In 1837, missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints left from Kirtland, Ohio, where there were between 2,000 and 3,000 members of the church, to serve missions in England. The elders landed in Liverpool, England, and within one year had converted 6,000 people. By 1852, about 57,000 had joined the church in the British Isles.

Told by the LDS prophet to gather, many converts immigrated to America and made enormous contributions to the kingdom. My research leaves me no doubt that many of these individuals were prepared to accept the gospel before this life and that amenable conditions under the inspiration of an evangelical revival facilitated conversions in that land. Each convert's story was accompanied by miracles, and each stands as a testimony in and of itself.

As members of a global church, we would do well to become more familiar with the circumstances and the stories of converts around the globe both in the past and in our day. To that end, this and a number of columns in the future will attempt to reinforce the concept of a truly international church spanning many nations, cultures and peoples.

The first Mormon temple to grace the British Isles was the London Temple, the 12th operating temple of the church, dedicated in 1958. It is actually in Newchapel, Surrey, southeast of London and perhaps three to four minutes as the crow flies from Gatwick International Airport. The second, the Preston England Temple, dedicated in 1998, is situated in the area where missionaries first taught the gospel with extraordinary results.

In Preston, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde and Joseph Fielding, some of the first missionaries to England, secured permission to preach to members of a nonconformist congregation in Vauxhall Chapel. When congregants began requesting baptism, the congregation leader closed his doors to the missionaries. However, the work had begun.

On July 31, 1837, nine individuals were baptized with 8,000 spectators observing the ordinance from the banks of the River Ribble. The work progressed rapidly, and by October there were about 140 members in Preston.

Opposition arose almost immediately and persecution continued unabated. This did not stop the elders from branching  into outlying villages -- Bedford, Alston, Gamlingay, Potton, Little Croxton, Morden, Bassingbourn, St. Albans, Kempston, Baldock, Eccleston, Longton, Walkerford, Clitheroe, Waddington, Chatburn, Downham and other villages in the Ribble Valley.

The experiences of the missionaries in Chatburn reflect their success in many of these areas.

After preaching to a community in the tithe barn at Chatburn, Elder Kimball invited attendees to be baptized. Twenty-five came forward and participated in that ordinance. He went to Downham and there baptized about 25. Upon returning to Chatburn, he wrote that, "having been observed drawing nigh to the town, the news ran from house to house, and immediately on our arrival, the noise of their looms was hushed, the people flocked to the doors to welcome us, and see us pass. The youth of the place ran to meet us, and took hold of our mantles and then of each others hands. ... (They) went before us singing the songs of Zion, while their parents gazed upon the scene with delight, and poured out their blessings upon our head, and praised the God in heaven, for sending us to unfold the principles of truth, the plan of salvation to them."

It is no wonder a temple of God sits in the Preston area today -- a memorial to those devoted 19th-century Saints and to the sacrifice and dedication of the Saints in Britain today. In Preston and in surrounding areas there are many sacred sites, like the temple, a stake center and a missionary training center. Surrounding villages where the gospel was preached are also, in their own way, sacred places.

Chapels, church buildings and faithful congregations pepper the British Isles today. For a semester, while teaching for BYU in London, I had the privilege of attending the Hyde Park Ward. Each week faithful members -- building on the heritage of those that went before -- often trek long distances to worship with other committed Saints. The ward is a melting pot of members, visitors, investigators and missionaries who have come from diverse countries and cultures around the world, unified by a common faith in the Savior Jesus Christ and a devotion to the principles of his gospel.

Some like to imagine what church membership might be in Britain today if the Saints had not been directed to gather to America. However, it was not in God's economy to have them stay. And while many left, over time many more have joined and gather now in meeting places throughout the British Isles.

The example of early converts who withstood challenges, overcame hardships and sacrificed much is not lost on many Saints in Britain today and should not be forgotten by us. In many ways, challenges persist for faithful British Saints. Their continuing devotion is admirable and should serve as an enduring testament to the truths preached just more than 170 years ago and are still preached in Britain today.