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Are You a Modern-Day Pioneer?

Jul 10th, 2010
by Terrie.
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This week we’ve been learning about teens who changed history and who serve as examples of heroism and courage even today. Their stories are still told today because they stayed with their faith even through persecution and terrible trials. Those trials affected their entire lives, but they managed to stay cheerful and didn’t let their disabilities or pain stop them from having meaningful lives.

Sometimes it’s fun to read those stories and wonder how we’d react in the same situation. Would we stay true to what we believe even when our lives were threatened? Would we continue to live the way God has taught us to live no matter how much pressure there was to stop living that way? Would we be cheerful in the face of adversity?

We may not be asked to walk across country or flee our home while murderers chase after us. Some of us won’t face open prejudice and hatred. And yet, there will always be people who think our standards are old-fashioned and stupid, and who will pressure us to give them up. The pressure might be less noticeable, less violent, but it is there. In many ways, it’s harder to fight the less fierce forms of prejudice and pressure than it is a mob with guns. It’s sometimes said that it’s not nearly as hard to die for our religion as it is to live for it.

What does that mean? It means that if someone says, “Deny your religion or I’ll kill you,” you are likely to find that moment of courage to say, “I won’t deny it.” You’ll die, but it only takes a moment of courage and then you’re with God. However, when someone pressures you day after day to smoke or drink or dress immodestly, when people all around you are swearing or cheating or gossiping, when everyone but you gets to go play on Sunday…that can be hard. The little day to day pressures can wear you down faster than a gun pointed at you for a few minutes.

Today’s pioneer is asked to blaze a new trail, not a physical one leading west, but a trail of faith and morality. There used to be one, but it’s become overgrown with weeds and brush and so-called civilization. It’s up to those of us who still care what God teaches to clear that path, get on it, and stay on it. We can set an example that will encourage our friends to join us. If enough people do that, there can be more people on the trail than off it.

There is a story in the book of Mormon about a man named Lehi. He saw a vision in which there was a beautiful tree that represented God’s love. Anyone who made his way to the tree and ate the fruit that grew on it would enjoy more happiness than anyone could imagine. There was a path and many people got on it. However, a deep fog came up and many got lost, wandering off the path. There was an iron rod, representing God’s word, that the walkers could grab onto. If they held on they couldn’t get lost. Not everyone did, but those who did got to the tree and ate the fruit.

But then something interesting happened. There was a large and fancy building on a hill nearby. At the windows of the building were people in fancy clothes and elegant hairstyles. They stood there making fun of all the people who ate the fruit. Some people wisely ignored them, but others got embarrassed at being made fun of. They rushed off the path and ran to the building to join the people in it. They became mockers, too, wanting to be part of the rich “popular” crowd more than they wanted to be part of God’s inner-circle. They were willing to give up all the eternal blessings of Heaven to get a few years of popularity.

How about you? If you were on that path, would you give in to the mocking or would you stay on that path and do what you knew was right? Would you settle for a lifetime of pretend happiness or hold out for an eternity of real joy, even if it meant being made fun of today? Are you willing to be lonely if necessary for a while, remembering that someday you’ll never be lonely again? Are you willing to put up with the teasing or a less popular crowd if that’s required? Most importantly, are you willing to hang on to a good attitude even when your trials aren’t your fault?

All those things can set an example for others. You’ll be the one leading the way and you may be surprised to discover others find themselves anxious to join you when they see how happy and fulfilled you are on your special path. You never know who is watching, so be brave and be a pioneer.

Posted in: Blog, Obedience, Teen Life, Youth.
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Teenage Mormon Pioneer Heroes

Jul 7th, 2010
by Terrie.
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Have you ever daydreamed about being a hero? In the 1800s, the Mormons were forced, because of persecution, murder, and hatred, to leave their homes and move to the Utah desert. It was a long, hard journey, often made by walking the entire distance, but it gave many teenagers the opportunity to become heroes. Their stories are still told today.

The Martin Handcart company had more problems than many of the companies. They were so desperate to reach Salt Lake set out too late in the year and storms came early. They had been advised to wait, but they were anxious to get started in a safe new home. They ended up traveling in the cold of winter, when it was hard to find food or to stay warm.

In October 1856, Brigham Young learned they were in deep trouble. The semi-annual conference was about to begin, so during the conference, he asked for volunteers to form a rescue party. The rescuers found them, bringing food and help. However, by the time they reached the Sweetwater River, the people in the Martin Handcart Company were very weak from having been hungry and cold for so long. The very deep, wide, and icy cold river was more than they could handle and they were afraid their journey would end right there, because they weren’t strong enough to cross it. Three teenage boys from the rescue party, George W. Grant, David P. Kimball, and C. Allen Huntington, took matters into their own hands and decided to carry people across. Those three boys carried almost every member of the handcart company themselves. However, this came with a price, as heroism often does. They became quite ill themselves from the strain and the challenges of spending so much time in icy water with heavy loads. Eventually—years after their heroic actions—they all died from complications of that day of heroism. Brigham Young was moved by their sacrifice and cried when he learned what they’d done.

Mary Goble was a teenager in the Cluff Wagon Company, which was to follow the Martin Handcart company in order to help them as needed. Because they had wagons and not handcarts, they had better supplies and more options open to them. Her heroism came in the form of helping her mother. Her mother became very sick during the journey and the company was traveling in an area with no water. They’d been able to melt snow sometimes to have something to drink, but Mary’s mother longed for water from the freshwater spring a few miles away. Mary set out to get it for her, traveling with a woman from the company. As they were walking, they found a very sick man. He was old and unable to move. They knew he would die of frostbite soon if they didn’t get help. Mary continued on to get the water and the other women went back to the camp to get help for the man.

Mary was naturally frightened to find herself all alone in the woods. The travelers were afraid of the native people and Mary was so busy watching for them she lost track of where she was. Soon she realized she was completely lost in the wilderness. The snow was all the way up to her knees and it was almost midnight before search teams found her. They tried to treat her frostbite.

Mary’s mother died just as they entered the Valley and they carried her body in the wagon the rest of the way. Already, three of Mary’s younger siblings had died during the five month journey. When they arrived that evening, they were quickly given shelter and food. Brigham Young himself came to greet them the next morning. Tears filled his eyes when he saw Mary’s frozen feet and learned her mother was dead. A doctor was sent for who had to amputate her toes because they were unable to be saved from the frostbite. Naturally, this was traumatic for her, but Brigham Young made a prophetic promise to her the rest of her feet and her legs would heal. It didn’t seem at first like this was going to be true. She continued to get worse and the doctor told her he needed to amputate her feet. She refused, remembering Brigham’s promise and having faith in him. The doctor was amazed, a few months later, that she was completely healed.

Sometimes a hero is just someone who keeps on going, doing what needs to be done even when their hearts are breaking and their bodies are weak. This was the case with Maggie, age thirteen, and Ellen, age nine, who left their home in England to come to be with the Mormons, whose religion they had just joined. The Pucell family immigrated to the United States on the same ship that brought Mary Goble.

They found, when they arrived, their wagons and handcarts weren’t ready and it was July before they could begin their journey. They traveled to Winter Quarters in Missouri and then set out for Salt Lake. They had to cross the Platte River several times, and the last time there were chunks of ice floating in the water. Some were too weak to even attempt to cross a deep icy river and sat down, where they died. Others, including the Pucells, braved the water. However, the girls’ mother became very ill from doing this and had to be placed in the wagon. Their father, although weak and thin from lack of food, tried to pull the wagon up the steep hills himself, with the girls pushing the back of the wagon.

When it came time to cross another stream, again icy, the father fell. He managed to get back up but died on the other side of the stream. Now there were only the girls to care for their mother and manage the journey. Their mother soon died also and the girls were orphaned. Despite their broken hearts and the fear they must have felt, they kept right on going, managing as best they could with whatever help was available, until rescuers came. Then they continued on, still struggling in the icy cold, although at least with a little food and warmer clothing to help them. Everyone had been hungry for so long they were dangerously thin and weak.

The girls had frozen arms and legs. Ellen had to have her legs amputated at the knees—and because the Saints were newly arrived, they didn’t have proper tools or even anesthesia. Can you imagine having your knees amputated while you’re still awake and without pain killers? This didn’t stop Ellen, though. She went on to marry and have a large family. She spent her life in pain, because her legs never healed properly, but was never heard to complain. Without the wheelchair she might have had in modern times, she learned to get around on her stumps and to devote her life to helping others.

Life can be hard. A lot of times, our trials are not our own fault, but we still have a responsibility to follow the examples of these teenagers and make something of our lives. We can learn to endure our trials and to find our proper place in whatever life we’re given.

Posted in: Blog, Famous Mormon Teens.
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Teenagers Who Pioneered: Henry Sanderson

Jul 6th, 2010
by Terrie.
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This is the first in a series of posts about teenagers who were Mormon pioneers.

July 24 is Pioneer Day. For Mormon teenagers, this is a day of fireworks and parades, but it’s also a day to remember the Mormon pioneers. Can you imagine spending your teen years walking across the country, helping to pull a handcart because you can’t afford a covered wagon, maybe watching your friends, siblings, or even your parents die along the way? That’s how it was for a lot of teenagers. There were dances, but they were held after a really long day of walking. They had friends, but they talked as they worked or walked. These teens had to be adults long before a modern teenager might have to, just because they had so much responsibility and they’d already had hard lives. Many had lost parents or watched their homes destroyed. Some had even been attacked and every day they faced serious dangers from people who had forgotten our country believes in religious freedom. That kind of life makes you grow up fast.

The teenagers in the early church had interesting lives and many of them recorded their experiences in journals or later wrote their life stories. One boy, Henry Sanderson, became a Mormon when he was thirteen. He lived in Connecticut and when his parents converted, he had to endure a lot of teasing and bullying from people who didn’t like Mormons. He was relieved when his parents decided to move to Nauvoo to live with the Mormons, so he could escape the persecution. There, he became friends with the sons of Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet, who lived two houses from him. Every tenth day, Henry helped to build the church’s temple, a special building used for sacred ordinances.

Joseph Smith was murdered when Henry was fifteen. He had watched as Joseph was arrested and taken to prison on false charges, which allowed him to be killed without protection from his own people. For a while, people weren’t sure what would happen to the church. The murderers hoped the church would die with Joseph, but it didn’t. Brigham Young took over and life went on, but not exactly as before. Things became very hard for the Saints, as the Mormons called themselves, and Henry’s family needed income. He and his father went to St. Louis to find work and Henry was hired to work for shoemakers. At fifteen, he worked full-time.

In 1845, the family moved to a farm, where his father was hired to work. However, an illness, probably malaria, struck and Henry’s father died. In those days, that meant the oldest son, Henry, was now responsible for making sure the family survived. However, Henry himself was also ill with the same disease. Despite this, the family returned to Nauvoo, the city where the Mormons lived. One sister stayed behind to work for a bit, so Henry, still sick, returned to bring her back when her job ended. He worked for his passage as an assistant fireman one way and a cook and dishwasher the other way.

At age seventeen, Henry joined the Nauvoo Legion. The Saints were in a lot of danger. Joseph Smith’s murder hadn’t ended their persecution and the Saints knew they could all be killed at any time. He had a gun and helped patrol the city, watching for enemy mobs.

When the Saints finally decided they were going to have to leave Nauvoo, Henry and his family joined them on the trek west. Henry worked for another family to help pay the costs. However, the United States government stopped the travelers and asked for volunteer soldiers to help fight the Mexican War. Henry was sure Brigham Young would refuse, because the government had refused to protect the Saints in their time of danger. To his surprise, Brigham Young agreed and Henry became a soldier. When his time ended, he entered the Salt Lake Valley, but he wanted to be with his family, so he traveled with Brigham Young’s company to Winter Quarters, where many of the pioneers were preparing for the journey. He returned to Utah in three years.

Henry’s life was unusual compared to teens today. By the time he was an adult, he had lost his father, been a soldier, led a family, worked full-time, and become a pioneer. His teen years weren’t filled with the fun of a typical teenager, but he never complained about it. He was proud of what he had accomplished at such a young age.

This story is retold from William G. Hartley, “Nauvoo Teenager: Henry Sanderson,” New Era, Oct 1989, 44. Read the story to learn more about his teenage years.

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Summer Volunteer Work

Jul 1st, 2010
by Terrie.
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A lot of teens think of summer as a chance to kick back and relax, maybe mow a few lawns to earn some cash…a break from life. Other teens, though, see it as extra time to make a difference in the world. When they go back to school and get asked to write the usual “What I Did on My Summer Vacation” paper, they can say, “Me? Oh, I just changed the world.”

In this month’s New Era (a magazine for Mormon teens) a writer tells how she got roped into helping at the Bishop’s Storehouse, which is a food bank for Mormon church members. It’s a little different from most food banks, in that the person needing help first meets with her bishop (pastor) to determine what type of help is needed. They then are given a list of the items available and mark what they need, which is approved or adjusted by the bishop. They go into a building that looks like a grocery store, but with just a checkout counter instead of a cash register and get their order with help from volunteers.

At first Sarah resented having to do this service because it cut into her free time. After a while though, she realized she felt great knowing she was helping others and making a difference, and she began to work even harder at it. (See What’s in Store at the Storehouse?”)

There are a lot of volunteer jobs available for teenagers. The first step is to identify what you really care about or are passionate about. If you worry about people being hungry, you might want to work at a food bank. If the environment is your specialty, volunteer with an environmental group or just go out and pick up trash somewhere, maybe getting your friends to help out and ending with a picnic. Do you plan to be a teacher someday? Maybe a group is looking for tutors to help out in a summer program. Can’t live without a computer? Teach a class on computers at a senior center. No matter what social issues you care about, you’re likely to find some way to turn it into a volunteer job.

While you don’t get a paycheck in the form of cash, the paycheck you do get is worth more and lasts longer. Volunteering makes you feel like you’re helping to create the world you’re going to be living or running someday. The more problems we fix while you’re young, the better your world will be when you’re an adult.

You’ll never really know how many people you help. If you tutor one child, you might feel like you only helped one person. However, if that child grows up and goes to college because you taught him to read and to love reading, you’ve then helped his spouse and children, too. They’ll probably go to college because their dad did, and your influence can go on forever, because you may well have rescued hundreds of generations from a lifetime of poverty. Pretty amazing results for a few hours of tutoring!

Volunteering can also help you find out what you want to do for a career and give you job experience to put on your first resume. A lot of the volunteer work I’ve done helped me decide what I wanted to do with my life—sometimes I loved it and sometimes I hated it, but I learned what I’m willing to spend my life doing. Colleges like seeing volunteer work on your application.

Really, though, even though volunteer work can benefit you, the best reason for doing it is because it’s a great feeling to know you’re making a difference and not just sitting around complaining about what’s wrong with the world. Don’t complain—get up and go do something.

Posted in: Blog, Teen Life.
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Teens Are Important in Mormon Pageants

Jun 30th, 2010
by Terrie.
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How are you spending your summer vacation? Many Mormons teens are spending part of it working on summer pageants—not beauty pageants, but elaborate outdoor plays. Most teens live in the United States, but some even come from other countries, paying their own way and volunteering their time. They work long, hard hours with no pay, but they get a chance to help share their faith, make friends, and build their testimonies. And for these teens, that’s more than enough pay. Continue reading →

Posted in: Service, Teen Life.
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Peer Pressure and Popularity

Jun 22nd, 2010
by Terrie.
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When I was growing up, people were always telling me to avoid negative peer pressure. They made it sound so easy. “If someone asks you to do something you shouldn’t, just say no and walk away.” Sometimes inspirational stories told in church classes made it sound pretty easy to. A teenager says she won’t do something because it’s wrong and all her friends apologize and decide to do something different.

Mormons teach teens to avoid peer pressure.

Just because everyone's doing it doesn't mean they're right.

Great stories, but of course, that’s not how it worked in real life. When I was a freshman in high school, I found myself unexpectedly getting attention from a group of popular kids. I don’t know how I came to their attention since popular had never been part of my life. Actually, I’d never really had any desire to be popular. I’d always been happy with the friends I had, but somehow, when they started paying attention to me and to my friend, we both were so flattered we forgot popularity had never been very important to us. Continue reading →

Posted in: Blog, Friends, Teen Life.
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Fathers and Sons

Jun 18th, 2010
by Terrie.
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Find out how teenager improved his relationship with his dad.

Posted in: Teen Life, Uncategorized.
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Lisa Mangum, Author of The Hourglass Door

Jun 18th, 2010
by Terrie.
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Lisa Mangum has been hooked on books and libraries since her very first library “job” helping in the grade school library during recess. Since then she’s worked in libraries, bookstores and publishing companies, and now is working on turning her first two books into a trilogy. She is the daughter of a writing mother, so it was natural her life would end up centered around books.

Lisa Mangum is the award-winning Mormon author of The Hourglass Door.

Lisa, a Mormon who lives in Taylorsville, Utah, is the author of The Hourglass Door, published by Shadow Mountain. The Hourglass Door is a supernatural story for teenagers, but with an emphasis on romance. It concerns a teenager named Abby who has a perfect life—until a tall, dark, handsome, and mysterious Italian stranger arrives in town as an exchange student. Dante Alexander is about to change everything. He might be an exchange student from Italy, but he has traveled further than she realized at first—he got here in a time machine built by Leonardo da Vinci, and now he and he friends need to get back home. This book was named 2009 Book of the Year for independently published young adult fiction. Her second book, The Golden Spiral, was released in May. In this book, Lisa has to rebuild the time machine and save Dante, but his time traveling friend Zo is complicating matters by trying to change history—Lisa’s history, to be exact. What will happen to Abby and Dante’s relationship?

Lisa is a young wife and an acquisitions editor—someone who decides what books get published. That is probably a big help for a writer, since it means she is used to evaluating what is publishable and what isn’t. She is certain to have read lots of good and bad manuscripts, so when it came time to write her own, she was ready to go. That doesn’t mean it was easy—writing is hard work, no matter how prepared you are.

She makes good use of all her time, even writing on the train to work each day. However, her favorite setting for work is on the sofa with music playing and a cat on her legs while she types on her laptop. With a job, a husband , and a home to care for, she has to write when she has time. And of course, now that she is a popular author, she also has promotional work like book signings to add to her schedule. Since she grew up shy, it’s been a change for her to learn to speak to large groups, but it comes with the job. You can visit her website, which has a blog, to see just how busy she really is.

Leo’s Dungeon

Posted in: famous Mormons.
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Making Sure Your Life is Remembered

Jun 15th, 2010
by Terrie.
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Have you ever read a book about a real teenager who lived a long time ago and wished people would still know who you were hundreds of years from now? Often the way we know about these things is because the teenager kept a diary and other records that helped people learn about her long after she was dead.

Even if you never become famous, your descendents—your children, your grandchildren and your great-grandchildren—will want to know who you are. If you want to make history, you need to get started right now. Continue reading →

Posted in: Teen Life.
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Family History Tells You Who You Are

Jun 8th, 2010
by Terrie.
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Genealogy is pretty popular these days, and even some teenagers are getting into it. Other teenagers, though, think it’s just something for their grandparents to do. Why should a teenager care about family history?

Take a good look at yourself in the mirror. Where did your skin color, hair color, and eye color come from? Why do you have curly hair instead of straight hair, or large eyes or small ears? Take inventory of your personality and talents. Who was the first artist in your family? Love to read—how many generations ago did the first person in your family learn to read? Why do you have a sense of adventure? Continue reading →

Posted in: Teen Life, Youth.
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