From Wild beasts to unforgiving terrain, from frigid Wyoming weather to mountainy Utah landscape, One could say that the saints had every reason and right to feel a little apprehensive about embarking on this epic journey. Their prophet and seer, Joseph Smith, was martyred in a savage manner by a mob of over 100 men, and now considering that Brigham Young was going to oversee the safety of the early saints now coming from Nauvoo, England, and (from my own ancestry) even from Denmark, the early saints were now facing a wide variety of challenges from culture barriers to language walls. They were a people rejected of the Missourians and were subject to ''lawful extermination'' by Governor Boggs. Hundreds of miles of untamed prairie land lay before them, countless wolves, coyotes, and Indians were on the prowl, seeking every opportunity to pick out easy prey. Supplies were low, and even at the beginning of the journey, people lost faith and returned home to Babylon.
And yet, those who remained still went. They pushed. They faced trials that would prove their faith to God and others. Think about this!!! Men were sacrificing their lives by carrying women, children, and other men across frozen rivers. Women were giving birth where there was no doctor even for their time. Children were freezing to death. Why would they choose to press forward and keep going rather than to shrink and go back?
Because, they followed Joshua 24:15. ''As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.''
That statement and declaration of faith will require and not come without bleeding, sweating, crying, and not even for a second without repenting. If you believe something, you act on it. James says your faith is dead if your don't couple works with it. What does that mean to believe in something? We hope for things that we do not see, but which are true nonetheless. Not seeing, smelling, tasting, touching, or hearing something does not make it any less true than it already is! You feel the wind, but you don't see it, so it would be pointless to say that wind doesn't exist.
They KNEW that God existed and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was true and that Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet called of God. So why hang on to the truth?
Because Truth is eternal, and pressing forward in the truest and noblest cause in eternity will lose you nothing. If you leave this life and see that there is no God, what have you lost considering you lived an honorable life? Nothing. If you live a prideful, slothful life, and die, seeing that there is a God, and that there is a spirit world, what have you lost, also noting you don't want anything to do with God? Everything.
As a missionary, I can say that it is most definitely not easy to press forward with faith in people or in the work, and thank goodness for that! There must needs be an opposition in all things, or else what would happen? There would be no law, and everything would vanish. Just as the stars can't shine without darkness, we cannot become like our Heavenly Father without first facing the challenges of life. How meaningful would money be to people if we didn't work for it? It would become a pretty piece of paper that would have no value. But since we DO work for money, and we use that money, it is absolutely meaningful to human beings.
So, the last question comes: How meaningful is YOUR journey to heaven?
I would invite all to consider that question. It is really, really important to keep tabs on our faith, our knowledge, and our progress to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Please, think about this.
I am happy to report that the parasite situation is swiftly coming to an end. I feel great and I have never felt so loved by the Savior!
I love you all,
Elder Johnson
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