Sunday, July 29, 2007

Michael On the Trek

When I was on the trek there were many times that I felt a strong spirit. I went up to Martin's Cove in Wyoming where many Saints died. As a group, the stake was taken to the cove to feel the spirit. As we came up on the trail, we were told of the suffering of the pioneers. We saw the hill that the Saints camped on the night that they received aid from the rescuers. On the other side of the hill, the were carried and buried in the snow where they were dug up and eaten by the wolves. I could personally feel the spirit of the Saints as I passed the hill that they had camped on but still found it hard to comprehend the suffering they went through. Another spiritual part of the trek was the women's pull. As we trudged through the Wyoming dust, we were stopped by a group of men that said they were the "Mormon Battalion". They took the men and talked to them about the battalion and stories of the men that that were in it. After 15 minutes, we were taken up onto a hill that even without handcarts was quite dangerous to climb. In groups, the women would push the handcarts up the hill. It was quite hard for me to stand there and watch as the young women struggled to push the handcarts up the hill. I "almost" cried as I watched their suffering and wished that I could just step down and help them. This event was probably one of the most spiritual of the whole trek. At night, I was part of the Roaming, (Roman), Chorus, a group of youth that would walk in a large group and sing different hymns. though we didn't always hit the right notes, it brought the spirit before bed. I'm glad I could go on the trek and will always remember the experiences I had in the dust of Wyoming.

1 comment:

Shaunae said...

Michael-that sounds so cool! I've always wanted to go on a trek like that. You are so awesome! It was neat to hear how you felt when the women pulled alone. I hope the school year goes well for you and you keep being the strong person you are.