May 6, 2013 - Hiking Ensign Peak

On July 26, 1847, their third day in the valley (the second having been the Sabbath), Brigham Young, with members of the Twelve and some others, climbed a peak about one and a half miles from where I now stand. They thought it a good place to raise an ensign to the nations. Heber C. Kimball wore a yellow bandana. They tied it to Willard Richards’s walking stick and waved it aloft, an ensign to the nations. Brigham Young named it Ensign Peak.


Then they descended to their worn-out wagons, to the few things they had carried 2,000 miles, and to their travel-weary followers. It was not what they possessed that gave them strength but what they knew.

They knew they were Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ.   They knew that the priesthood had been delivered to them by angelic messengers. They knew they had the commandments and the covenants to offer opportunity for the eternal salvation and exaltation for all mankind. They were sure that the inspiration of the Holy Ghost attended them.

They busied themselves plowing up gardens, putting up shelters against the winter soon to come. They prepared for others already on the prairie following them to this new gathering place.
A revelation, written nine years earlier, directed them to “arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations; “And that the gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth” D&C 115:5-6

They were to be the “light,” the “standard.”

Today in Salt Lake City, there are about 250 missionaries in the Utah Salt Lake City Mission.  They too, have come thousands of miles, with a few possessions, and the strength of their testimonies.  They are Disciples of Jesus Christ.  They know that the priesthood has been restored.  They keep the commandments and the covenants they have made.  They come to offer the opportunity for the eternal salvation and exaltation for all who will heed their call in the Salt Lake Valley today.

They busy themselves planting seeds in the hearts of many.  They store up tender spiritual experiences and foundations of faith for the many years of harsh winters ahead in their lives.  Each day, they arise and shine forth, and their light is a standard for the nations.  They are the light.  They are the standard.  They are the stripling warriors of the Utah Salt Lake City Mission.  They are the best.

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2013.05.06: Ensign Peak