I ended my last blog with the quote, “Life is wonderful, even in the hard times, and there is happiness, joy, and peace at stops all along the way, and endless portions of them at the end of the road.”1 Oh how well this quote describes the pioneers! I am sure there were many people who sang the pioneer hymn Come, Come, Ye Saints2 today as part of their worship. We did. And as I sang, I couldn’t help but think about the parallels between the lyrics to that song and the lessons I have learned from Ann Jewell Rowley, my third great-grandmother. These are a few of the insights I have learned about her as I have been studying her remarkable life.
Gird up your loins; fresh courage take – Ann’s husband, William, died when their youngest child was just six months old. She would now raise seven children of her own under the age of 12 and some of William’s children from his first marriage. After joining the Church, she and William had talked about leaving England and joining with the Saints in the United States. Sadly, Ann Jewell would now have to face that difficult journey as a single parent. These are her courageous words, “I was very grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the comfort it gave me. I knew that our parting was only temporary and that viewed from the eternities, this was but a fleeting moment. I also knew that no matter how fleeting a moment it was, I had to make the best of it. I had a very real job to do. The children had to be fed and clothed, but the big task and the one I must accomplish, is to get us all to Zion. I must be among the people of my faith and I must get the Temple work done for us.”3
Our God will never us forsake – Whether she was crossing the ocean to join the Saints or enduring her trials and struggles crossing the plains with the Willie Handcart Company, Ann always had great faith and trust in the Lord. This example from her autobiography gives a glimpse into her incredible faith. “I watched with alarm, my stepdaughter Eliza, grow weaker each day. She was never very strong. I had always devoted a lot of love and care to her, but she passed away one day and was buried off to the side of the trail. Her long journey was at an end, but ours had a long way yet to go. … I was grateful for my faith in God, for it was only through this faith, that I was able to carry on at all. I confess, it seemed at times, the Lord had deserted us. I watched John, so cold, drowsy and sick, want to lie down in his tracks, never to rise again. In traveling at night, in the frost of that altitude, Thomas’s right hand froze while he was pushing on the back of the cart. … He could finally go no farther and I felt my heart would break as I saw him laying beside the trail, waiting for the sick wagon. By the time he was picked up, his body was frozen in two places. That night, 12 people died and the next morning, 3 people joined them. … However, the Lord had not deserted us and I was ashamed for thinking for a moment, he had.”3
And soon we’ll have this tale to tell – While Ann Jewell had many tales to tell, something miraculous happened to her little family near the end of their journey. It is quite a tale! It, in fact, has been told in the movie 17 Miracles. This is how Ann Jewell described their miracle, “There came a time when there seemed to be no food at all. Some of the men left to hunt buffalo. Night was coming and there was no food for the evening meal. I asked God’s help as I always did. I got on my knees, remembering two hard sea biscuits that were still in my trunk. … They were not large, and were so hard they couldn’t be broken. Surely, that was not enough to feed 8 people, but 5 loaves and 2 fishes were not enough to feed 5,000 people either, but through a miracle, Jesus had done it. So, with God’s help, nothing is impossible. I found the biscuits and put them in a dutch oven and covered them with water and asked for God’s blessing, then I put the lid on the pan and set it on the coals. When I took off the lid a little later, I found the pan filled with food. I kneeled with my family and thanked God for his goodness. That night my family had sufficient food.”3
All is well! All is well! – Ann Jewell Rowley’s journal includes this tender yearning, “I shall be the happiest person, if I could reach Zion, with all my children alive.” Sadly, her stepdaughter died along the trail, but she was truly blessed to arrive in the Salt Lake Valley with all seven of her children on November 9, 1856. She had completed her big task to get them all to Zion. Happily, she was now among the people of her faith. Her last big task was to get the temple work done for her family. On October 14, 1859, Ann received her endowment and was sealed to William in the Endowment House. All is well!
Ann Jewell was an amazing example of a faithful, righteous woman of God. I am proud of the heritage she left our family. The pioneers left an unmistakable heritage for all of us who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The sacrifices they made continue to bless our lives today.
Robert D. Hales once said, “The Lord expects us to be as faithful, as devoted, as courageous as those who went before us. They were called to give their lives for the gospel. We are called to live our lives for the same purpose.”4
May we be as faithful and faith-filled as those who have gone before us. Especially this week, as we think about the pioneers, I hope we will reflect on their examples of perseverance, long-suffering, hard work, courage and unwavering commitment to God. Their incredible examples are worth emulating every day of our lives.
References:
1. Fear Not, Little Flock – Howard W. Hunter
2. Come, Come Ye Saints – Hymn 30
3. Ann Jewell Rowley – Tell My Story Too
4. Preparations for the Restoration and the Second Coming: “My Hand Shall be Over Thee” – Robert D. Hales