The Matthews Family lives in beautiful Montpelier, Idaho.  They are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  In 1989 at the age of 10, Jonathan Matthews, son of Leonard and Kathryn Matthews, underwent a grueling kidney transplant which was followed by various other medical problems.  For the next ten years, Jonathan suffered deteriorating health including loss of eyesight, hearing and balance.  After several years, Jonathan required constant tending.  During the difficult years that followed, Jonathan’s mother, Kathryn, spent long, strenuous days caring for him.  Kathryn, who had already lost a son previously, now had to watch her darling boy die slowly before her eyes. 

It was during this difficult time that she began to have deep, significant questions about the Plan of Salvation.  With these weighty questions on her mind and a fair amount of spare time, Kathryn began a rigorous study of the scriptures.  With this newly acquired gospel knowledge, she soon wanted a way to share this understanding with others in a profound and straightforward way.  After much prayer, the idea came to her that a board game format would be a brilliant way to incorporate all these complex and overlapping principles. 

After several years of development, Kathryn had created a captivating activity involving many aspects of the Plan of Salvation, including sins, good works, ordinances, spiritual gifts, trials, and temple work.  However, the game seemed to be missing something essential.  Sure it was a fun activity that taught you to choose the right, but it was far too mechanical.  Although discouraged, Kathryn inquired of the Lord what she could do to really make the activity share the same passions and feelings that the scriptures impart.  The answer was simple: add the Atonement of Christ, the foundation of the Plan of Salvation.   After several more years of creating and incorporating the Atonement of Christ, the activity truly became breathtaking. 

In May of 2000, Richard, one of the Matthews' sons, went to Russia as a full-time missionary for the Church.  During his mission, he realized that people have a very limited understanding of the Plan of Salvation.  This was a big stumbling block for people who were trying to understand the Gospel.  Elder Matthews wrote to his Mother and asked her to send him a rough prototype of the activity to use as a teaching tool with less-actives and members.  The response was incredible.  After playing the activity with one family, they asked Elder Matthews if they could please borrow it in order to make a homemade copy of it.  He agreed.  This family made a very rough outline of the activity board and other components and played it often.  Soon, other families and members were borrowing that family's homemade copy and making their own copies. 

Elder Matthews didn't know it, but the activity quickly spread around the several branches.  Three months later, he was in the district center (equivalent to a stake center in more developed areas of the church) and happened to enter the cultural hall.  There, to his surprise, he saw a homemade life-size replica of his family's activity board.  The activities committee played the game for a district-wide activity using the people as their own playing pieces.  Many lives were touched and testimonies strengthened.  Many Russian Saints even bore testimonies the following fast Sunday about how this activity changed their perspective on life.  Richard was convinced that the activity was inspired and returned home from his mission dedicated to helping his parents publish the activity.  An effort was made by the entire family to create the best product possible.  Another son, Michael, spent many long hours designing the game board and components.    

Now, after twelve years of development, we, the Matthews Family, are proud to present The Atonement: Miracle of Christ’s Love in loving memory of our son and brother, Jonathan Lee Matthews, who passed away in 1999.  Our new company, Building Zion Together, has been established to help strengthen Zion by strengthening families through testimony-building activities.  We intend to donate the profits from this product to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Our prayer is that others will help us spread this testimony of Christ to their friends and family. 

The Matthews Family is now developing other testimony-building and patriotic board games for families.

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