In his April 2021 general conference address, then-President Russell M. Nelson said that sometimes people have “faith enough to stop the rain” and sometimes they have “faith enough to endure even when the rain does not stop.”
The 415 Spokane Valley Washington Stake youth and adults who participated in the recent Pioneer Trek recently learned that lesson.
The weather was sunny and warm on June 24 when the young men gathered on Dryback Mountain in western Idaho to begin their three-day, 15-mile journey. For the first day and a half, the young people enjoyed perfect weather as they pulled wheelbarrows along a rugged six-mile trail to attend church services, play games, and sleep under the stars.
Rain was forecast for the last day and a half of the trek, and organizers knew adjustments would likely be necessary.
Planning a pivot
“After we all got off the mountain, we all started praying for a change of weather and better weather until Saturday night,” said Chelsea McShane, who led the trek’s activities committee with her husband, Scott McShane.
But when predictions did not change, leaders began planning a change in direction.
The first priority was to ensure that the youth were able to experience the planned Walk with Christ activities. Similar to the activity at Heber Valley Camp in Heber, Utah, this activity consisted of a half-mile nighttime walk through the woods, where youth listened to uplifting music, heard messages from church leaders, read inspirational messages from fellow trekkers, and viewed depictions of the Savior along the trail.
Mr McShanes and other committee members decided to move up the Walk with Christ by a day to avoid the rain.
“The trail on Thursday turned out to be a great place to walk,” Chelsea McShane said. “Every station was timed perfectly to the terrain. … We needed pictures and projectors in certain places to go along with the audio. God had little curves in the road, little climbs in the right places. … It was always going to happen on a Thursday night. That was God’s way all along.”
For many participants, this activity was the highlight of their trekking experience.
“The faith walk was my favorite part of the trek,” Ethan McCombs said. He was a recently graduated fourth-year student and one of the older youth on the trek. “Throughout my teenage years, I couldn’t see myself the same way God sees me. …[Now]I really know that we don’t have to overcompensate for our shortcomings, but that through Christ we can be made whole.”
endure even in the rain
Early the next morning, a few hours after the last group had completed their walk of faith, it began to rain. Young people and leaders headed to tents or took shelter under tarpaulins. By the time everyone had breakfast and got ready to head out in their wheelbarrows, the roads were muddy and slippery.
The young men were forced to continue hiking without their wheelbarrows, their ponchos dripping with water and their spirits high. By lunchtime, the situation had only worsened. The rain was combined with lightning, low temperatures, strong winds and hail, causing flooding in some areas.
make difficult decisions
For two days before the trek, the planning committee was spread out across the mountainside. When it came time to make a decision, almost everyone spontaneously arrived at the same place at the same time.
“We were able to pray (on the spot) and come to a unanimous decision that everyone was happy with,” said Rhys Shumway, who led the planning for the trek with her husband, Scott Shumway.
They decided to shorten the trek to ensure the safety of participants. Youth and adults began the long hike back to the campsite.
go down the mountain
“This is a team that moves forward with belief,” Rhys Shumway said. The decision to leave early was “very difficult”, but once the decision was made, everyone got to work right away.
They remembered President Nelson’s words from the same conference message:
“The mountains in our lives don’t always move the way we want them to. But our faith always moves us forward. Faith always increases our access to the power of God.”
Adults lit fires to warm the cold and wet. The rain became lighter and even stopped temporarily. By the time the cars started pulling out and winding down the steep mountainside, the road was dry enough for everyone to descend safely.
“The whole time we packed up and headed down the mountain, we felt guided and supported by our Heavenly Father,” said Michelle Christiansen, a member of the trekking committee. “Everything went so smoothly that I couldn’t help but feel God’s hand in my decision to leave.”
By evening, more than 400 people had descended the mountain safely.
“The beautiful, dry roads were very clearly visible,” Rhys Shumway said.
By the time everyone returned to their homes in Spokane Valley seven hours later, hail and flooding in areas near where they had been trekking had made national news. Many said they were grateful everyone was able to return home safely.
be able to do enough
Although the journey was interrupted, the youth and leaders recognized the hand of the Lord.
Sydney Rahm, one of the young people who took part in the trek, said: “Nothing went as planned, but I love that it ended perfectly in the end.”
Chelsea McShane added, “We can put all our work into the details we think are important…but often God just boils it down to the simplest, fundamental, and powerful truths.”
This was expressed at a testimony meeting held at the Spokane Valley Stake Center on Saturday night, June 27, after the group returned home.
“As much as young people benefited from the trek, I felt it was for me,” said Darrin Anderson, who served on the trekking committee with his wife, Whitney Anderson. “During the trek, I felt something. That flame was raised to a new level in a way that I really needed. The flame of the gospel needed to burn this hot so I could be renewed and see my life from a more heavenly perspective.”
Shumway added, “God still brings all His purposes to fruition. … Our Heavenly Father can always accomplish so much more than we can. God’s plan is perfect. This journey was just what God needed.”
In the end, the storm provided one of the biggest lessons.
“We know that God has the power to calm the storms of life, but sometimes we have to walk through the storms,” Shumway said. “This is why we choose to walk with our Savior. When we continue to choose to walk with Him, we can feel joy, we can feel strength, we can feel God’s love for us, and we can weather any storm in life.”
– Julia Ditto is Spokane Coordinating Council Communications Specialist for the Spokane, Washington area.
