Friday, July 24, 2015

Pioneer Day

There is much to learn from the past, no matter what our background. Today I specifically speak of those who fought for their freedoms and journeyed to where they could worship freely--and, even more specifically, I speak of those first Latter-day Saints who trekked across the prairies to escape persecution and to worship freely.

When I was around ten years old, I read a book entitled Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie: The Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell (from the historical fiction Dear America book series). The idea of these books is that they transport the reader to a particular time and place--on a personal level. Oftentimes the "writer" (the protagonist) experiences a direct or indirect interaction with a historical figure. In this book, the figure was Brigham Young. I had never heard this name before--who was this man?

Brigham Young was born in Vermont on June 1, 1801, to an American Revolutionary War veteran and his wife. "Brother Brigham" (as he would later be known), who had not even a month's worth of education, worked with his hands for a living: building, creating, painting... He was introduced to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830, spending two years in study before being baptized and becoming a Latter-day Saint himself.
In 1847, three years after the deaths of Joseph Smith and Joseph's brother Hyrum, Brother Brigham led Latter-day Saints across the prairie, settling in a desert valley which contained what would later become Salt Lake City, Utah. He also supervised the pilgrimages of more Latter-day Saints, tens of thousands of them, making sure that they made it to the valley. He was the second LDS prophet and president, and later became governor over Utah Territory. He died in 1877 at the age of 76, and today you can find his statue in Washington, D.C.
Brigham Young once said of the pilgrimage: "We have been kicked out of the frying-pan into the fire, out of the fire into the middle of the floor, and here we are and here we will stay. God has shown me that this is the spot to locate His people, and here is where they will prosper."

Again, no matter our background, we can learn from the pat. From Brigham Young and the Mormon pioneers, we can learn to never give up. We are placed where we are and will be led to where we will be for a reason. The Lord ha His way and His timing.

Happy Pioneer Day!

Handcart statue at Temple Square



Sources:
"Brigham Young: An American Moses"
"Brigham Young: Second President of the Church"
Google.com

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