Friday, June 19, 2009

The Trek...Continued


The second day began with the blow of the bugle, breakfast, and Bishop telling us that we were condensing the handcarts to only carry what was necessary and the kids. That ment, no buckets...YEAH! As our company scrambled to get things ready to head out first, I had the make sure the kids all went to the bathroom and were ready at a moments notice. Instead of following the route from the previous day, we headed across the road that brought us to the camping area. This ment that we were going to be circling around some of the fields, heading towards the lake. This time I was able to walk a little bit faster since I had put mole skin on my feet, but they were still sore.

We came upon the lake and there was a raft that was there for us to use to cross to the other side. It was a rope raft. The men would pull on the rope and the raft would glide through the water to the other side. Most of the kids and the women took the first crossing with one raft. I did get some great pictures of the event.
The women and children headed out to our next destination...ZION. Actually, it was the picnic area that was used for boy scout events. We did a lot more walking, mostly through weeds. At one point, Bishop arrived on a horse and directed us to the right road to follow. He then asked me to get some pictures of those who were following. So I was given a ride on another "horse" and waited for the rest of the pioneers to arrive.
I got to spend some time thinking more about the pioneers and the trials that they had to go through. I began to compare my life's trials with what they had to go through. Was my testimony of the Savior strong enough to be tested by physical afflictions? Or was my emotional and mental afflictions comparable to their physical ones? Did I have the right to complain about what I was going through? It really made a difference, standing there with no disturbances, being able to think and understand where I was falling short and where I needed to improve.
As the last company arrived, I started to follow, heading to our final destination. The pace was slow, the sun was very hot, and the road was covered in rocks. It made for painful walking. Brother Barrow showed up on his horse. I asked if he could let Jonathan ride on the horse. Jonathan is a 10 yr old boy who came with his grandparents on the trek. He was having a hard time keeping up as well. As he rode, I kept pace with the horse. Soon, Brother Hokanson arrived with a truck to rescue us. We made it to Zion. Lunch was served and people began to prepare to leave.
I was impressed by what Jonathan said. He said that the next time he would have better shoes to wear. There was no complaining about never doing this again, or wishing he had never come. I too felt the same way. I know that there were angels among us, helping us walk, pushing those handcarts, taking care of children, expressing testimony, and showing love and kindness. May God bless those angels.

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