Driven out, tried but blessed
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In every gospel dispensation the people of God have been driven into the wilderness to escape their enemies and establish a refuge of holiness, observed Paul Thomas Smith, and the Church has followed that very pattern in the latter days.
Brother Smith, a retired Church Educational System instructor and Church history researcher, was the third speaker in the May 7 Pioneer Symposium of the National Society of the Sons of Utah Pioneers in Salt Lake City. His subject was the relationship between the Prophet Joseph Smith and his successor, President Brigham Young.
"When the Prophet Joseph first moved onto the land that would become known as Nauvoo, he privately told individuals that the Church would only be there for seven years; that proved to be true," he said. "Joseph spent many, many hours with Brigham Young talking about the Church in the Rocky Mountains, that this would be a haven of safety for the Saints."
On Feb. 21, 1844, Joseph called upon the Twelve to send a company of 25 young men on an Oregon and California expedition, he said. "Their task was to seek a home for the Saints in the West after the temple was completed. Twenty men volunteered, and then the Prophet died."
Brigham Young's vanguard company planned to leave Nauvoo in April of 1846 and push directly to the Great Basin in one season using established trails for their destination, he said. The Twelve were forced to leave much sooner; most followed, very unprepared.
Brother Smith said the Iowa segment of the journey was by far the most difficult. "And yet the way station encampments of Garden Grove, Mount Pisgah, Council Bluffs in Iowa, and Winter Quarters in Indian territory gave the Saints time to recoup, some of them to regain their health somewhat, repair their equipment and plant crops, so it wasn't entirely a wasted effort. And, of course, in Winter Quarters, a major historical event occurred, which has affected all of us, theologically and organizationally."
In that, he referred to establishment for the first time of wards with bishops "as we know them today. And, you know, ward is not found in scripture; it is a political term."
It was also essential, he said, that the Mexican War come to an end so that the Latter-day Saints could establish their presence in the West. The delay in crossing the difficult Iowa terrain provided the necessary timing for that to happen.
He quoted Brigham Young as saying, "We are willing to take our full share of troubles, trials, losses and crosses, hardships and fatigues, warning and watching for the Kingdom of Heaven's sake, and we feel to say come, calm or strife, turmoil or peace, life or death. In the name of Israel's God, we mean to conquer or die trying."
