Early pilgrims and pioneers came from afar to gather to places where opportunity, freedom, religious liberty and peace would abound. By inspiration parents and leaders of groups foresaw places where families, congregations and communities could grow and prosper in the sight of God, and in many cases rest from persecutions. So by inspiration, with courage and ingenuity, they went, they came, seeking their gathering places, seeking Zion.

In our age we still gather, we still seek, we still make pioneering efforts, but today as we continue to listen to the counsels of the Spirit by inspiration and from the mouths of parents, pastors and prophets, we more often “lift where [we] stand” (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, October 2008) as we strive to create and establish Zion in the places where we are.

“And the Lord called His people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness: and there was no poor among them” (Moses 7:18).

“And the Lord called His people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness: and there was no poor among them.”

Moses 7:18

President Spencer W. Kimball taught, “Zion is a name given by the Lord to his covenant people, who are characterized by purity of heart and faithfulness in caring for the poor, the needy, and the distressed” (General Conference, October 1977).

When I was ten years old my family purchased a farm in a place called Tivy Valley, in the foothills near Sanger, California. There we would build a home where my brothers, sisters and I would grow up. We sold our home in Fresno more quickly then we anticipated, so in the hot summer of 1974 we moved all of our belongings to sheds and tents in the middle of a buildingless almond orchard on a hillside. My parents slept in an RV, my sisters in a single bedroom trailer, where we also shared a bathroom, kitchen and living room, my brothers shared a tent, and I had my own small tent where I kept my bed, my dresser, a little lamp and a small fan to move the air. It was a hot summer. We really felt like pioneers.

Our plan was to build our own two-story home from the foundation up. This was a great opportunity for us to work together. All summer long we worked on the house, which was a monumental task as my father had to go to his job every weekday. But my mother was with us, and my father had trained my older brothers and sister well, so we went to work with only supplementary help from contractors here and there. Of that project I most vividly remember my part in digging the foundation and later nailing the composite shingles to the roof. Everything in-between is kind of a blur…, except for one unforgettable day.

We had made great progress over the summer, but it was just a bit too much for us.  The late summer hand-harvesting 20 acres of almonds took two weeks, and then we had to start school.  By mid-autumn most of the framing was done, but there was still so much to do before the winter storms hit.  Our home was open to the elements, and we were living in tents.

One early Saturday morning, we arose to the sounds of dozens of cars being driven up our long dirt driveway. It was the brethren of our local congregation, the Sanger Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We were just new members of their ward. They hardly knew us. Yet they came in their work clothes and with their tools. A short time later more cars streamed in as Relief Society sisters brought food, cooked, and fed hungry workers.

It was like those great barn raisings of earlier times. It was like pioneers helping the newly arriving during westward treks. That is the day I first came to know Zion.

Danny Malcolm

I’ll never forget the feeling in the air, and in my heart, as I watched the framing completed and the walls enclosed on my new home, as I smelled the food prepared by the Relief Society sisters, and as I heard our sometimes disparaging groans of having to work every spare moment, replaced by the joy, laughter and songs of good brothers and sisters working to lift up strangers in need. It was like those great barn raisings of earlier times. It was like pioneers helping the newly arriving during westward treks. That is the day I first came to know Zion.

That fall, while still in tents, we went through some pretty scary storms and we spent Thanksgiving in the home and with the sweet family of Bishop Don and Sister Laurel Severin, but by Christmas Eve we were living in our finished home on a hillside in Tivy Valley.

It was not the last time our new Sanger Ward family would come to our aid. The following year they helped us harvest our almonds in a day. Some called this freely and unconditionally offered service their priesthood responsibility, I call it Zion.

Noted 20th Century Catholic monk, theologian and author, Thomas Merton said, “Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy.”

During President Spencer W. Kimball’s 1977 General Conference address he taught principles of welfare most important to be remembered, as relevant today as when they were spoken. “As givers gain control of their desires and properly see others’ needs in light of their own wants, then the powers of the gospel are released in their lives. They learn that by adopting the principle of love they ensure not only temporal salvation but also spiritual sanctification.”

“And as a recipient receives with thanksgiving, he rejoices in knowing that in its purest form—in the true Zion—one may partake of both temporal and spiritual salvation. Then they are motivated to become self-sustaining and able to share with others.”

Referencing the welfare services provided in the Church setting, President Kimball went on to proclaim, “Isn’t the plan beautiful? Don’t you thrill to this part of the gospel that causes Zion to put on her beautiful garments? When viewed in this light, we can see that Welfare Services is not a program, but the essence of the gospel. It is the gospel in action. It is the crowning principle of a Christian life.”

King Benjamin, a benevolent leader of the Nephite people, spoke of the importance of giving generously based on what they had, to fill the wants of those in need. He warned the people that this was a prerequisite to gaining forgiveness of sin. Now King Benjamin was a benevolent government leader indeed, as he did not accept the offerings of his people for his support, but labored all the days of his life to provide his own support so as not to burden his people. He said, as is recorded in Mosiah 4:26, “And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.”

Note the terms “Hath” and “Wants.” The scripture does not say to give according to what you can. Nor does it say that we should simply satisfy needs. The words “can” and “needs” are very subjective and leave much for interpretation. It is not enough to just share what we think we can to fill what we think somebody needs. To the contrary, it states, “I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.” Many call this level of giving generosity, but in fact it is creating God’s kingdom on Earth, and I call it Zion.

I served a mission in 1983 and 84 in the land of Paraguay amongst the Guarani Indians.  At the later part of my mission I served for seven months in the town of Luque.  We had a good size branch in Luque with a nice chapel and many active members, but there was often disharmony amongst the members, which at times lead to negative feelings and a negative spirit.  We as missionaries prayed that the Lord would intercede so that the people of Luque could grow and have joy.  The stake presidency called a new brother to lead the branch. Presidente Vitale was a good man and lead the branch in righteousness.

Presidente Vitale set right to helping the members of Rama Luque to find greater harmony one with another. He taught the members to live the gospel.  He asked us all to be generous in our donation of fast offerings.  He asked us to help one another.  

One day he led us all to some property that he had secured. The men brought their tools and the sisters prepared food. There we began and completed construction of a home for a member sister who was without. Since I was not skilled in brick laying, but very good at digging, I received the privilege of digging the hole for the outhouse.

Land is inexpensive in Paraguay, and so are materials, and without government regulation a group of saints can accomplish a lot for somebody in need, much like the early pioneering days of the American westward movement. It only took us two days to build that house. For Sister Aquino it was a home, it was a miracle. We called this project “Priesthood in Action,” “Sacerdocio en Acción.”

A few weeks later we were at an adjacent property. This time Presidente Vitale had organized a brick making process so that we could save money and help more families with the little funds that we had. We built a home for the Neri Arza Family. With a second home, a neighborhood was founded. In the weeks and months that followed, the Priesthood and the sisters of the Relief Society and the youth of Rama Luque constructed homes for family after family. They called their neighborhood “Barrio Nefi,” or “the Land of Nephi.” I call it Zion.

A little over a year after that first home was built, that little branch grew so much, and was in such harmony with the Spirit, that it became the Luque Ward, the tenth ward in Paraguay. Today that town is home to not one ward, but two Luque Stakes, now that is establishing Zion.

President Kimball taught specific principles as foundational truths for establishing a Zion people. Those principles are Love, Service, Work, Self-Reliance, Consecration and Accountability.

President Kimball said, “The measure of our love for our fellowman and, in a large sense, the measure of our love for the Lord, is what we do for one another and for the poor and distressed.”

Jesus Christ taught, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34-35).

Of humble Service we are taught in the book of James, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).

President Kimball taught that Work brings happiness, self-esteem, and prosperity. He said, “It is the means of all accomplishment; it is the opposite of idleness. We are commanded to work (see Genesis 3:19). Attempts to obtain our temporal, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being by means of a dole violate the divine mandate that we should work for what we receive. Work should be the ruling principle in the lives of our Church membership.”

Of Self-Reliance President Kimball stated, “No true Latter-day Saint, while physically or emotionally able will voluntarily shift the burden of his own or his family’s well-being to someone else. So long as he can, under the inspiration of the Lord and with his own labors, he will supply himself and his family with the spiritual and temporal necessities of life (see 1 Timothy 5:8).”

As for Consecration, we…, all of us…, must consecrate our time, abilities, and all we have to the work of building the Lord’s kingdom on Earth and establishing Zion in our own lives and for those around us. We must make and keep covenants to live the law of consecration.

The final principle is Accountability. President Kimball taught that we have “a sacred spiritual or temporal trust for which there is accountability. Because all things belong to the Lord, we are held responsible for how we lead our families and use our bodies, minds, and properties. A faithful servant is one who exercises righteous dominion, cares for his own, and looks to the poor and needy.”

Thirty years ago, early in our marriage, when Monica and I had one child, we were expecting our second, and we were starting our publishing company, we hit a financial crisis in our lives. I had made every effort to support my small family, but it just was not enough, not enough to provide adequate food for the table. At that point I had not sufficiently humbled myself to seek the aid of my good bishop. So, my family would do with very little at Christmas. It broke my heart.

Just before Christmas we heard a knock on the door. Santa Claus stood on the porch with gifts from church members. I remember humbly accepting them. It was still one of the most meager Christmas Days of my life, but it was also one of the most full. Monica and I tearfully thanked our Heavenly Father for all our gifts, and vowed to always do likewise.

I humbled myself, went to Bishop Noel Stoker, asked for help, increased my efforts to sustain the needs of my family, and have since always done my best to help those in need. It would not be the last time that the saints helped me raise my proverbial barns.

I have lived a blessed life in times of need and times of plenty.  I have spent my life striving to establish Zion where I stand. This has been a great time and place to live. I call it Zion.

What will we do in our day?  Will we follow the voices of inspiration, and like the pioneers, seek out Zion and live a Zion ideal?  Will we lift where we stand and make the burdens of others lighter?  Will we work with vigor so as not to inappropriately place our burdens upon the shoulders of others?  Will we give generously and consecrate our time, talents and all that we have to building up the kingdom of God and creating Zion?

“And the Lord called His people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness: and there was no poor among them” (Moses 7:18).

May we all apply these truths in our own lives, as President Kimball put it, so we can “approach the ideal of Zion.” Let us strive to live these ideals, that we may call always the places in which we are, Zion. This is my prayer and admonition, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.