After a year of planning and coordination, about 300 youth from the Laie and Kahului West Maui stakes participated in a pioneer Trek. Youth and their leaders said the first youth Trek in Hawaii gave them greater faith because of the bonds they were able to forge as trek families and the lessons they learned about early Church pioneers, handcart pioneers and pioneering Church members from the Pacific and Asia areas.
More than 30 Trek families gathered with their handcarts in the meadow of Gunstock Ranch in Laie on June 4 for the inaugural night of Trek. The youth said they left their cellphones and the luxury of air conditioning for an experience many of them had never had before.
Among the Laie community members who served as Ma’s and Pa’s on the Trek were BYU–Hawaii Associate Professor of Communications Mason Allred and his wife, Erika Allred. They were in charge of a family that consisted of 10 youth. Erika Allred expressed her excitement about being part of the first youth Trek in Hawaii. “I feel really privileged to be a part of it since it’s the 100-year anniversary of the Laie Temple. I think it’s a good time to celebrate.”
Allred said she considers herself and her parents pioneers in their own right, due to the fact both her parents were converts to the Church.
Talking about starting out on the Trek that first day, she said, “I’m a little scared, not going to lie. I’m not a camper, so this is the longest I’ll ever be camping for, and I like adventures, so I think it will be fun,” she added with a laugh.
As to the Ma and Pa partnership with her husband, Mason, Allred said, “I feel like being out here with my husband is no different. We always work together anyway, so I think this will be a nice way to show kids how marriage is not just women or men doing all the work. We can both work together to do great things.”
In the Allred’s Trek family was Tehani Tevaga, a youth from the Laie stake who acted as the family’s “big sister.” She is also the daughter of BYUH Director of Communications Laura Tevaga. She said she and her family once joked about there being a Trek in Hawaii but never thought she would actually be able to go on one. “This Trek is going to bless the community of Laie by letting the youth make better friendships and strengthening their relationship with the Lord.
“We were asked to bring two pioneer stories on Trek, and one of them is about my great-great-grandfather, who was one of the original Iosepa pioneers who went from Tahiti to New Zealand.
“Even though this Trek isn’t exactly what my ancestors experienced, I can still understand what they went through, and understand the pull of the Church, why my great-great-grandfather would be so dedicated.”
Following a torrential downpour, the youth and their Trek parents gathered in the center of the meadow as the sun receded past the horizon as the night’s activities began. Consisting of a series of vignettes portrayed by youth and adults, they told the story of the prophet Joseph Smith, along with stories of pioneers taken from first-hand accounts of the Willie and Martin handcart companies.
Legacy and luaus
After the long, arduous hike during the third day of Trek, the youth said they were ready for a little relaxation. According to Tevaga, the two hardest parts of the day had been the women’s pull and the river crossing. In the women’s pull, all of the female youth and leaders took responsibility for the handcarts while the boys and men went off up the hill. This was supposed to represent the women who journeyed to Zion, despite losing their husbands, fathers and brothers.
“It was the biggest hill we had, too,” Tevaga added. “It was a lot of fun, and it came to all of us as a surprise. After doing the women’s push, I feel really independent. At first, I didn’t take it seriously and didn’t realize how difficult it was going to be.
“From the pull, I learned a lot about the male-female relationship, along with the river crossing,” Tevaga said. “They explained how men and women both have their strengths and work together to support one another in whichever ways they can.”
Mason Allred shared how it was beneficial for the youth to be in an environment without access to technology. “As a communications professor, I always warn my students about the dangers of social media and technology as something that, while good, can make people less personable.
“It’s really amazing to see how these kids came together,” Allred added. “In the river crossing, all the guys stepped up and carried the girls across. I didn’t have to do too much work. I just took Erika and let them do the rest.”
Feeling enthusiastic about his experience at Trek, Shamus Fitzgerald, a youth from New Zealand, commented Trek “was a team effort . . . My dad back at home always wanted me to help people and to be humble, and I could hear his voice telling me to keep pushing all through today.”
Among the guests at the hoedown were several female descendants of the saints who went to Utah to be closer to a temple and created the Iosepa settlement. After several performances of hula, one of them, Amanda Lyman, spoke about the importance of legacy.
Lyman encouraged the youth assembled to both live a legacy, and to leave a legacy. “Someone who loves you and cares for you very much bestowed upon you a name that would bring comfort, protection, and guidance as you made your way through this life.
“But of all these, the name that I, that we are expected to bear with utmost reverence is the name of Jesus Christ.” Lyman continued by talking about her Grandma Genoa Keawe, who was a talented singer, and said her current singing ability was a part of her grandmother’s legacy. She then sang as a tribute to her grandmother.
Swimming, singing, and a surprise
Following a day of rest and swimming at Hukilau Beach, the youth on the Trek were called back for an evening luau featuring music, devotionals, and an unexpected surprise guest. Also that night local families dressed in white surrounded the youth and their Trek leaders serenading them. Following the previous days’ activities, David Smith, 13, from Hauula took a moment to reflect on his journey.
“I really can’t believe how far I’ve come. I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned so far is making my friends my family and my family my friends. I’ve made so many great connections in just a few days, and there’s this feeling I cannot really explain. It must be my testimony.”
The mystery guest turned out to be President Dallin H. Oaks, the First Counselor of the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. President Oaks entered into the performance area, dressed in an aloha shirt and white lei, holding the hand of his wife, Kristen. Accompanied by BYUH President John Tanner and his wife, Susan Tanner, he took a seat in front of the youth, smiling warmly at the sight of those gathered.
After he was introduced to the youth, President Oaks stood up and walked to the microphone. With a thunderous “Aloha,” his deep baritone voice carried its way to the ears of all those assembled. He told the youth, “You’ve not only learned about your ancestors, including your parents who have serenaded us and have met you here so appropriately, but you’ve also learned something about yourself - your ability to withstand hardship. You’ve also put yourself in a position where you can understand the promptings of the Holy Spirit which come to us when we are humble and sometimes when we make sacrifices.”
President Oaks emphasized, “You’ve learned something about yourself. Build on that for years to come. Don’t be satisfied with being mediocre or ordinary. Don’t yield to the temptations of the world when they are contrary to what your Heavenly Father would do for you. Set your eyes up high and go on.”
Mahea Napoleon, 14, from Hauula, said, “I liked how his talk was short and simple. It really served to encourage me and the other youth to be active in our lives because the Second Coming is coming soon. It’s nice he was so direct. I just feel so whole right now, despite the mixed emotions, It’s just really hard to explain. The surprise of President Oaks coming made everything more special.”
Lisa Hannemann, who was put in charge of the Trek by the Laie Hawaii Stake, said at the Friday night hoedown, “You may not all have pioneer ancestors in the traditional sense, but you, the youth are all pioneers. You have already spent the last few days doing some incredibly hard things, and because of your sacrifice, I hope you learned what your ancestors might have felt, and you’ll be able to understand why they gave everything to come to Zion.”
Missionaries in Polynesia
The youth participating in the Trek had the opportunity to celebrate their own Polynesian pioneer ancestors by visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center on June 7. The youth were called on missions to the island nations of Polynesia where local leaders and pioneers talked about building Zion in those missions.
“A lot of these youth come from the islands and this activity at the PCC recognizes their personal treks. This portion is about Polynesian pioneers. Everyone has their own story to learn about their pioneer ancestry in their islands and families that modeled the way we live today,” said David Aupiu, a stake leader for the Tongan mission.
Janee Niutupuivaha, a youth from Hauula, said on the experience, “It just makes me love all of our cultures more, [by understanding] how many people have sacrificed a lifetime's worth of work to do all these buildings of the Church.”
Elias Ululave, a youth from Laie, said, “It’s a lot of rich history. In thinking of the impact, we go for the people proceeding us. When we go out [on missions], we carry on what they taught us. Trek is a challenge, and it helps to unify strangers and take us out of our comfort zones. I really appreciate our leaders whom we don’t take for granted.”
A walk to remember
During the Trek, leaders reminded the youth that President Gordon B. Hinckley had purchased Gunstock Ranch so they could use it as a reminder of the blessings from the Lord.
As the sun rose on the morning of June 8, the youth and their Trek families walked up Hale La’a Boulevard from Temple Beach to the temple at the end of the road. Solemnly and silently they walked, watched by temple missionaries, the pioneer reenactors and posters of early pioneers of the Church, handcart pioneers and Church member pioneers from Asia and the Pacific regions.
As the youth walked around the right of the temple, they weaved their way around Laie. Their final destination ended up being the Laie Cemetery. As they silently entered into the graveyard, they and their Trek families were led to a gravesite, where a relative of the deceased told the story of their ancestors. Among those buried in the Laie Cemetery are Iosepa saints who went to Utah but then returned to the islands to help build the temple here in Laie.
At the final devotional by the cemetery and capping off their trek, Hannemann remarked how “through the Holy Ghost, your ancestors and those who love on both sides of the veil, we’ve felt them as we’ve planned Trek this past year, and they’re anxious for you to have a testimony about the gospel’s truthfulness and want you to make their family continue forever.”
The companies then split up for individual testimony meetings, which lasted about an hour. Youth and leaders were free to share their feelings about their experiences and how they had been changed. Mason Allred, in bearing his testimony to his Trek family and the surrounding families of the company, said, “I love my family, and I’m grateful to have been your Pa. It’s been so much fun walking with you and getting to know all of you. Don’t be afraid to be different. Don’t be afraid to be weird to the world. I testify you have a perfect father and mother in heaven who love you perfectly.”
When the testimony meeting was over and it came time to go back to Hukilau for breakfast, Tevaga said, “Wherever my ancestors are, I think they are proud of me. I know I did Trek for a reason, and it was more than just for me to benefit myself. I hope I remember this for the rest of my life and never forget the lessons I learned from my family in all our trials.”
Feeling enthusiastic about his experience at Trek, Shamus Fitzgerald, a youth from New Zealand, said Trek “was a team effort . . . My dad back at home always wanted me to help people and to be humble, and I could hear his voice telling me to keep pushing all through today.”
To see photos of the 2019 Youth Trek, click here.
Writer: Elijah Hadley and J. Eston Dunn III