Pioneering is ongoing, Elder M. Russell Ballard says

SALT LAKE CITY — From Adam and Eve to today's defenders of religious liberty, pioneers have existed in all ages, LDS apostle M. Russell Ballard said Saturday in a speech to attendees at the annual symposium of the National Sons of Utah Pioneers in Salt Lake City.

A member of the Quorum of the Twelve of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with an abiding interest in preserving the church's historical legacy, Elder Ballard spoke at an evening dinner concluding an afternoon of lectures from LDS history scholars.

Focusing on the theme of the 1997 Mormon Pioneer Sesquicentennial, "Faith in Every Footstep," Elder Ballard said, "Pioneering is a continuing process throughout the world. We must never lose sight of the fact that many pioneers of the gospel have gone before us."

He said he had just returned from a 13,000-mile trip through Europe, holding many meetings with church members and missionaries. "In Rome, we met with two cardinals of the Catholic Church along with other important leaders. In some ways we are pioneering relationships with many other faiths to assist in protecting religious liberty in America and many other countries."

Elder Ballard spoke of many figures in the Bible and Book of Mormon, emphasizing their pioneering work, including Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Lehi, Nephi, Alma, Moroni, Peter, Philip, Barnabas, Mark, and Paul.

"Of course, the greatest pioneer of all is the Savior," he said. "No footsteps in time or eternity have required such perfect faith as did the footsteps of the Savior. His great Atonement is beyond expression the most remarkable footstep of faith. You all know he was the greatest pioneer that has ever lived."

Speaking of Joseph Smith, Elder Ballard said, "Can there be any doubt that it was unwavering faith that led a 14-year-old boy to walk into the secluded Sacred Grove to pray for the knowledge promised in James 1:5? ... Joseph's footsteps of faith sustained him in his visits to Cumorah before he received the gold plates and began the process of restoring the fullness of the gospel to the earth."

Elder Ballard also spoke of the courage and faith of members of the Prophet's family, including his parents and his wife, Emma.

"Brigham Young, upon whom God placed the responsibility to lead the great exodus west, learned to follow the Lord and to follow the Prophet Joseph," he said. Likewise, John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff, who succeeded Joseph Smith and Brigham Young as presidents of the Church showed pioneering faith in enduring hardships to accept Mormonism, Elder Ballard recounted.