Fear not I am with thee: oh be not dismayed
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
I'll strengthen the, help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by my righteous omnipotent hand.
(How Firm A Foundation, Hymn 85)
By the summer of 1846, most of the Mormons had left Nauvoo, but in the fall some 700 still remained. These were the poor and destitute who did not have the resources to cross the plains. The enemies of the LDS Church became impatient and forced these poor souls out of Nauvoo. When word reached Brigham Young at Winter Quarters he called for rescue parties to go back to Nauvoo. The saints at Winter Quarters were not much better off than those who had been driven by mobs out of the City of Joseph.
In calling for rescue parties, Brigham Young reminded the saints of the Nauvoo Covenant, which they had made in the temple before leaving the city. Each had made a covenant to not leave anyone behind, even if they had to sacrifice their own goods to bring them along.
"Now is the time for our labor," said President Young on September 28, 1846. "Let the fire of the covenant, which you made in the house of the Lord, burn in your hearts like flame unquenchable! Rise up, brethren, take your teams and wagons and go straightaway to the Mississippi and bring a load of the poor back here where we can help them find shelter for the winter."
One of those present at Winter Quarters that day was James G. Willie who ten years later, in 1856, would lead the fourth company of handcarts across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley. A fifth company led by Edward Martin would follow. Both companies left late in the season and were caught in the snow in what is now the state of Wyoming. When word reached Salt Lake City of these two companies, Brigham Young would again issue a call for rescue parties.
"That is my religion," said the prophet on October 5, 1856. "That is the dictation of the Holy Ghost that I possess. It is to save the people! We must bring them in from the plains." After detailing the number of wagons, mule teams and drivers needed, he went on, "Let me make myself perfectly clear. I will tell you all that your faith, all your religion, and all your profession of religion will never save one soul of you in the celestial kingdom of God, not unless you carry out just such principles as I am now teaching you. Go and bring in those people now on the plains! Attend strictly to those things which we call temporal duties, otherwise your faith will be in vain. The preaching you have heard will be in vain to you, and you will sink to hell, unless you attend to the things we tell you."
Today we are called to different kinds of rescue missions. Young men and women are called to serve full time missions to preach the gospel and to gather in the tribes of Israel. The rest of us are called to be member missionaries, to share the gospel with our friends and to work with the full-time missionaries in finding for them people to teach. Additionally, we are called to stretch forth the hand of mercy and compassion to those in need, from the heartbroken in our own neighborhoods to the refugees of war on the other side of the world. Like the saints in Nauvoo, we too have made covenants, and the fire of those covenants can burn within us like an unquenchable flame.
For many gathering to Zion between 1846 and 1869, it was the fire of the covenant that sustained them as they crossed the plains. Pioneers crossing the Oregon, California and Mormon trails spoke about "seeing the elephant"; this phrase meant that somewhere along the trail the enormity of the task of crossing the overland trail was impressed upon them. Today we may feel that our callings to share the gospel and to serve others is an enormous one, and we may shrink from it. There may be days on a mission when an elder or a sister might feel that the fire of the covenant is not burning very brightly within them. The rest of us may have days like that as well.
A character in Gerald Lund's novel of the Willie and Martin handcart companies, Fire of the Covenant, felt that way after her company had been rescued only to find that they still had to walk the trail to get to the Valley. This led another character to ask, "Do you have even the slightest doubt about whether God lives, about whether His Son came to earth and lived and died so that we might live again?" The first character answered, "No, I have not the slightest doubt."
"Then why do you say that the fire of the covenant has gone out in you," asked the second character. "Don't you see? It is the fire that drives us. It is our faith in the Savior that sustains us. That is what give us the strength to go on, even now as we start this terrible day." Though rescued, this party was about to cross one of the most difficult parts of the trail known as Rocky Ridge. "And it is our faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice that allows us to say, 'And should we die before we reach Rock Creek this night, then happy day! All is well."
It is through faith in Jesus Christ that we may find the strength and courage we need on our most difficult days. The fire of the covenant may be burning brightly within us even when we are discouraged. So, "Gird up your loins; fresh courage take. Our God will never us forsake! And soon we'll have this tale to tell -- All is well! All is well!"
