Modern Day Pioneers

by Miriam Caldwell | More from this Blogger

27 Jul 2006 08:06 PM

It is important to remember that while we honor the sacrifice of the pioneers of the early church, that we have modern day pioneers among us now. People who join the church now are still making sacrifices when it comes to family, lifestyle and possible persecution. They are moving forward and helping the church to grow. If you do not have pioneer ancestors, it may be because you are a modern day pioneer yourself.

My in-laws Eldon and Gail Caldwell are examples of modern-day pioneers. They joined the church in 1961 in North Carolina. The branch only had thirty-five members at the time. The branch covered a large area. The area now includes four different wards. When they joined, the branch was part of a mission and not part of a stake. My father-in-law has many stories about leadership meetings and the distances that he traveled to attend them. The leadership meetings were in Roanoke, VA and my in-laws were in the western portion of North Carolina.

Both Eldon and Gail dedicated a lot of time to the church serving in several different leadership callings throughout the years. Often times they would have more than one calling in order to help the branch succeed. The branch was like a close-knit family and held many fundraisers in order to earn the funds for the building. (This was before the buildings were built from tithing money.)

The branch became a ward, and the ward was part of the Asheville and Greensboro stakes for a time. In 1982 the Hickory Stake was formed, and my husband was the first member baptized in his stake. Eldon and Gail, along with the other members of their ward, helped the church to grow in North Carolina through their service and their faith. They are still serving and helping today.

The sacrifices of members of the church happen all the time, as the members use their time and talents to help the church to grow and prosper. I am grateful for the examples of our modern day pioneers and the work that they have completed. Do you have any modern day pioneer stories that you would like to share?

Learn more about Miriam Caldwell

Miriam is a SAHM mom of three children. She has a daughter who is seven, and two sons, four and two. She loves being a parent and spending time with her children.

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blossy (1161) 28 Jul 2006 11:48 PM

I never would've thought of myself as a modern day pioneer but it kind of makes sense. When I sit in the chapel on Sunday mornings seeing all the families who have at least 3 generations seated together I think how wonderful it must be to have your family (parents, siblings, children) to share it all with but I now realise, since you mentioned it, that I am a pioneer for my little family and that we will be like the other families soon enough all sitting together sharing the gospel.

Miriam Caldwell (8030) 29 Jul 2006 05:23 PM

It is so true. One of my best friends is the only member in her family, sometimes she feels less because she doesn't have the ancestors and pioneer stories. No one should feel that way. If you are the first member in your family or if your family are the first members than you are pioneers and should be proud of the heritage you are creating for your family. You will have your three generation family someday.