The Gathering

The gathering of the LDS saints under the leadership of Joseph Smith and then under Brigham Young and the successive prophets of the LDS Church has altered the course of this nation's history. The members of the Church, known as Saints, gathered first in Kirtland, Ohio. They were rejected from that location and settled in several different places only to be rejected from each in turn. Finally, after the death of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young began to lead the Church and led the Saints to what is now known as Utah. This gathering continued for several decades but was slowly phased out so that the Saints could begin to build the Church in their own countries. This gathering of Saints has affected me personally, mainly through my ancestors.

On my mother's side, the McBride family was among the first group of Saints that traveled across the Great Plains with Brigham Young. They established themselves and became steady members of the Church. Also on my mother's side, several families travelled to Utah in the following years. They all remained faithful to the Church and laid down a legacy that my family has been following. Polish immigrants on my father's side were also converted and also made their way to the Utah settlements. If it had not been for the gathering of the Saints, my family would not be what it is today, and I would definitely not have been born in Utah, and I might not have grown up in the Church.

Also, because of the gathering of the Saints, the church has been able to build many temples. The temple has always served as a rock and anchor for the Church and its members, and the gathering made the temples possible. If the members had remained separated and dispersed across the world, it probably never would have developed the resources to build any temples. But because they all came together and worked together, many temples have been constructed and millions of people have been blessed because of it. I personally have been very blessed by being able to attend the temple. I have also been blessed even more because my family was blessed enough to come to Utah and receive the blessings of the Gospel and of the gathering of the Saints.