Heritage

Today I find myself musing about the rich LDS heritage I have. I just finished reading Praise to the Man, the sixth edition in the Work and the Glory series. It is a historical fiction about events surrounding the restoration of the gospel and it is really amazing. In addition to this my husband has left me for a week to take the young men in our ward on a 55 mile hike that follows trails from Wyoming to Utah. They begin their hike tomorrow at Martin's cove.

One thing I have found to be an interesting little tid bit of info is this:
Joseph Smith said the Spirit made it known to him that the rainbow was a sign given to Noah as a promise. The Spirit told Joseph that in any year that the rainbow is seen there will prosperity, seedtime and harvest. And in that year the rainbow is seen the Savior will not come. "But in the year when the bow is withdrawn, or not seen, then will come desolation, calamity, and distress among the nations, and there shall be no seedtime or harvest, but we can look for famine." Reference from The Words of Joseph Smith


I was telling my mom about this and she said that it makes sense that we could look for famine if there was no sign of a rainbow because you have to have rain for a rainbow. No rain =no seedtime and no harvest=famine.

These thoughts make me want to increase my food storage.

Secondly, I was flipping through the July issue of The Friend (Oscar: Trail Leader) and noticed a short article about Martin's Cove. Come to find out it was named for members of the Martin Handcart Company who sought refuge there during the early but devastating winter on there way to join the saints in Utah. I am in awe of the strength and courage as well as the testimony of the early saints who endured so much hardship (a word that hardly begins to describe their trials) to bring themselves to Salt Lake City. The Martin and Willie handcart companies got a late start to Utah and were warned that traveling this late in the year (October) could catch them in much danger because the winter snow would soon be upon them. 145 people died on the trail. Many froze to death. Later over 400 thousand people came through on this same trail- mormon and non-mormon alike.

John Chislett of the Willie Company wrote:
Cold weather, scarcity of good, lassitude and fatigue from over-exertion, soon produced their effects. Our old and infirm people began to droop, and they no sooner lost their spirit and courage than death's stamp could be traced upon their features. Life went out as smoothly as a lamp ceases to burn when the oil is gone. Death was not long confined in its ravages to the old and infirm, but the young and naturally strong were among its victims. Men who were, so to speak, as strong as lions when we started on our journey, and who had been our best supports, were compelled to succumb to the grim monster. These men were worn down by hunger, scarcity of clothing and bedding, and too much labor in helping their families. It was surprising to an unmarried man to witness the devotion of men to their families and to their faith, under these trying circumstances. Many a father pulled his cart, with his little children on it, until the day preceding his death. I have seen some pull their carts in the morning, give out during the day, and die before next morning...

No one paid a higher price to live in the West than the people of the Martin and Willie Handcart Companies, and I have not seen a reference to one of the actual survivors complaining or blaming anyone for the ordeal they endured.

-Sara Crossley

I do miss Kai. So do the kids of course, but we hope he is having fun and that he will stay warm. Some of the passes they had planned to take are blocked by snow which is something they didn't expect. They do have a satellite phone so I am sure they will fare much better than the handcart companies if they should get into any trouble.

My mom is coming to keep us company, bless her heart, until we drive to Utah later in the week to meet up with Kai and attend my cousin's sealing in the Salt Lake Temple. I have never been inside that temple and am very excited to go.