This summer many of your youth have participated in pioneer treks. It is common for those going on trek to search out a pioneer ancestor to take with them to inspire them on the trek. Years ago researching a pioneer ancestor was not easy. Today it is a breeze thanks to FamilySearch. When you sign into your account on Family Search you will notice on the home page a reference to Family History Activities. When you click on it, you will find twelve wonderful and engaging family history activities available online that will bring family history alive for you and your family. This menu of activities began with only a few earlier this year and continues to grow each month.
The “My Pioneer Ancestors” activity is an amazing resource for quickly finding a pioneer ancestor and being able to access pictures, stories, journal entries and histories of your very own pioneer ancestors. Through this FamilySearch resource I have been able to read many stories and faith inspiring stories of many of my ancestors.
One of my favorite stories is about Christian Monson. When he was just 14 years old, his father was the jailer in the town of Fredrickstad, Norway. His mother cooked the food for the prisoners and Christian had the responsibility to take the food to the prisoners. At the time he was studying the catechism so he could correctly answer any question asked of him at the confirmation service for prospective young members of the Lutheran Church. One day Christian began to interact with some LDS missionaries that had been jailed for teaching doctrines not accepted by the national religion of Norway. Christian was intrigued by both their questions and answers and accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon. Christian spent his time studying the doctrines found in the Book of Mormon and the restored gospel. He knew the restored gospel contained the truth and he wanted to be baptized by one having authority.
Because of the persecution towards members of the LDS Church in Norway, and the strong feelings of his own family against the church, Christian knew getting baptized would be difficult. One day when no one else was at the jail, Christian used his key to the jail to let the missionaries out long enough to go with him to a nearby fjord, where they baptized Christian and confirmed him a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Afterward, Christian and the two missionaries walked back to the jail and Christian locked them back in their cells.
When Christian’s father found out he was baptized, he started beating him. Christian responded by stating, “Oh Father, it feels good to be whipped for the gospel’s sake.” His father then told him to get out of the house and never come back. Bruised and bleeding, Christian fled to Oslo where he worked as a carpenter, learning the trade and earning money so he could go to Zion. By the time he was 19, he had saved enough money and by ship and handcart made the trek to Cache Valley, Utah. There he was able to use his carpentry skills in the building of the Logan Temple.
President M. Russel Ballard, in a conference talk given in October 1996 stated: “We must be sure that the legacy of faith received from [the pioneers] is never lost. Let their heroic lives touch our hearts, and especially the hearts of our youth, so the fire of true testimony and unwavering love for the Lord and His Church will blaze brightly within each one of us as it did in our faithful pioneers.”
I am grateful today that by simply logging on to FamilySearch, I can discover the faith promoting experiences of my ancestors. As I read them, I too, want to exercise faith in the great cause today of gathering Israel on both sides of the veil. –Dave Castleton, Director, GFHC