Today's trek thought is the story of Bodil Mortensen. While her story is told in many places, my favorite version of it comes from the book, "Remember", which is a compiled history of the "Second Rescue" put together by the Riverton, Wyoming Stake.
When the stake held their special stake-wide meeting to introduce the members to the task of the second rescue, President Kitchen (counselor in the Riverton Stake Presidency) shared this in his address: "We have a special friend as a stake presidency. She is a young girl about nine or ten years of age. She was born in Denmark and was traveling with Jens and Elsie Nielson to be with her sister in Salt Lake City. They were members of the Willie Handcart Company. After the rescue party reached them at the base of Rocky Ridge, the Nielson family, along with the many others, were in pretty bad shape. Brother Nielson's feet were completely frozen but it was necessary for them to continue on their journey. Elsie put her husband in the handcart and pulled him...This young girl was given the task of helping - not only with their younger son but also the younger children of the Mortensen family to make sure they reached their next campsite...on Rock Creek. They began their journey that 15 miles up Rocky Ridge. It was cold. It was snowing. The wind was blowing. The snow was deep and the footing was treacherous. Our young friend did her job well and was successful in seeing that all the children reached camp safely. She then went to get sagebrush for the fires...Weary from her work of the day, and cold from the freezing temperatures, she sat down by the handcart wheel with her arms full of sagebrush. Her frozen body was found the next morning. She was buried along with the twelve others who died that night on Rock Creek. She isn't listed on the register of those who died along the way. Brothers and sisters, we have the opportunity to participate in the second rescue, or the spiritual rescue of these good people."
Later in the meeting, President McKinnon (another counselor in the Stake Presidency) told more of Bodil's story: "when we shared with the Salt Lake Temple Recorder that her work needed to be done, he told us that the Mortensen family that traveled with the Willie Handcart Company were his ancestors and that he personally had done the work for them. We researched further and discovered that Bodil was a nine year old girl traveling with the Jens Nielson family to get to Salt Lake City where her older sister was. She was not a member of the Peter Mortensen family that Brother Wright had done the work for. She did not have any descendants to research her line. She is not even listed on the roster of the Willie Handcart Company. A forgotten little soul all alone in a foreign land...she had waited 135 years for all this to come together. 135 years to finally get to Salt Lake City, ...to finally receive the blessings of temple ordinances.
In the book, "Follow Me To Zion", a descendant of Bodil's brother, Hans, Dorothy Bottema, is quoted as saying this, "Many times in this earthly life we think of our mission coming to an end when death comes to claim our physical body. Our family’s experience with Bodil has proven that one’s mission, even the most valuable part, may continue long after one’s earthly passing. Bodil’s body lay in an unmarked grave for over 130 years, with her Mortensen family knowing little of her struggles, courage, and sacrifice. Then in 1991, the story of this 11-year-old girl touched the hearts of the Riverton Wyoming Stake presidency to ignite the Second Rescue, which caused thousands of temple ordinances to be performed for members of the Willie handcart company and their families. The fire of Bodil’s story continues to burn in the hearts of all who hear it. We as a family have felt of her strength and help. We view her as our rescuer, inspiring us during times of trial and turmoil and increasing our testimonies of the sacrifices that are required for the gospel of Jesus Christ. We acknowledge that her role as a rescuer has been extended to countless others who have had the opportunity to hear or read the account of her journey. Bodil’s mission to rescue others will continue as long as her story is told. We anxiously await meeting Bodil, her parents, and her brothers and sisters. This reunion will be one of gratitude, joy, and love.
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