this year in june, nathan and i are helping with our ward's youth pioneer trek. we have been asked to be the assistant committee chairs. i blogged about our training experience last fall when we went to training at martin's cove in wyoming.
anyway, as part of our trek experience i have done some preparations. first, i have read a ton! i bought a few books and checked some out from the library. the books i bought are:
The Price We Paid: The Extraordinary Story of the Willie & Martin Handcart Pioneers
this is an excellent book that covers a lot of information. it is a thick book at 540 pages, but a great read. i really enjoyed reading this because it helped me to have an understanding of what really happened to these pioneers and why it is important that we remember their stories. i could read this book again.
another book that i bought is Tell My Story Too, A Collection of Biographical Sketches of Pioneers and Rescuers of the Willie, Martin, Hodgett, Hunt Companies 1856
this book is awesome and provides details into the lives of many of the willie and martin pioneers. one of the things that is really stressed at the training is giving a handcart pioneer name to each person that will be going on the trek. this helps each individual identify with a real person who actually went through these horrible but faith-building experiences. in my opinion, this is a must have book for anyone planning a trek.
for our ward, we poured through his book and thoughtfully selected a name for each of our youth, each leader, and each committee member. then we copied the page and gave it to the individual to read, ponder on and bring with them on the trek. we are also having each youth share their name and tell a little about their pioneer in opening exercises at mutual each week. (for us it works out to have 3 youth per week do this.) to help the other members of the ward feel included, we also have the same youth go into relief society, primary and opening exercises in priesthood and share their pioneer name story.
another book that i purchased from ebay was Remember: The Willie and Martin Handcart Companies and Their Rescuers-Past and Present.
this book is no longer in print, so it will be more expensive. i paid around $75 for my copy. this book details the Riverton, WY stake's 2nd rescue of these handcart pioneers. the 2nd rescue refers to their temple work being completed. it also details the purchasing of land and the building of monuments for these pioneers. it is also an excellent read with a lot of wonderful information.
nathan bought this book to read since my book was too long for him: Across the Sea, Across the Plains: The Epic Account of the Willie & Martin Handcart Companies From Europe to Zion
he enjoyed it. i can't give much more of a review than that because i personally didn't read it.
i didn't mean for this post to be all about books, but it ended up that way. i will blog about the other preparations i have been making later.
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