Skills Missions That Built Zion | Salt Lake City News

Salt Lake City News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jul 24, 2026 · 1m

Early Latter-day Saints turned global education into a strategic mission to build Zion—sending pioneers East to master art, medicine, and industry, then returning to transform Utah. Artists studied in France and painted temple murals while launching Utah’s art scene; women trained in medicine; and John Taylor’s sugar beet venture, though rocky at first, birthed a booming regional industry. These “skills missions” weren’t just about personal growth—they were the blueprint for collective self-sufficiency, echoing today’s missionary efforts to uplift communities through service and expertise…