This Dreary Looking Place

Alma asked the people of Zarahemla this question: “And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, you that belong to this church, have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers?” Remembering their fathers and how the Lord blessed them is an important theme throughout the Book of Mormon. Alma similarly said to his son Helaman, “I would that ye should do as I have done, in remembering the captivity of our fathers; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it was the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he surely did deliver them in their afflictions” (Alma 36:2). He also declared of himself, “Yea, and I also remember the captivity of my fathers; for I surely do know that the Lord did deliver them out of bondage, and by this did establish his church” (Alma 29:11). Helaman gave his sons the names of Nephi and Lehi to help them similarly remember: “Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good” (Helaman 5:6). We read of the Jaredite king Shule that “he remembered the great things that the Lord had done for his fathers in bringing them across the great deep into the promised land; wherefore he did execute judgment in righteousness all his days” (Ether 7:27). At the end of the Book of Mormon the prophet Moroni gave us all this invitation to remember: “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” (Moroni 10:3). He wanted us to remember the mercy of God towards not only our immediate ancestors but all the children of men back to the beginning. Throughout the Book of Mormon we are invited to remember the blessings of the Lord to those who have gone before us so that we can see His hand in our lives as well. We must not forget how the Lord has blessed our own families, the prophets of old, and all His children throughout the ages.   

                Thinking of this invitation, I asked myself: “Who should I remember today?” I went to FamilyTree and read about one of my pioneer ancestors, Sophia Goodridge who crossed the plains at about the age of 25. She kept a detailed record of the journey, and here are some snippets from her journal traveling to the Salt Lake Valley: “Our company all in good spirits this morning, and I feel grateful to my Heavenly Father for his kindness in preserving our lives and health thus far, and that He has preserved us from accident and danger of every kind…. We felt like humbling ourselves before the Lord, and pray that He might turn from us the sickness and distress among us. We therefore met together, the speakers exhorting us to be diligent in our devotions and united. A vote was taken to that effect. They called upon the Lord in prayer that he would bless and preserve us on our journey to the Valley. We then started on our journey rejoicing…. We traveled eight and a half miles and camped for the day. We met Bros. Stratton and Banks from Salt Lake who had been sent out to meet and cheer us on our way. They brought us some potatoes, which tasted so good. They will tell us where to find good camping places. We held a meeting in the afternoon. Bro. Stratton read a letter from the Valley and know that we were not forgotten by the Saints in the Valley, while we are traveling in the wilderness. It caused us to rejoice and feel like starting anew on our journey.” It appears she wrote an entry in her journal nearly every day, and after what must have seemed like an eternity she arrived safely in the Valley with her company. She recorded this: “Bro. Woodruff came up with us this morning and we all drove into the Valley of Salt Lake and camped in the Fort. It was a rather dreary homecoming. It was very dry and dusty, and the wind was blowing the dust in clouds. Only a few little log and adobe houses to be seen, fenced in with rail and willow fences. A few shade trees and fruit trees were to be seen here and there. I thought at first; ‘Have I got to spend the rest of my days here in this dreary looking place?’ But I soon felt all right about it and loved my mountain home.” That must have been a hard thing to swallow to have traveled in harsh conditions for months in order to find Zion, only to learn that it was really just a desert. But she along with so many other Saints went to work and made it indeed “rejoice, and blossom as the rose” (Isaiah 35:1). And so today I remember her faith and perseverance as a pioneer and hope that I can face my own challenges with the same courage, fortitude, and optimism as she did.