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By Kent Larsen
Enoch Train Approaches Denmark
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK -- On March 23rd 1856, 534 men, women and children who
had embraced a new faith boarded the Enoch Train at Albert Dock in
Liverpool, England and began an adventure that would test that faith, alter
the course of their lives, and manifest to those with eyes to see that God
is at work in their lives.
Their sacrifices were legion and legendary, their stories the substance of
reverent retellings in countless family gatherings, Sabbath lessons, and
parental admonitions. Many were members of the Martin and Willey handcart
companies.
Though these pilgrims of a century and a half ago espoused a faith that
purported to be a new dispensation of the gospel, they carried inside them
the cumulative cultural and religious heritage of centuries.
And from that heritage they, through their diligence and sacrifice,
fashioned a new culture and a new religious tradition--the roots, nourished
by their new faith and fertilized by a combining of diverse cultures in a
wilderness theocracy, grew and continue to grow truly unique branches.
Three years ago the Enoch Train sailed again. Though this journey is less
epic in numbers, the crew of eight musicians (and their very supportive
families) testify that it is no less a trial of faith and a manifestation of
God's workings in our lives.
We have each felt our hearts, hands and minds being patiently prepared for
the journey by a loving Heavenly Father.
And as we have explored the roots and branches (origins and interpretations)
of the tunes that have become woven into the fabric of this unique
Latter-day Saint culture, particularly those that were sung at the
embarkation of the immigrant ships, we have felt a part of something far
bigger than the band "Enoch Train".
For not only is the whole greater than the sum of the parts, but the events,
great and small, of the journey, only make sense if we acknowledge God's
guiding hand in all of it.
Sea Trek 2001 is one more amazing example of God's workings in our lives.
The obstacles to Enoch Train's participation appeared, at first,
insurmountable. How do you get eight of the busiest freelance musicians in
Utah to block out not only a month to perform for no pay at Sea Trek, but
also the time to record an album, rehearse the new shows, have business
meetings, shop0 for new performance apparel, shoot publicity photos, etc.?
How do we justify leaving our families for that long and denying them a
summer vacation this year?
And how do we deal with tendonitis, carpal tunnel, compressed disks and
mortality in general?
Most important of all, how do you get a consensus among eight musicians of
differing needs, viewpoints, and life circumstances, about doing such a thing?
The answer, of course, is in "relying wholly on the merits of Him who is
mighty to save" while doing all we can do. And we acknowledge His grace in
getting us to this point (and our total dependence on Him to see us
through.) Miraculously friends supported us, a loan was denied and then
approved, and bodies healed.
So here we are, flying through the night on our way to Copenhagen Denmark
for the beginning of Sea Trek 2001.
Every place, even Copenhagen, is at once a destination and a point of
departure. And Enoch Train has chosen to Set Sail....
Source:
Courtesy of Enoch Train
To learn more about Enoch Train and their participation on the historic SeaTrek 2001, go to http://www.enochtrain.com.
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