I left some of the talk out when I gave it for lack of time, this is the entire talk.
I love to study local history, especially local history as it pertains to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
San Jose, Sam Brannan and the battle of Santa Clara
Manteca, New Hope and Sam Brannan encouraging Brigham Young to come to California, but was refused.
Kingman. Bonelli Family, Oatman family
Brigham Young Called, Bellevue, Come come ye saints, Cutler’s Park, Winter Quarters, window murals, Avaard Fairbanks, 600 deaths mostly children, Great great great grandmother Sarah Ann Barlow Ashton is buried near Cutler's Park in 1856 with the Martin Handcart Company
Our pioneer ancestors exemplified the law of sacrifice
TO THOSE PIONEERS WHO DIED ON THE PLAINS
AND WERE BURIED IN LONELY GRAVES ALONG THE TRAIL
Lay him down tenderly under the willows;
Dampen the warm brown earth with your tears;
Then turn your face again to the prairie,
Harden your heart to the lonely years.
We must relinquish him to this wide darkness,
Push toward the goal again, smiling and brave;
The willows will guard him silent and weeping,
No one will know that they shelter his grave.
Lay him down quietly under the willows,
Lay him down gently, gently, and then
Run away quickly, softly, on tiptoe--
We cannot come back to the willows again.
by Lisbeth Wallis, Improvement Era, July 1943 (Skousen)
Pioneer story, Langley Bailey. Also with the Martin Handcart Company were Isaac John Wardle great great grandfather and his friend Langley Bailey. Langley became ill crossing Iowa and was pulled on the cart by Isaac and Langley's brother John, then 15. Upon arriving at Florence for outfitting, Langley's mother had Franklin D. Richards, and apostle give him a blessing. The apostle promised that he would arrive in Salt Lake alive. Langley said he had the ague. Anything he ate would run right through him like a funnel. Consequently he shared his allotment of food with Isaac and Langley. Langley would make it to Salt Lake though he only weighed 70 pounds upon arriving. He was 18. Langley 60 years later would write Isaac a letter. Isaac and John pulled him until he was able to ride in a wagon after the rescuers found them.
Nephi Nov 28/16
Isaac J Wardle Esq
My Dear Most Respected Old Friend. How are you.
I hope and pray that you are well in health in your old age. and prospering.
You and me are in much better condissions than we were at this time 60 years ago, I can remember one morning. every tent was blowed down. but ours. You did stake our tent down strong and firm My dear Brother. I honor and respect you much more than I can explain. You and my brother John (he was a boy 15) hauled me on the hand cart for hundreds of miles. Can I forget you. Can I ever repay, you for your kindness No, No,
I will now Close my dear old boy. I am writing without the use of glasses. my hand is steady in March I will be 79. you are 81.
God bless you. May peace crown your latter days. Please let me hear from you. get someone to write for you
I am yours Very Respectfully
Langley A. Bailey
Langley would attend Isaac's funeral a few years later and was heard to say, I outlived even you.
Melvin J Ballard. April 1992
In my mind’s eye, I see the suffering of those faithful Saints and know that in their extremity,. under circumstances hard for us today to conceive, many of them came to know God in a way that few people will ever understand. (The line about knowing God is attributed to Francis Webster. He too pulled someone on his cart and said in essence, I have pulled the handcart until I couldn't go any further. I have seen a sand bar and said I can only go that far and then I must quit. When I got to the sand bar the handcart began pushing me. I looked and couldn't see anyone. I knew then the angels of God were there. I know God is real, I felt him in my bones with every step I took, and in my extgremnities I became acquainted with God.) … Our pioneer ancestors gave everything, even their lives, for their faith, for the building of the kingdom of God when the Church was in its infancy. … They helped, nourished, and strengthened each other in their extremity and shared unstintingly. Their material means, such as food, clothing, and shelter, were meager, but their love for one another and their devotion to their Lord and to the gospel were boundless.
Instead of physical deprivation and hardship, we face the challenge of remaining true and faithful to gospel principles amidst such evil and destructive forces as dishonesty, corruption, drug and alcohol misuse, and disease often caused by sexual promiscuity. Also, we find ourselves in combat daily with immorality in all of its many forms. Pornography and violence, often portrayed in insidious television shows, movies, and videos, are running rampant. Hate and envy, greed and selfishness are all about us, and families are disintegrating at an ever-increasing pace. In the midst of all of this, my brothers and sisters, we must never forget the source of our abundant blessings.
Sacrifice is a demonstration of pure love. The degree of our love for the Lord, for the gospel, and for our fellow man can be measured by what we are willing to sacrifice for them. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ manifested the supreme example of this love. His life and ministry established a pattern for us to follow. His divine mission was culminated in a supreme act of love as He allowed His life to be sacrificed for us. Having power over life and death, He chose to submit himself to pain, ridicule, and suffering, and offered His life as a ransom for our sins. Because of His love, He suffered both body and spirit to a degree beyond our comprehension and took upon Himself our sins if we repent. Through His personal sacrifice, He provided a way for us to have our sins forgiven and, through Him, to find our way back into the presence of our Heavenly Father.
The sacrifice he requires of us is “a broken heart and a contrite spirit” (3 Ne. 9:20), which can lead us to repentance. When we consider His example, the demands made upon our time or means are slight in comparison. We should, therefore, give gladly and count it as a blessing and an opportunity.
Broken Heart and Contrite Spirit=be humble
Marlin K Jensen First quorum of seventy April 2001
Fortunately, the Savior has given us a model for developing humility. When His disciples approached Him and inquired, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He responded by placing a little child in their midst and stating, “Whosoever … shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Mosiah 3:19. For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.
Elder Jensen
A story contained in the family lore of Brigham Young’s descendants illustrates the submissive nature of humility. It recounts that in a public meeting the Prophet Joseph, possibly as a test, sternly rebuked Brigham Young for something he had done or something he was supposed to have done but hadn’t—the detail is unclear. When Joseph finished the rebuke, everyone in the room waited for Brigham Young’s response. This powerful man, later known as the Lion of the Lord, in a voice everyone could tell was sincere, said simply and humbly, “Joseph, what do you want me to do?”
Picture of Jesus, Las Vegas Temple, and the same picture is in Winter Quarters on the stairs. I make it a habit when I see the picture to ask Jesus, what more do I need to do? What lack I yet?
If we brag about being humble, we’re not. It can be tricky. Perhaps another story will demonstrate. I heard George Pace tell this story. President Pace was a great teacher. He was president of our branch at the LTM One time he shared a parable with us, which let us know of our dependence on Jesus, and the atonement:
A college student was offered $1,000,000 if he could walk and run a certain distance during the course of a day, leaving at sunrise and arriving before sunset. This man wanted the money, and knew that he was physically fit enough to make it. He had a mountain to go over, and then had to go through a swamp to get to the place where he would earn the money.
In the early going he climbed the mountain and thought to himself that it would be easy to make it as he was extremely fit and strong. He was also very intelligent and a good problem solver. However he noticed that by the time he got to the top of the mountain, the sun was lower than he would have liked it to be. He knew he would still make it, however he would have to quicken his pace. So he ran down the other side of the mountain, knowing he would make it in time.
But the sun still seemed to be ahead of him. He began to run faster. He knew he could make it. He was strong and in good shape.
After running down the mountain he came to the lowland and swampy area. He had to hurry, but he could make it. He felt very strong.
In his hurry, he was not really watching where he was going. He stepped onto some mushy ground, and the minute he did he realized he had stepped into some quicksand. But it was too late. He quickly sunk to his waste.
He was no longer focused on getting a million dollars. That was an ancient goal. Now he was focused on extracting himself from the filth he was in, and saving his own life. After reviewing his situation, he figured he could quickly get out of the mucky quicksand with the use of his exceeding strength. So he started to churn his legs, faster and faster. But as he tried he only sunk deeper and deeper.
He finally stopped, and realized that this was the first time his physical strength had failed him. He would have to rely on his intelligence.
He looked around, and noticed a limb from a tree that extended over the pond of quicksand. The limb was connected to a trunk, which was firmly planted on solid ground. He realized all he had to do was grab the limb, climb up on top of it, and then shimmy down to the trunk and from there to solid ground.
He was able to grab a hold of the limb, and began to pull himself out of the quicksand. He was making it, getting higher and higher. But the limb began to crack from his weight, and his heart fell as the limb broke, and he found himself again in the quicksand, deeper than before because of the momentum of his fall.
He was totally broken, and saw no way to cling to life. He continued to sink into the quicksand, up to his chest, his chin, his mouth, and then about ready to cover his nose. He didn’t want to die. He tilted his head back clinging to every last breath.
He watched a hand extend out of heaven, reaching down to him. He didn’t stop to think of how illogical that hand being there was. He simply grabbed the hand and held on as best he could.
He started to climb out, getting higher and higher, but the hand was unfamiliar, and his hand was slippery with muck. He began to slip. He clang on for dear life, but couldn’t, and fell back into the quicksand.
He quickly looked up for the hand again and it was still there. He grabbed again, and again he failed. He tried again, and again until finally he was able to hold fast and reach the safe ground.
(From a talk by President George Pace 12/19/1976.)
This story was given in response to the words of King Benjamin:
For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man, and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord… (Mosiah 3:19).
Sometimes we must be in the gunk before we can humble ourselves enough to see God's hand which is extended to us.
What can I do for my part to come to Jesus and take advantage of the law of sacrifice. The Christmas Song “In the bleak mid winter,” if I were a shepherd I would give a lamb, if I were a wiseman I would do my part. what can I give Him? Give Him my heart.
Elder Ballard
My brothers and sisters, we must not lose the spirit of sacrifice demonstrated by the handcart pioneers. Some of the Lord’s choicest blessings await those who practice this eternal principle through extending themselves in service to God and to their fellowmen. The sacrificing spirit and the happiness that come through service to others can bring peace and joy even amid trials.
Elder Ballard
Be an example of reverence
Generous fast offering
Supporting missionaries
Honest tithing
Accepting callings and serve with a happy heart
Family and personal prayers, personal and family scriptures, and teach each other in family home evening
Be good neighbors, take care of widows, poor and less fortunate
Be worthy to bless others with priesthood.
Today we are not called to pull handcarts through the snow-swept plains of Wyoming. However, we are called to live, foster, and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is our privilege to invest our means and our time to bless others. Each one of us must do all we can to preserve our Latter-day Saint way of life. A vital part of this preservation is a willingness to set aside personal desires and replace them with unselfish sacrifice for others.
In conclusion a primary song is worth noting
To Be a Pioneer
1.
You don’t have to push a handcart,
Leave your fam’ly dear,
Or walk a thousand miles or more
To be a pioneer!
2.
You do need to have great courage,
Faith to conquer fear,
And work with might for a cause that’s right
To be a pioneer!
In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen
