Trail of Faith
You can prepare for Trek in the following ways:
Spiritual Preparation
The pioneers had great faith to walk across the wilderness. The pioneers’ faith was on fire with the newly found light of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The new knowledge and hope of the restoration gave strengthened the pioneers’ faith and courage to sacrifice, follow the prophet, and to do hard things. Get ready for Trek by strengthening your personal testimony.
Activities:
1. Accept and act on President Nelson’s invitation about the Restoration.
-- Immerse yourself in the glorious light of the Restoration
-- Do Come Follow Me with your family
-- Ask yourself, “How would my life be different if my knowledge gained from the Book of Mormon was suddenly taken away? Or
How have the events that followed the First Vision made a difference for me and my loved ones?
-- Select your own questions
-- Design your own plan.
2. Find a story of a faithful pioneer (one who crossed the plains or a modern pioneer) to share on trek. (See how below.) Send stories to [email protected].
3. Study the scriptures daily, for at least 10 minutes
4. Find a lost ancestor and do their temple work
5. Watch an inspirational movie about the trek west:
Physical Preparation
The pioneers had to be tough to walk to Zion.
Activities:
Create a weekly exercise plan Enter a 5K run / walk Take several walks or hikes with your family or ward
Pioneer Knowledge
How much do you know about the pioneers?
Activities:
Personal Sacrifice
The pioneers had to leave a lot behind on the trail. The cargo space in a handcart was always tight. What are you willing to let go?
Activities:
The pioneers had great faith to walk across the wilderness. The pioneers’ faith was on fire with the newly found light of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The new knowledge and hope of the restoration gave strengthened the pioneers’ faith and courage to sacrifice, follow the prophet, and to do hard things. Get ready for Trek by strengthening your personal testimony.
Activities:
1. Accept and act on President Nelson’s invitation about the Restoration.
-- Immerse yourself in the glorious light of the Restoration
-- Do Come Follow Me with your family
-- Ask yourself, “How would my life be different if my knowledge gained from the Book of Mormon was suddenly taken away? Or
How have the events that followed the First Vision made a difference for me and my loved ones?
-- Select your own questions
-- Design your own plan.
2. Find a story of a faithful pioneer (one who crossed the plains or a modern pioneer) to share on trek. (See how below.) Send stories to [email protected].
3. Study the scriptures daily, for at least 10 minutes
4. Find a lost ancestor and do their temple work
5. Watch an inspirational movie about the trek west:
- Legacy - follow Eliza Williams as she journeys toward Zion
- Ephraim's Rescue - a new movie about Ephraim Hanks' trip to rescue the handcart saints
- 17 Miracles - see Levi Savage endure as a member of the Willie Handcart Company
- President Hinckley: "Our Mission of Saving"
- Elder Ballard: "You Have Nothing to Fear From the Journey"
- Elder Dube: "Look Ahead and Believe"
Physical Preparation
The pioneers had to be tough to walk to Zion.
Activities:
Create a weekly exercise plan Enter a 5K run / walk Take several walks or hikes with your family or ward
- Renew your Tetanus shot, if your are overdue
- Exercise with your Trek shoes on, break them in before Trek
- Start with shorter distances, gradually go farther
- Practice extra hydration: drink more water than normal while training
- Goal: walk level ground at 4 miles per hour without discomfort
Pioneer Knowledge
How much do you know about the pioneers?
Activities:
- Find out if your ancestors were pioneers:
- Go to Relativefinder.org to see who you are related to!
- Find your family tree
- Look for ancestors who were alive from 1847 - 1868, the migration years before trains took over
Another clue: they died in the West, but were born somewhere else - Enter all of these names in the church's pioneer database to find out if and when they crossed the plains
- Explore The Trek West, a church history web tour. Read the personal journals of the pioneers.
- These sections are about the handcart companies:
- Read a book about the pioneers, just a few examples:
- Learn how to Square Dance
Personal Sacrifice
The pioneers had to leave a lot behind on the trail. The cargo space in a handcart was always tight. What are you willing to let go?
Activities:
- Give up something you enjoy for 72 hours straight (that means, 3 full days and nights). Some ideas:
- Texting / Cell phone
- Video games
- TV
- All Music
- Pinterest / Facebook / all Social Media
- Soda / Sugar
- Fast Food
- etc...
- Report back to your family or class / quorum about your personal sacrifice experience