Handcart Trek

Chase and I were asked to be a Ma and Pa on our Stake’s Handcart Trek. It was such a neat experience!It 

was amazing to see how the youth’s testimonies were strengthened in just a few short days on this trek. Chase and I had both been on handcart treks before, but not as a Ma and Pa, and especially not since we have had Nixon. It gave us both a way different perspective and experience than we have had before. One of 

the things that was so neat for me was to go on this trek pregnant. I know that sounds crazy, but it gave me a 

better insight to what being a mother and expecting a child was like for these amazing pioneers. Our family was given a baby (a doll) to take care of during the trek. We couldn’t let the baby down or else it would be 

pronounced dead. It seems kind of weird, but it really became part of our family during the trek. We had stops 

along the way where we would read stories and personal experiences from journal entries from different 

pioneers. At a particular stop, unknown to Chase what was on the card, he asked me to read it. I read the first couple of sentences and had tears running down my cheeks. The story was of a baby and toddler who had died along the journey and the mother had to bury them and keep going. All I could think about was the sweet, newly growing baby in my belly, and my sweet little Nixon that I had left back at home for the few days we were on the trek. Then towards the bottom of the card, it told us we needed to wrap our “baby” in burlap and lay it in the pile with the rest of the babies that had died along the journey, because our baby had also died. It was a very somber time and I can’t believe how sensitive these teenagers were to this experience. We also had a couple experiences with some of the youth that actually gained testimonies from this trek. They came and left different people. It’s amazing what a little hard work, spirituality, and good friends can do for some people. We did have tons of fun too, laughing and talking with our cute kids along the way. It truly was an unforgettable experience and hopefully one these youth will never forget. 

While we were on the trek, my sweet mother and sister in law came out and stayed with Nixon so Chase and I could go. We were gone for three days and two nights, the longest we have ever left Nixon but we weren’t worried a bit! Nixon had a blast and we are so grateful Grandma and Aunt Heidi could come visit!