June 18th Journal Glue-in: You Have Nothing to Fear- Find Joy in the Journey

June 18th Journal Glue-in: You Have Nothing to Fear- Find Joy in the Journey


“To the praise of God be it spoken, all I have endured has never hurt or discouraged me, but done me good. … We have sometimes been almost suffocated with heat …, sometimes almost froze with cold…We have had our clothes wet through with no privilege of drying them or changing them,… had to sleep … out of doors, in very severe weather, and many such things which you [have] no idea of. … [Yet] we have been … healthy & cheerful. … If you will be faithful, you have nothing to fear from the journey. The Lord will take care of his saints.” -William Clayton


At the Sweetwater where the Willie Company was stranded, cold and starving, they experienced great joy upon being rescued by their brethren. As John Chislett wrote:
". . . It was…resolved in council that Captain Willie with one man should go in search of the supply train and apprise the leader of our condition. . . . They were absent three days—three days which I shall never forget.
". . . The recollection of it unmans me even now—those three days! During that time I visited the sick, the widows whose husbands died in serving them, and the aged who could not help themselves, to know for myself where to dispense the few articles that had been placed in my charge for distribution. Such craving hunger I never saw before, and may God in his mercy spare me the sight again. . . .
". . . On the evening of the third day after Captain Willie's departure, just as the sun was sinking beautifully behind the distant hills, on an eminence immediately west of our camp several covered wagons, each drawn by four horses were seen coming towards us. The news ran through the camp like wildfire. . . . Shouts of joy rent the air; strong men wept till tears ran freely down their furrowed and sun-burnt cheeks, and little children partook of the joy which some of them hardly understood, and fairly danced around with gladness. Restraint was set aside in the general rejoicing, and as the brethren entered our camp the sisters fell upon them and deluged them with kisses.
". . . That evening, for the first time in quite a period, the songs of Zion were to be heard in the camp, and peals of laughter issued from the little knots of people as they chatted around the fires. The change seemed almost miraculous, so sudden was it from grave to gay, from sorrow to gladness, from mourning to rejoicing. With the cravings of hunger satisfied, and with hearts filled with gratitude to God and our good brethren, we all united in prayer, and then retire to rest."(John Chislett, as quoted by LeRoy R. and Ann W. Hafen, Handcarts to Zion)


“At that moment, standing on the same hill from which the Willie Company first saw their rescuers, I contemplated the joy that will fill our hearts when we fully come to know the eternal significance of the greatest rescue—the rescue of the family of God by the Lord Jesus Christ. For it is through Him that we have promise of eternal life. Our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the source of spiritual power that will give you and me the assurance that we have nothing to fear from the journey. I know the Lord Jesus Christ lives, and our unwavering faith in Him will see us safely along our journey through life.”
-M. Russell Ballard


This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now…Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now.
-President Thomas S. Monson

trail first aid and pioneer games

Trail First Aid and Pioneer Games June 17/18th

The Medics will discuss basic trail first aid and prevention with the youth for the first part of the activity. This will take approximately 15 minutes. It is very important for the youth to be there to learn about these common health issues they may face when they go on trek. The boys and girls will meet separately to discuss things more applicable to each group. After the First Aid, Mas and Pas may then disperse with their families to play pioneer games and do other trek activities. Please refer to the following chart:

First Aid Schedule:

4th and 5th wards on Tues. June 17th @ 5th ward building at 7:00 PM.  

Medics- Trevinos and Ericksons

3rd, 6th, and 9th wards on Wed. June 18th @ 6th ward building at 7:00 PM 

Medics- Buttars

 2nd, 7th and 11th wards on Wed. June 18th @stake center at 7:00 PM 

Medics- Swensons

PIONEER GAMES INSTRUCTIONS: Choose one or more games below to play with your Trek family. For the racing games, you may choose to play as a ward with each Trek family acting as a team, and competing against other Trek families in your ward in a relay-style race. Find joy in the journey!

STICK PULL

This was a favorite activity of the Prophet Joseph and no one ever threw him. Equipment needed: A stick 3’ (1M) long, about 1 1/2” diameter. Two people sit on the ground facing each other, feet to feet. Both grab hold of the stick and at a signal, both pull on the stick and see if they can pull the other person from his/her sitting position. The one who remains seated the longest is the winner.

CHAIN TAG

In this game, two people are “it”, each clasping hands. The pair begins chasing the others. When the pair tags someone, the tagged person links hands with the pair who are “it”, making the chain three people long. The chain grows longer as more people are tagged.

SACK RACE

Equipment needed: A cloth or burlap bag for each team. Run it as a relay. A team consists of 10- 12 people with half the team on one side and half on the other side spaced about 60-70’ (20-25M) apart. At a signal one person puts both feet into the bag and while holding up the bag with both hands, hops across to the team member on the other side. That team member puts his/her feet in the bag and hops back, and so on, until all the team members have had a chance to hop across the area. The first team with all their members having hopped across is the winner.

3-LEGGED RACE

Equipment needed: A belt or bandana for each team to tie legs together. Teams should be even numbers. Run as a relay. Distance is approx 100’ (30 M). Two members of each team have one leg “belted” to one leg of the other person (left leg to right leg), thus “three legs”. OK to hold onto waist of the partner. At a signal, they run to a mark and turn and run back. The belt is taken off and two other team members are strapped together, etc. Alternate: Have part of the team 100’ away and the racers go across the distance where the belt is traded to another pair. First team with all team members having participated is the winner. Greatest number of items conveyed in a given time period wins.

RAILROAD SPELLING BEE

The first person spells any word of their choosing. The next person uses the last letter in the previously spelled word as the first letter in a word of their choosing. The next person follows in like manner. Persons misspelling their word sit down.

BUTTON, BUTTON, WHO’S GOT THE BUTTON?

Get a button. Leader walks around the circle with a button in folded hands pretending to drop the button in each player’s folded hands. Another player has been asked to watch this procedure. When the leader has gone to each person, the leader asks, “Button, button, who’s got the button?” The player guessing chooses someone. If after 3 guesses the player has not located the button, the guesser

becomes the new leader. If he chooses correctly, then the leader remains the same and repeats the process with a new player guessing.

I SPY

One player is it and covers her eyes while the other players hide. When everyone is hidden they call out “Whoop!” The player who is “it” then looks for the hidden players. If she sees one she must call them out by name, “I spy John!” If your name is called you must run to the place from which the person who is it started searching, while the person who is it tries to tag you. If you are tagged, you become it.

STATES

Players sit in a circle and everyone chooses a state (or fruit or famous person, etc.). Go around the circle twice, having each person name their state so that the players can memorize them. IT stands in the middle with a hat or bandana and approaches a player who must name another state (belonging to another player) before IT hits them on the head with the hat. IT must hurry to the person whose state was named and try to hit her before she can name another state. Whoever is hit on the head before naming another’s state is IT. If a player says his own state or a state not included in the game, he becomes IT.

3 week count down!

Clothing check, buckets, tents and scones. 

Only three weeks until we leave for Trek. We are so excited to get out there- what about you?

Thanks to 4th ward for these photos.

Cute Pay siblings!

Ensign Peak and First Encampment Park Activity

Trek Activity- April 30^th (2^nd, 3^rd, 9^th and 11^th Wards)

                       or May 5^th (5^th, 6^th and 7^th Wards)

Please make sure your trek family knows where and when to meet.

Ensign Peak (This hike counts toward the May Trail of Faith goals- to go on a hike in the shoes you’ll be wearing on Trek. Please remind your youth ahead of time!)

Length: About 1 mile round trip Difficulty: Easy

Description: Ensign Peak is a prominent small mountain peak at the north end of the Salt Lake Valley, above the State Capitol building. From the top, you have marvelous views out over the Salt Lake Valley and Great Salt Lake.

Two days after arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham Young and seven other pioneer leaders climbed the mountain to survey the valley. From its summit they laid out in their minds the city they intended to build. A small monument now sits on the summit.

Ensign Peak Trailhead

The trailhead is at the top of a residential area above the Utah capitol building. From downtown Salt Lake City, drive State Street north to the capitol, fork right and follow the road around to the northeast. It becomes East Capitol Boulevard. Follow it up the hill to the north and then turn left onto North Sandrun Road. Follow that road west to the LDS Church house. The trailhead is in the back of the church parking lot, where it abuts Ensign Vista Drive.

Ensign Peak

From the trailhead, follow the obvious, well-maintained trail to the top of the peak. The trail swings around the mountain and approaches the summit from the north. Return the way you came in. Please stay on the established trail. Work is underway here to re-vegetate the area, which has been harmed by erosion.

First Encampment Park (This would be a great place for the kids to write in their journals.)

1704 S 500 E Salt Lake City

"First Encampment Park was created in 1997 to honor the pioneers who arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. The first group of pioneers to enter the valley included 109 men, 3 women, and 8 children. They had to push their way through high grass before they found an area suitable to set up camp for the night. The park marks the spot where they spent their first night, and the names of some of the pioneers are inscribed on the granite rocks.

On that night, Thomas Bullock, the company clerk, recorded in his journal: “…We descended a gentle sloping table land to a lower level where the soil and grass improved in appearance…The wheat grass grows six or seven feet high, many different kinds of grass appear, some being 10 or 12 feet high – after wading through thick grass for some distance, we found a place bare enough for a camping ground, the grass being only knee deep, but very thick; we camped on the banks of a beautiful little stream (Parley’s Creek) which was surrounded by very tall grass...”

Parley’s Creek still flows underground through the neighborhood that stands there now.

The next morning the company moved to the place where it was decided they would plant crops, two miles to the north at City Creek.

Even the layout of the park is symbolic of the pioneers and their journey. The granite boulders on the east side of the park represent the Wasatch mountains. The path through the mountain rocks represent Emigration Canyon, which is the canyon the pioneers passed through to get to the valley. The dry streambeds represent Emigration and Parley’s creeks. 

The park was dedicated on July 22, 1997 by Elder M. Russell Ballard exactly 150 years after the group of pioneers camped here. It was presented as a city park to the people of Salt Lake City and to all who honor the pioneer heritage.

Prep Activities Calendar

Trek prep calendar

(Times will be announced through your ward prior to each activity)

* Sunday Jan. 19 Trek Kickoff Fireside

* Wednesday Jan. 22 Movie night! Ephraim’s Rescue at stake center

* Wednesday Feb. 5 Pioneer ancestors, Family flags, markers, journals

* Wednesday Mar. 5 DUP museum or Temple trip (TBD)

* Wednesday Apr. 2 Temple trip or DUP museum (TBD)

* Wednesday Apr. 30 Trek Family service project

* Wednesday May 7 Hike Ensign Peak, 1st Encampment Park

* Wednesday Jun. 4 Tents, cooking, clothing check, buckets

* Wednesday Jun. 18 Pioneer games, basic trail first aid

* Wed.-Sat. June. 25-28 TREK!!!!!

 To print, click on bold title above, "Prep Activities Calendar" then click green print button.