Temple and handcarts
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WOODLAND, Calif. — Their own temple work enhanced the handcart trek experience for 85 youth of the Woodland California Stake on June 28-30. Prior to the trek along logging roads of northern California's Lassen National Forest, the youth from 14 to 18 years of age performed temple baptisms for ancestors and wore leather wristbands bearing the name of the ancestor as they pulled carts on the arduous 15-mile journey.
More important than preparing their physical muscles through exercise and stretching, the youth were challenged to stretch spiritually by doing original research to find one or more family names for whom they could personally perform baptisms in the newly dedicated Sacramento California Temple. A stake "promise committee" of adult specialists was asked to help the youth succeed in finding names.
A great deal of effort, parental support, earnest prayer and even some small miracles were required, but eventually 81 of the 85 youth found a name and qualified it for temple work. The average age of stake family history center patrons dropped substantially in the weeks leading up to the trek. Youth who found multiple names were able to share a name with the very small number who tried unsuccessfully to find and qualify an ancestral name for temple baptisms.
Chris Padilla, 18, of Dixon enthusiastically exclaimed: "I have done baptisms for the dead before, but when I did research and went to the temple for my dad's deceased cousin it was a lot more spiritual."
His parents, Rick and Kay Padilla, served as overall chairpersons for the physical aspects of the trek.
Carly Hadley, a 16-year-old Laurel from Woodland, spoke of performing a temple baptism on behalf of her Young Women president's great-great grandmother: "The spirit was so strong, much more so than any of my prior experiences in performing temple baptisms."
Stake President William L. Marble, who was overjoyed with the success of the monthslong effort and successful outcome, stated: "This has been a wonderful way to connect our youth to the consummate work of the temple. They have felt closer to their heritage, their forebears and to the welding link provided only by the sacred ordinances of the temple. As hearts have turned to their fathers, testimonies have been strengthened and spiritual feelings awakened."
In testimony meetings throughout the stake on July 1, numerous youth shared their testimonies of temple work and expressed gratitude for their ancestors and their handcart trek leaders.
