My Pioneer Parents

Here's a picture of my parents a little over ten years ago serving as missionaries in Nauvoo, Illinois. We went to Nauvoo the year they served and have sweet memories of seeing my parents perform in a play and also listening to my mom tell the stories of the Mormons of Historic Nauvoo. My mother has always been a natural storyteller and it was a wonderful experience to hear her retell history of the Nauvoo community especially at the temple site. In the coming week we plan to meet Angie in Missouri and go to Nauvoo again for the first time after ten years. It won't be the same without my parents who are a great example in our family of going on a mission in their senior years.

"You don't have to push a handcart,

Leave your fam'ly dear,

Or walk a thousand miles or more,

To be a pioneer

You do need to have great courage,

Faith to conquer fear,

And work with might

for a cause that's right

to be a pioneer!"

~Ruth Muir Gardner

Some Favorite Pioneer Quotes:

Truly the Lord encourages us

to walk in faith

to the edge of the light

and beyond—into the unknown.

After the trial of our faith,

He once again shines the light

ahead of us, and our journey of faith

in every footstep continues."

~M. Russell Ballard

That first trek of 1847,

organized and led by Brigham Young,

is described by historians

as one of the great epics

of United States history. . .

Can we somehow find the courage

and that steadfastness of purpose

which characterized the pioneers

of a former generation?. . .

Oh, how the world needs pioneers today!"

~Thomas S. Monson