Modern Pioneers - Dallin's Talk

We spoke in church today on the topic of modern day pioneers. Today's two posts are our talks. 

I. Pioneers of the past

Those among us who are new or visiting may find us unique. One of many peculiar characteristics of our faith is our interest in pioneers. Children learn to sing songs about pioneer children who "walked and walked and walked and walked". As youth, we go on pioneer reenactments where we get to have our own experience as we walk and walk and walk and walk. And now we’re having a Sacrament Meeting dedicated to the theme of pioneers, where you get to hear the Rowley family talk and talk and talk and talk. 

So why this peculiar fascination? The group of people commonly known as the “Mormon Pioneers” are an important part of the heritage of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although my talk today will focus on modern pioneers, I wish to start by briefly telling the story of one of these Mormon Pioneers. 

Anne Jewel Rowley is my triple-great grandmother, Anne and her husband and children were baptized in England around the time of the westward migration of the pioneers. Heeding the call of the prophet, even after the death of her husband, Anne emigrated to America and began the trip to Utah with her seven children and one stepdaughter. At the start of their journey, in Iowa city, she was forced to abandon all but 17 pounds of personal luggage. She had a prized feather bed that she had brought from England and had hoped to bring with her to Utah. But, as she said, "a feather-bed is a feather-bed, and when it came to choosing between Zion and a feather-bed, well it was a little too late to turn  my back on Zion, so I ripped it open and emptied the feathers on the ground and used the tic to cover the supplies on the handcart" (Olsen, The Price We Paid).

Anne and her children faced a difficult journey. They experienced frostbite and starvation. They were exposed to the elements during bitter storms. Most of the cattle they had brought with them for food were lost in a stampede. Some of her children passed away on the journey. Through it all, she wrote frequently in her journal about her motivation to get to Zion and to get the temple work done for her family. Despite the many difficulties Anne and the other pioneers faced, there were also many miracles. 

Here is an account from Anne’s journal about a miracle that occured: "It hurt me to see my children go hungry. … Night was coming and there was no food for the evening meal. I asked God’s help as I always did. I got on my knees, remembering two hard sea biscuits that … had been left over from the sea voyage. They were not large, and were so hard they couldn’t be broken. Surely, that was not enough to feed 8 people, but ... with God’s help, nothing is impossible. I found the biscuits and put them in a dutch oven and covered them with water and asked for God’s blessing…. When I took off the lid a little later, I found the pan filled with food. I kneeled with my family and thanked God for his goodness.” (Olsen, The Price We Paid).

I always feel inspired when I hear that story. While it is a powerful story, most of us won’t experience anything like what Anne did. We probably won’t ever be starving, and we probably won’t ever see food miraculously multiplied. But we will experience hard times and there will be times when we are in need of miracles. As we face these experiences, there is much to be learned from men and women like Anne. By studying their lives, we can discover the attributes of a pioneer and the principles that guide them. There are also pioneers all around us today who we can learn from.  In the remainder  of our time today, I will build on the foundation of the past pioneers to discuss the pioneers of the present as well as the pioneers of the future. 

There is one point about the pioneers of the past that I wish to make, however. While being literal descendants of the Mormon Pioneers is something to cherish, those who are not should feel not left out. No one should feel like pioneer stories are merely someone else’s heritage. I think that every faithful disciple can claim as ancestors all of the pioneers of every past age and dispensation—including the great heroes and heroines of the scriptures.  After all, by joining the Church and keeping our covenants, we become “the children of the prophets” and “of the house of Israel” (3 Nephi 20:25). We can all feel like President Deiter F. Uchtdorf, who said "I have no ancestors among the 19th century pioneers. However, since the first days of my Church membership, I have felt a close kinship to those early pioneers who crossed the plains. They are my spiritual ancestry, as they are for each and every member of the Church, regardless of nationality, language, or culture. They have established not only a safe place in the West but also a spiritual foundation for the building of the kingdom of God in all nations of the world” (Ensign Nov 2002). 

II. Pioneers of the Present (“modern pioneers") 

The definition of “pioneer" focuses on being the first to go to an area or to do a certain thing. Pioneers are leaders who explore previously unknown lands and prepare the way for those who will follow. In The Church, the connotations of “pioneer” include many attributes. Elder Oaks summarized the attributes of a pioneer as “integrity, inclusion, cooperation, unity, unselfishness, sacrifice, and obedience” (Ensign Oct 1997). President Uchtdorf, in this month’s home teaching message, focuses on the attributes of compassion, work, and optimism (Ensign July 2015). 

In one way or another, each of us is a pioneer. Perhaps you are the first member of the Church in your family. Or the first to serve a mission, go to college, or be in the military. Perhaps you’re the first to be sealed in the temple. At the very least, you are the first to face your particular circumstances at this particular time and place. In the new, uncharted territory of the digital age and a rapidly changing social and technological landscape, are we not all pioneers?

This week, The Church announced an online campaign to share stories of past and present pioneers using the hashtag #IAmAPioneer. In that spirit, I would like to give some examples of modern day pioneers. These examples are all based off of real people I either know personally or have read about. As you think about these examples and consider the ways in which you yourself are a pioneer, I invite you to think about what you are doing to be a leader and to prepare the way for those who will follow. How are you developing the attributes of sacrifice, obedience, unselfishness, unity, cooperation, work, and optimism? 

Consider the following examples: 

- My mother, who’s parents left and became antagonistic towards The Church when she was a young teenager, making it difficult for her to stay faithful. But she kept her faith, married in the temple, raised a family in the Church, and set an example for her younger sister to do the same. 

- The man who grew up abused by an alcoholic father, but, through the grace of God, broke the cycle of alcoholism and abuse in his family. 

- The couple who moved to a new ward and found there to be a division between those who had lived there for years and the transient students, and sought ways to build unity among all ward family members. 

- My wife who, after having a baby, rather than feeling the joy and satisfaction that others had  foretold, found herself facing the darkness of post-partum depression but somehow managed to make it through that terrible storm by focusing on the Light of Christ. 

- The woman I taught on my mission, who, before meeting the missionaries, literally worshiped death, but when she felt the Spirit bear testimony to her soul she made the decision to abandon that false tradition. 

- The many people I met on my mission who had many good traditions passed down through their culture who learned to keep the good while adding the further light of the gospel. 

- My cousin, who served as a missionary for a few months and then was honorably released because of anxiety, coming home to face the stigmatism that awaits an early returned missionary. 

- A young man I know who, when his high school class had a debate on a moral issue, had the courage to be the only person defending the conviction he held. 

- My wife’s good friend who has felt belittled and misunderstood at times in church because of her gender, even to the point of shedding tears, but who has kept following God as her first priority and refused to leave the Church. 

- My classmate and his wife, who’s young son is diagnosed with leukemia and who have to watch their precious child suffer and spend weeks at a time living in the hospital, but who manage to keep a positive attitude and find comfort in the plan of Salvation. 

-  A family friend who has unexpectedly gone through life without the opportunity to marry that she had hoped for, but who became a great role model for many children and youth, including myself. 

- My missionary companion who overcame additions to both drugs and pornography to serve an honorable mission and has helped teach many people about the power of repentance. 

- The young military recruit who leaves home for the first time and not only has to deal with the stresses of basic training but also is constantly surrounded by offensive language and stories, but still manages to find a quiet moment to pray each day. 

- My close friend, who discovered his same sex attraction as a teenager and had to face the incredibly difficult choice between romantic love and the teachings of his religion, but decided that really "being true to himself” was remaining active in the Church. He now is determined to use his voice to convey both his compassion for his gay and lesbian brothers and sisters as well as the committed discipleship and love he has for God. 

- The woman who Sister Wixom told us about this last General Conference, who faced sincere questions and deep doubts about some of the Church’s history and doctrine and struggled mightily as she held on to her testimony. 

That last example is one that I personally identify with.  For me, these doubts are hard to put on a shelf and kept out of site and out of mind. Rather, they are a frequent load that I carry with me. Perhaps you too can identify with one or more of these examples.  Like the handcart pioneers, we all have burdens that we must push and pull through life. But going through hard times does not make us less worthy to be called a pioneer. The Utah Pioneers experienced hardship. Many felt like giving up. It is persevering along the painful path that makes us pioneers. 

III. The Greatest Pioneer 

How, can we be like these pioneers of the past and present who kept their faith despite the challenges, who faced extreme sacrifices with optimism, who sought for unity when it would have been easier to focus only on themselves? 

The answer can be found in a hymn written and sung by pioneers, “Come Come Ye Saints.” The first verse of this anthem begins: 

Come, come, ye saints, no toil nor labor fear;
But with joy wend your way.
Though hard to you this journey may appear,

Grace shall be as your day.

(Hymns #30) 

“Grace shall be as your day.” The enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ will be what gives us light and life and power to continue on. It was Jesus that sustained the pioneers in their journey west, and His grace that sustains us in our journey through life today. 

Listen to this powerful testimony from Elder Holland about Jesus, the Greatest Pioneer: "Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations of [the] Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement ofJesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said: “I will not leave you comfortless: [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you].” (Ensign May 2009)

Jesus blazed the trail we are to follow and He accompanies us on that trail, pushing our load. In fact, He is the trail (John 14:6). We are not the first to traverse it, nor are we alone on our journey. We are not comfortless (John 14:18). It is through Him that we can develop the optimism, the diligence  the faith and sacrifice we need as pioneers. 

IV. Pioneers of the Future 

Another hymn that I associate with pioneers is “Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel." It begins with the following statement and invitation: 

The world has need of willing men [and women]

Who wear the worker's seal.

Come, help the good work move along;

Put your shoulder to the wheel (Hymns #225)

I believe that need for pioneer men and women will only increase. Listen to this recent statement from Elder Dallin H. Oaks: “[in the future] we may incur accusaitions of bigotry, suffer discrimination, or have to withstand invasions of our free exercise of religion. If so, I think we should remember our first priority—to Serve God—and, like our pioneer predicessors, push our personal handcarts forward with the same fortitude they exhibited” (Ensign, Nov 2013). 

^{As we face the future and the daunting tasks that lie ahead, let us remember the power of optimism. Let us sing with pioneer all around the world:} 

Gird up your loins; fresh courage take.

Our God will never us forsake;
And soon we'll have this tale to tell-

All is well! All is well!

(Hymns #30) 

I bear testimony with Anne and other pioneers of the past and present that God is good. His grace is sufficient for us as we journey through this life and will be even in the uncharted paths that lay ahead. I pray that we can be optimistic, inclusive, faithful, and willing to sacrifice as we look to the examples of pioneers of the past, the pioneers of the present, and the Greatest Pioneer as we become the pioneers of the future.