I've had a lot of titles in my life, but Ma Fuller might be one of my favorites.
Over the last 5 months Ben and I have had the opportunity to be a Ma and Pa for pioneer trek. We were assigned our family in February and tried our best to get to know them and prepare them for trek. Our kids were Kourtney McCleve, Quinn Curtis, Brinlee Kirkham, Elias Hansen, Madi Rouse, Isaac McDonald and Ashton Sorensen. As a ma, we held a few family nights to get to know our "kids" and build unity within our "family." We had a get to know you activity where we had pizza and played games. We had movie night where we watched Legacy. We had an activity to do proxy baptisms for our ancestors at the temple (but nobody showed up) and we had a bucket check activity the Monday before trek. It was fun getting together with our family. We played the spray bottle game, ping pong, pinball and danced. Sometimes they didn't want to leave and asked if they could sleep over. Because I was also our ward trek coordinator, I organized 3 additional trek activities for the entire ward. We also participated in a pre-trek stake walk.
Just 3 days before trek, one of the Pa's in our ward injured his hand and had to have surgery, so we split up their family, and adopted 3 more kids (Spencer Land, Abbie Kirkham and Kade Miner), which brought our family to 10 kids. Our ward went from 3 families to 2. Sterling and Jessica Adams were the other Ma and Pa, they also had 10 children, Clark McDonald, Christopher Hanks, Malia Rose, Lauren Janssen, Audrey Christensen, Jackson Land, Eliza Keddington, Mahala Reynolds, June Harrison and Ryan Morris. Bishop and Celeste Janssen, David and Melanie Land, Brett and Alicia Kirkham, and Colby and Christine Keddington from our ward were also on the trek in different capacities.
The first day of pioneer trek was grueling. We got up at 4:30 a.m. to be to the church (England) at 5:30 a.m. for a devotional that introduced the theme of trek, "Joy in the Journey." Everyone was tired from the get go. After the devotional, we loaded up the buses and made the 2 hour drive to Deseret Land and Livestock (Iowa City, Iowa), 4 miles from the Wyoming border. We then loaded up the handcarts and started trekking. It took us a few minutes to get the hang of pulling the handcart, but soon our family became a well oiled machine. The youth were amazing. They were strong and willing to work hard. When one kid got tired, another would step up to take their place. The first few hours went pretty well, but in the heat of the day, we started to struggle. We were tired and hot. On one of the hills, the stake leaders were standing on the sides holding posters with the words to the song, "I Will Walk with Jesus." Most of us didn't know the tune very well, so we just sang the chorus, but it was hard to sing while we were huffing and puffing up the hill. After that, one of the site missionaries told us we just had to go over one more ridge and down into a valley where we would arrive at our destination. He said it was just a mile and a half more. I think he greatly underestimated the distance. We made it to the top of the ridge and there was another ridge and then another ridge. Pulling uphill for so long took it's toll. We were beat, our morale was pretty low, and several kids already had blisters. Before trek, I had bought each of them their favorite candy. During a water break when our spirits were low, I pulled out their favorite treats in hopes that it would give them a boost to get us to the end. It definitely lifted the mood. When we finally arrived, Ben's Fitbit showed we had gone 12 miles. Each stop along the trail represented a location along the pioneer trail. That day we went from England to Iowa City, to Florence, Nebraska, Fort Laramie, Wyoming and Bessemer Bend, Wyoming. We set up camp, cooked and cleaned up dinner and everyone was exhausted. During our family devotional, we asked the kids to share experiences during the day when they had felt joy. They had very little positive to say. Most of them just wanted to go home or wished they hadn't come and we were all filthy from the dust and wind. That night was really cold. I slept in my coat and was really glad I had brought hand warmers.
Day 2 started out rough. Kourtney McCleve had become very congested. She hadn't slept at all because she couldn't breathe when she laid down and was freezing all night. We got her warmed up and gave her some allergy medication. Standing up and moving around helped a little so we moved on with our day. We cooked breakfast and had our morning devotional which focused on finding Joy through building relationships. We then broke camp and loaded the handcart for another day of trekking. The pulling was much better. We only had to go 4 miles and it seemed cooler because we trekked earlier in the day. We went from Bessemer Bend to Martin's Cove. When we got to camp, some of the stake leaders had set up the tents for our girls. They were so happy. The rest of us set up camp and we had lunch. It got really hot that afternoon, low 90's. We were all tired, and wanted to rest but the stake had organized some activities, so we got up and went to participate. We played kazoos and had a devotional. Then there were slingshots and knife and axe throwing. We played pioneer games, learned to walk on stilts and to wash clothes by hand. There was stick pulling and tug of war, gunny sack and 3 legged races. It was actually really fun and dinner really hit the spot that night, pasta with meatballs. The vibe was getting better. That evening there was a ho-down. We were able to get all of the kids dancing, but unfortunately, Pa Adams sprained his ankle. We learned several dances and there were a lot of smiles. Ben's Fitbit showed 13 miles at the end of the day. During our devotionals that day, we shared stories of our pioneer ancestors and ways to find more joy in the journey. That evening, Kourtney was not doing well. She received a blessing of healing, we had medical come visit her, and Ben gave up his pillow and our bucket pads to help prop her up so she could breathe better through the night. We got her tucked in and luckily it was much warmer that night. We all prayed that she would be able to sleep. Every time I woke up during the night, I kept praying that she would sleep. She did!
Day 3 we were up early to get trekking. We prepared for another 10 mile day. We cooked breakfast, took down our tents and loaded up the trailer. We used the nasty porta potties that were getting more stinky, and filled our water jugs. We had a devotional about finding joy in the journey by relying on the savior during times of trial. We loaded up the handcarts and started trekking.
After about a mile, we pulled to the side. The men took the larger handcarts up to the top of a ridge (Rocky Ridge) while the young women and leaders had a devotional in preparation for the women's pull. We were anxious about the women's pull, so we knelt in prayer to ask for the Lord to strengthen us and to send angels to help us get up the hill. We didn't know how long we would be pulling, but the trail looked steep. We were the first handcart to start up the hill. It felt very heavy without the men helping. Our strategy was that we would not stop on the trail because we didn't want to lose our momentum and have to get the cart going again. It was really difficult. We were all breathing hard, and we were tired. But we just kept putting one foot in front of the other. To take our mind off of it, we played a game and talked about how the Lord was strengthening us. At one point, I was in a lot of pain and thought we might need to take a break, but the amazing young women refused to stop. They just kept going. Eventually, we saw some of the stake leaders up the hill which made us think we were getting close to the top. It gave us a burst of energy. As we got closer to the top, there were some angel women who offered to help, and we let them. Near the top, the young men had taken a knee, removed there hats and covered their hearts to show their respect. It was touching. I felt that same respect for each of the girls that were pulling with me. When we got to the top, we gave thanks and had a group hug. Then I asked if they would be willing to go back and help the others. They willingly ran back down the hill to help their sisters. As I looked to see who might need help, I saw a woman and took her place. As she walked behind me, she was crying and struggling to breathe. She was the reason the Lord wanted me to go back. I was so proud that our young women chose to use the little strength and energy they had left to help the others. I was told later that the he hill had been almost a mile long. As I was walking back to our handcart, I overheard some young men saying how fast the first handcart had made it up the hill. They were impressed. While we were pulling up the hill, the men at the top had been having their own devotional. They had to cut it short to run back to line the sides of the trail because we had made it much more quickly than they had anticipated. It made us realize how strong we really were when we worked together in the strength of the Lord. Ben mentioned afterward that he was amazed and got emotional. That doesn't happen very often. He said that several women were puking on the side of the trail. Some had to stop pulling and laid on the side of the trail to catch their breath and keep from passing out. After the pull, we sat at the top of the ridge feeling a great accomplishment and enjoying the breeze overlooking a beautiful valley.
After the break, we trekked the remaining 7 miles stopping at South Pass, Wyoming and arriving at Fort Bridger, Wyoming. Everyone seemed to have a little more pep in their step. It was sweet to see our "kids" looking out for one another. Madi had lots of blisters and pain in her back. We gathered around her to give her a big hug and let her know that it was okay for her to let the rest of us pull the load so she could take a break. It felt so good to arrive at the camp that afternoon because we knew the hardest part was over. It was really windy as we set up camp, the tents we not cooperating. Eli took some time to get them to stay up. Then Quinn's nose started to bleed. We couldn't get it to stop, so we asked medical to come help. It bled for an hour and was coming out her nose, down into her throat and out her mouth. Poor thing. Several of the young women gathered around her to offer support. They got her whatever she needed and rubbed her back. She was able to talk on the phone with her mom and received a blessing. The bleeding eventually stopped and she was able to carry on as though it had never happened. The stake provided dinner that night, which was so nice. That evening, "Ephraim Hanks from the pony express" brought letters for the kids from their parents and we had a devotional where the trek choir (including Madi, Myself and Audrey) sang The Miracle. That evening we gathered for a sweet testimony meeting. Many shared the sentiment that they initially did not want to come, but were glad they had. They testified that they had been strengthened by the Lord and their family during the trek and had built loving relationships. As we were trying to get to sleep, the wind was causing tents to collapse and it got really cold. The Bishop's tent, several of the youth tents and our pop up shelter for shade didn't survive the wind.
As we woke up on Day 4 you could feel the excitement of going home. It was another early morning. Breakfast was provided by the stake and we had our final devotional. President Cropper and Hite shared some thoughts. Then we hit the trail for the final 4 miles. We all pulled a bit more enthusiastically while singing songs and playing games. When we arrived to the staging area (the Salt Lake Valley), we unloaded our carts, and enjoyed some Pizza Hut pizza. We boarded the bus and headed home. Every one of us had blisters, aches, pains, bug bites, or sunburn, but we all survived pioneer trek and overall had a very positive experience. When Ben added up the final numbers on his Fitbit, we had walked more than 50 miles over the 4 days.
My favorite part was getting to know each of the youth in our family. They were all so kind and caring, strong and determined. I was so proud of each one of them. I hope they will always consider me their ma, as I will always consider them my kids. We plan to continue meeting as a family to keep our relationships strong.
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