Springfield Missouri Stake Latter-day Saints

Flint Barker was set apart as a full time missionary last night! Flint is the first missionary to serve from the newly formed Pomme de Terre Branch. He will be serving in the Salt Lake City East mission. We will be praying for Flint and his family as he serves for the next 2 years!

Preparing for the Future
Spiritual Pioneers; Temporal Footwear
Springfield, Missouri Stake

Dear Members of Springfield, Missouri Stake,

Spiritual Pioneers.
In addition to being the birth of our nation, July is also the commemoration of our pioneer ancestors entering the Salt Lake Valley which is essentially, the birth of a new territory outside the United States. These faithful saints endured many hardships and much persecution for their faith and their desire to practice it as they felt guided by God.

Many were driven mercilessly from their homes in the dead of winter and forced across the frozen Mississippi River, suffering hunger, cold, and even death. Their beloved prophet and his brother each died a martyr’s death, leaving their faithful followers feeling confused and forsaken.

Eventually, many of these valiant saints traveled to the Rocky Mountains via covered wagons and handcarts in often desperate conditions, some dying along the way and buried in shallow graves. Those who finished the journey were often destitute and faced the very real possibility of starvation. In addition to forging a new life in a formidable environment, the early saints also fought a plague of destructive crickets and the U.S. army, and many moved multiple times to settle communities throughout the west. They literally gave their all for God and their new religion.

So, what about us? What sacrifices are we willing to make? Will we go where God wants us to go and do what He wants us to do, even at the peril of our own safety and convenience? Do we have a personal Plymouth Rock or promised land? Metaphorically, are we willing to wander into an unknown wilderness or set sail on our own ocean voyage for the sake of faith and freedom? Do we have the courage of Captain Moroni to hoist a proverbial title of liberty in honor of God, country, religion, and peace (see Alma 46:12)?

In essence, do we have the conviction and fortitude to live the same consecrated lives as those who have gone before? A truly consecrated life has rewards now and into eternity, for “everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for [Christ’s] sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life” (Matt. 19:29). Then, “. . . shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage . . . and on, on to the victory!” (D&C 128:22).

Temporal Footwear.
Your feet are so essential and more fragile than you think. Think how painful it is when you have something as simple as an ingrown toenail, bone spur, bunion, sprained ankle or other problem that affects your ability to walk. In an emergency or survival situation, you can count on one thing, you will be using your feet a lot! Your daily tasks may include taking care of animals, planting crops, tending gardens, hiking, hunting, washing, cooking, scavenging, etc. And, you will be doing this in the heat and cold, rain or shine, mud and snow. In short, you must have good footwear and that includes good socks and boots. You noticed that we did not say shoes, and some may ask, “Why not?” We believe that in an extended emergency, boots are much better than shoes. The failures of ordinary shoes are the lack of ankle support, thinner soles, thinner construction material, and a lack of good traction on slippery surfaces.

Other than extreme snow and cold, our recommendation is an all-leather boot with a 4” shaft, or higher, (the shaft is the part that extends up your ankle). Some boots come with a convenient side zipper; but if the zipper breaks, the boot is basically useless. Therefore, we recommend lace-up boots. The preference between waterproof and water resistant is a personal one since the tradeoff is breathability during the hot months. Water resistant all-leather boots can become “almost” waterproof if you regularly apply a good water repellant cream. There are many options in leather boots, so be careful in your research. A quality leather boot will probably cost over a hundred dollars but should last years.

For extreme snow and cold, we also recommend boots. A good place to look for options are cold-weather boots made for the U.S. military. However, given that we live in southwest Missouri, you made be able to use the boots discussed previously year-round.

We conclude by making a recommendation on socks with three words: wool, wool, wool. Most socks are made from cotton which keeps sweat from your feet next to your skin causing all sorts of problems. Therefore, we feel the best choice for survival situations is wool; but be careful when you purchase them. Some advertise wool socks with as little as 20% wool. We suggest you look for at least 70% wool with the balance being a strong synthetic fiber such as nylon or polyester. You can purchase good quality wool socks for around $13 per pair. Having sent sons on missions to climates ranging from warm, humid, rainy to cold and snowy, we can vouch for the usage of wool socks to keep our feet comfortable and dry year-round.

Remember, sturdy footwear and quality socks can do much to improve our trekking experience, especially should we need to do some long-distance walking over difficult terrain and unfamiliar paths. Keeping our feet on the covenant path is easier when we are fully committed to following the pioneering spirit of our forbearers by living covenant, consecrated lives. Let us boldly and resolutely move forward!

Brother & Sister Stoll

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