Gathering

In the early years of the church for Spiritual and Physical Safety and to strengthen the church the saints were commanded to gather with the main body of the church. They were protected and the church was strenghtened. GAthering continued in New York, Ohio, Missiouri, illinois and Utah.

Saints gathered from mostly Europe particularly Britian and Scandanavia as well as Australia and several places in the United STates. The converts brougth great leadership into the church.

After arriving in Utah Brigham Young established a perpetual emigration fund. Members donated helping the saints gather who were expected to pay back what they took to immigrate. A third paid in full a third in part and a third not at all. Though recently some of there descendants did.

Afterh arriving in Utah rather than stay in Salt Lake many saints were called to scatter through Utah and parts of Idaho, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada and California. Some also immigrated to Canada and Mexico. Though they did that to escape polygamy prosecution.

In the late 19th century us laws made it tougher to emigrate. Saints were then asked to stay in there own land and they would recieve all gospel blessings, temples, patriarchs, visits from General Authorities and everything availabele in the United STates.

Many did stay in there country yet many gathered still. Many members do join and immmigrate or join after. The church supports them if they are already here but has said obstacles to employment, language and culture and sapping church in your home countries causes problems and encourages people to stay in there lands. In fact many times letters have been made to encourage it.

In spite of encouragement and in fact several stakes are in foreign countries many lds people migrate to the United STates still for better employment and education oppurtunities. Particluraly from Latin America and the less developed Pacific Islands.

GAthering served a purpose in the early days of the church but now saints are encouraged to stay in there own lands. Bruce R McConkie in an area conference in 1972 said the place for gathering of saints is there own coutnry and was reaffirmed by Presidents Harold B Lee and Spencer W Kimball. There have been talk of saints in foreign coutnries gathering to center areas in there countries. Though that hasn't happened much.