to me and my background in some way. I am probably admitting to my
own egocentricity when I confess that!
Elder
Walker points out
The more connected we feel to our
righteous forefathers, the more likely we are to make wise and righteous
choices.
At
first, many of us (me) may think the stories of the pioneers don`t really
belong to us. If the thought crossed your mind that these stories aren`t
yours, we will find out why that is a false idea. We may only be the first or
second generation in our family to have membership in the Church, but Elder
Walker says-
Whether or not you are a descendant
of pioneers, the Mormon pioneer heritage of faith and sacrifice is your
heritage. It is the noble heritage of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints.
According
to the online Guide to the Scriptures;
People who, by obedience to the laws
and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ, receive the promises and
covenants made by God to Abraham. Men and women may receive these blessings if
they are literally of Abraham’s lineage or if they are adopted into his family
by embracing the gospel and being baptized.
There
are also many scriptural references to our being adopted into Abraham`s Family;
I will cite only two of them.
26 For
ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
28 There
is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male
nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
10 And I will bless them through thy
name; for as many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and
shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father;
So actually, these
stories do belong to us since we have been adopted into the family; all
of the pioneer stories are our stories.
In his talk, Elder
Walker told of his family`s pioneer heritage beginning with the story of his great-great-grandmother Hannah Maria Eagles Harris.
She was one of the first to listen to Wilford Woodruff in Herefordshire,
England, and, according to Elder Walker,
She
informed her husband, Robert Harris Jr., that she had heard the word of God and
that she intended to be baptized. Robert was not pleased to hear his wife’s
report. He told her he would accompany her to the next sermon given by the
Mormon missionary, and he would straighten him out.
Sitting
near the front of the assembly, with a firm resolve to not be swayed, and
perhaps to heckle the visiting preacher, Robert was immediately touched by the
Spirit, just as his wife had been. He knew the message of the Restoration was
true, and he and his wife were baptized.
Elder Walker continues on with –
Their
story of faith and devotion is similar to thousands of others: when they heard
the gospel message, they knew it was true!
As the
Lord says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John
10:27).
Having
heard the voice of the Shepherd, they fully committed their lives to living the
gospel and following the direction of the Lord’s prophet. Responding to the
call to gather to Zion, they left behind their home in England, crossed the
Atlantic, and gathered with the Saints in Nauvoo, Illinois.
They embraced
the gospel with all their hearts. While trying to get established in their new
land, they assisted in the building of the Nauvoo Temple by tithing their
labor—spending every 10th day working on the construction of the temple.
They were
broken-hearted at the news of the death of their beloved prophet, Joseph Smith,
and his brother Hyrum. But they carried on! They stayed true to the faith.
When the
Saints were persecuted and driven from Nauvoo, Robert and Maria felt greatly
blessed to receive their endowments in the temple shortly before they crossed
the Mississippi River and headed west. Although they were uncertain of what
their future held, they were certain of their faith and their testimonies.
With six
children, they slogged through mud as they crossed Iowa on their way west. They
built for themselves a lean-to on the side of the Missouri River at what came
to be known as Winter Quarters.
These
intrepid pioneers were waiting for apostolic direction on how and when they
would be heading further west. Everyone’s plans were altered when Brigham
Young, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve, issued a call for men to
volunteer to serve in the United States Army in what came to be known as the
Mormon Battalion.
Robert
Harris Jr. was one of over 500 Mormon pioneer men who responded to that call
from Brigham Young. He enlisted, even though it meant he would leave behind his
pregnant wife and six little children.
Now, Elder Walker asks us,
Why would
he and the other men do such a thing?
The answer can be given in Bother
Walker`s great-great-grandfather’s own words. In a letter that he wrote to his
wife when the battalion was on its way to Santa Fe, he wrote, “My faith is so
strong as ever [and when I think of the things that Brigham Young told us], I
believe it about the same as if the Great God had told me.”
Elder
Walker`s Grandma Walker was proud of the fact that her grandfather had
served in the Mormon Battalion, and she wanted all of her grandchildren to know
it. Now that he is a grandfather, He says he understands why it was so
important to her.
She wanted to turn the hearts of the children to the
fathers. She wanted her grandchildren to know of their righteous
heritage—because she knew it would bless their lives.
For
now, my husband, Ron and I are the Mormon ``pioneers`` in our family. We both joined the church sometime after our
40th birthdays and, not counting our immediate household, as far as
I know, we remain the only members in our families.
That said, a few
years ago, I was told shadowy, unconfirmed stories of someone in my family`s distant
past who was believed to be a member of one of the handcart companies to Salt
Lake and who was later excommunicated- I haven`t tracked this one down yet. More
recently, I came into possession of a transcription of some journal entries
from my great-grandfather`s, great-grandfather`s journal. His name was Nicholas
Vance Sheffer and he wrote -in the spring of 1850 he had headed for Oregon with
2 yoke of oxen and a yoke of cows. The
company he started with was overloaded and made very slow progress, so he and a
fellow traveller broke from the main train at the Rockies and went northward to
Salt Lake City. There he joined up with
a group of ``mourmons`` traveling to San Bernardino, California.
He are a few excerpts
from his journal about that experience.
At
Filmore we found a very nice little settlement, the next was Parowan then Cedar
City. But the high spirits of our Mourmon friends and fellow travellers fell
several degrees on being informed that the little grist mill was out of repair
and the amount of flour that they wanted could not be obtained. A team was sent
back to Parowan and got what could be spared from that little community and yet
they were short. But while waiting we were well entertained there was dancing
every night we were parceled off and taken to their different homes for supper
and refreshments according to the ability of the families to provide. Some
would take four or five couples; others only took one or two. This friendly
action was not confined to that place only. It occurred in every settlement we stopped
at, either religious services or dancing and nearly always, both. I never
attended one of their dances that was not opened by prayer and closed by a
benediction.
His journal
continues describing the journey across the desert towards southern California.
As they approached the Mojave, the company came to a swollen river they could
not cross. They were very short of supplies and what sure what to do. My
ancestor volunteered to cross the river on a raft and get a message to San Bernardino
to send help. After the first very hard day`s travel, his journal continues-
I
was almost afraid to move least I should be so sore from my exhausted condition
the previous night that I would not be able to continue my journey it was very
cold and I was very chilley. I got up and fixed up my fire and set on fire
another bunch of trees thinking that if they continued to burn, they would be a
guide for me on my return. . .I don`t eat any breakfast because I don`t got any.
Grandpa
Sheffer then continued his trek for help when he says-
I
discovered some horses picketed to the left of the road and knew there must be
someone near and upon investigation discovered 2 deer hanging in a tree, some
riding saddles and pack saddles a smouldering fire, a camp outfit frying pan,
coffee pot and other articles indicating a to me hunters camp. I could see no
one hear no one and being very hungry (giving) me an investigating turn of
mind, I found the frying pan full of fried venison the coffee pot full of
coffee. . .the layout looked so good to me that I invited myself to breakfast. .
.I was just thinking whether to try to find the men or continue my journey when
the problem was solved. `Helping yourself, are you said a pleasant voice.
Grandfather
Sheffer goes on to relate that he shared with the young man that he was
delivering a message from Captain Van Luvin to Bishop David Seeley about the
108 people who were low on supplies and stranded behind the ford. The young man,
Mr. Clark, with whom he shared this information, was shocked when He figured
out his own mother and his brother were part of the stranded group. Mr Clark
was able to race back to San Bernardino and secure the required help rescue this
group of saints.
As I read
this I was struck by the favourable impression, and it seems, the genuine
respect my grandfather held for those early saints. Even though my ancestor never
joined the Church, I feel this story is mine in two ways. First, because it is the story of my earthly
family, a part of my back-story, if you will, and second, this is the story of my
people, those with whom I have chosen to belong. Which means this story is also
your story. That my blood ancestor had a direct hand in helping some of my
chosen family is kinda cool. That he found us a cheerful, hardworking and
charitable people is even better.
In Elder
Walker`s talk, he shares an admonition from a letter from Robert Harris which said-
The
two-pound coin of the United Kingdom has inscribed on its side “Standing on the
Shoulders of Giants.” When I think of our great pioneer forefathers, I feel
that we are all standing on the shoulders of giants.
Brother Walker also says –
I believe
that countless forefathers would send the same message to their children and
grandchildren: First, we must not forget the experiences we have had in the
temple, and we must not forget the promises and the blessings that come to each
of us because of the temple. Secondly, we must not forget that we are led by a
prophet of God.
We refer to one another as brother
and sister; we are a family. The pioneer stories are our stories
to learn and grow stronger from. I pray
that we may live true to the faith; that we may be good examples for those that
come after us. I leave this with you in
the name of Jesus Christ.
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