Treking

Jimmy and I were able to go with our Stake as a ma and pa for the annual (every 4 yr) pioneer trek. This trek is for youth ages 14 to 18 so Jessica and Jeana were able to go as well. It was incredible and I don't think words could really do it justice. We have been planning for it since January with walking, sewing and meetings with the last real push being the last week or two.

Thursday morning we were up bright and early to get to the Stake center with our stuff that needed to fit into a 5gallon bucket and meet our new family. Jimmy and I had 7 kids all together and we couldn't have asked for a better bunch of kids. We had a great time with all of them. We boarded buses and headed out to a place somewhere between Elgin and Caliente called Rainbow Canyon where we unloaded our stuff into our handcarts and off we went.

I won't bore you with the details of pushing and pulling, hills and dales. We really had alot of all that and it was hard, but the real meaning was knowing what the pioneers did for us and what they went thru so that the church could be brought west away from persecution.

As I watched the youth do what needed to be done it hit me even harder how important they are in these latter days. They have strenth beyond what we needed to have as youth.

I also was so grateful for what the pioneers did for me. I only had to go a third of the distance that they had to go in one day and by the end of my third day I was glad to know that a shower wasn't far off. They didn't have someone giving them food, or port a pottys every so often, they didn't have coleman stoves or warm sleeping bags. Ya, we were a little wet the last day but we knew the end was near. They didn't know how long they would be going before they were going to be in an actual home with warmth and comforts. The pioneers went truly by faith and although I would like to think I gained a better understanding and greater testimony for all those things I think most of us went by knowledge because we had an end in sight when we started.

All in all the experience was wonderful and unforgettable. It was something that I would definitely do again and knowing what I know now I would do it better from my end. We had wonderful kids, fabulous leaders who planned for everything and the Lord watching our for us.