HOW  TO PREPARE

Please consider these ideas to focus your youth on preparing for the Trek:

1.  Below is a reading list of Trek themed stories or talks in the Ensign.  Assign youth to read 1 or more articles.  Perhaps have a brief story shared Sunday in YW opening exercises, or priesthood classes.

2.  Have Wards sponsor two 5-mile conditioning hikes/walks, one of which every youth and adult attending the Trek must complete. Stake leaders could decide how "mandatory" to make this.  Those on the walk must wear the shoes they will have on the Trek.  Please don't overlook the importance of physical preparation.  Some practical suggestions for everyone include:
  • Exercise AT LEAST 30 minutes 3 times per week.
  • Walk, run, bike or swim but we emphasize walking.
  • Walk different routes to vary the terrain where you walk.
  • Walk at different times of the day to get used to different temperatures.
  • Practice drinking lots of water when you exercise - hydrate!
  • Get your Trek shoes and "break them in".
  • Walk in your Trek clothing 1 time so you'll know what to fix if they don't feel right.

Here are some links to hikes in your area:
Santa Barbara Hikes
Santa Maria Hikes
San Luis Obispo Hikes
Newbury Park Hikes
Santa Monica Hikes

3.  The Sunday before the Trek have a Ward or Stake fireside. It may be at an outside location. Perhaps invite all to come dressed as pioneers and have clothing and shoes approved. Have someone of authority discuss the necessity of a positive attitude; benefits of being thrust into company of strangers (emigrant pioneers did it all the time); and/or principles from D&C 136:2, 8-10, 23-24 (aid the friendless); 28 (get into the spirit of the Trek). Review the purpose for guidelines on conduct, possessions, electronic devices, etc.  

4.  ASSIGNMENT: Wards should help every youth prepare their "Who is Your Pioneer"  story. 

Who is your pioneer?  Definitions of pioneer include: 
  • to take part in the beginning, to initiate;
  • one who ventures into the unknown;
  • leading the way, trailblazing. 
Perhaps you have a pioneer who crossed the plains.  Maybe your grandfather joined the Church while fighting in Vietnam.  Or, was it your mother who joined during high school?  Everyone has a pioneer in the gospel, even if that pioneer is you.  The youth will be sharing their stories (which they have written down) during the Trek.  Every youth must come with a written one.

Other Ideas and Resources

·Watch DVD’s:
  • Legacy (52 minutes)
  • A Legacy More Precious than Gold, (the story of the Mormon Battalion, 25 minutes)
  • Faith in Every Footstep (the First Presidency recounts the pioneer journey, 16 minutes)
·Emphasize journal writing
·Have a Square Dance
·Visit the Mormon Battalion Visitor Center/San Diego
·Sew pioneer clothing
·Share stories of ancestors
·Learn pioneer songs

Readings
Historical Fiction
·       Lund, Gerald, Fire of the Covenant, tales of three handcart companies.

Read Histories

·       Our Heritage, A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Pages 69-80.
·       Church History in the Fullness of Times, CES, Pages 309-336
.       Saints, Volume 2, Part 1

Ensign Articles:
·       Aug 1997 - They Came By Handcarts (overview history of handcarts)
·       Nov 1997 - Following the Pioneers (common heritage w/handcart pioneers)
·       Nov 1991 - Our Mission of Saving (pioneer rescue and the gospel)
·       May 1997 - Faith in Every Footstep (pioneer rescue and the gospel)

Pioneer Handcart History and Stories: