Greetings Henry’s Fork Stake Adult Trek Leaders!
"What I have said I know to be true; but seeing you are to go forward, I will go with you, will help all I can, will work with you, will rest with you, and if necessary, will die with you. May God in his mercy bless and preserve us."
~Levi Savage, August 13, 1856
Hello, my name is Shane Wasden. I serve as your Stake Committee Trek Chair. I work under the direction of President Preator and alongside our Stake Young Women President, Jan Gehmlich as well as our YM/YW Stake Presidencies and a few other high councilors serving on the Trek Committee. Please see the attached document for several other faith-building, heart wrenching, testimony-building handcart stories. (I must warn you though--Be careful if you are at work reading them; these stories will most likely bring a tear to your eye!)
I have included those Trek, Ward, and Stake leaders on this email who are involved with attending Trek or who currently serve in a ward youth calling.
As a trek committee, we have been meeting regularly since October 2022. We are a little more than a month away from this faith-building experience! Our theme is “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). We are excited for our soon departure! I am listing the Trek Committee Members, in case you want to reach out to any of us with questions.
· Shane Wasden, Sam Butikofer, David Moss, Daniel Stoddard, Jan Gehmlich, Amy Hancock, Kailey Klingler, Shelli Chambers, Michael Gentry, Josh Anderson, Dan & Wendi Ballard, Shawn Preator.
I hope each week to send you this email for the next 6 weeks answering your questions, updating you, and sharing information. PLEASE, please feel free to send me an email with any questions and we will answer it or at least find an answer. Again, the HF 2023 Trek Blog website is your best information resource. Another great resource are your fellow ward members. Many, many ward members will have an extra Trek bucket or pioneer clothing lying around the house. Many ward members will also have attended a Trek previously if you wanted to brainstorm with us or them.
If you have a question, it is more than likely that some other person also has the same question, please feel free to email, text, or call any of us.
My email address is wasdens@gmail.com or
Cell phone: 208-705-3365.
FOOD:
Dan and Wendi Ballard along with President Jan Gehmlich are leading up our Food Committee. Rest assured, you are in good hands and the menu has been planned. All meals will be purchased and supplied by the stake. (We want to give a big shout-out to Cedar Point Trucking and Bishop Leatham for donating the use of a refrigerated semi-trailer. This reefer trailer will be the center of our food operations/commissary.) This year we will also have some ice available with a big ice freezer from Kool Ice. Your ward food specialists will assist you with cooking and coordinating food.
DEPARTURE/RETURN:
7/26 Wednesday 5:00 PM thru 7/29 Saturday, 12:00 Noon.
We plan to meet at 5:00 PM and depart by 5:30 PM by bus. (All equipment should have been loaded the day before in your ward equipment trailer.) We have plenty of seating for all youth and adult leaders. We strongly encourage Ma & Pa’s and youth to ride together in the buses. As you are responsible for the safety and spiritual well-being of these wonderful youth. It is important for you to be with them, love them, and watch over them. Have fun together! Start on the bus.
We will return to the Stake Center by Noon on Saturday. Tentatively, we plan to arrive by 11:30 AM.
EQUIPMENT:
Wards should plan to have all equipment, tents, bedding, clothing, and buckets loaded the day before departure on Tuesday (coordinated when and where, by each ward). This way, we can just show up and depart on Wednesday. Each Trek Family is responsible to ensure that they have sufficient camping and sleeping supplies for each youth in their Trek Family. They are also responsible for having equipment available to cook. In this Trek, each ward will be assigned a “campground” area. Wards will cook and eat together. Trek Families from the same ward will also sleep in the same areas so male tents and female tents/equipment resources can be utilized together with various Trek Families from the same ward. Bishops are the company commanders. Ward Food Specialists and Equipment Specialists are a resource for you. Josh Anderson is the Stake Trek Committee Specialists, but each ward also has an Equipment Specialist to help with preparations prior to Trek. Firewood is available and provided onsite by Sellars Creek Ranch. An axe will be helpful though.
MEDICAL AND SAFETY:
Nearly every ward has 1-3 medical professionals attending. Each ward (company) will have a first aid kit supplied to them. Each Bishop (or designated counselor if bishop is unavailable) will have a walkie talkie radio onsite provided to them by Sellars Creek. The physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual health of ALL trek participants is paramount. For the most part proper shoes, clothing, rest, and water will eliminate nearly all trek medical issues. The protection of a good wide brimmed hat and bonnets will be a blessing. There was a reason the pioneers were the clothes they did—it helped protect them against the elements.
Drink, Drink, Drink, (did I mention water?) Drink water. Use humor, use love, use kind persuasion—but make sure everyone is drinking lots of water. In past Treks, we’ve seen where occasionally some of the youth drink less water because they don’t want to use the port-a-potties. The missionaries of Sellars Creek Ranch keep things quite organized and clean. But no matter the situation—good sleep and good rest will minimize most medical and safety issues. (Along with Vaseline or a stick of Body Glide!!! Chafing is real folks 😊 :-))
TREK FAMILIES
Organized in groups of 6-9 by the ward under the coordination, direction of the Bishopric. Ward Young Women President would be an excellent source to council with while setting up the trek family organizations.
ITINERARY
Summary:
Wednesday – 5:00 PM Travel departure and set up camp
Thursday – Light day of trekking (about 3 miles) with camp games and a dance
Friday – Heavier day of trekking (about 6 miles)
Saturday – Wake-up, Clean-up, Return by 12:00 Noon
In conclusion, we have been praying for the Lord's hand to watch over our preparations. We invite you to begin (or continue) praying for your ward youth. The world is bombarding these great young men and young women. Let us be one more anchor point for them to hold! Let us be one more voice of reason and love encouraging them and loving them towards the Savior Jesus Christ.
As a Trek Committee, we pray for you. We pray for our youth to have spiritual experiences drawing them closer to the Lord Jesus Christ. May God bless you in your preparations and we thank you for your willingness, sacrifice, and dedication in building the kingdom of God here on this earth and for loving and mentoring the up-and-coming generation.
Well, I better put a pause on this email, it’s running a little long. Until next week!
Much appreciation,
Shane and the Trek Committee
(By the way, if you would like to be removed from this email list--just hit reply to this email with the words "remove".)
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Here is the background of the short spiritual thought I shared in our April Ma & Pa Training.
Ephraim Hanks’ story begins at October general conference time of 1856. On Oct. 4, President Brigham Young had received reports from Elder Franklin D. Richards and a group of missionaries who had just arrived in Salt Lake Valley from the East, to the effect that the handcart companies were still on the trail in Wyoming. Until this time President Young had not known that the Willie and Martin Handcart companies were on their way — he had thought all of the handcart companies who were traveling had arrived in Salt Lake. Being very alarmed at this news, President Young stood at the pulpit the following morning at general conference and announced to the saints that supply wagons were needed immediately to go and rescue the handcart companies.
On Oct. 26, President Young called for more volunteers to go and help the beleaguered handcart travelers.
Two nights earlier, Ephraim Hanks, who had been fishing on Utah Lake, was on his way home to Salt Lake City, and was staying with friends in Draper. During the night he heard a voice calling him by name and saying, "The handcart people are in trouble and you are wanted; will you go and help them?" Ephraim wrote, "I turned instinctively in the direction from whence the voice came and beheld an ordinary-sized man in the room. Without any hesitation I answered, 'Yes, I will go if I am called.' " This message was repeated two more times.
"I now hastened to Salt Lake City," Ephraim continued, "and arrived there on the Saturday, preceding the Sunday on which the call was made for volunteers to go out and help the last handcart companies in. When some of the brethren responded by explaining that they could get ready to start in a few days, I spoke at once saying, 'I am ready now!' The next day I was wending my way eastward over the mountains with a light wagon all alone."
At South Pass in Wyoming, Ephraim encountered a terrific snowstorm. He said of it: "In all my travels in the Rocky Mountains both before and afterwards, I have seen no worse. When at length the snow ceased falling, it lay on the ground so deep that for many days it was impossible to move wagons through it."
Realizing the possible fate of the saints in the handcart company, he set out alone on horseback, leading a packhorse. His narrative continues: "In the meantime I continued my lonely journey. ... I camped in the snow in the mountains. As I was preparing to make a bed in the snow with the few articles that my pack animal carried for me, I thought how comfortable a buffalo robe would be on such an occasion, and also how I could relish a little buffalo meat for supper, and before lying down for the night I was instinctively led to ask the Lord to send me a buffalo. Now, I am a firm believer in the efficacy of prayer, for I have on many different occasions asked the Lord for blessings, which He in His mercy has bestowed on me. But when I, after praying as I did on that lonely night in the South Pass, looked around me and spied a buffalo bull within fifty yards of my camp, my surprise was complete; I had certainly not expected so immediate an answer to my prayer. However, I soon collected myself and was not at a loss to know what to do. Taking deliberate aim at the animal, my first shot brought him down; he made a few jumps only, and then rolled down into the very hollow where I was encamped. I was soon busily engaged skinning my game, finishing which, I spread the hide on the snow and placed my bed upon it . ... After this I enjoyed a refreshing night's sleep."
The following day Ephraim killed another buffalo, "impressed to do this, although I did not know why until a few hours later, but the thought occurred to my mind that the hand of the Lord was in it, as it was a rare thing to find buffalo herds around that place at this late part of the season. I skinned and dressed the cow; then cut up part of its meat in long strips and loaded my horses with it."
It was that evening (Nov. 11) that he saw the Martin Handcart Company in the distance — "like a black streak in the snow. ... I reached the ill-fated train just as the emigrants were camping for the night. The sight that met my gaze as I entered their camp can never be erased from my memory. The sufferers, as they moved about slowly, shivering with cold, to prepare their scanty evening meal was enough to touch the stoutest heart. When they saw me coming, they hailed me with joy inexpressible, and when they further beheld the supply of fresh meat I brought into camp, their gratitude knew no bounds. Flocking around me, one would say, 'Oh, please, give me a small piece of meat;' another would exclaim, 'My poor children are starving, do give me a little,' and children with tears in their eyes would call out, 'Give me some, give me some.' At first I tried to wait on them and handed out the meat as they called for it, but finally I told them to help themselves. Five minutes later both my horses had been released of their extra burden — the meat was all gone, and the next few hours found the people in camp busily engaged in cooking and eating it, with thankful hearts."
When Ephraim found the helpless immigrants, their food supply was nearly exhausted. A half-dozen deaths were occurring daily due to the bitter cold and hunger. They had been without help for 36 days and even the strongest were beginning to lose hope. Ephraim treated frostbite on several of the company, amputating some of the toes, and giving several priesthood blessings to the suffering saints.
Later, other rescuers and relief parties reached the distressed pioneers. Ephraim remained with the handcart company until they arrived in Salt Lake City on Nov. 30, 1856.