Growing up, Jan Pinborough never thought of herself and her family as pioneers.
Pinborough recalled seeing pictures of covered wagons and pulling toy wagons outside her meetinghouse with other Primary children to commemorate the early Latter-day Saint trek west. She assumed that’s what it meant to be a pioneer.
Pinborough’s parents, Horace and Shirley Underwood, had joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when she was 3 years old after Shirley let the missionaries into the family’s home despite warnings from a neighbor.
The family became devoted members of their ward in Midland, Texas, helping with early meetinghouse building projects and serving in leadership callings. Several years after the Underwood family joined the Church, the same neighbor who had warned Shirley Underwood not to talk to the missionaries ended up joining the Church, along with her whole family, after Pinborough’s brother told one of the neighbor’s daughters about the gospel.
As an adult, Pinborough realized that she and her family were indeed pioneers.
“Being a pioneer means opening new doors and walking down unknown paths,” she said. “It takes faith, as well as work and prayer, to follow good new paths — to be the first in the family to be baptized, go to the temple, serve a mission or go to college.”
In 2019, Pinborough was working as the managing editor of The Friend magazine and had occasionally written songs for the children’s publication. As she was planning Pioneer Day content for the July 2020 issue, she wanted a song that reflected pioneers of the Church around the world.
“I really wanted to make that connection in kids’ minds that pioneers weren’t just far away people in Utah, in the United States, who went to Utah and built a temple,” she said. “I wanted them to realize that wherever they are, they could also be connected with that work.”
So, she wrote the words for “I’m a Pioneer Too,” which was published in the July 2020 Friend and recently added to "Hymns—For Home and Church."
Michael F. Moody wrote the music for the song, which was meaningful to him after he and his wife, Maria Moody, served missions and other Church assignments in the Caribbean, the Middle East, the Pacific islands and Africa.
“Our hearts have been deeply touched by the faithfulness and devotion of today’s pioneers,” he said. “In my musical setting, I tried to capture the spirit of such pioneers.”
'I’m a Pioneer Too'
Or sailed the ocean blue.
When times were hard, they worked and prayed.
Their courage saw them through.
There’s much that I can do.
I’ll work and pray and follow Him.
I’m a pioneer too!
Built homes and temples too.
They told the world of Jesus Christ.
The Savior helped them through.
There’s much that I can do.
I’ll work and pray and follow Him.
I’m a pioneer too!
From Kenya to Peru,
Brave pioneers around the world
Still spread his gospel true.
There’s much that I can do.
I’ll work and pray and follow Him.
I’m a pioneer too!
Pioneers of the past
In a recent Church News video, Elder Gérald Caussé of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles referred to the early Utah pioneers as his “spiritual ancestors” and then spoke about the pioneers in his own family, including his parents.
“This is exactly why I wrote the song,” Pinborough remembers thinking while watching the video, where Elder Caussé paid tribute to his pioneer ancestors with a piano arrangement of “Come, Come, Ye Saints.”
“Our origin stories are so important,” she continued. “To know who we are, we need to understand where we came from.”
Pinborough pointed to research that shows children who know their family stories are more resilient. She hopes to instill that resilience in children by helping them know their “spiritual ancestors,” as Elder Caussé put it.
In the first verse of “I’m a Pioneer Too,” children sing, “When times were hard, they worked and prayed. Their courage saw them through.” Pinborough hopes the line will resonate with children.
“I think that’s really such an important thing for children to realize, ‘Yeah, times are hard for me too sometimes. I will need to work and pray.’”
In her song, Pinborough made sure to pay homage to pioneers all over the world. The final verse says, “From Sweden to Samoa, from Kenya to Peru, brave pioneers around the world still spread His gospel true.”
“You too wherever you are, you have spiritual ancestors in your country,” she said.
As Pinborough has raised her own two children, she’s told them stories both of her husband’s ancestors, who helped build the Salt Lake Temple, and her mother, who had the courage to let the missionaries into her home.
Pioneers of present day
In addition to connecting with their spiritual ancestors, Pinborough hopes singing “I’m a Pioneer Too” will help children see themselves as pioneers.
She considers the chorus of the song a call to action. Children sing, “The Lord needs pioneers today; there’s much that I can do. I’ll work and pray and follow Him. I’m a pioneer too!”
“I hope a child will hear that and think, ‘Gosh, what could I do to follow Jesus and bless the world?’” Pinborough said, adding, “The way children today will need to be pioneers is so, you know, it’s so unique to each child.”
Pinborough said her favorite examples of modern-day pioneers are BYU–Pathway Worldwide students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college.
“They’re going to be doing things that need to be done in the world that are part of following Jesus Christ, even if it’s not building a temple,” she said. “It might be, you know, solving a food problem where you live.”
Pinborough acknowledged that her own life has come with its fair share of challenges, but said she felt God had rescued and anchored her during those difficult times.
“It’s not always easy to follow these paths, and we will have unexpected obstacles to overcome, just as all pioneers do,” she said. “But our faith will grow and the Lord will comfort us and give us peace as we do our best to follow Him.”
