The First Sabbath Day in the Salt Lake Valley

How the pioneers inspire!
How they traveled in peril!
How the days became more dire!
How soon, they'd not fair well!

Still, they were committed
And rested each Sabbath day.
Gods commandments are written.
How they showed faith to obey.

They arrived on a Saturday

At last, the Salt Lake Valley!

Their land, the men could not wait

It would need a lot of preparing

It was a hot day in July 
They praised God that they survived
And on the Sabbath day
Shelterless, they did not feel deprived

Some sat on the dirt, some on a rock
While others just stood
They partook, Brigham Young spoke.
They rested. Grateful that they could!

Imagine: They arrived on Saturday.  The men went right to work, even before eating a meal,  preparing to plant a late harvest.  Winter would be coming and there was no food.  Still they stopped and observed the Sabbath.
The expectation and commitment to keep the Sabbath was made from day one in the Salt Lake Valley. July 25, 1847. 

https://www.lds.org/manual/primary-5-doctrine-and-covenants-and-church-history/lesson-41-the-saints-settle-the-salt-lake-valley?lang=eng

Verse 1]

How the pioneers inspire

How they traveled in peril

How the days became more dire

How soon, they'd not fare well

Still, they were committed

And rested each Sabbath day

God's commandments are written

How they showed faith to obey

[Pre-Chorus]

They kept on with little food

Kept moving mile by mile

Every step said hold on

Every prayer said we are His child

[Chorus]

They arrived on a Saturday

At last, the Salt Lake Valley

They arrived on a Saturday

And praised God that here they'd stay

Zion, this is the place!

At last, this is the place

[Verse 2]

Their land! The men could not wait!

It would need a lot of preparing

It was a hot day in July

And the long trail had worn them thin

They praised God that they survived

Then, on the Sabbath day

Without shade, they did not feel deprived

Grace was near when they knelt to pray

[Pre-Chorus]

They weren't afraid of a little dust

They'd prayed for this day, mile by mile

Every burden turned to trust

Every weary face found a smile

[Chorus]

They arrived on a Saturday

At last, the Salt Lake Valley

They arrived on a Saturday

They worked then rested the Sabbath Day

How they praised God that here they'd stay!

Zion, this is the place!

How they kept the Sabbath day!

[Bridge]

Some sat on the dirt, some on a rock

While others just stood

They partook, their prophet spoke

They rested, grateful that they could

[Final Chorus]

They arrived on a Saturday

At last, the Salt Lake Valley

They worked then rested the Sabbath Day

And praised God that here they'd stay

Zion, this is the place

How they kept the Sabbath day!

Your Own Handcart

 [Verse 1]

Push your handcart towards light With all your heart, mind, and might Along the trail others mock Still, all is well Keep on. Walk. [Pre-Chorus] Push your handcart Press on. Pray. True standards chart the Lord's way Show fortitude The path's sure [Chorus] Push your handcart Push your handcart Have gratitude and endure Push your handcart Keep on now Still, all is well, that's sure [Verse 2] Through the snow The frozen streams Your faith show grow Beyond your dreams When your knees feel worn and thin You lift again [Pre-Chorus] Push your handcart Press on. Pray. True standards chart the Lord's way Show fortitude The path's sure [Chorus] Push your handcart Push your handcart Have gratitude and endure Push your handcart Keep on now Still, all is well, that's sure [Bridge] Through the snow You do not fold The road gets hard Your heart stays bold Beyond your dreams You see it clear The path's sure Keep moving here [Final Chorus] Push your handcart Push your handcart Have gratitude and endure Push your handcart Keep on now Still, all is well, that's sure

Elder Dallin H. Oaks https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/no-other-gods?lang=eng

“There are many political and social pressures for legal and policy changes to establish behaviors contrary to God’s decrees about sexual morality and contrary to the eternal nature and purposes of marriage and childbearing. These pressures have already authorized same-gender marriages in various states and nations. Other pressures would confuse gender or homogenize those differences between men and women that are essential to accomplish God’s great plan of happiness.
“Our understanding of God’s plan and His doctrine gives us an eternal perspective that does not allow us to condone such behaviors or to find justification in the laws that permit them. And, unlike other organizations that can change their policies and even their doctrines, our policies are determined by the truths God has identified as unchangeable.

“In this determination we may be misunderstood, and we may incur accusations of bigotry, suffer discrimination, or have to withstand invasions of our free exercise of religion. If so, I think we should remember our first priority–to serve God–and, like our pioneer predecessors, push our personal handcarts forward with the same fortitude they exhibited.”“Our twelfth article of faith states our belief in being subject to civil authority and ‘in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.’But man’s laws cannot make moral what God has declared immoral. Commitment to our highest priority–to love and serve God–requires that we look to His law for our standard of behavior. For example, we remain under divine command not to commit adultery or fornication even when those acts are no longer crimes under the laws of the states or countries where we reside. Similarly, laws legalizing so-called ‘same-sex marriage’ do not change God’s law of marriage or His commandments and our standards concerning it. We remain under covenant to love God and keep His commandments and to refrain from serving other gods and priorities–even those becoming popular in our particular time and place.

Frozen Handcarts

Verse 1] Fear and dire situation Led to the awful needs Bringing out the worst in them The Donner Party deeds Knowing food could have saved this party Edward Martin led the late company The handcarts were loaded up with food To share as an entire group [Pre-Chorus] Starvation looked them in the face Soon, the journey became a race The Winter was setting in Could they conquer and win? [Chorus] Frozen handcarts, hold on tight Frozen handcarts through the white Starving in the snow Still they had to go Frozen handcarts, hold on tight [Verse 2] Along the trail some died Frozen sleeping side by side The wind kept taking names And the sky kept the blame Starving in the snow With their hope still aglow Boots bit through the crust Each step carved out of dust [Pre-Chorus] Starvation looked them in the face Soon, the journey became a race The Winter was setting in Could they conquer and win? [Chorus] Frozen handcarts, hold on tight Frozen handcarts through the white Starving in the snow Still they had to go Frozen handcarts, hold on tight [Bridge] Then the rescue came like a dream Through the snow they saw the team Fed, on frozen feet they walked on To Zion it would not be long [Final Chorus] Frozen handcarts, hold on tight Frozen handcarts through the white Starving in the snow Still they had to go Frozen handcarts, hold on tight

Clarion Call- Console Death

 

[Verse 1]

At a cemetery I oft visit For contemplating life I found a bench to sit And ponder death and strife Adorning the weathered tombstones Family names were mostly Swiss Pioneers buried long ago When there was little food to subsist Trials surrounding harvests never ceased They worked hard all their lives Now buried, they did rest in peace Their legacy... sacrifice [Chorus] This is the clarion call of Christendom Promising resurrection and peace Surpassing understanding... God's wisdom Providing universal hope for increase [Verse 2] Feeling tender emotions My thoughts went afar to France Where in war's cauldron of commotion Lives were cut short in an instant I reflected on shattered dreams, Unfulfilled hopes, grief stricken hearts On the sorrow that death brings Of lost loved ones...a lone tear starts Thinking back to when I was a Bishop At the bedside of a young man Harrowed between life and the great beyond Pleadingly...he took my hand Looking in my eyes, he said Bishop, I know I'm soon to die. He asked what happens...and I read How we are taken home...unto paradise [Verse 3] For the righteous will be received Unto a state of happiness, A state of rest, a state of peace Freed from sorrows and what troubles us This young father of two Closed his eyes... never again to open And after saying thank you Slipped away to that place of which we'd spoken Each...having come here to earth To live, learn, and progress Just as surely, came with that birth Uncertainty and need for rest [Bridge] The victory over the tomb Was best described in Luke Both Marys came with perfume But found angels when they looked Appearing in shining garments One of the two said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead He is not here, but is risen [Chorus] This is the clarion call of Christendom Promising resurrection and peace Surpassing understanding... God's wisdom Providing universal hope for increase

From “He Is Risen,” Liahona and Ensign, Apr. 2003, 2–7.

Wherever I travel, I try to pay a visit to the town cemetery. It is a time of contemplation, of reflection on the meaning of life and the inevitability of death. In the small cemetery in the town of Santa Clara, Utah, I remember the preponderance of Swiss names which adorn the weathered tombstones. Many of those persons left home and family in verdant Switzerland and, in response to the call “Come to Zion,” settled the communities where they now “rest in peace.” They endured spring floods, summer droughts, scant harvests, and backbreaking labors. They left a legacy of sacrifice.

Alma 40:
11 Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.
12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

Luke 24:2-6
2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulcher.
3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
6 He is not here, but is risen...

All is Well- Awake

—Elder L. Tom Perry, "Obedience through Our Faithfulness."

Obedience is a choice. Awake

and clearly define the goals you make.

Consecrate them to God on high.

Have faith. He blesses those who try!

All Is Well —Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "All Is Well"

"[The pioneers] woke up each morning with clearly defined purposes and goals that everyone understood: to serve God."

The Last Time The Liberty Bell Rang a Parallel to Mormon History

Replica in Utah's state capitol

It was in London, England

the Liberty Bell was cast.

To commemorate freedoms

that had been chartered to last.

The colonies had been given

the rights of choice for church;

and the making of laws even

though the British were in charge.

"Proclaim Liberty," its inscription said...(1)

In Pennsylvania's State House it was hung;

Where the Declaration of Independence soon was read.

On this day, how this bell of freedom had rung!

Years passed and the bell traveled much;

as a powerful symbol of a free land.

It was tangible, something to touch

to remember God's providential hand!

The last time America's bell was heard

was in February of eighteen forty-six.

In celebration of Washington's birth. 

Now, the way the bell cracked, it has not been rung since!

Could it be that the inscription,

the passage from Leviticus,

could also be the description

of the Mormons forced exodus?

For persecution became great.

Then, their liberty was taken away!

The hateful mobs would not wait

from America, they drove out the Saints!

These mobs desecrated the temple

They rang its bell in mockery as well

They said, "God damn you!" to God's people.

Could this explain the cracked Liberty Bell?

(1)It also features an inscription that conveys a message of liberty: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” This is a passage from Leviticus in the Bible. 

• Leviticus 25:10

  And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.

 http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-is-the-liberty-bell-cracked

In January 1846 the council ordered that a detachment should set forth at once, and that the remainder of the saints should follow as soon as possible. "Beloved brethren," said their leader, "it now remains to be proven whether those of our family and friends who are necessarily left behind for a season, to obtain an outfit through the sale of property, shall be mobbed, burned, and driven away by force. Does any American want the honor of doing it? or will any Americans suffer such acts to be done, and the disgrace of them to remain on their character, under existing circumstances. If they will, let the world know it."
The world was soon to know it. Driven almost at the point of the sword, a large number of the saints, soon afterward followed by the president, the twelve, the high council, and other companies, gathered on the eastern bank of the Mississippi early in February. http://www.sacred-texts.com/mor/hou/hou11.htm

230:30 'The mob entered the temple, instituted an inquisition, and regardless of the Mormons or new citizens, went from house to house plundering cow-yards, pig-pens, hen-roosts, and bee-stands indiscriminately; thus turning some of their best friends into enemies, bursting open trunks and cheats, searching for arms, keys, etc.' p. 343. 'In the temple ringing the bells, shouting, and p. 231 hallooing; they took several to the river and baptized them, swearing, throwing them backward, then on to their faces, saying: "The commandments must be fulfilled, and God damn you."'. Hist. B. Young, MS., 345.  http://www.sacred-texts.com/mor/hou/hou11.htm

I traveled with a group to attend a conference for school at American Heritage Academy in Utah. One of our new teachers has made it a hobby to find parallels in history with church events.  

Push Your Handcart through the Pain and Adversity

Push your handcart

towards light.

With all your heart,

mind, and might.

Along the trail

others mock.

Still, all is well.

Keep on.  Walk.

Push your handcart.

Press on. Pray.

True standards chart

the Lord's way.

Show fortitude.

The path's sure!

Have gratitude

and endure.

for·ti·tude (n)

1. courage in pain or adversity.

   synonyms:

   courage, bravery, endurance, resilience, mettle, moral fiber, strength of mind, strength of character, strong-mindedness, backbone, spirit, grit,true grit, steadfastness

Elder Dallin H. Oaks https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/no-other-gods?lang=eng

“There are many political and social pressures for legal and policy changes to establish behaviors contrary to God’s decrees about sexual morality and contrary to the eternal nature and purposes of marriage and childbearing. These pressures have already authorized same-gender marriages in various states and nations. Other pressures would confuse gender or homogenize those differences between men and women that are essential to accomplish God’s great plan of happiness.
“Our understanding of God’s plan and His doctrine gives us an eternal perspective that does not allow us to condone such behaviors or to find justification in the laws that permit them. And, unlike other organizations that can change their policies and even their doctrines, our policies are determined by the truths God has identified as unchangeable.

“In this determination we may be misunderstood, and we may incur accusations of bigotry, suffer discrimination, or have to withstand invasions of our free exercise of religion. If so, I think we should remember our first priority–to serve God–and, like our pioneer predecessors, push our personal handcarts forward with the same fortitude they exhibited.”“Our twelfth article of faith states our belief in being subject to civil authority and ‘in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.’But man’s laws cannot make moral what God has declared immoral. Commitment to our highest priority–to love and serve God–requires that we look to His law for our standard of behavior. For example, we remain under divine command not to commit adultery or fornication even when those acts are no longer crimes under the laws of the states or countries where we reside. Similarly, laws legalizing so-called ‘same-sex marriage’ do not change God’s law of marriage or His commandments and our standards concerning it. We remain under covenant to love God and keep His commandments and to refrain from serving other gods and priorities–even those becoming popular in our particular time and place.

Woven Generations - FamilySearch Ancestral Research

Like unraveled thread
Grief grew in my heart
And filled me with dread
Which tore me apart

My daughter would soon leave
And cross the ocean deep
Then a thought began to weave
A strand of hope to keep

I took a great ball of yarn
My bon voyage gift to send
To teach no matter how far
A mother's love will not end

"Don't forget us," I said
And placed the ball in her hand
"Let it unravel as you sail ahead"
While I hold the trailing strand

For as long as I could see
Her tear filled eyes never left mine
Others waved, but no, not me
I held on still with all my might

And then, I saw the last
As her arms waved up high
I became but the past
And let go... whispering, "Good-bye"

Be a Pioneer

Be a pioneer
And begin anew
Seek Zion near
Make overs renew

Meet a Pioneer

The sun, the dusty soil,
The haggard face made through toil,
The cracked lips, and scarred feet
Describes a pioneer, you will meet

The snow, the frozen ground,
The frost bit face makes no sound
The starved lips and numb feet
Describes a pioneer, you will meet

The stars, a rock to rest
Over the place where prayers blessed
The soul who no more went
But to heaven that night was sent

The moon, the wolves in throng
The sounds of their haunting song
The Saints sing and stand strong
Towards Zion... they journey on

Haggard - Merriam-Webster Online

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/haggard

haggard: looking very thin and tired especially from great hunger, worry, or pain.

To Move Along

Read from the link, the story about one of the saints crossing the plains who sat at camp, tired and sick. He sang Come Come Ye Saints and then died in the night.  When they buried him, they used the very rock he had been sitting on as his headstone.

For others, what can you do
In just a spare hour or two?
Clayton wrote up a new song
To help the Saints move along

Read this wonderful article that
excerpts journals of early pioneers
to uncover the circumstance
around the time that Willaim Clayton wrote
this inspiring hymn.  There are
some great stories here as well:
BYU-EDU
in a speech given in the salt lake
tabernacle on 27 november 1978
President Jimmy Carter said,
"I thought about the early mormons coming across this country singing a
famous hymn Come Come Ye Saints.  Only a deep faith
could let the words of that song, All is Well, ring out. In times
when you and your forefathers were persecuted and driven one from
another when you crossed this land looking for freedom and a chance
to worship in your own way when perhaps you knew that you were
about to die when drought and thirst affected you and still the song
rang out all is well. This is indeed a demonstration of faith and a
reaffirmation of hope.

Cling

Our heritage in the gospel
Is a precious thing
For great things are possible
When to faith we cling

Muster the Courage

Muster the courage
To be steadfast
To truth ever pledge
And learn from the past

Truth is timeless
It does not change
Speak up, confess
Where all truth hangs

God's commandments
Still remain true
Each law make sense
The good we should do

The World Needs Pioneers Today (to stand for truth)

"Can we somehow muster the courage and steadfastness of purpose that characterized the pioneers of a former generation? Can you and I, in actual fact, be pioneers? I know we can be. Oh, how the world needs pioneers today!"

—Thomas S. Monson, "The World Needs Pioneers Today"

http://www.lds.org/media-library/images/historical