Hole in the Rock

Today we had regional conference. Elder Holland's talk like always, spoke volumes. The other talks were just as wonderful. He told us this story:

"The wagon of Joseph Stanford Smith was the last of twenty-six wagons to pass through Hole-in-the-Rock that day. Brother Smith, known as Stanford, had helped others through the passage all day while his wife and three children sat on a pile of quilts in the snow and watched. Apparently not realizing there was one more wagon to come down, the rest of the group had all moved on to the ferry. So Stanford and his wife, Belle, determined that they would have to bring their wagon down by themselves. Belle sat her three-year-old son on the quilts, placed the baby between his legs, and told them not to move until their father came back for them. Ada, the oldest, sat in front of her brothers and said a prayer.

Belle and one of the horses pulled on the ropes tied to the back of the wagon as Stanford braced his legs against the dashboard and gently urged the horses on. As soon as they started down, the anchor horse fell. Belle caught her foot in the rocks and broke free several times before she too fell and was dragged along with the horse down the steep slope. By the time the wagon stopped, a jagged rock had cut Belle’s leg from heel to hip. Stanford ran to her to see if she was all right. With pioneer tenacity, Belle told him she had “crow-hopped” all the way down. Stanford helped her into the wagon, cleaned her cut, and then climbed back up for the children. As he passed his horse, which was dazed but alive, Stanford took off his hat and waved it in the air as a salute to his wife. They had made it!"



Belle had done the work that took 20 men to do for all the other wagons. SHe had the faith they could make it down. It wasn't easy, but they did it. I take this talk,and hope that as the mother of three children, I can have the strength to do the impossible. Today we live in a life where troubled times may not always be on the outside, but battles within. Which is more impossible to go down this slope, or deal with issues we all have to deal with? We live in a time where ALL of us do the impossible through faith in God. Sometimes we have to take life by the reigns and do hard things, but in the end we know we are here for a reason and with God, we can handle the things that are given. I am also going to be starting the study of Daniel. We live in a world of lions, but with the security and faith we don't have to let them get to us.