I love going on adventures with my friends. As a teenager in high school, my friends introduced me to "spelunking" in Smith's Crack. One afternoon, they had the idea of going to this cave that someone's cousin had shown him. Just outside of Mountain Home, Idaho, Smith's Crack is a fissure out in the desert. From the surface, it's just a few rocks sticking up out of the ground. It's really a really deep and winding crack, which through a small opening, leads several hundred feet below the ground.
Our first time going through, we were just teenagers with handheld flashlights. No other gear, no experience, but we thought we were in for a great time. The five of us skuttled our ways down through the crack and made it to the bottom. Along the way we'd improvise and someone would hold the flashlight for the person below. In the shadows from the light above we could find good hand-holds along the way. Everything was going fine on the way down and we were having a blast except for some getting only a tiny bit lost once or twice.
We made it all the way down to a main cavern, walked around a bit and started our way back up toward the surface.
After a considerable amount of climbing back up, we were getting irritable about trading the flashlights back and forth and to come back up in the same fashion that we went down. The light of the Sun was still not visible through the cracks above when we started to hear roaring thunder in the sky outside the fissure. Soon after, an even louder, duller rumble began, as it started to rain outside. There wasn't a single cloud outside when we left, so none of us checked the weather. Soon the walls of the fissure were soaked and slippery with rainwater dripping down them.
We continued climbing over the slick, rain-drenched walls of Smith's Crack. Our progress to the surface was much slower now, but still continuing, and their was still a gleam on fun as we climbed on. My turn to climb up to the next ledge came up while my friend took position to hold the flashlight for me. The rockface glimmered while I climbed from the reflection of the flashlight off of the water that ran over the edge of the ledge down onto the surface as I was climbing. As I neared the edge of the ledge where my friend leaned back to a spot where he could provide good light on the edge of the ledge without pointing the flashlight right into my eyes.
Rounding the lip of the ledge, I placed my hand on what felt like a particularly good handhold. I relaxed for a second in response to reaching the top. My hand began to slip, just as I began to collect myself. Since he had stepped back to provide a better view, my friend above me was not where he could reach my hand to catch me. I fell to the ledge below, bounced down to a lower ledge, and continued bouncing against the rocks until I rested more than 80 feet below the ledge I had just reached. I almost couldn't breath and every part of me hurt. The flashlight above me was only visible as a faint glimmer off the wet rocks below.
My hand quickly felt for the large flashlight that had been in my pocket, but it was gone. I stood alone, in the dark, with two broken ribs, and cuts, scrapes, and bruises all over my body. I could hear my friends voices echoing off the rocks downward too me, and found hope. I called back to them, and then could hear them more clearly as they climbed a bit closer. I pulled myself up another ledge, and could hear them asking if I was alright. I assured them I'd survived, and began feeling my my way up to the top. Climbing on the wet rocks before was slow; this was agonizing. Little by little, and very slowly, I made it back up to where my friends stood waiting to pull me back up to the top.
I certainly do not want to repeat that experience, but I also didn't want to completely abandon what was a good thing from the start. After recovering, I decided to invest in the right equipment. Some of my friends and I purchased rock climbing equipment and were trained in how to use it properly. It made spelunking so much more exciting, and we didn't have to worry about another experience like mine, as long as we remembered to use that equipment, and double check that each of us were using that equipment right each time. If we put the same care into using the word of God as our safety net, we can avoid pitfalls greater than the one I fell down. 
We can have fun in life without any scrapes on our souls and return to our Father in heaven completely clean of sin, instead of bloody and muddy as I was. The Book of Mormon compares the word of God to an iron rod. "And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God." [1 Nephi 11:25] The word of God leads us safely to our final destination in God's kingdom, like the rope can get us safely out of the cave.
Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust. [2 Nephi 1:23]
2 comments:
After Elder Moxley was properly trained he shared that knowledge with his family and friends so that we could benefit from his experience, much like he is doing know as he shares the gospel. Adventures and life, are the most enjoyable with the proper equipment, training and surrounded by family and friends. No matter where you are or what you are doing these elements can make anything seem like a bit of heaven. It is when we are alone or ignorant that we can faulter or feel afraid.
I am grateful that Elder Moxley taught me, his mother to spelunk and repel(so much fun), but even more grateful that he learned the lessons of the restored gospel. I look forward to a life time of fun advenures in this life and know that they will continue in the next.
I worked at Scout Camp Summer 2010 as a climbing instructor. When I was first training I was a bit overwhelmed with how much equipment is required for such an adventure. At the end of the summer I had gained an enormous appreciation for every small carabiner, head-heating hat, and super long ropes. More than having proper equipment, it is important to take care of it, know and actually use every part properly, and follow other safety percausions. In life, it is not enough to have the scriptures or even know how to pray--To gain eternal life more is required of us. A knowledge of the tools is a good start; those who know the gospel are very blessed. To obtain the blessings God offers at our asking, we must study and ponder the scriptures, we must fervently pray and live in accordance to the commandments (safety percausions) we have been given--or else we easily find ourselves in danger. Also as an instructor, having myself recieved a knowledge of climbing regulations, it was my responsibility to teach and help others keep safe. If a scout didn't follow a safety rule, it was my responsibility to teach and to warn him. If I didn't follow a safety rule I could have lost my job and endanger the scouts. 'He who sins against the greater light will recieve the greater condemnation.' It is each of our responsibility to care for one another just as Elder Moxley's friends looked after him. Through personal agency (choosing) he found himself in trouble, but they were there to help him out of his painful predicament. Christ is always there for us. He knows us by name; He loves us. As we come to receive His love more fully, it is our duty to share it. Follow what you know is right. Reach up to Him to help you out of the cave to safety. This is my testimony. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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