Yesterday I had the chance to speak in sacrament meeting and introduce the stake pioneer trek to the ward. I feel that my thoughts were a bit unorganized, so I thought it would be worthwhile to try to express them again here in writing.
My main idea is that there are four defining actions of pioneers both historical and contemporary, and that these four actions align with the purpose of the trek. these are conversion, sacrifice, consecration, and gathering.
As the first principle of the gospel is faith, it is here, by hearing and acting on the word of God, that the process begins. As we give place in our hearts for the gospel and find that it bears fruit, we gain a testimony. And as we act on that testimony, entering into a covenant, we begin the process of conversion.
This conversion requires sacrifices, whether through obvious things like crossing the plains or quitting a habit that violates the Word of Wisdom, or through smaller things like attending three hours of church every week or choosing to not watch certain movies or listen to certain songs. We give up some things to continue and deepen our conversion, and through sacrifice we are brought closer to God.
As we find ourselves coming to know the Lord, we desire to be more like Him, consecrating our lives to Him. For Latter-day Saints, an important part of this process is the building of and worship in holy temples. The temple ordinances bestow on us God's greatest blessings and a sense of our potential.
And by learning who we are as God's children and who we may become as His heirs, we desire to share that message. Early Saints would leave their homes and travel to distant and often unfriendly places to preach the gospel. Today we send our young men--barely out of high school--across the globe as official representatives of the Church, to share what they know to be true. In so doing, they gather Israel into wards and stakes.
The trek then is meant to replicate this process for our youth, to help them become more fully converted to the gospel, to give them the opportunity to sacrifice and find joy in that sacrifice, to consecrate themselves and thereby prepare for the blessings of the temple, and to gather together in preparation for full-time missionary work.
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3 comments:
I think the pioneer trek is pure madness. Yes I know from people who have attended that it can be a very spiritually uplifting time for the kids if its run properly. I just can't get into it. I realize that the Saints crossed the plains. I realize that they went through tremendous suffering and sacrifice to do so. I also recognize that without this sacrifice I wouldn't have the gospel.
All that said I don't think a few days of pulling a hand cart on a paved road or groomed trail can possibly convey the level of hardship suffered by those who actually went through the pains of the original journey. I think it's an oversimplification of the deprivation suffered.
Lastly, I think all of these treks have an unintended consequence of differentiating those whose ancestors crossed the plains from the majority of the church with sprang from convert stock. While the analogies you point to are correct I think there are better ways to convey them.
Lastly lest my comment become a rant, I think that our obsession with our pioneer forbearers is dangerous. It reminds me of the something Tolkien said in the Lord of the Rings about a city falling into decline because the kings looked more to the halls of their dead ancestors than to their children. Sometimes I think we have removed ourselves from the world around us to such a degree that we can only frame contemporary circumstances in terms of our religious past, which means little to those new to the faith or outside our tradition.
But good luck with the talk. :D
But, Stew, what do you really think? Don't hold back!
I totally agree that an undue emphasis on 19th-century pioneers is unhealthy, and I readily admit that I happily skipped the trek we did when I was a teenager. But I stand by my support of the activity, and not just because I have to.
Here's the simple fact: our youth are lazy. Not all of them, but too many, especially in urban and suburban places like where I live, lead lives that are so immersed in superficiality that they have few chances to understand the world outside of their smartphones. Trek is a valuable way to force them to unplug and face difficult things.
Lest I sound like a grumpy old man, let me relate my own experience. I too was (am?) this kind of lazy. And I needed (need?) to overcome this. But I was fortunate to be able to work for Dad over the summer and get a taste of misery. And my freshman year at BYU filled the spiritual component of a trek for me. Not all--or even many--of our youth will get those opportunities.
And as a parent of a soon-to-be young woman (Allyson will be going on the trek, so I'm not just a leader here; I'm a parent), I am excited to see my daughter, who is a good, smart kid, be forced to do something both difficult and inspirational. Is trek a great experience for everyone? No. But is it something I support for the youth of my ward? Absolutely.
And, yes, if you and Carolyn lived in our ward I would call you to be our ward's trek reps...
I've already said no to that once. FYI stake leaders, simply because they don't have kids don't call the childless to go to trek, especially if they don't have callings in the youth. FYI #2, don't call Stewart into a calling that will require him to work with scouting. He won't do it.
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