Busy Sunday

I've been extended a call to teach Emma's class in Primary (CTR 7-8). I'm very pleased with this new responsibility since I'll be working with the same age group I worked with all last year at school. Emma's last teacher was absent today and I got to jump in and teach on the fly. The kids were soooooo smart and soooooo chatty! It's funny how those things go hand in hand.

I spoke in Sacrament Meeting as well. Per my mother's request, I've included my talk below:

Navigating the Unknown like a True Pioneer

I recently made a cross country journey into an unknown land (well, at least to me). Like my pioneer ancestors, I followed the counsel now found in Doctrine and Covenants section 38 verse 32:

“Wherefore, for this cause I gave unto you the commandment that ye should go to the Ohio.”

I must admit that the Lord’s latest idea for my family doesn’t exactly coincide with the plans I’ve devised. But I also know from experience and reading on in D&C 38:33 that the Lord says,

“I will lead them whithersoever I will, and no power shall stay my hand.”

So, we’re here in Ohio without our large, extended family which we love. We sold our lovely, recently remodeled home in Peoria, Arizona. I resigned from my teaching job and the kids said goodbye to their friends. We gave away or sold much of our belongings. We feel a little like the pioneers of old who gave up what was comfortable and secure, trusting that God would lead them toward a new and better life.

Now, I don’t claim to share the same trials as my progenitors. It took me just 4 days to complete my trek, rather than several months. We used a 26-foot Penske truck to move our belongings. I didn’t have to drive a team of oxen along a hot and dusty trail. My GPS helped me safely navigate along I-40 in my air-conditioned SUV, while the kids entertained themselves with DVDs and MP3s.

No, my journey was much easier than my ancestor Louisa Barnes Pratt. She took her 4 children and faithfully followed Brigham Young to Zion without the aid of her missionary husband. And, like many of the Mormon pioneers, Louisa helped carve a new path, oftentimes under adverse or dangerous circumstances. By studying her stories, I’ve come to understand the qualities necessary for successfully navigating my passage through the unknown.

Faith

Some of the most remarkable characteristics Louisa possessed were spiritual strength and an unwavering faith. She had a testimony founded in the scriptures. During her conversion, she “commenced reading the Bible, by day and by night.” She said found prophesies that “foretold that such a work would be brought to pass in the latter days.” She “testified how the Lord had made known to [her] by the revelation of his spirit, that He was about to establish his great and last kingdom on the earth, never to be thrown down.” She did not doubt, though her firm testimony would be tested many times over. And, her faithfulness led her to blessings beyond her imagination.

Trust in the Lord

Not long after establishing a pleasant life in Nauvoo, Louisa’s husband Addison Pratt was called on a mission to the Pacific Islands. Louisa was left to care for their four children without money being left for her. Louisa supported her husband’s important priesthood call. In her journal she wrote, “my heart felt weak at first, but I determined to trust in the Lord and stand bravely before the ills of life, and rejoice that my husband was counted worthy to preach the gospel.”

Integrity

After the martyrdom of Joseph Smith, the Saints resolved to accelerate their work on the temple. Louisa recounts a story that shows the blessings of maintaining integrity in adversity:

“The sisters resolved to pay fifty cents each towards buying the nails and glass. By strict economy I obtained the amount. I started in good faith to go to the Temple office to bestow my offering. Suddenly as I was wending my way, a temptation came over me. I paused. I turned over in my mind, how many things I needed for family use and that money would relieve my present necessities. In an instant more I resisted. Said I, “if I have no more than a crust of bread each day for a week, I will pay this money into the treasury.”

I went forward with hasty steps, paid over the money and returned feeling a secret satisfaction. The next morning as I was sitting near my front door, a brother passed along and threw a silver dollar on my carpet. I sprang to my feet to see who it was. Saw James Harman a southern brother passing. At sight of me he said “I am going across the river to be gone several days. Something may prevent my return; keep that in remembrance of me.” This he said in a mirthful mood, but I felt seriously grateful. I went to the store and purchased the articles I very much needed. I thought how soon the money I had given was returned double to me.”

As a missionary widow, Louisa could have easily justified keeping the money for her family’s needs. No one would have known about her internal struggle. But, she had made a commitment to help with the temple. She kept her promise and was blessed for her integrity.

Self Reliance/Ingenuity

In the spring of 1846, the Saints started their exodus from Nauvoo which weighed heavily on Louisa’s mind. During a call from Almon Babbit Louisa asked in frustration if he could “divine the reason why those who had sent [her] husband to the ends of the earth did not call to inquire, whether [she] could prepare [herself] for such a perilous journey, or if [she] wished to go or stay?” Brother Babbit replied, “Sister Pratt, they expect you to be smart enough to go yourself without help, and even to assist others.” Louisa rose to the challenge, replying, “Well, I will show them what I can do.”

She did show them. Demonstrating self reliance and ingenuity, Louisa sold her property and possessions to outfit her little family for the trek. She found that she enjoyed riding on horseback and could even help drive the stock. She cared for her family and others during times of terrible sickness and disease. She had a bowery built in front of her house while at Winter Quarters under which she could teach school. Once Louisa had decided to follow the Saints, “and asked strength and courage of the Lord, means came flowing into [her] hands.”

Gratitude

There were times that Louisa suffered through periods of sickness, distress, and even depression. Frequently though, she expressed her deep appreciation for the blessings during the journey west. “Heavenly Father had made a beautiful world, and desired that his children should enjoy it.” She delighted in the “grandeur of nature” where “no human foot had ever trodden.” She admired the droves of buffalo that shared their path and drank gratefully from the sweet, cold spring near Independence Rock. She recognized that God blessed her for her faithfulness and made a careful record of those blessings so that her “children and others who may read these memoirs may be admonished to trust in the one who is all powerful to save! Almighty to deliver!”

Louisa met her challenges with gratitude, ingenuity, integrity, trust and faith. Hers is a legacy I hope to continue. I am grateful for those who’ve gone before and shown the way. I am thankful that I was born under the covenant and had the privilege of being raised by “goodly parents who loved the Lord”. I know that by examining the lives of the great pioneers of the church, I can learn how to better approach the unknown in my life.