Today I wanted to share something about how following the counsel from a prophet unlocked the windows of heaven, and helped me to find more of my ancestors whose work needed to be done. My heart is full when I think of what blessings came when I followed the counsel to get me through a time when I lost hope with Family History.
About 5-6 years ago, I was given a calling that involved family history work. I asked for some help from my mom, because I knew nothing about Family History work, but here I was supposed to be helping others with it! She was able to give me some help, and we found the first names I had ever gotten, and we had some sacred experiences doing their work in the temple. I never will forget some of those experiences.
And then, I ran into some roadblocks. I struggled to find more names. It seemed like I couldn't find any ancestors at all. I would sit at the computer for an hour or two, and find nothing, not even any leads. It was so frustrating, and for a bit, I lost hope. I didn't think I could find more. I mean, my last name is a staunch old church name, pretty sure there can't be any more. But I was wrong.
It was a bit later that I read President Monson's First Presidency's message in June 2014 about Family History work called "Hastening the Work." This message seemed like it was written just for me.
I wanted to share the following from his message:
"As you pursue family history work, you are going to find yourself running into roadblocks, and you are going to say to yourself, “There is nothing else I can do.” When you come to that point, get down on your knees and ask the Lord to open the way, and He will open the way for you. I testify that this is true."I did exactly that. I didn't know how to proceed, but I felt the spirit testify of the truth of what a prophet of God had promised.
So I prayed, and I kept at it. I reached out to the Family History Center, and to Salt Lake (phone numbers in Family Search), and it wasn't more than a week or two later I discovered a record hint, and found a few more names! At that time, I felt the spirit impress upon me that because I reached out in faith, and took action, the Lord helped me both through the spirit and through his church.
But it didn't stop there. I have since kept praying, and kept working at it, not giving up, and since then have found so many of my ancestors who haven't had their work done, and have been able to "take them to the temple." I've now found so many that I have to give them to others or share them with the temple system. And it has blessed my life just as much as it has them.
It gives me joy when the spirit impresses upon me that sacred ordinances have been done or are in process which allows my ancestors to return to the presence of the Lord. And I have felt both the love of my ancestors, and most importantly, the love of the Savior, as those ordinances were sanctified by his power through the spirit.
I am not going to relate all of the blessings and impressions and experiences, for some of them are sacred, but know that I have been blessed beyond what I am able to comprehend as I have heeded the counsel of a prophet to pray to the Lord to help accomplish his work.
I testify that as we will follow the counsel of the prophets to engage in the work of the Lord (and there are many talks given in Conference about that), we will find a joy beyond compare, and we will find ourselves lifted out of the confusion of a world in turmoil, and will find ourselves filled with the peace of the spirit. And we will see miracles happen in our lives.
I hope and pray that you might be able to follow the spirit as you ask yourself if you really can learn about Family History. You can, for you have the promises from prophets and apostles unlocking that door. We just need to exercise faith.
Discover your own ancestors and do their work at Family Search Online or by downloading the Family Tree Mobile app. You can also follow this blog by entering your email in at the top of the sidebar.
To close, here is a song called "How many Hearts have been turned," (how many souls have been saved)
Picture of the Sapporo Japan Temple courtesy of the Media Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
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