In the Early days of the Gospel, men, women, and families moved westward to "find a place which God for us prepared. Far away in the West". They are markedly different than the forty-niners because they were led to a land of promise through revelation of God. They came because they needed and wanted to worship God according to the dictates of their heart. As a result if this great exodus, Salt Lake City became the "Mormon Mecca" as others call it. The church needed this congregation to expand and grow the kingdom of God on the earth. Today, the Salt Lake City area remains very much influenced by Mormon heritage. In 2002, it was thought that scriptural reference was reinforced when Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Olympics. The scripture passage which talks about "all nations shall flow unto it" was certainly accomplished. 

The hymn passage, "Come to Zion" was a call for those to see and experience "Zion" firsthand. The church knew that if every convert who was baptized, moved their families from their homes to the Salt Lake City area, then the church as a world-wide entity would fail. So, in response and with inspiration, the word "Zion" was changed from meaning the Salt Lake City area to the place where one lives. Zion is the "pure in heart". The early pioneers came because of commandments of God, and they did, indeed find spiritual gold in the shadow of the everlasting hills. But what about us now-a-days?

We can find spiritual gold in the hills of our own communities. For gospel gold is to be found throughout the earth. We don't necessarily need to flock to Salt Lake City to find that gold. Allow me to get a little personal here for a moment. When employment was getting more and more tough in Pennsylvania, I knew that a change needed to happen. So, like most employment seekers, I polished up my resume and sent it out. I had some criteria where I wanted to work and where I didn't. Utah was always a "dream" place because of the proliferation of LDS and the general culture that existed. I longed to be a part of this culture. Yes, I may have had my blinders on; not seeing or ignoring other opportunities. As a matter of fact, I had an offer of employment in Virginia with a firm that offered great potential. It had all the criteria that I initially was seeking for. After prayer, I just didn't feel right about it and declined the offer. The president of the company was disappointed, but I knew after praying that it wasn't the right fit for me.

To make a long story short, I found a job in Utah and moved my family consisting of my wife, dog 4 birds and made the long trek, indeed a true leap of faith to live here. The move felt good and we received the quiet assurance from the Holy Ghost that it was the thing to do. I have, indeed found gold - some in the employment where I make enough to pay bills and enjoy life, but much more spiritual gold. I needed the spiritual gold, and The Lord heard my supplication. He has opened up more and more veins of spiritual gold that I cannot seem to carry it all. With singing in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Living in a Ward where we are loved and cherished, to a place where "service ever is their watchcry". I have gotten spiritually rich. The true sign of a spiritually wealthy person is the ability to give gold away to others. We can give some of our spiritual gold to others; whether it be gold dust or nuggets. We give it away through testimony and service. We give gold away through talents and callings.

Part of me often wonders about the other job opportunity in Virginia  and what would have been. I may have had more physical gold because it was a very well paying job, but not a lot of spiritual gold that I needed. I need to add, that the Wards and Stakes that I have lived in did indeed offer spiritual gold, the Ward families were nice, but just didn't fill the niche for me at that time in my life. The gold I left behind in Pennsylvania includes my children and grandchildren. We miss them dearly, and know that we will see each other again sometime in the future. I don't know how long our journey and experiences here will last, but know that it is not a permanent thing. We were sent here for very specific gold, and when we have received all the gold The Lord has in store for us in this area, it will be time to trek eastward again.

As we place our complete trust in The Lord for guidance, understanding, and submitting to His will, He will show us the "hills laden with gold". The gospel is indeed spreading out throughout the earth. Branches, Wards, and Stakes are being created as people find the spiritual gold they already possessed but forgot about it via a veil of forgetfulness. The Lord will chart our maps if we allow Him to do so. We all live in "Zion". We need to stay where we are, if that is what The Lord wants of us. We must establish Zion in our own backyards. For that is where the purest of gold can be found. Better than the 99.99% gold - the Zion of the pure in heart.