Temple and family history is not a task. It’s a journey, one that begins in the home, where we learn—perhaps for the first time—the stories of our ancestors, and ends in the temple, where we perform the ordinances of salvation in their behalf. (Family Search quote)
President Russell M Nelson has said the following: "Consider the spiritual connections that are formed when a young woman helps her grandmother enter family information into a computer or when a young man sees the name of his great-grandfather on a census record. When our hearts turn to our ancestors, something changes inside us. We feel part of something greater than ourselves. Our inborn yearnings for family connections are fulfilled when we are linked to our ancestors through sacred ordinances of the temple."
He goes on to say: "While temple and family history work has the power to bless those beyond the veil, it has an equal power to bless the living. It has a refining influence on those who are engaged in it. They are literally helping to exalt their families.
Those links, welded through sacred ordinances, lead to the exaltation of our families. That this sacred goal may be realized for each of us is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen." (Generations Linked in Love, April 2010 General Conference)
I'm closing with a quote from Joseph Smith in D&C 128:24: “The great day of the Lord is at hand …, ” he said. “Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter‑day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple … a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation.”
President Nelson has also said we are preparing the world for the second coming of the Lord. I testify that as we will engage in this work of Salvation, we will see the heavens open in our lives, and we will experience as much a fulness of joy as we can in this life, and in the life to come, our joy will be full as we dwell together with those whose work we have done in the Celestial courts on high.
This is the work of God, and it's made available to us by the Atonement of his only Begotten Son, who stands at the head of this work and this church. We will come closer to him as we engage in this work. Of that I know.
Charlotte sat down on her bed, frustrated from the day. She tossed her dishwater blonde hair behind her shoulder angrily. Jean had irritated her for the last time. And she definitely wasn't in the mood to pay attention to the unrelated gentle nagging in her head that had been there for weeks. So she called a different friend.
After chatting a bit, she felt a bit better, but things still didn't feel right. After sitting and thinking as she rested her tired head and body in the chair, that quiet, peaceful, yet nagging feeling came back. Ready now, she opened up the Gospel Library Mobile app, and looked up Family History. She saw a talk by Sister Elaine Dalton that she felt she needed to read.
It caught her interest from the start. She stood up, kicked her shoes off, and sat down again in the old worn out brown armchair, and folded her beige socked feet underneath her as she read.
Sr Dalton said the following, and though long, she felt drawn to the story:
"A little over a year ago, my husband and I visited Nauvoo. As we walked through the Old Pioneer Cemetery searching for the grave of an ancestor, Zina Baker Huntington, I was touched by the peaceful solitude and spirit I felt. I walked through the trees and read the names on the gravestones, many of them children and families. I wept as my heart was turned to our forefathers, many of whom had joined the Church and come to Nauvoo. In my mind I asked many questions: Why did they leave their comfortable homes and families? Why did they suffer persecution, sickness, even death? Why did they sacrifice all that they had to come to this place and build a temple? They hardly had shelter, and yet they were building a temple! Why did they do it? And when the temple was nearly completed, how could they leave it behind? As I sat silently contemplating this scene, the answer came forcefully yet softly to my mind and heart: “We did this for you.”
Those words, “We did this for you,” reminded me that our ancestors, along with many other faithful Saints, sacrificed everything because of their testimonies and faith in Jesus Christ. They knew that the gospel had been restored to the earth once more and that they were led by a prophet of God. They knew that the Book of Mormon was true and understood its message and witness. They knew that through the restoration of priesthood keys, families could be sealed together for eternity through holy priesthood ordinances available only in a temple. They knew that temple work was the key to the salvation and exaltation of the human family. They knew the importance of this work, and they were willing to give all that they had in order to provide a house acceptable to the Lord wherein this holy work could be performed. They sacrificed everything so that past and future generations would have access to the eternal blessings of the temple."
Charlotte remembered her aunt telling her that her ancestors had come from Nauvoo Illinois, and Far West, Missouri. The words "we did this for you seemed to take root in her mind, and as she leaned back a bit, she felt a calm peace come over her, and she read further. A bit later, she read the following:
"Zina Baker Huntington, along with so many other faithful Saints, sacrificed everything in order that we might have the blessings of the restored gospel. It is my prayer that we might understand our role in this great work and remain worthy to enter His holy temples. I know that if we will do this, the joyful day will come when we shall meet our ancestors once again and be able to say to them, “We did this for you.” In the name of Jesus Christ, amen." (We did this for you, October 2004 General Conference)
Charlotte closed her eyes, and almost cried a bit. Life had gotten so difficult, and she often felt battered for her beliefs. But she wasn't alone. And she could do something. So she decided to follow the impression she had received.
She opened up the Family Search Website, and went to the help tab. She found the phone number to Family Search, and decided to make a call.
Ten minutes later, after speaking to Sister Horner on the phone, she confidently went to the hints section of Family Search, where after a bit of time, and after finding a few records that didn't have any other relatives on them, she finally found one!
There was a record of a man in the late 1800's who had descended from her ancestor back in the 1700's, but was on a different posterity line than her. And his work had been done, but there was a census record that listed his wife and children!
Charlotte clicked the Review button, compared the two records, cross referenced with the birthdates, birth places, and birth places, and then finding them correct, added his wife's name and their 4 children. She recalled that Sr Horner reminded her that census records were not exact with birthdates, and that if it was off by a year but all other information matched up, it was good enough.
And after a quick check, there were no duplicates, at least according to Family Search!
In the spirit world, next to Charlotte, a broad smile came over Logan's ruddy face, and he hugged his dear wife Amelia, together with their children Logan, Mason, Eva, and Sophia, who were hovering close by. The glorious white robed spirit that had announced their work would be done was there with them, and he told them that if there was anything they wanted to tell this girl, to pray for the Lord's approval, and wait for the spirit to confirm that the Lord approved.
There was a peace and joy unlike anything else that came over Charlotte. She happily brushed tears away from her eyes as she took a deep breath of satisfaction. She knew these people were real, and that they were grateful for what she had done. In some way incomprehensible to her, she knew that her life mattered to these people. More importantly, she felt close to her Savior, and was able to feel of his love for her through the spirit.
Epilogue: Now the Charlottes in Family History occasionally run into some roadblocks, as all occasionally do. But as they have kept with it, are able to find more of their family. They find more meaning to their lives that can't be found any other way.
Promises: As we will engage in Family History and Temple Work, we will experience a joy beyond compare. We are what ancient prophets saw when the Lord showed them our day. We are the ones tasked with preparing the earth for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Even if we just for a few minutes on a Sunday, once in a great while, we will find the promises by modern-day prophets fulfilled in our own lives as we help others find salvation. Heavenly help will transform our lives, and heaven will descend. My how we need that in this world today!
You can find the hints section of Family Search online, and can also find the Get Started quick guide on another post. There's also another helpful article to help you resolve duplicates. To close, here is one of my favorite songs about the Temple, by Janice Kapp Perry
Picture of the Apia Samoa Temple courtesy of the Media Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
