The Value of a Journey Through the Wilderness SCOTT WOOD Department of Human Performance and Recreation
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The Value of a Journey Through the Wilderness SCOTT WOOD Department of Human Performance and Recreation During May and June of 1834 Joseph led a group of over which God had revealed through him and promised the 200 men, 10 women and several children known as Zion’s brethren that if they would live as they should, before the Camp from Kirtland, Ohio, to Clay County, Missouri, in an Lord, keeping His commandments…they should all safely unsuccessful attempt to regain land from which the Saints return. Repeatedly through the march, the Prophet had to in Missouri had been expelled. warn, exhort, reprimand, and encourage the participants David F. Boone, who wrote Zion’s Camp: A Study in to greater faithfulness. He reminded them of their duty; Obedience, Then and Now, wrote, “Clay County Missouri he encouraged their obedience and chastised them for was over 800 miles from Kirtland. The camp members’ their laxness toward keeping the commandments. Some hardships were severe: hunger, thirst, unseasonable cold, camp members complained about the lack of bread at disease, milk sickness [also known as tremetol vomiting mealtime, about the butter, the meat, the horses (or lack of – it is a kind of poisoning, characterized by trembling, them), about the company they were forced to keep, and vomiting, and severe intestinal pain, that affects individuals about almost every other imaginable problem. Others who ingest milk and other dairy products or meat from a endured every privation, every setback, every challenge and cow that has fed on white snakeroot plant which contains opportunity with self-respect and fortitude.” the poison] and inadequate dress, or clothing – all The Zion’s camp effort sounds a lot like Lehi’s and Nephi’s combined to create great suffering.” Boone goes on to experience with Laman and Lemuel, only Nephi had to deal write that Joseph Smith, “Impressed upon them [Zion’s with it a lot longer. Camp] the necessity of being humble, exercising faith It is interesting to note that nine of the original twelve and patience and living in obedience to the commands apostles of this dispensation had served faithfully during of the Almighty, and not murmur at the dispensations of the trek of Zion’s Camp. So, in a real way, the purpose of Providence. He bore testimony of the truth of the work Zion’s Camp was for those who marched to prove their WOOD | 21 obedience to the Prophet, their willingness to sacrifice, and our challenges, knowing that things will work out and their ability to deal with physical, mental, emotional, and realizing there is greater purpose to our struggles, will help spiritual challenges without complaining or murmuring. us be stronger in facing these challenges with faith and An interesting statement in the October 1976 General determination rather than with medication. Conference by Elder Neal A. Maxwell supports this thought Willi Unsoeld, the famous American mountaineer, along about the purpose of Zion’s Camp: “God is more concerned with his partner Tom Hornbein, put up a new route on the with growth than with geography. Thus, those who West Ridge of Mt. Everest in 1963, becoming the 13th and marched in Zion’s Camp were not exploring the Missouri 14th men to reach the mountains summit. They made the countryside, but their own possibilities.” following statements about the benefits—or we could say A similar statement could be said about Lehi and his blessings—of taking on challenges: family. Although I am sure they got to know the Red “Hunger, thirst, cold, fatigue, your own physical and Sea Wilderness that they traveled through for eight years, mental limitations—you will feel all of these. This teaches those who were obedient and followed the counsel of their you about nature. More than that, you come face-to-face prophet were able to discover their own possibilities. They with yourself. Your mind and your body can take more too suffered hunger, emotional, spiritual, and physical than you think. Don’t cheat yourself by giving up—in hardships. They too had their share of setbacks, challenges, mountaineering, or in life. You can learn by being terrified. loss of faith, and, of course, murmuring and even physical By meeting a challenge and not giving up, you work attacks. Like Nephi breaking his bow. Have you ever through your fears. This builds a confidence that will wondered why Laman and Lemuel couldn’t go out and stick with you throughout your life. Once committed, be make their own bows? confident and stick with your course. There comes a time Elder. Boyd K. Packer wrote in his book That All when you have to take a leap of faith.” May Be Edified, “It was meant to be that life would be a Do we, as teachers at BYU-Idaho, encourage our challenge. To suffer some anxiety, some depression, some students to take that leap of faith? Do we challenge disappointment, even some failure is normal. Teach our them to explore their own possibilities? Do we strive to members that if they have a good, miserable day once in a empower our students? Do we instill in them that faith like while, or several in a row, to stand and face them. Things Nephi had when he was “lead by the spirirt not knowing will straighten out. There is a great purpose in our struggle beforehand the things which [he] should do”? Or, do we in life.” It seems that many in our society and many of always provide some kind of perfect rubric for them to our students at BYU-Idaho have allowed themselves to follow so they know what is next to guarantee their success? suffer anxiety and depression so long that it becomes a One of Willi Unsoeld’s friends, Dick Emerson, wrote medical situation and often a reason for failure. Perhaps about his experiences with Willi on Everest: “Willi required the admonition Elder Packer presents to us all to face that I cope with the mountain and with him until we both grew weary and fatigued; with that special form of fatigue which testifies to added strength.” Please share that thought with your students. You do not experience fatigue that testifies of added strength by playing video games all night. One must earn that kind of fatigue. The saints who remained steadfast in Zion’s Camp and in the wilderness with Nephi were a different sort of people. They were committed. They were confident. They Too many of us choose to dock cold. ‘You’ll never find enlightenment on a full our boats or ships in safe harbors, stomach,’ Doug merely said; then he swung onto the rope and headed up the wall.” Who but that is not what ships are for. would be Nephi and who would be Laman in this example? Walter Bonatti, an Italian mountaineer, dealt positively with disappointment and misery. How wrote this statement about the effort required many of us would have made it? How many of our students for mountaineering: would have made it without complaining, murmuring, and “Real mountaineering is above all a reason for struggle wishing they hadn’t taken on the challenge? and for self-conquest, for spiritual tempering and Prior to Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 Imperial Trans- enjoyment in the ideal and magnificent surroundings of Antarctic Expedition, which involved crossing the the mountains. The trials, the hardships, the privations Antarctic continent on foot and dog sled, he placed an with which an ascent of the peaks is always studded, ad in a London newspaper to recruit men like Nephi, become, for that very reason, valid tests which the Willi, Joseph and those on Zion’s Camp. It read, “MEN mountaineer accepts to temper his powers and character. WANTED FOR HAZARDOUS JOURNEY, SMALL In the atmosphere of struggle, of close relationships with WAGES, BITTER COLD, LONG MONTHS OF the unforeseen difficulties and the thousand perils of COMPLETE DARKNESS, CONSTANT DANGER. SAFE the mountains, the alpinist is shown in his true colors, RETURN DOUBTFUL, HONOR AND RECOGNITION ruthlessly laid bare, both in his qualities and in his defects, IN CASE OF SUCCESS.” Would you have responded to to himself and to others.” that ad? Would your students? People like Nephi, Willi, When something like steel is tempered, it’s heated to a and Joseph would have. In fact, Shackleton had over 5000 high degree and then cooled to increase its strength. So, applicants, of which 24 were chosen. What if a similar ad this “spiritual tempering” Bonatti is referring to makes one came out in the Scroll? How many responses do you think stronger in character. there would be? Could we reword Bonatti’s statement to make it more In 1981, Greg Child, an aspiring high altitude applicable to our students here at BYUI? mountaineer, was climbing a Himalayan peak named “A real BYU-I education is, above all, a reason for Shivling. This peak is 21,467 feet high—not too high struggle and self-conquest, for spiritual tempering and compared to some of the other Himalayan giants, but enjoyment in the ideal and magnificent surroundings of if you looked at a picture of it, you would see why it is this school. The trials, the hardships, the privations with a worthy challenge. He was climbing with famed British which a college education is always studded become, for mountaineer, Doug Scott. Child writes, “Doug Scott and that very reason, valid tests which the student accepts to I were huddled in a rocky corner at 20,000 feet, sheltering temper their own powers and their own character. In the from the wind and the falling ice that our two companions atmosphere of struggle, of close relationships with the above were dislodging.