Running with the saints: day 33 & 34.

A happy Independence Day to all my American friends and cousins. I have the great fortune of being a citizen of two nations (Canada and the United States). Really this means I get to pay taxes to two governments. Still, I find that I am truly blessed beyond measure to count myself among two great nations. Bartlett mentions “celebrating” on the trail. Unfortunately, he gives us no details on what that might have looked like.

Wednesday 3rd

The roads were very good today. The bluffs on the south side of the Platte River presented some very curious sights, resembling old, ruined castles and dismantled fortresses in places. The feed for our animals was poor. The road ran close to the river most of the way. We had lunch on the Platte River about 11 miles from our last encampment. We set up camp at 6 PM on the Platte, opposite a long island. There was a trader’s ranch nearby.

Thursday 4th

We started out at 8 AM and celebrated on the road. The road here ran over a very dry country with little growing except for prickly pears. Generally, the roads over this ground were hard and good. We had lunch on the Platte River, nearly opposite Scott’s Bluffs. We camped at 6 PM on a spring creek with cold water. The road ran near the creek but did not cross it. A tribe of Sioux was encamped nearby. Our people traded with them for furs and skins, giving bread, flour, meat, and other items in exchange. This tribe seemed much better fed and more knowledgeable about the prices of their goods than the last tribe we met.

Desperately trying to keep up

I put in a slow 12k on the 3rd. It was a social run with two good friends. Today (the 4th) I punched out a speedy 18k. I’m in Sherwood Park again. I bought new shoes today, both a pair of road shoes and a pair of trail shoes. The road shoes are New Balance (Fresh Foam). These things have some seriously beefy soles. I’m generally a low profile kind of guy. These are by far the thickest soled shoes I’ve ever owned. I am happy to report that they performed remarkably well. I’m looking forward to putting on the trail shoes (Saucony – Peregrine) and giving them a real workout.

I planned to put an update here of the number of kilometers I’ve covered, and the number the saints have travelled to this point. Turns out, I don’t have the copy of the spreadsheet I need saved to the cloud. Let’s just say it’s probably safe to assume the gap has widened a little more. Its okay. I’ll catch up before the end.

William Joseph, Missionary

At 18 or 19, these days, youth in the Church serve full-time missions. They are sent away from home for two years to share their faith and invite others to a life of faith in Jesus Christ. At 18, our young William Joseph was trekking across the American continent to carve out a new home and a life in the undeveloped west. That was a mission of its own. Still, William would eventually answer the call to missionary service. At the dawn of the twentieth century (1900), William was 58 years old. He was the father of 14 children (at this point). I believe there were eight children still at home when he answered the call to serve a two year mission to Illinois.

William was born in Illinois in 1843. Eighteen years later he would leave Nebraska for the Salt Lake Valley. Forty years after arriving there he would come full circle, returning to the land of his nativity to attempt to export the faith that compelled him to leave decades before. It must have been surreal. It was certainly a sacrifice. Supported by his large family and devoted wife he would spend countless hours seeking anyone that would listen to his message for two full years. He kept a faithful daily journal. Unfortunately, that journal mostly outlines the distances he walked, the many letters he wrote, and the activities of the day. It might be better described as a calendar than a journal. Occasionally, he provides a glimpse of his feelings.

William’s son, Seymour Elmo, was born June 16th, 1901. William was a year into his mission. In August, he received word from his wife that his mother had died. He reports these events in his journal without emotion. Despite his stoicism his entry of September 12 has stayed with me since I first read it some years ago. His companion was sick and he found himself alone in the work.

Sept 12. I was out tracting both in the forenoon and the afternoon and received the photo of my two youngest children. I spent 1 hour and a half in the park by a school house and watched the children play and in the evening went with president Geo Rollyeock and Elder W. K. Duedge and held meeting on the street.¹

Ninety minutes. I picture this 59 year old patriarch, a thousand miles from home, sitting in a park for ninety minutes with a photo of his youngest children (one of which he has never met), and watching the children play. In those ninety minutes did he question the impact his service might have? Did he ask his Heavenly Father if the sacrifice was really required? Did he get an answer there in the park? Whatever the answer, he got to his feet, met up with a couple more missionaries and went into the streets of St. Louis to share his faith. If only the people on those streets could see what faith that must have taken.

I don’t know how William felt about the sacrifice and service he gave. He could only hope that the legacy he left would trickle down through time to touch the lives of people unseen. Today, my little family was gathered in the Edmonton International Airport. My daughter, Lilli Charlotte, came home today from an 18 month mission sharing the same faith that William shared. Her mission took her to Montreal, Quebec and Cordoba, Argentina. I was vibrating with the anticipation of seeing her. I had my own park bench moments in her absence. She served with faith, and honour, and love. I am overjoyed to have her home.

William served, his son Charles served, Charles’ daughter Verdant and her husband Amos served together in their later years. Many of their children served (my mother had a different calling). I had the great privilege of serving, and now my daughter has served. Each of these people have profound and deeply poignant faith in Jesus Christ. William’s faith is responsible, in part, for theirs. Could he see that in the park that September day in 1901?

1. Despain, William Joseph, 1843-1918. William J. Despain journal , https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/6f5237c2-9c6e-42ad-bc36-32bd6e2f06af/0/51 (accessed: July 4, 2024) ↩︎