Sacrifice Brings Forth Blessings

"There is a price to pay for success, fulfillment, accomplishment, and joy. There are no freebies. If you don't pay the price that is needed for success, you will pay the price of failure." -James E. Faust

Yesterday (July 24), we were able to celebrate Pioneer Day at the Visitors Center. It was so fun to see these children enjoying learning about the sacrifices of the early pioneers who left their homes and came west. Many of them lost all that they had-- including their lives. But they did it because they knew that the Gospel is true. Their faith and courage was strong. They left all in the hands of their God. 

 We were able to teach stories about some of the early pioneers, sing songs, and play pioneer games with children and families. There were over 1,500 people who came and participated!

I have ancestors who came to America to be able to have religious freedom. One of my favorite stories is of my great-great-great grandmother, Emily Hill Woodmansee.

She was from Wiltshire, England. She first heard about the Gospel when she was 12 years old and couldn't be baptized until she was 16. She got a job to earn money to come to "Zion". She courageously boarded a ship in May 1856 with her sister Julia arrived to New York and traveled by rail to Iowa. She joined the Willey handcart company and walked through all conditions and made it to Salt Lake. She became a poet and several of her poems were set to music as hymns in our hymn book. One of those hymns is "As Sisters in Zion."

Something that she said that really sticks out to me is; 
"The flesh certainly was weak, but the spirit was willing."

I feel like this is true in every aspect of our lives. Our spirits are a lot stronger than what our mortal minds can comprehend. We can do a lot more than we think we can. It is amazing to think about the challenges that the Pioneers went through and all that they sacrificed. But all their sacrifices were definitely worth it. They have been blessed, and their sacrifices are blessing all their posterity today.

To sacrifice is to give up something we value for the sake of something of greater worth. 

"If we were not required to make sacrifices, we would never be able to develop the faith necessary for eternal salvation."

The sacrifices that we make for God will also bring blessings to us and to our family and posterity. I am so grateful to know that I can give my best to be able to make it back to my Heavenly Father and that the Savior has already paid the price to make up for what I lack.