Eric and I were asked to be a Ma & Pa for our stake Pioneer Trek back in July. I was so excited. I have always wanted to go but never had the chance. We got to the stake center at 4:30 am to meet our "family" (which we LOVED by the way) and load onto our buses for the 5 1/2 hour drive to Martin's Cove.
We arrived in Martin's Cove and the boys got our handcart and we loaded it up. Martins Cove is ran by Missionaries. Which was pretty cool. They took us into a little "chapel" and we watched a video about someone who came over with the Martin Company. Then we were split into two big groups and we headed out on our trek.
Martin's cove is not at all what I expected it to be. It is not hardly a cove at all. Just an open field that is surrounded by a mountain with a little hill in the middle of it. That's it, I could not believe that this is where they went to get out of the weather. I can't imagine that it would really give that much protection but I guess it was at least somewhere to be. The spirit was really strong there and it was very peaceful. One thing that they said was that at Martins Cove there are over 250 tree stumps left from the handcart company trying to stay warm.
Martin's Cove!
After we got done walking around Martin's Cove we all headed back to the buses to go to Willie's 6th Crossing. This is where we set up camp. It was good to be able to set up camp and get to know our family more. The boys in our family were awesome. They got their tent set up and immediately started helping the girls get theirs set up. The first night we had Family Home Evening with our families. The oldest kids in our family were in charge of it and I was very impressed by their spirits. Eric and I both felt an immediate bond with each of our "kids" and absolutely loved all of them.
Our Family
The next morning we got ready for our Willie trek. The first thing we did was the river crossing. Another missionary talked to us about the river crossing and how cold it was and how this river that they had to cross was the last of many. And how most people had to be carried across because of how sick and weak they were. The first crossing was to be silent. And the boys in our company were to carry the girls across. Eric and one of our boys carried me across. After carrying the girls across the boys went back to help carry other girls across.
While I was waiting on the other side of the river I started thinking about the pioneer women who were carried across the river and about their boys. One thing that killed most the men/boys in the Martin Company was exposure to the cold water that they crossed. I thought about those boys having so much love and respect for their mothers and the other women that they were more than willing to carry them across so that they wouldn't have to cross the freezing water. And I thought about the women and girls getting carried, knowing that those men/boys might die because of it. How do you handle that as a mother? I can not even imagine. Then I started to realize how times have changed. Men/boys don't have the same respect and love for the women in their lives anymore. And in some cases they have no respect at all. The thought came to me that as women we do not expect that kind of thing anymore. We are so worried that men are going to see us a inferior or a lesser species that we do everything we can to level the playing field, so to speak. We can do it just as good if not better than they can and we are going to prove it. We treat men like we don't need them. Sometimes it is just easier to do things ourselves rather than allowing the men to do what is their duty or their responsibility to do. I feel like as women we have created a lot of the male/female equality that I believe has damaged the respect and responsibility that men should have for women. While thinking about that a thought came to me by Margret D. Nadauld that says.
The world has enough women who are tough;
we need women who are tender.
There are enough women who are coarse;
we need women who are kind.
There are enough women who are rude;
we need women who are refined.
We have enough women of fame and fortune;
we need women of faith.
We have enough greed;
we need more goodness.
We have enough vanity;
we need more virtue.
We have enough popularity;
we need more purity.
It is so true. Can you imagine if every woman was tender, kind, refined, faithful, good, virtuous and pure? That would be awesome. And then wouldn't men treat us that way??
It was a very humbling experience.
Then we all met together and President Hyde (our Stake First Counselor) asked us all to walk across again but this time before we walked into the water we would pick up a rock that would represent "something" that was holding us back from being closer to our Father in Heaven and as we walked through the water we would throw it in and leave that "something" in the river. It was such an amazing experience. It felt so good to throw that rock into the water and leave it there. It was like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders that I didn't even know was there.
After that we walked to a meadow where we ate lunch and some more missionaries came and talked with us about their ancestor that came over in the Willie Company and the love that they had for her. The meadow was actually the place where the Willie Company was rescued. The spirit there was very strong.
What a handsome man!!
Then we all headed over to another dry field area where the Stake Presidency took all of the men/boys with him and they headed up this hill. It was such an empty feeling watching them leave us. We all just stood there and watched them walk up this hill and way from us. My hubby was one of the last ones to walk away and as I watched him I felt so empty and alone. It was the most empty, alone, insecure and helpless feeling that I have ever felt. I watched Eric as he disappeared which was really really hard. Sister Hyde (President Hyde's wife) talked to us for a little bit. She talked about the blessings we receive from the priesthood. She talked mostly to the young women about finding a worthy spouse, and making sure that he would honor his priesthood. She talked about the women who came across the plains and how a lot of them were left alone because either their husbands were taken other places, they got sick or they died and they had to continue alone. She talked about finding a man who would not only die for you but live for you too. It was a very powerful message. We had been standing there for about a half an hour or so while she talked and we were all getting really hot in the sun. Then she told us that we were going to do what is called a women pull. We would not have help from the men and were were going to climb the hill up to the men. I looked around at "my girls" and started to get a little nervous but I knew that we could do it.
President Hyde talking to the men/boys at the top of the hill.
From what I hear it was a very powerful talk.
At first the pull was pretty easy. We were going at a good pace and keeping up with the cart in front of us easily. As the hill got steeper it got a little harder but we were still going good. We made a little turn to the left and the hill got pretty rocky and sandy. I started to feel my legs getting tired and my lungs started to hurt.
We looked up the hill and could finally see the men at the top of the hill waiting for us. We all seemed to get a little more energy and started pulling a little better but then as we got closer to the top the hill got steeper and I looked up at the men and realized that they were all standing on the sides of the trail and had their hats in their hands over their hearts. Immediately tears started to flow from my eyes. And it was all that I could do to keep walking. One of my trek daughters who was walking right next to me started to sob and then would fight it back trying to be strong and then start sobbing again I was trying to talk to her and help her but there was nothing that I could do while pulling our handcart. The hill got steeper and the cart got heavier. I felt like my legs were going to give out and I would fall on my face. My lungs were burning and between tears I felt like I could not get a good breath in. As the first handcart made it to the men I realized that they were not helping them. They just continued to stand there with their hats over their hearts. As we got closer to them the spirit was so strong that you could feel it. It felt like it was an actual substance that we were pushing through.
As we reached the men it was so quiet. All of them had tears in their eyes and I had to keep looking at the ground so I would not completely breakdown. My "daughter" was having a really hard time and kept asking "Are they really not going to help us?" I had to keep telling her to just keep going.
As we continued up the hill and past the men I was physically exhausted but spiritually and emotionally I felt weak. I have never in my life had such an amazingly spiritual experience as that. I sat down next to my "daughter" who had collapsed into tears and cried with her. Then all of the women began to sing "As Sister in Zion" I could not even begin to try and sing. Then I noticed that the men were coming back, not one of them had a dry eye and they were all very sober. I can not explain the peace I felt when I saw my hubby walking over to me. Immediately I realized how much I love him and depend on him and need his priesthood in my life and family. It was amazing the weight that disappeared from crowed when the men came back and it brought a relief like I have never felt before.
Notice how all the boys are pulling the cart. They all decided that from then on they would pull the cart and none of us girls needed to. They were all deeply touched by the women's pull.
The "Women's Pull" for me was what I needed. That was the reason I was called to be a "MA". That was the reason I was there. I feel like I look at my husband and myself differently now. It is my wish that every man and woman could have an experience like that. It was wonderful and I hope that I am asked to go back again!
The next day we packed up camp and headed back home. We were all ready. It was time. But at the same time I think we all felt a connection to the Martin/Willie handcart companies and that we have learned lessons that we could not have learned anywhere else.
14 years ago
