Trek

Much of my life has been taken up by trek lately. Now it is over and boy am I grateful for the experience!! I recognize that I generally wouldn't be included because I'm "not yet married" (as Sherrie Dew would say). It was an honor to plan alongside the stake young women and young men leaders as well as all of those asked to participate and help. We arrived at the Marriott Ranch Monday morning early and left Wednesday afternoon. The time in between was trying, beautiful, heart wrenching, hot,uplifting, wet, tiring, sweet, and more. One young woman summed it up well by saying, "it is something that I never want to do again- and it is something I would do again if I had the chance".

Here is what Ryan Quinn, our trailboss, wrote about it:

On June 20-22, 95 youth from the Waynesboro Stake, dressed like pioneers, went to the Marriott Ranch in Hume, Virginia, to participate in a Pioneer Trek Youth Conference. Each youth 

 was assigned to a "family" of 11-13 youth, led by couples chosen throughout the stake to serve as their "Mas" and "Pas" as they pushed and pulled handcarts through the ranch trails, simulating the Mormon Handcart treks of the 1850s and 1860s. The youth pulled their handcarts for miles and had many planned and unplanned events occur along the way that their Mas and Pas helped them to understand from a spiritual perspective. Some of these experiences were quite authentic to actual Pioneer experiences.

The Pioneer Trek culminated in a series of spiritual experiences, which occurred on Wednesday, June 22: a fireside, a "solo experience," and a testimony meeting, in which many pure and powerful testimonies were borne. The Trek ended as youth met their parents at the end of the trail in a celebration of what the youth had accomplished.

Since the Pioneer Trek, stories have flooded in to stake leaders, detailing countless small and large ways in which the hand of the Lord was present in Trek experiences. It was truly a spiritual feast.