In his April 2021 general conference address, then-President Russell M. Nelson said that sometimes individuals have “faith sufficient to stop the rain” and sometimes “faith to persevere when the rain [does] not stop.”
The 415 teenagers and adults in the Spokane Washington Valley Stake who participated in a recent pioneer trek learned that lesson last month.
When the youth gathered June 24 on Dry Buck Mountain in western Idaho to begin what was supposed to be a three-day, 15-mile journey, the weather was sunny and warm. For the first day and a half, the youth enjoyed perfect weather as they pulled handcarts along a challenging 6-mile trail, participated in devotionals, played games and slept under the stars.
With rain in the forecast for the final day and a half of the trek, organizers knew some adjustments would likely need to be made.
Planning a pivot
“We all started praying that the weather would shift and hold off until Saturday night once we left the mountain,” said Chelsea McShane, who with her husband, Scott McShane, led the activities committee for the trek.
But when the forecast didn’t budge, leaders began planning a pivot.
The biggest priority was to make sure the youth would be able to experience their scheduled “Walk With Christ” activity. Similar to a Heber Valley Camp activity in Heber, Utah, this activity comprised a nighttime half-mile walk through the woods, where the youth would listen to uplifting music, hear messages from Church leaders, read inspiring messages from their fellow trek participants and view along the trail depictions of the Savior.
The McShanes and others on the committee decided to move the Walk With Christ up a day to beat the rain.
“Turns out that the Thursday trail was the perfect location for the walk,” said Chelsea McShane. “Every station was timed perfectly with the terrain. … We needed pictures and projectors in specific locations to match the audio. God had little curves in the road, little uphill parts in the right spots. ... It was always meant to be on Thursday night. That was His path all along.”
For many participants, the activity was the highlight of their trek experience.
“The faith walk was my favorite part of trek,” said Ethan McCombs, who as a recently graduated senior was one of the older youth on the trek. “Throughout my teenage years, I’ve had trouble seeing myself the way God does. ... [Now] I truly know I don’t have to overcompensate for my shortcomings, but through Christ we can be made whole.”
Persevering in the rain
Early the next morning, hours after the last group made it through the faith walk, the rain started to fall. Youth and leaders headed for tents or took shelter under tarps. By the time everyone had eaten breakfast and gotten ready to head out with their handcarts, the trail had become muddy and slippery.
The youth were forced to continue on the hike without handcarts — ponchos dripping and spirits high. By lunchtime, conditions were only getting worse. The rain was joined by lightning, low temperatures, high winds and hail and flooding in some areas.
Making a difficult decision
On the previous two days of the trek, the planning committee had been spread all over the mountainside. When it came time to make a decision, almost all of them spontaneously ended up at the same spot at the same time.
“We were able to pray [right there] and just come to a unanimous decision that everybody felt good about,” said Lis Shumway, who spearheaded the planning of the trek with her husband, Scott Shumway.
They decided to cut the trek short to keep the participants safe. Youth and adults began the long hike back to the campsite.
Getting off the mountain
“This is a move-forward-with-faith team,” said Lis Shumway. Though the decision to leave early was “so wrenching,” once the decision was made, everyone got right to work.
They were reminded of the words of President Nelson from that same conference message:
“The mountains in our lives do not always move how or when we would like. But our faith will always propel us forward. Faith always increases our access to godly power.”
Adults lit fires to warm those who were cold and wet. The rain slowed and even stopped for a period. By the time cars started pulling out and began the winding path down the steep mountainside, the roads had dried out enough to allow everyone to get down safely.
“We felt guided and supported by Heavenly Father the whole time we were packing up and getting off the mountain,” said Michelle Christiansen of the trek committee. “Everything went so smoothly, it was hard not to feel His hand in the decision to leave.”
By early evening, more than 400 people had gotten safely down the mountain.
“It was a very clear window of beautiful, dry roads,” said Lis Shumway.
By the time everyone returned to their homes in Spokane Valley seven hours later, the hail and flooding in areas near where they had been trekking had become national news. Many said they felt grateful everyone had made it home safely.
Making it enough
Although the trek was cut short, the youth and leaders recognized the hand of the Lord.
“I loved how nothing ended up going as planned but ended up being perfect,” said Sydney Rahm, one of the youth who attended the trek.
Chelsea McShane added: “We can put in all the work into details that we think are important. ... But a lot of the time, God just boils it down to the most simple, basic and powerful truths.”
This was also 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 the youth benefited from trek, … I felt like trek was for me as well,” said Dallin Anderson, who served on the trek committee with his wife, Whitney Anderson. “I felt something at trek. The flame was stoked to a new level in a way that I really needed. I needed that flame of the gospel to burn so very hot as it did, and I was renewed and able to see my life from a more celestial perspective.”
Shumway added: “God still brought about His every purpose. ... Heavenly Father can always make so much more of something than we can. His plan is perfect. This trek was what He needed it to be.”
In the end, the storms brought about one of the greatest lessons.
“Although we know He has the power to quiet the storms of life, sometimes we need to walk through them,” said Shumway. “This is why we choose to walk with the Savior. As we continue to choose to walk with Him, we will feel joy, we will feel strength, and we will feel his love for us, allowing us to weather any storm in life.”
- Julia Ditto is the Spokane coordinating council communication specialist in the Spokane, Washington, area.
