Riding the Tide

by Richard M. Romney

Managing Editor

Pioneers in Liverpool? Yes, and they’re riding an irresistible current.

There is power in the water. Standing on the docks at Liverpool, England, you feel that power surging—the pounding of waves, the force of currents, the rise and fall of the tides.

For a long time, the power of the water made Liverpool prominent. Its ships traveled the world over. A tide of incoming prosperity brought new products and fresh ideas, and, eventually, Mormon missionaries.

The first missionaries arrived in 1837 and moved on to Preston. But soon, Liverpool became headquarters for the British and European Mission. The first publication of the Book of Mormon in England was at Liverpool. Brigham Young and other Apostles traveled through Liverpool. John Taylor preached sermons here. The Pearl of Great Price was printed in Liverpool before it was printed anywhere else.

But the tide surged back across the ocean. Through the docks at Liverpool, more than 83,000 newly baptized Saints from throughout the British Isles left their homeland, bound for Utah and the promise of Zion. It was not until 1894 that the Church urged members to stay and build Zion in their native lands.

Today’s pioneers

That’s what young Latter-day Saints are still doing today—building Zion, the place where the pure in heart dwell. And they are building it in Liverpool, the city they call home.

“I love to come down to the docks,” says Michael Turner, 15, whose accent sounds just like one of the Beatles. “For Mormons, there’s a sense of heritage, when you think of all of the people who came through here because of what they believed.” He points out buildings all along the seven miles of docks, but concentrates on the ones of significance to Church members—emigration buildings and loading areas, places of farewell.

“They were on their way to being pioneers,” says Kellie, Michael’s 17-year-old sister. “But in a way, so are we. We’re blazing trails to the future.” That comparison becomes more and more evident as LDS youth from throughout Merseyside (the Liverpool metropolitan area) gather at the water’s edge to talk with the New Era.

Loads of jib

“Within your scholastic surroundings and within the workplace, you are usually the only one who’s LDS,” says Simon Munday, 18, “so you are pioneering the gospel into those areas through your example.”

And just as there was for earlier pioneers, there is persecution.

“At school, you get loads of jib about it,” says James Smith, 12. “Like they’re all just saying, ‘Ooh, look at that Mormon kid there. What’s he doing?’”

“When you have all these standards, it’s hard to have a lot of friends,” says Lee Robinson, 16. “Most of them are getting drunk every night, and you want to stay away from it.”

That’s when it’s time for these new pioneers to circle the wagons. “All of us are in different schools, spread out through the town,” explains Matthew Nugent, 17. “But we get together on Sundays, Saturdays, and Tuesdays.”

“And when you get to church, you’re not alone anymore,” says Leanne Fleming, 14. “You can talk to people who have been through the same experiences. They strengthen you.”

Sometimes, you simply have to take a stand. “The greatest challenge for me was saying no, because all of my friends would go out Friday nights drinking, smoking, some doing drugs,” explains Maxine Ireland, 15. “They’d always ask me. They didn’t ever give up. At first I made excuses why I couldn’t go. But finally I explained what I believe and why I would never do those things. After that, they left me alone.”

Gospel currents

In many ways, the gospel is like the tides. Those close to the Spirit can feel the power of truth building. The scriptures tell us that in the latter days, “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isa. 11:9).

LDS youth in Liverpool sense these currents; they know the day of the Lord is near.

“I gained a testimony by reading the Book of Mormon,” says Amy Harbon, 16. “Especially Third Nephi. It made me feel so close to Heavenly Father and Jesus.”

“When I first came to church,” says 16-year-old Mark Dundon, whose parents won’t allow him to be baptised until he’s 18, “I didn’t take it seriously. But as the months have gone on, and I’ve prayed about it, I’ve had many testimonies that it’s true.”

Craig Hannah, 17, has been a pioneer in his own family. “I first got involved with the Church at sports night. I got talking to the missionaries and they persuaded me to come to church on Sunday. It felt good, so I kept coming. They started teaching me the discussions; then they asked me to get baptised. I prayed about it and felt really good about it. So I said yes. And when I got baptised, a few more of my family followed.”

“I think that for me, serving a mission is a way of being a pioneer,” says Michael Harbon, 19, who just received a call to the London South Mission. “Originally, I thought I’d like to go abroad. But thinking about the chance to serve my own people and to share the gospel with them has confirmed to me that my call came from a prophet of God.”

Journey to Zion

Many of us, when we think of pioneers, think of handcarts or covered wagons and oxen, of weary days of walking across the plains and over the mountains. We forget that for thousands of pioneers, the first leg of a long, long journey was a perilous voyage at sea, a voyage that for thousands began in Liverpool.

Today, the pioneers of Liverpool are on their own voyage. And though it does have its perils, it is a journey to Zion. With pure hearts and faith in God, they know they are riding a tide of righteousness, a tide that will carry them to a promising future.

Photography by Richard M. Romney

Painting Embarkation of the Saints at Liverpool in 1851 by Ken Baxter.

Mormon youth like Maxine Ireland (above) gather at the docks where the first missionaries said hello to England, and where, later, thousands of Saints said good-bye.

Liverpuddlians “pioneer through example,” says Simon Munday (above). They also linger after meetings to play piano (bottom left), like Elizabeth Nugent and James Smith, or as Amy Harbon (below) says, “just to have a chat.”

Yesterday’s pioneers faced stormy seas in cramped quarters (like those shown above in a Utah museum) on sailing ships like this one shown at a Liverpool exhibition. It took a lot of faith.

Today’s pioneers, like Michael Turner (above) and Peter and Michael Harbon (left) find the gospel is a guide and the Church is a haven as they navigate the sometimes stormy seas of life.