Even though the pioneers had a history of persecution, of being established in a place and then being driven out, they left something of themselves in each area for those who would come after, said Elder Loren C. Dunn of the Seventy.

"There is a quality that characterizes those who came to these valleys so many years ago," he said, speaking at the July 24 Days of '47 Sunrise Service. "Through their faith and prayers, through their planting and building, it was clear they wanted to leave something for those who would come after them."Elder Dunn, president of the Utah Central Area and executive director of the Church Historical Department, spoke in the Salt Lake Tabernacle at the service, which marks the beginning of the day's Pioneer Day observance in Salt Lake City.

"Not far from this historic Tabernacle is the Salt Lake Temple," Elder Dunn remarked. "These early temples are an example of the spiritual heritage that has been passed on to those of us who came after. . . . Those who built that temple have long since gone, but they have passed on their love and their faith to following generations through this magnificent structure."

While temple work is sacred to members of the Church, the building itself and the Tabernacle, Assembly Hall and the landscaped grounds on Temple Square are there for all to look at and enjoy no matter what their religious belief, he continued.

"For me, a great example of our heritage is the trees. There were virtually no trees when the pioneers came into these valleys years ago. The pioneers came to build and to plant and to put down their roots. It was noted that tree planting began at once and virtually every company of pioneers brought seeds and seedlings and young cuttings.

He added: "Through the practice of leaving something worthwhile for those who would come after them, the pioneers are not entirely gone from us nor will they ever be gone from our minds and our hearts as long as we also follow the same practice of leaving something worthwhile for those who will come after us."

Elder Dunn spoke of another kind of pioneer, those people of other faiths who came soon after the pioneers and shared and upheld the values of the community to pass on to those who came after them.

Elder Dunn quoted William James, a philosopher, who said: "The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. . . . Is it not preferable to serve something big and lasting even in a small way than something petty and transitory in a big way?"

He also noted the words of President Spencer W. Kimball: "May you keep your personal ambitions secondary to your pursuit of high purpose and let your task literally glow with the noble end to which it is fully dedicated. May you be sensitive to the pulse beats of humanity's heart, and may you rise above the drudgery of life to glory in its spiritual universe and to hand down to your posterity and associates a spiritual heritage."

Elder Dunn remarked, "Keeping personal ambitions secondary to the pursuit of high purpose was what brought the pioneers to these valleys in the first place."

A willingness to pass on what has been received from the past is the best way to show gratitude, he continued. "This is the pioneer spirit that helped establish this state. And this I feel is what each of us honors today.

"Quite often we do not see the immediate effects of good works," Elder Dunn said. The pioneers suffered and sacrificed in a number of places and many times it seemed to no avail, but it was the generations who came after them who reaped the benefits of their work.

"How many good efforts seem to go in vain when a person is trying to do the right thing; perhaps efforts on behalf of someone else that are rejected or not appreciated or turned away from them," Elder Dunn commented. "There is something sacred about a righteous effort. There is something about trying to do the right thing for the right reasons that somehow does not get lost."

A lesson that members have learned from the pioneers is that there will come a time when someone will be nourished by their unselfish acts, he remarked. "This is what made these valleys a reality. This is the kind of faith that sanctifies and blesses the honest, individual efforts of good men and women everywhere and lets them know it was not in vain."

As the saints left Nauvoo, Elder Dunn said it was reported that there was written on the walls of the temple, the message, "God hath seen our sacrifice come after us."

"No one is quite certain what is meant by this," Elder Dunn explained. "Perhaps it was a message to some late arriving immigrants to catch up with the body of saints in Iowa, or perhaps it may have been a message from one generation to another. Perhaps they were saying, `we have made the sacrifices, we have run the race, we have laid the foundation for your religion and for your communities, we have established your spiritual heritage. And now, by what you do, by how you respect what we did and what we stood for, come after us. We kept that spiritual heritage intact and passed it on to you for your benefit. You can come after us by passing it on to those who come after you.' "

Elder Dunn concluded: "By how we live, by how we treat one another and the values that we hold to, first in these valleys of the mountains and also throughout the entire world, may we come after them."

The Wasatch Front Combined Choir, directed by Richard Smith, provided music for the service. A song written especially for Pioneer Day celebrations, "Blossom Like a Rose," was performed by the choir with Katie Hill as soloist.

The modern Mormon Battalion conducted the flag ceremony at the service, which was sponsored by the Pioneer Chapter of the Sons of Utah Pioneers.