Rudyard Kipling's line, "Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget - lest we forget!" was borrowed by Elder Robert K. Dellenbach for his Pioneer Day Sunrise Service address July 24.
"We must not forget," declared Elder Dellenbach of the Seventy. "For if we do, we run the risk of losing our bearings and our way and nullifying that which our pioneers left us for a legacy - a legacy of faith, won by sweat and blood and tears."Elder Dellenbach, second counselor in the Utah North Area presidency, was the featured speaker in the annual service presented in the Salt Lake Tabernacle by the Pioneer Chapter, Sons of Utah Pioneers. About 1,000 attended.
As in past years, the flag ceremony and pledge of allegiance were conducted by the Mormon Battalion, a service organization which strives to preserve the memory of the soldiers recruited by the U.S. government from the Saints' Camp of Israel on the Iowa plains 150 years ago.
The Jay Welch Chorale, conducted by Sterling S. Poulson, presented six selections, tied together with a narration honoring the pioneers who settled the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 and those who achieved statehood for Utah in 1896. The selections were "The Morning Breaks," "By the Waters of Babylon," "When I Think about the Pioneers," "Come, Come, Ye Saints," "Let the Mountains Shout for Joy" and "Brotherhood of Man."
In his address, Elder Dellenbach said the Saints' settlement in the Mountain West fulfilled two prophecies of Isaiah: That the mountain of the Lord's House would be established in the top of the mountains, and that the redeemed of the Lord would come with singing unto Zion. (See Isa. 2:2-3 and 51:1.)
He also quoted Nephi's prophecy in 2 Ne. 21:12 that the Lord would set up an ensign to the nations and assemble the outcasts of Israel and the dispersed of Judah.
"Following the Restoration and the establishment of the Church in 1830, the work of this gathering began," Elder Dellenbach said."It was not easy nor without hindrance."
The forces of evil took the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Elder Dellenbach recounted, and the lives of many of the Latter-day Saints. The faith of the Saints was tried and the leadership of the Church proved through the forced abandonment of the Nauvoo Temple, the burning and pillaging of homes in Nauvoo and surrounding villages, the abuse and murder of the Saints and the forced sale of property at depression prices, he added.
"Of the original companies that left Nauvoo on Feb. 4, 1846, only half of them had even half the provisions they needed for the journey west," he said. "Births took place in the open winter, often resulting in the death of both mother and infant. The elderly, sick and feeble died of exposure, hardship and fatigue. Approximately 6,000 graves dot the trail from Nauvoo to Salt Lake City, many of them unmarked."
Though when they left Nauvoo the Saints were not absolutely certain of their destination, the idea of locating in the Great Basin was somewhat conceived by the Prophet Joseph Smith and then settled upon by Brigham Young and the other members of the Twelve, Elder Dellenbach said.
"With pride and rejoicing, we reflect upon their valor, their steadfastness, and their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Their coming into this valley and, from this valley, going outward into all parts of the world, is a glorious chapter in the book of the final gathering of the house of Israel and the establishment of the Church of God."
He said he and his wife returned last fall from a three-year assignment in Europe where they witnessed miracles in the continued growth of the Church, particularly in what used to be the Soviet Union and its satellite countries.
"We were amazed to see how quickly the Saints, once they receive the gospel message, adopt not only the doctrine but also the history of the Church," he said. "These people have also known suffering and persecution. . . . What joy it is to them when they find the gospel of Jesus Christ! They come into the Church because of the doctrine, because of the saving ordinances of the restored gospel. They are a believing people, a righteous people, a faithful people. They do not come into the Church to receive a handout but a `hand up.' In fact, in that part of the Church, welfare donations are greater than the welfare received."
Today's "pioneers" come from all walks of life, Elder Dellenbach said, and he told of two of them. One was Vyacheslave Efimov, who joined the Church six years ago in St. Petersburg, Russia. Only 41/2 years later, he was called to be president of the Russia Yekaterinburg Mission. At the time of his call he had not read the Doctrine and Covenants because he could not read English, and a draft copy of the book was not available to him in his native language until he arrived at the Missionary Training Center for mission presidents training.
"Is not his history similar to some of the early Saints who joined the Church, and who, within weeks or months, became missionaries and leaders of the Church?" Elder Dellenbach asked.
The other "pioneer" he told of was Vasily Lubarets, who as a young Ukrainian tank commander, refused to obey an unjust order to fire on the Russian "White House" in the attempted military coup of August 1991, perceiving that it would have been an act of butchery. His refusal and some other developments contributed to the eventual establishment of freedom in that part of the world, Elder Dellenbach said.
Some months later, he met LDS missionaries and then joined the Church. "Today, he is our district president in the city of Kiev, Ukraine," Elder Dellenbach said.
"Today, we celebrate the pioneers of yesteryear, but we also honor those who are now coming into the Church, who are bringing with them the love of the gospel of Jesus Christ, who are determined to serve the Lord just as the Saints of yesteryear, and who lend their faith to the building up of the kingdom of God and establishment of Zion."
