The Relief Society was organized on March 17, 1842. By August of that same year, their membership reached over 1,100 women.
“Sisters in Nauvoo clamored to join the Relief Society. They were excited to give temporal and spiritual aid in an organized, authorized way. They also recognized the unparalleled opportunity to be taught by a prophet in preparation for higher spiritual knowledge and the blessings of the temple. They loved being unified with one another and with their priesthood brethren in these great causes.” (Daughters in My Kingdom; The History and Work of Relief Society, pg. 15)
“When Sarah M. Kimball and Margaret Cook decided to begin a sewing society, they wanted to help prepare a temple for the people. Under the inspiration and guidance of a prophet and other priesthood leaders, they and their sisters ultimately helped prepare a people for the temple.” (pg. 25)
Even after the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in June of 1844, the sisters did not lose their faith and devotion. Their “desires to relieve suffering, strengthen families, and be faithful and holy continued to burn bright.” (Daughters in My Kingdom; The History and Work of Relief Society, pg. 29) After the dedication of the Nauvoo temple and before beginning their exodus west in 1846, more than 5,000 Saints came to the temple “to receive the endowment and sealing ordinance before embarking on their journey into an unknown future. They came to the temple all day and long into the night. President Brigham Young gave “ [himself] up entirely to the work of the Lord in the Temple night and day, not taking more than four hours sleep, upon an average, per day, and going home but once a week.” (pg 29)
Sister Sarah Rich was called to work in the temple during this time. She too was preparing to leave Nauvoo. She later spoke of how the temple blessings sustained her through her journey.
“Many were the blessings we had received in the house of the Lord, which has caused us joy and comfort in the midst of all our sorrows and enabled us to have faith in God, knowing He would guide us and sustain us in the unknown journey that lay before us. For if it had not been for the faith and knowledge that was bestowed upon us in that temple by the influence and help of the Spirit of the Lord, our journey would have been like one taking a leap in the dark.”
Daughters in My Kingdom; The History and Work of Relief Society, pg. 30
This song felt very emotional to me. As I wrote it I could almost picture the women and families told to vacate their homes in Nauvoo in the dead of winter as they said goodbye to their beautiful city and the refuge that it had been to them for a time. I could imagine them cautiously stepping onto the frozen waters of the Mississippi river, placing full faith in God that the ice would hold. I felt the heat and the monotony of their day to day journey across the plains. And after all that they had been through, to see those enormous Rocky Mountains come into view, knowing that they would need to somehow climb them in order to reach their desired destination… I imagined that it must have been nearly more than they could bear.
While we don’t walk the path described above, our trials often feel just as strenuous. We can do as those valiant sisters did and choose to look to the Light of our Savior Jesus Christ. He will illuminate our paths and lift our burdens with His love.
My family and I had the opportunity to visit Nauvoo two years ago. We walked the Trail of Hope, the path that the Saints traversed on their way out of the city and onto the icy Mississippi. I was able to stand on the bank of the river and look back toward Nauvoo and its beautiful temple as many of them must have done that fateful night. Then I turned toward the water and tried to imagine their courage and determination. It felt sacred and holy to follow their footsteps for even the briefest distance. We actually sat in our car that afternoon at the head of Parley street and listened to this very song. I had the strongest feeling that it does indeed express a portion of their emotions and faith as they stepped into an unknown future.
This experience also helped me see the strength of family and friends along our mortal path. We are here to help each other remember the Savior and the power that comes from looking to Him in every thought, word, and deed. We faithfully traverse whatever terrain we are asked to travel, and we do it together. If one feels weak or falters and falls, the others are there to comfort and lift. The power of temple covenants only strengthens this eternal bond.
So when darkness clouds your vision, let the Savior lead your feet in faith. He will be there, and He will help you see, if you will REMEMBER to look to the Light.