Our Pioneer Heritage

Our heritage
Came of sacrifice
Through faith and courage
For a better life

Preserved to labor
They carved, for us, a trail
A path to the Savior
Hear the echoes "all is well"

Let us do the same
For our children's children
In our Lord's name
Let us persevere for them

Working wonderfully well together

Without concerns of status

Yes! A modern day miracle

Of charity and peace amongst us

[Verse 1] Our heritage Came of sacrifice Through faith and courage For a better life Preserved to labor They carved, for us, a trail A path to the Savior Hear the echoes all is well [Pre-Chorus] Let us do the same For our children's children In our Lord's name Let us persevere for them [Chorus] Working wonderfully well together (Working wonderfully well together) Without concerns of status Yes! A modern day miracle A modern day miracle Of charity and peace amongst us [Verse 2] Hands across the table Bread shared in the light Old wounds held together By mercy in our sight What they built with believing Still lives in what we do Every door kept open Every burden carried through [Pre-Chorus] Let us do the same For our children's children In our Lord's name Let us persevere for them [Chorus] Working wonderfully well together (Working wonderfully well together) Without concerns of status Yes! A modern day miracle A modern day miracle Of charity and peace amongst us [Bridge] Let the proud grow humble Let the lonely draw near If we walk in patience Love will make us clear [Final Chorus] Working wonderfully well together (Working wonderfully well together) Without concerns of status Yes! A modern day miracle A modern day miracle Of charity and peace amongst us

...persevered against injustice, misunderstanding, some intolerance, occasional bigotry, occasional racism, against differences of custom and traditions and faith, [and] labored against all of that to carve out for us, their descendants, the wonderful day and the marvelous miraculous time in which we live

Elder Holland said. “We owe the same pioneering, persevering legacy to our children and our children’s children.”

Elder Holland spoke at the Ogden (Utah) Pioneer Days Devotional at the Dee Events Center at Weber State University on July 17, 2011, and encouraged individuals to work together while respecting and emulating their diverse pioneer heritage in their communities today.

“People working together are more successful, more prosperous and much more happy than neighborhoods or ethnic groups or religious faiths that are suspicious of one another, threatened by one another, and all too often hostile, even violent, toward one another,” he said.

High Peak Banner

Verse 1] After hiking as far as they could The apostles and the prophet stood High above the valley Their new home With God’s blessings No longer to roam To a walking stick They tied a cloth On a high peak They waved it aloft As an ensign to all From the storm A raised standard Of works to perform [Pre-Chorus] Here was the place That the Savior chose The blossoming desert A unique rose Each pioneer Had survived circumstance Now the cause of Zion Could advance [Chorus] Raise the banner high Raise it high The Lord is our refuge Our defense Light the path ahead Light the path For our fellow man For our inheritance Raise the banner high Raise it high If we do our best We will stand [Verse 2] The gospel message Is now ours to preach To our neighbors Our example can reach Like the pioneers Who had much taken We, through our trials Gain faith unshaken If we are doing The best that we can We can light a path For our fellow man As a candle placed Upon a high peak Our flame can burn bright For all who may seek [Bridge] We must not attack Or turn flighty But in faith Pray to our Almighty Hold us steady When the wild winds blow Teach our hands Where to build and go [Chorus] Raise the banner high Raise it high The Lord is our refuge Our defense Light the path ahead Light the path For our fellow man For our inheritance Raise the banner high Raise it high If we do our best We will stand

The Sweat of Toil is Not in Vain

The sweat of toil is not in vain
If in the battle of souls, you gain
Endure, press on, be steadfast,
And work towards what you know will last

1. “No Toil nor Labor Fear” - Ensign Feb. 1997 - ensign

   https://www.lds.org/ensign/1997/02/no-toil-nor-labor-fear?lang=eng‎
   

   
   

   • Our pioneer predecessors in the Church exemplified the virtue of work. As we incorporate this virtue into our lives, we also find satisfaction and joy.

What is Security?

Without freedom

How can one feel safe?

Act with wisdom

Or become a slave

Noah packed up

While others jeered

Building was tough

But freedom neared

The pioneers

Left the known behind

Despite the tears

They'd freedom to find

What is security

And a comfortable life

Without liberty

And faith to help you strive

The World Needs Pioneers Today

BY PRESIDENT THOMAS S. MONSON

July 2013, Ensign

We forget how the Greeks and Romans prevailed magnificently in a barbaric world and how that triumph ended—how a slackness and softness finally overcame them to their ruin. In the end, more than they wanted freedom, they wanted security and a comfortable life; and they lost all—comfort and security and freedom.   http://www.lds.org/liahona/2013/07/the-world-needs-pioneers-today?lang=eng

Liberty - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty‎

Liberty is the value of individuals to have agency (control over their own actions). 

He who sacrifices freedom for security will soon have neither.-  Ben Franklin

Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

The Pioneers Found Great Comfort in the Temple's Sealing Power

The pioneers found great comfort

In the temple’s sealing power

Throughout the miles they covered

Though each day became more dour

dour- adj. harshly uninviting or formidable in manner or appearance

Sally Randall of Nauvoo, Illinois, whose 14-year-old son died, found great comfort in the promise of eternal families. After her husband was baptized for their son, she wrote to her relatives: “What a glorious thing it is that we … can be baptized for all of our dead [ancestors] and save them as far back as we can get any knowledge of them.” Then she asked her relatives to send her information on their ancestors, saying, “I intend to do what I can to save [our family].”^{4  June VT message, Ensign}

Not an Easy Feat

The pioneers made the desert blossom
As a rose, fragrant, full, and sweet
They applied faith to every problem
None of which was an easy feat

The Strength of Our Heritage Posted: 27 Feb 2013 08:00 AM PST "Just as the pioneers made the desert blossom as a rose, so too our lives and families will blossom if we follow their example and embrace their traditions. Yes, pioneer faith is needed as much in the world today as in any period of time. Once again, we need to know that heritage. We need to teach it, we need to be proud of it, and we need to preserve it." —L. Tom Perry, "The Strength of Our Heritage", Liahona and Ensign, July 2012 Topics: Heritage

Come, Come, Ye Saints - Mormon Tabernacle Choir

What would stop you
From reaching Zion?
Frostbite? Ice? No!
God's love warms, try on.

Legacy: First Encampment

This is the right place
A valley of grass
Soil to embrace
The Saints home, at last

Fear and Dire Situation

Fear and dire situation
Led to the awful needs
Bringing out the worst in them
The Donner Party deeds

Having seen the Donner Party
Edward Martin led the late company
The handcarts were loaded up with food
To share as an entire group

Starvation looked them in the face
Snow, the journey became a race
The Winter was settling in
Could they conquer and win?

Along the trail some died
Frozen side by side
Starving in the snow
With their hope still aglow

The rescue was like a dream
Through the snow they saw the team
Now fed they must walk on
To Zion it would not be long

Thoughts from seeing 17 Miracles.
The man leading the hand cart company
had been in the Battalion and
had seen the awful remains
of the Donner Party. The last
thing he wanted was for the
group to run out of food
and then...

James Helped His Small Brother

James helped his small brother
Across the ice and snow
A storm came like no other
Causing new winds to blow

Without any lamp
It was dark when he found
His waiting camp
And collapsed, dead, to the ground

Out of love, he could not
Leave his brother behind
To his last breath he fought
For what strength he could find

Who'll Walk the Trail of our Pioneers?

Who'll walk the trail
Of our pioneers?
Their faith did not pale
But calmed all their fears

On these paths they left
A legacy of faith
Though blizzards swept
Their trust was not faint

With naught to eat
They pressed on
With frozen feet
On, towards Zion

Through desert, mountain, and prairie
They took all that they could
United in Christ to carry
Hope and brotherhood

Seventy thousand trekked
Before the railroads came
Snow, mud, and rain unchecked
Fell... and God was not blamed

Chilled, wet, malnourished, weak
They pushed handcarts forward
From icy rivers to mountain peaks
They dared not to look rearward

Thirteen hundred miles later
Imagine the joy and relief
To have what they had prayed for
A place to blossom with belief

JFK on Mormons

Of all the stories heard
From the days of pioneers
Let's look to the Mormon's words
And how they persevered

To see the right prevail,
with unflagging determination
Their valient courage did not fail
Despite orders for extermination

They had unity to restation
Patience and faith set in motion
And it would do well for our nation
To follow these qualities and notions

As the Mormons have succeeded
We, too, can work to succeed
If we go not back, defeated
But heed their voices as we lead

Given in 1963 before I was born
He died when I was a month old

As Refugees- the Saints Came to Nauvoo

As refugees, the Saints came to Nauvoo
They set up farms and built anew
A city, a temple, hard work, and order
But soon they were swept from the state's borders

Once again they left behind all
Seemingly to walk into death's jaws
In the middle of winter they were made homeless
Their hearts were broken, but they were not hopeless

With faith in God, their voices rang in song
Their spirits were strong and they carried on
Today, one can walk down that Parley street
Where the pioneers walked out...some with bare feet

And here, nailed to the many fence posts
Are etched from dairies, their faith filled quotes
Not a one dwelled on the suffering of the saints
Theirs were stories only happiness paints

Their words spoke with joy and confidence
Stir all to walk further along the fence
How they rejoiced...their deliverance had come!
Thankful for the atonement and our Father's kingdom

Elder Wilford W. Andersen
The Rock of Our Redeemer
Ensign, May 2010, 16

The Morning Star Appears

The morning star appears
In the heavens before dawn
Heralding the sun which nears
Soon to burst bright to look upon

Risen to glow, this star seems to waveth
And warms a place softly in our hearts
Like the root and offrspring of David
It reflects the greatest light for its start

interesting thoughts from:
http://www.mrm.org/nauvoo-pentagrams
http://www.softcom.net/users/mhreed/The%20Meaning%20of%20the%20Pentagram%20on%20LDS%20Temples.html

swastika one of the most ancient and widely spread symbols in the world
1. In Sanskrit, the swastika meant "amen" or "so be it".
2. In Japan the symbol represented "infinity".
3. To the Hindus, a symbol for their god, Ganesha, "Lord of Hosts".
4. Later, early Christianity adopted the symbol to represent Jesus Christ. (It was common practice to place the symbol at the foot of windows and on baptismal fonts.)
5. in the 1930s, that the Nazis adopted the symbol, calling it the "pure Aryan" sign.

The Pentagram has a similar history. It too has ancient roots throughout the world.
1. In ancient Mesopotamia, 3,500 BC, the symbol was used to represent the vault of Heaven and imperial power extending to the four corners of the earth.
2. The Druids used the symbol to represent the Godhead.
3. The Pythagoreans as a symbol of health and perfection.
4. To the Jews, the pentagram represented the chief name of God, being inscribed on King Solomon's Ring. The Jewish pentagram also represented the first five books of Moses (the Penteauch). During the period 300-150 B.C., the ancient symbol was the official seal of the city of Jerusalem.
5. As for early Christianity, the Pentagram was recognized as the Five wounds of Christ. In fact, Emperor Constantine used the pentagram, along with the chi-rho symbol (the combination of the Greek letters for Christ, XP, into one symbol) side by side on his personal seal and amulet.
6. The first time the pentagram was used to represent evil, came when a French occultist, named Eliphas Levi (1810-1875), used the symbol in his artwork. In his own paintings, he associated the inverted (two points up) pentagram with negative magic.

Many scholars today, believe the actual roots of the geometric symbol, to have originally come from ancient astronomical observances, tracing the eight-year cycle path of Venus (Also called the Morning and Evening star).

If the pentagram really did originate from tracing the path of the Morning Star, then it would be quite logical for Christians to associate it with Jesus Christ, since he, himself said,

"I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." (Revelations 22:16)

On our temples, this is one of the meanings that the symbol is intended to illustrate. It is used to represent the Savior of the world, the "bright and morning star".

Why is the symbol inverted, you may ask?

With one point down, the symbol suggests that it is drawing it's light from the rising sun. It declares that the greatness and glory of Jesus Christ has come from God the Father (2 Peter 1:17)-- It is a well known fact, that the reason Venus appears so bright in our horizon, is because it actually reflects the light of the Sun.

Other symbolic meanings of the Pentagram (Morning Star) which are used in the LDS temples can be further found in the Bible, as well.

Jesus, said,

"And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers; even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star." (Rev. 2:26-28)

Peter, while counseling the Saints to work towards having their "calling and election made sure" (2 Peter 1:10), said,

"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star (Morning Star) arise in your hearts:" (v. 19)

With Determination Born of Faith

With determination born of faith
Each trial and heartache was faced
With unity they worked for the Lord
Oft walking directly into life's storms

Trials and Heartaches of Life


"[The early pioneers] came from a great diversity of circumstances. All faced the universal trials and heartaches of life. Their determination born of faith to serve the Lord and others seemed to take them not around the storms of life but directly into them. Some were young and some old. They were from many lands and peoples, as you are today. But they were of one heart, one mind, and with one intention. They were determined to help the Lord build His Zion."
Henry B. Eyring, "The Enduring Legacy of Relief Society," Ensign, Nov. 2009, 121–22

Two Opposing Forces

Two opposing forces
Drove the Saints to Zion
Both full bent on causes
Whose truths could one rely on?

Who stood for freedom and love
Based on righteous principles
Who sought out strength from above
Though frozen footprints bled in pools

For every worthy cause
Let there be protective armor
Lest the enemies striking claws
Poison Zion or try to harm her

From New York to Ohio
Missouri then Illinois
The Saints resettled high and low
With faithfulness still employed

The testimony of the converts
And their love for the temple
Unified their efforts
Unto being a hopeful people

Like David of long ago
They choose to face each Goliath
With faith in every footstep to go
On treks that helps one reach the highest

Armed with testimony and faith
They established gospel truths
And strengthened hearts grown faint
Theirs the test as pioneers to prove

And are we not also
Pioneers today
To lead and to tow
Each other along the way



LDS general authority ( Elder Jay E. Jensen) speaks of motivation, protection of pioneers
By R. Scott Lloyd
Church News staff writer
Published: Friday, July 24, 2009 10:26 p.m. MDT
click on title to read article

The Pioneers Sacrificed Everything They Owned

They sacrificed everything they owned
Even their very lives, at times
Persecuted they lost their homes
Pursuing Zion theirs, to find

One day each year let's take a journey
And trek a path till tired and dirty
Let's trace our heritage to the day
When our first ancestors paved the way

Each in their own way they sacrificed
As only in doing what's right sufficed
That we might have a name and standing today
May we be like them with matching faith to obey

Let's open our mouths, our homes, our hearts
As there are so many blessings the gospel imparts
Let's renew our commitment to follow and trust
For there are future pioneers waiting around us

Elia Gourgouris: Ask Dr. Elia
On Pioneer Day it's worth noting: We're all pioneers
Tuesday, Jul. 21, 2009
Read all of Elia's by clicking the title

Shall We Raise More Monuments

Shall we raise more monuments
Along the Mormon trail?
One, each there to represent
A life that was curtailed?

If we laid tombstones side by side
It would be miles before we're done
There to honor those who died
And name them one by one

Shall we lay them out in order?
And give honor to how they tried
For they kept to the trail's border
And their faith was not denied

Shall we mention how they suffered?
And went without and sacrificed?
How, to the last breath they offered
Consecration for Jesus Christ?

And with the monuments lined up
Shall we walk the trail with them?
And let their lives speak much to us?
As blessed roots from which we stem

6,000 pioneers lost their lives
on the trail west between 1847 and 1869

The Tribulation of the Mormons

The tribulation of the Mormons
Had been counted as deserving
Was it due to an unrighteous member
Who up close they saw as swerving?

With a harsh view of our doctrine
One soon heeds the precepts of man
And becomes a stumbling block often
When there ought to be naught found against

And some join to mock knowing not of
But, of this threat, we are told we shall not judge
As such we have hope and will never give up
For it is given to all man to seek knowledge

When the pick and flower of England
Took board on the Amazon
A reporter came to inspect them
And found them favorable and grand some

And, in truth, the gospel is favorable
With God's all encompassing, compassionate plan
That men of faith become admirable
As unto hearts and lands, God's word brightens to expand

Elder Cook
Our Father’s Plan—Big Enough for All His Children
Ensign, April 2009,

We Can All Benefit- By Looking Deep Inside

For the entire membership of the Church
General Conference is an inspiring time of the year
As we're instructed and edified
We learn how to act upon the laws we hold dear

Great things are happening in God's kingdom
We are moving forward as never before
The great mountain will fill the whole earth
And if we are righteous, we'll see so much more


We can all benefit by looking deep inside
During reverent moments of worship
To be proved true, there's nothing we will hide
As we journey in our membership

Each Sunday's a spiritual checkup
That helps navigate life's highways and byways
During sacrament meetings while we sup
We can get our bearings and see the right ways

To stay on the narrow path of faith
With the Bishop, we've worthiness interviews
Have we pursued what's foolish or vain?
It's easy to get diverted from what is true

Truth provides virtues unto our lives
Steadfast, loyal, honest, and just are but a few
In our career paths, as one strives
We must not serve two masters, but always be true

With full faith in their every footstep
The pioneers forged and tempered their souls
Without the Lord, they would be inept
May we too be true, in all of our roles

Elder Wirthlin - General Conference April 1997

D&C 59: 23
23 But learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come.