I had some ancestors on my mother's side of the family who crossed the Plains but we don't really talk about them. In fact for a long time my family thought these Pioneer celebrations were a waste of time. Then we started reading Gerald Lund's book series, The Work and The Glory explaining Mormon Church History from the viewpoint of a fictitious family. It changed out perceptions about this day. My dad and I determined that we would visit all the Church Historical Sites. As of last week, I officially accomplished this goal and can mark it off my List.
In honor of Pioneer Day, I want to tell you a little about my dad.
35 years ago, Dad was visiting a friend from high school. He was getting ready to go to his mandatory 2-week Army National Guard Basic Training in Louisiana. The friend had not been an active member of the Mormon church while they were in high school but since graduating and marrying had become active. He and Dad got to talking and he gave Dad a copy of The Book of Mormon to read. Dad was raised Episcopalian and had never read The Book of Mormon before. When he got to Basic Training, he decided to read this book that meant so much to his friend. Dad said he couldn't put it down; by the time he finished reading it, he knew that it was what it purported to be: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
When Dad got back to Texas City, he got out the phone book and looked up the number for the local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He found a phone number for the missionaries, told them he had read The Book of Mormon, and that he wanted to be baptized. They set an appointment and Dad waited and waited; they never showed up. Dad, being the man he was, called them on the phone and asked them what happened. They thought he was playing a joke on them and had decided not to show. Dad once again explained to them that he knew the Book of Mormon was the word of God and wanted to know more so that he could be baptized. This time they showed up and taught him. In September 1976, at the age of 25, William A. Tree was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Because of that decision, he served a mission at the age of 26, teaching others what he had learned. Because he chose to serve a mission, he met the woman who would become his wife and the mother of his 6 children. Because they chose to marry and raise their family in a home where the gospel of Jesus Christ was taught on a daily basis, I am the woman I am today. And it's all because a man had the courage to tell his friend about a great book.
So I challenge you to read The Book of Mormon. There are many things said about it but only by reading it can you determine for yourself whether those things are true or not. I also challenge you to pray and ask God if what you are reading came about because of His will and if the things you are reading were written by Prophets called anciently to teach people the Words of God in the American Continents just as Prophets were called in the Old Testament. I firmly believe that the only stupid questions are the ones we never ask.
14 July 2011, I stood in a grove of trees where a 14 year old boy knelt down and asked God a question. The answer he received changed the course of his life and changed the world. Many people say that Joseph Smith was a false prophet or a charlatan because no one else stood in that grove of trees with him when he received the answer to his prayer. I was taught by my father that there were witnesses to that event. The leaves on the trees, the dirt of the earth, the birds in the sky, and the wind that blows all witnessed the Father and the Son speaking with Joseph that morning. That ground is as sacred as that of Mt Sinai where Moses walked and talked with Jehovah face to face. You can read Joseph's account of what happened to him that day for yourself.
I know that Jesus is the Christ. I know that Joseph Smith was called of God just as Moses and Elias and Isaiah and Peter and Paul were called of God to testify of Christ. I know that the Book of Mormon testifies of Christ and that it stands as a witness to the teachings in the Bible. I know these things because I have read it and acted on Moroni's promise at the end of the book.
"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (Moroni 10:3-5)I am so grateful to my Dad's friend for having the courage to give Dad a copy of this precious book. I am grateful that Dad read it, prayed, and chose to change his life. From that time on, Dad did everything he did based on whether he felt it was what the Lord wanted him to do. I am eternally blessed because of those decisions and have no words to express the love and honor I feel for my dad, a modern-day pioneer.
Honestly, by accepting this challenge to read the Book of Mormon, which no one but you and God would know about, what have you got to lose? What could you possibly gain?
*Okay, maybe they didn't cross the Platte 5,000 times but I have driven their route and it felt like I crossed it 5,000 times. There are reasons I was not born back then. 1) I would have been the first nudist because I do not have the patience to sew clothes by hand with a needle and thread. 2) I would starve to death because I can't even eat meat that has any type of bone near it and therefore could not have killed a chicken, plucked it and cooked it up to feed myself.
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