17 miracles

For Family Home Evening tonight we decided to go see this movie, 17 miracles.  I was a little hesitant because it wasn't rated and I wasn't sure if it would be too much for my little ones to handle.  It was very well done.  I loved it.  My kids enjoyed it as well.  They had a ton of questions.  It was a lot for their little minds to try to grasp.  If you go see it I recommend some processing time following the movie.  Clara said to me when we got home, "Mom, you got married in the Salt Lake Temple and you didn't die". 
Anyway...this is a movie about the Martin and Willie Handcart companies.  They were a group of Latter-Day Saints who crossed the plains in the fall of 1846.  They had horrible conditions.  They ran out of food.  They were hungry and tired and then ran into a horrible storm.  Many of them froze.  Their determination to reach the Salt Lake Valley is unbelievable.  I am overwhelmed by their faith.  I came home and tucked my children into their warm beds and gave them a nice drink of water.  I can't imagine what it was like for parents to not be able to provide warmth and food for their children.  It must have been heartbreaking.  One of my ancestors, Ephraim Hanks was a rescuer of these handcart pioneers.   I am grateful for his faith and obedience to go through a horrible storm to rescue these poor people.  This story is one that cannot be told in a blog post so if you get the chance, go see this movie. I am so proud of our pioneer heritage.  It is an honor to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  My ancestors did cross the plains but not under the same conditions as these handcart pioneers.  I love them for their great examples.  My ancestors were sent to southern Utah to settle and then they were commanded to go to Eastern Utah with the Hole in the Rock pioneers.  I hope I can teach my kids to value the things that these ancestors sacrificed for.  I hope they will always believe in God and his miracles.  I hope they will gain testimonies of His gospel.