Gather at the Ohio

"And again, a commandment I give unto the church, that it is expedient in me that they should assemble together at the Ohio, against the time that my servant Oliver Cowdery shall return unto them."

This revelation was given to Joseph in late 1830, and has had countless ramifications on my ancestors, and by extension, me. It is simply because of my ancestors' willingness to leave their homes behind and follow the Lord's command through the prophet to gather to Ohio, Nauvoo, and Utah that I have been blessed with the rich heritage that I have been given.

One example of this is Newel Knight and Lydia Goldthwaite. In November of 1835, they became the first couple ever to be married by the prophet Joseph Smith. Newel and Lydia had a daughter named Sally who became my 4th great grandmother. If Newel and Lydia had not moved to Kirtland to be with the saints, they would have never met.

About 50 of my ancestors were directly influenced by this call to gather. They left their homes and moved, many of them crossing great oceans, to join the body of the saints. Because of this, I was able to grow up in a home that was full of the gospel. Because of this call to gather, every one of my ancestors that were descended from those of my ancestors who heeded the call were able to have that same blessing. I will be forever grateful to these ancestors for the many blessings I've received for their righteous choices.