Welcome to Zion Can: Rediscovering the Restoration

Introduction: A Lifelong Journey of Faith

Welcome to Zion Can! My name is Aaron Bishop, and this blog is the result of a lifelong journey of faith, questions, and discovery. My wife, Darcie Vernier, and I share a deep love for the gospel and the teachings of the Restoration. Darcie’s father, who has since passed away, was a convert to the Church, and her mother descends from early pioneer ancestry that immigrated from Switzerland. On her father’s side, her grandmother’s family comes from the Island of Madeira, and her grandfather’s family hails from Vernier, Switzerland, in the canton of Geneva.

Darcie is also related to Gordon B. Hinckley as a distant cousin through polygamy on her mother’s side. She was born in Texas, raised in New York, and we met in French class at BYU, sharing a lifelong passion for French culture and its amazing people. I was raised in Maryland by faithful parents who joined the Church at young ages. My father joined at age 16 in Virginia after he and his brothers met the missionaries, and my mother joined at age 9 in California when her father encountered the Church. Darcie and I were later married in the temple, and together we have raised seven children and are now blessed with two grandchildren, with one more on the way.

A Transformative Missionary Experience

At 19, I served a two-year mission in France and Switzerland. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I was blessed to be part of over 40 conversions, witness miracles, and see lives profoundly changed through the message of the gospel. I loved—and still love—the French and Swiss people and the French language.

This love has carried over into our family life. Over the past 33 years, we’ve traveled back to my mission dozens of times, and in 2014-2015, we even fulfilled a dream by living in France as a family. We lived in a beautiful, tiny village called Sanilhac-Sagries near Uzès, where five of our seven children attended French public schools. It was a magical year, filled with growth, learning, and deep cultural immersion.

Our second-oldest daughter also had her own life-changing missionary experience serving in the Paris, France Mission. Seeing her develop the same love for the French people and the gospel has been one of the great joys of our lives.

During my time as a missionary, Darcie’s ancestral town of Vernier became uniquely meaningful. Vernier was one of the few border towns without strict customs (douanes), and we often used it as a strategic location to sneak copies of the Book of Mormon across the border. This small act symbolized the powerful connection between her family’s heritage and our shared missionary efforts.

A Moment of Crisis and Discovery

For much of my life, I felt that my path within the Church was clear. However, during my time as a bishop, I experienced what many might call a crisis of faith. My questions were not born out of rebellion but out of a sincere desire to better understand the principles of the Restoration and what it means to truly follow Christ.

This period was not without challenges. My faith crisis led to significant struggles in my marriage, and as I began to embrace a different path, it caused others to treat us differently. There were sacrifices—emotional, social, and spiritual—but they became part of the journey. Over time, my wife Darcie has come to share my convictions and embrace the same path. Her conversion to these truths came after a decade of prayer, study, and personal growth.

During this time, I began reading the works of Denver Snuffer, starting with The Second Comforter. His writings challenged me to revisit the foundational teachings of Joseph Smith and compare them to the current direction of the LDS Church. One of Joseph’s most profound teachings was that the ultimate goal of life is to make your Calling and Election Made Sure—an invitation to enter into the presence of God and receive eternal promises. As I studied, it became clear to me that this principle, once central to the Restoration, had been largely abandoned by the LDS Church, while Denver Snuffer has continued to uphold it as a living doctrine.

The Purpose of Zion Can

This blog is not a critique of the LDS Church or an invitation to abandon faith. Rather, it is a space to thoughtfully and respectfully explore the teachings of Joseph Smith and what it means to fully embrace the Restoration.

Through my personal journey, I’ve come to believe that the Restoration is an ongoing process. Zion Can represents the hope and possibility that Zion, as envisioned by Joseph Smith, can still be realized. My goal is to create a resource that helps others rediscover Joseph’s vision for Zion, learn about modern voices like Denver Snuffer, and deepen their understanding of what it means to connect with heaven and achieve their highest spiritual potential.

An Invitation to Journey Together

I know that some of these topics can be challenging. My journey has been one of prayer, study, and a sincere desire to align my life with Christ’s teachings. I invite you to join me in this exploration—not to argue or debate, but to seek greater light and truth together.

Coming Next:

In the next post, we’ll dive into Joseph Smith’s teachings about Zion. What does it mean to build a Zion community, and how can we strive for it today? Let’s rediscover the Restoration, one step at a time.