Family Home Evening lesson -Faith
Topic:
Some of the greatest faith-promoting stories come from Mormon pioneer history.
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: Doctrine and Covenants 97:8
“Verily I say unto you, all among them who know their hearts are honest, and are broken, and
their spirits contrite, and are willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice—yea, every
sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command—they are accepted of me.”
Discussion: Some of those “willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice,” were the Mormon
pioneers. Despite terrible conditions the pioneers traveled over 1,000 miles to arrive in Utah. In
their extremities the pioneers came to know God and His matchless power.
Here are some faith-promoting stories from the pioneers:
Pioneer stories of faith
Agnes Caldwell
One day, young Agnes Caldwell and Mary Hurren encountered rattlesnakes. They carefully
jumped past the rattlesnakes for what seemed to be more than a mile. They attributed their safety
to the Lord’s protecting hand.
James Bleak
The Lord promised James Bleak his family would arrive safely in Utah. One day, James’ 5-year-
old son Thomas fell into the river. When they took him out, he appeared to be dead. After no
success, the company suggested they bury Thomas. James refused, remembering the Lord’s
promise. He and his wife prayed and revived James.
On another occasion James became ill. Members of the company told his wife Elizabeth that
James must be left behind. Elizabeth wrapped James in a blanket and left him at the side of the
road. That night a lady asked Elizabeth about James and upon finding out the company had left
him, the lady reminded Elizabeth of the prophetic promise they received. A wagon went back
for James and the company nursed him back to health. The family arrived safely in Salt Lake
City on November 30th, 1856.
Ann Rowley
One night when there was no food for dinner, Ann Rowley prayed and found two hard sea
biscuits from her sea voyage. She knew the Lord could multiply food as he did in the New
Testament with loaves and fishes to feed the 5,000. Ann put the biscuits in a dutch oven with
water and asked for God’s blessing. She put on a lid and placed the dutch oven in the coals.
When she took off the lid, the dutch oven was filled with food.
Francis Webster
One day in Sunday School, a group of adults criticized the church for letting the Martin Handcart
company suffer on their 1856 trek. An older man named Francis Webster stood up and said:
“I ask you to stop this criticism. You are discussing a matter you know nothing about. Cold
historic facts mean nothing here, for they give no proper interpretation of the questions involved.
Mistake to send the Handcart Company out so late in the season? Yes! But I was in that company
and my wife was in it, and Sister Nellie Unthank whom you have cited here was there, too. We
suffered beyond anything you can imagine and many died of exposure and starvation, but did
you ever hear a survivor of that company utter a word of criticism? Every one of us came
through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with Him in our
extremities!…I have pulled my handcart when I was so weak and weary from illness and lack of
food that I could hardly put one foot ahead of the other. I have looked ahead and seen a patch of
sand or a hill slope and I have said, I can go only that far and there I must give up for I cannot
pull the load through it. I have gone to that sand and when I reached it, the cart began pushing
me! I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart, but my eyes saw no one. I
knew then that the Angels of God were there…Was I sorry that I chose to come by handcart?
No! Neither then nor any minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with
God was a privilege to pay and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin
Handcart Company.”
Ellen Unthank
Ellen’s parents died along the pioneer trail. Eventually Ellen Unthank‘s legs had to be
amputated. Despite losing the bottom half of her legs, Ellen reared six children, worked and
didn’t complain about her situation. Once a year Ellen and her children volunteered to clean the
church meetinghouse.
Louisa Mellor
After traveling through waist-high frozen streams and snow 4-5 feet deep, Louisa Mellor‘s
mother could not keep up with the company and said she could go no further. Louisa prayed
with faith God that would help them reach camp. As Louisa walked back to her mother, she
found a pie in the road. After eating the pie, Louisa and her mother were able to cotinue their
journey and reach camp at 10 p.m..
James Willie
James Willie came to America from England when he was 21. James married and
joined the Church. A decade later he returned to England to serve a mission. After his
mission, James joined the pioneers as captain of the Fourth Handcart Company. He
led his company by example, wading every stream back and forth until his feet bled and
he was unable to stand.
Levi Savage
When Levi Savage warned pioneers of the dangers that lied ahead of them, he was rebuked for
not having enough faith. Despite his rebuke, Levi stayed with the group and helped them
through their sufferings. He said “Brethren and sisters, what I have said I know to be true; but,
seeing you are to go forward, I will go with you, will help you all I can, will work with you, will
rest with you, will suffer with you, and if necessary I will die with you. May God in his mercy
bless and preserve us. Amen” Levi lived true to his word, working tirelessly to help suffering
pioneers along the trek.
James Cole
Brigham Young sent James Cole to help stranded handcart companies. One night James
dreamed he would meet his future wife among the stranded saints. From his dream he said his
future wife was beautiful, wore a fur cap, and a green veil tied over her cap. He explained his
dream to a member of his recue team (William Kimball) who replied, “We will see no beautiful
girl with a fur cap and a green veil in these frozen Saints.” As James’ rescue party arrived to
help the stranded pioneers, William Kimball saw a 23-year old, Lucy Ward wearing a green veil.
He said, “Brother Jim, there is your dream girl.” James asked Lucy to get in the wagon and she
said, “No, I don’t know you.” Later Lucy realized she wanted to marry James and on November
2, 1856, William Kimball married them at Fort Bridger.
Activity: Divide into two teams. Take turns, pulling the following questions to see who knows
the answers (at bottom,) to learn more about the Mormon handcart pioneers.
1. What year did the Mormon pioneers arrive in Utah?
2. When was the first statewide Pioneer Day celebration?
3. How many pioneers were in the advance party led by Brigham Young?
4. When did the first Mormon pioneer enter the Salt Lake Valley?
5. What interrupted the first Pioneer Day celebration?
6. When did the Mormon pioneers start for the west?
7. How long was the trek from Nauvoo, Ill,. to Salt Lake City?
8. What did Brigham Young say upon entering the valley?
9. How much weight could go into a handcart?
10. How many members of the Willie and Martin handcart companies died on the trip?
11. How many pounds of clothing were adults allowed to bring?
12. When did Utah's leaders petition the U.S. government for statehood?
13. What did President Millard Fillmore do to get his name onto state maps?
14. How many miles of trail did Mormon pioneers "blaze?"
15. Why did the pioneers prefer oxen as pack animals?
A) They didn't balk at mud or quicksand.
B) They didn't need a complicated or expensive harness.
C) Indians didn't like their flavor, so they didn't steal the animals for food.
D) All of the above
16. How fast did the pioneers go?
17. Who owned the first wagons to cross the Mississippi River and leave Nauvoo?
18. What life event inspired William Clayton to write "Come, Come Ye Saints?"
19. How long did the first group take to get from Winter Quarters to Salt Lake?
Answers appear below
1. 1847. Don't worry, the questions get harder.
2. July 23 to 24, 1857
3. 148 to 143 men, three women and two children.
4. Orson Pratt and Erastus Snow arrived on July 21, 1847 -- the group arrived over a period of
four days. Brigham Young, sick with a fever, arrived on July 24.
5. When Mormon pioneers found out about the approach of Johnson's Army, they stopped the
celebration. This was the beginning of the Utah War. Pioneer Day was not celebrated during the
Army occupation until 1862.
6. Most left Nauvoo, Ill., between February and September 1846, stopping for the winter in
Nebraska and then continuing on the next spring.
7. Roughly 1,300 miles.
8. According to the LDS Church, his words were "This is the right place." According to another
report, he said, "This is the place; drive on."
9. About 500 pounds.
10. 220. Only 250 handcart pioneers died, so the majority were in these two companies.
11. 17 pounds. Children could bring 10 pounds.
12. July 1849, as the State of Deseret, with boundaries ranging from Oregon to Mexico and San
Diego to Colorado.
13. President Fillmore granted the pioneers' request for statehood, albeit a smaller state than
requested, and allowed them to name Brigham Young as governor.
14. Less than one mile, from Donner Hill to the mouth of Emigration Canyon. The rest of the
trails had already been blazed by people going, among other places, to Oregon and California.
15. D, according to a historic resource study published by the National Parks Service.
16. With normal conditions, the Mormons averaged 2 mph. They averaged 10 miles a day.
17. Charles Shumway.
18. The safe birth of his son.
19. 111 days.
Discussion:
Closing Prayer:
