The Pioneer Heritage of Faith & Sacrifice

Chapter 4, The Pioneer Heritage of Faith and Sacrifice, has been a wonderful journey for me. Gordon B. Hinckley said, “It is good to look to the past to gain appreciation for the present and perspective for the future. It is good to look upon the virtues of those who have gone before, to gain strength for whatever lies ahead. Their tremendous example can become a compelling motivation for us all.” What I have experienced these last couple of weeks has been so sweet and tender as I have recalled stories of my ancestors and reminisced on some of my own faith-building experiences. It has strengthened my testimony of the value in these lessons and of the blessings we receive when truly study them.

President Hinckley taught, “The power that moved our gospel forebears was the power of faith in God. … A personal and individual recognition of God their Eternal Father to whom they could look in faith was of the very essence of their strength. … We need so very, very much a strong burning of that faith in the living God and in his living, resurrected Son.”

Few experiences have had a greater impact on me than when we went to Martin’s Cove. Seeing names of my ancestors on the plaques left an indelible impression. I remember being so proud of my heritage and in awe of the faith and dedication of all those who had sacrificed so much for those who would follow. It was a tender time of introspection, wondering if my life was evidence of the gratitude I feel for the sacrifices they made so I could have the gospel. Was I doing enough to build a strong burning faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ that would sustain me during my trials?

M. Russell Ballard reminds us, “Even though the wilderness we have been given to conquer is decidedly different from the rough and rocky trail to Utah and the barren landscape that our pioneer forebears encountered, it is no less challenging and trying for us than it was for them. Our struggle is found in living in a world steeped in sin and spiritual indifference, where self-indulgence, dishonesty, and greed seem to be present everywhere. Today’s wilderness is one of confusion and conflicting messages. The pioneers had to battle the wilderness of rocky ridges and dust- or snow-covered mountain trails, with their faith focused on Zion.”1 Surely today we need that same absolute knowledge that God lives! The power of faith in God is evident in a something Francis Webster, one of the members of the Martin handcart company, said years after arriving in Utah, “Every one of us came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities.”2 What a powerful lesson we can learn from that! Life will definitely be filled with challenges. What we learn during and from those challenges has great potential to bless our lives.

The power of faith still guides the modern pioneers of our day. President Hinckley said, “The days of pioneering in the Church are still with us; they did not end with covered wagons and handcarts. … Pioneers are found among the missionaries who teach the gospel and they are found among the converts who come into the Church. It usually is difficult for each of them. It invariably involves sacrifice. It may involve persecution. But these are costs which are willingly borne, and the price that is paid is as real as was the price of those who crossed the plains.”

It has been almost twenty years since my husband and I had the privilege of attending a small branch in Luquillo, Puerto Rico. A young missionary was my translator that day, even coming with me to Relief Society. At the end of the lesson, they allowed time for testimonies. There were only five sisters, so we each bore our testimony. One sister, who had recently seen a film about the pioneers, shared how their faith and courage had brought her to tears. As she spoke, I felt an overwhelming need to tell these sweet sisters that they were just like the pioneers. Many of them were the first in their families to join the Church. Some of them were the only member in their family. They sacrificed so much to help build the kingdom of God in their families and in their little branch. Then during sacrament meeting, the Relief Society President bore her testimony. She said that on Saturday her husband, who is usually very supportive, was giving her a little bit of a hard time about going to church. She knew she should go but didn’t know what to do. That night she had a dream that she was supposed to go to church, but she couldn’t understand why. She said that when she saw me walk into the Relief Society room, she knew I was the answer in her dream. My journal entry says, “After the meeting, still feeling so spiritually overwhelmed, I went up to her. She hugged me and I hugged her. She thanked me for coming and I thanked her for making me feel so comfortable. I’m not entirely sure what happened. But something – spirit to spirit – happened in a small branch in Luquillo, Puerto Rico.” All these years later, while reading this lesson, I remembered that experience. As I read my journal entry, it made me wonder if maybe Heavenly Father had wanted this sweet sister to know that she was a just as heroic of a pioneer in her spot in the world as were the Mormon pioneers who came to Utah, that her faith would likewise bless her family and the generations that would follow.

At the beginning of the lesson, there is an experience shared when President Hinckley was in the temple with his family. Sitting in the celestial room, he was thinking of his father, his grandfather and his great-grandfather and all they had accomplished. He then looked at his daughter, his granddaughter and his great-grandchildren. He said, “I suddenly realized that I stood right in the middle of these seven generations - three before me and three after me. In that sacred hallowed house there passed through my mind a sense of the tremendous obligation that was mine to pass on all that I had received as an inheritance from my forebears to the generations who have now come after me.”

I thought of my own great-grandfather, William George Adams, who was disowned by his father for joining the Church. After his baptism, he returned home to find his belongings sitting on the porch in a trunk. With nowhere to go, he went back to the missionaries who offered to let him stay. Soon after, one of the missionaries was returning home to Utah. Will expressed his desire to come to “Zion.” Elder Knight’s father loaned him the money to make the journey. Leaving his sweetheart in England, he left for Utah. Once there, he worked for Brother Knight to repay his loan. When it was paid, he borrowed money to send for Catherine. Her miraculous arrival is another amazing story (which is too long to share here). They were married the day after she arrived in Utah. From these great-grandparents I learn faith in God’s timing, commitment, patience and hard work. My grandmother learned those qualities from her parents. She was an incredible woman! Additional qualities I learned from her were unwavering devotion, willing sacrifice and constant service. All those qualities continued with my dad. He is truly amazing! To the qualities of his grandparents and parents, I have learned from him unconditional love, complete dedication and devotion to the gospel, and laughter. Like President Hinckley, I also feel a tremendous obligation to pass on to my children and grandchildren these “inheritances my forebears.”

Though they never crossed the plains, the saints in the small branch in Puerto Rico and my great-grandfather were pioneers! They most definitely possessed the quality of a pioneer as defined by Dallin H. Oaks, “The foremost quality of our pioneers was faith. With faith in God, they did what every pioneer does—they stepped forward into the unknown: a new religion, a new land, a new way of doing things. With faith in their leaders and in one another, they stood fast against formidable opposition.”3

Faith sustained the pioneers. Faith sustained the saints in Puerto Rico. Faith sustained my great-grandfather. If our faith is to sustain us, it is something we must work on every day! Richard G. Scott said, “Faith will forge strength of character available to you in times of urgent need. Such character is not developed in moments of great challenge or temptation. That is when it is used.”4

“The power that moved our gospel forebears was the power of faith in God.” May it be the power that moves us as well!