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During the Trek, there were a few things I heard often or that kept running through my mind.  Here’s what they are:

1.  "I couldn’t do that".  I heard that over and over while we were trekking.  I know that we can.  Whatever it is, we can do it.  The Lord provides a way for us.  (see 1 Nephi 3:7)  In my life, everytime I’ve said "I could never handle ________ challenge".  I’ve had that challenge and the Lord has helped me through it.

2.  "I couldn’t walk away from my loved one knowing the wolves were going to eat them."  The Martin Company camped for 5 days Martin’s Cove.  In that 5 days, Fifty-six people died.  Their bodies were carried over a bank on the other side of the cove and buried in snow as the ground was too frozen to dig their graves.  As they turned to leave their loved one’s bodies behind, they could see the wolves circling the cliffs to eat the bodies they had just left.

That’s what parents do.  We raise our kids and teach them everything we can (or at least do our best), then we let them go and hope the wolves don’t devour them.  We hope they choose to not go where the wolves are.  Our children are being fed to the "wolves" everyday.  But, if do the wolves get them, we will do our best to save them.

3.  Temple work.  The pioneers came to Utah because their prophet asked them to, true.  But they also came because they wanted their Temple work done.  With the persecution that the saints had experienced, they came west to have religious freedom (what our founding fathers wanted when they left England).  Their temples (Kirtland & Nauvoo) had been destroyed and they wanted the blessings of the temple.  It was worth traveling by foot to Salt Lake for.

4.  "Why didn’t the Lord save them?"  He had the power to and didn’t, why?  and then I thought … He didn’t save Christ.  Why not?  The Savior suffered for our sins.  If he hadn’t suffered for us then there would be no way back to be with Him, no forgiveness.  Why then didn’t He relieve the suffering of the Willie & Martin Companies … for us.  They did what they did because of their faith.  We too need to do our part.  We need to stand up for what we beliefs.

5.  "All is Well!"  In the song, Come Come ye Saints there is a line that says "and should we die before our journey’s through, happy day!  All is well!"  While singing that with our family after about 13 miles of trekking … I finally get that part of the song.  They had done their part it didn’t matter if they died.  I hope that I will always live my life that if I were to die at any time it would be okay.  You know, NO regrets.

Thank you for indulging me.  I hope you enjoyed reading this.  Amber

Just after being put into our "family" On the way to Martin’s Cove Our last moment as a "family"

Coming up … 12 years!