Today all members of
observe and celebrates
a fantastic holiday: PIONEER DAY!
(It's actually an official holiday in Utah).
Claire and Lottie at the ranch in 2014
A dictionary defines a pioneer as 'one who goes before,
showing others the way to follow.'
"Pioneers of an earlier era provide a heritage of faith, courage,
and sacrifice for all of us, according to prophets
and apostles who lead the Church today.
But many modern pioneers continue the
legacy by spreading the gospel throughout the world.
In a Church that has more than 14 million members from
various backgrounds and origins, pioneer heritage, is both
a gift from the past and a unifying force for the future.
"With the complex issues facing our families and our friends,
our citizens, our state, our neighbors, our nation, [and] the world,
may we remember pioneers of an earlier day,"
said Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
He noted that early pioneers,
"persevered against injustice,
misunderstanding, some intolerance, occasional bigotry,
occasional racism, against differences of custom and traditions and faith,
[and] labored against all of that to carve out for us, their descendants,
the wonderful day and the marvelous miraculous time in which we live.
We owe the same pioneering, persevering legacy
to our children and our children's children."
(quote found here).
"We must be sure that the legacy of faith received from them is never lost.
Let their heroic lives touch our hearts."
