Trek preparations~

Mike and I have been preparing for a pioneer trek for our stake, it has been an amazing blessing in our lives to say the least. The trek is in Heber, each ma and pa will be assigned about eight youth 14-18 years old to a family, with one(adult)big brother and big sister. In all their will be ten made up families. The idea is to give us all a greater appreciation for the pioneers. Time is ticking down as we try our best to get all of our things together. As we have learned about these families and studied their lives in detail, We have gained a great appreciation for these people. My heart is so full of many emotions and our handcart has not even started on the trail. When my mom died when I was young, I remember thinking it was the end of the world...what would we do with out mom? How different my life has become with knowledge of Heavenly Father's plan and the excitement for the day when I will see her again. I can only imagine that this knowledge alone is what kept these families going~ when not only one, but nearly half of the ones they loved froze in the snow and could not even be buried because the ground was frozen solid. The saints that lost the most remained faithful through out their lifetime. I feel a great zest for life in my heart and thankful that I am a part of the Lords work. I always tell my kids to live every day like its your last and love each other no matter what. This is how I was raised and it hit home so early. Mike found this story on trials, I love it! TRIALS~ Perhaps you recall the story of the blacksmith who gave his heart to God. Conscientious in his living, he was not prospering materially. In fact, it seems that from the time of his conversion, more trouble, affliction, and losses were sustained than ever before. Everything seemed to be going wrong. One day a friend who was not a Christian stopped at the little forge to talk to him. Sympathizing with him in his trials, the friend said " It seems strange to me that so much affliction should pass over you at the time you have become an earnest Christian. Of coarse I wouldn't want to weaken your faith in God or anything like that, but here you are, God's help and guidance, and yet things are getting steadily worse. I can't help wondering why this is." The blacksmith didn't answer immediately and it was evident he had thought of this before. Finally he said, "Do you see this raw iron I have to make into horseshoes? Do you know what I have to do with it? I take a piece and heat it first until it is red, almost white with heat. Then I hammer it unmercifully to shape it as I know it should be shaped. Then I plunge it into a pail of cold water to temper it. Then I heat it again and hammer it some more. This I do over and over until it is finished, but sometimes I find a piece of iron that won't stand up under this kind of treatment. The heat, hammering and cold water are too much for it. I don't know why, but it won't make a good horseshoe." He pointed to the heap of scrap iron by the door of his shop. "When I get a piece that won't take the heat and temper, I throw it into the scrap heap. It will never be good for anything." he went on, "I know that God has been holding me in the fires of affliction and I have felt His hammer upon me, but I don't mind if He only can bring me to what I should be. So in all these hard things, my prayer is simply this : Try me any way you wish, Lord, only please don't throw me in the scrap heap!" Mike got that story on his mission, it is truly something to ponder. I am so thankful we were asked to do this Trek. It has helped understand better the trials of my own life and help us strengthen our resolve to "Stand a little Taller"