How about a White Weekend in the House of the Lord?

What is the best way to start the Christmas Season? Black Friday or Cyber Monday? What about a White Weekend in the House of the Lord?

I'm also sharing this video on this post to remind us of the real reason for the season.  I encourage you to take some time in the House of the Lord this Christmas season to draw closer to him. Grab Ordinances Ready on the Family Tree Mobile App (instructions), and go to the temple.

This time of year is not about the Gifts we get, but it's more about Him, and the gifts we give to him and to others. 

The Best Christmas I ever Had
The best, most memorable Christmas I ever had was one where my parents didn't have enough money even to get a tree (until on Christmas eve, someone gave my dad a tree that had many of the needles falling off). And our presents were new socks.

And yet, as I look back, that Christmas was the most memorable one of all. 

The Reason for the Season
As we will focus on Christ, and serve others, our Christmas will be more memorable. And I encourage you to start the season out right by going to the temple.  And find other ways to remember the reason for the season.  Here's the video:

Find Ordinances Ready on the Family Tree Mobile App and attend the temple.  And/Or...

Light The World
You can find out more about Christ this Christmas Season, and how you can Light the World at the Church Website. Get text reminders to serve others, Find a Giving Machine, watch a new movie about the Birth of Christ, and share the message of Christ on Social Media.

Picture of the Fortaleza Temple Courtesy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Engage in the work of Salvation: Ordinances Ready on the Mobile App

How do you engage in the work of Salvation when you aren't an expert, or haven't done it before?  The church has one answer to that!

I'm sharing this edited article from the church which shows how easy it is to use the Ordinances Ready feature of the Family Tree Mobile App to find names to take to the temple. It's incredibly simple.

Ordinances Ready is a FamilySearch tool that simplifies finding names for the temple, allowing you more time to serve your family and enjoy the blessings of the temple. You'll get to try it for yourself and also read how others are using the Ordinances Ready feature.

Quick Start
You can try it now! And you can use Ordinances Ready for your next temple visit!

1. Download the Family Tree Mobile App for iOS or Android. You can also find more help and resources on the Church's help page.

2. Sign in and find the Temple page.
   *For iOS, tap the temple icon at the bottom of the app screen.
   *For Android, tap the 3-bar menu at the top left. Then select Temple.
   
3. Tap the Ordinances Ready button and then choose an ordinance—baptism and confirmation, initiatory, endowment, sealing to parents, or sealing to spouse.

4. The app will search the tree and temple inventory for available ordinances, and soon you will have some names pop up!

Note on family names: If no available ordinances are found for family members, Ordinances Ready will retrieve available ordinances that have been submitted to the temple by other patrons. These ordinances from temple inventory will be provided in the same order they were submitted to the temple. You can perform ordinances that have been submitted to the temple by others, whether or not you are directly related to those individuals.

Get to know each person, and take the names to the temple
Using the Family Tree Mobile App, you can get to know each person you are about to do ordinances for. Tap View Relationship to see how you are related, and tap View Person to look at life events, memories, and photos in Family Tree.

After you have looked at the names, tap Continue at the bottom of the screen to reserve the ordinances and print cards to take to the temple. (If you need help printing cards, the app will also give you a number you can take to the temple, where the cards can be printed for you.)

How others are using Ordinances Ready
The new Ordinances Ready feature has already inspired many members, bringing them closer to their family and helping them participate in temple work. Here are Sarah, Garrett, and Kirsten’s stories.

Feeling the spirit at all times: Sarah’s story
“Ordinance[s] Ready has made it more rewarding to go to the temple because I am always able to have my own names to work on. … I have truly felt the Spirit so much stronger as I’ve taken my own family names to the temple,” says Sarah Rocha.

Recently, Sarah and her roommates at BYU–Idaho decided to start their semester by attending the temple together. Sarah showed her friends how to use the new Ordinances Ready feature on the Family Tree app, and each of them were able to find names of family members needing ordinances.

Sarah shared, “Being able to use the FamilySearch app has made it so much easier to feel the Spirit closer to me at all times. … It has helped me to feel closer to those who have passed and feel the love of my Father even stronger beside me.”

Each person can take family names: Garrett’s story
Before using Ordinances Ready, Garrett had never really done family history or temple work for his own ancestors. However, he did enjoy helping Amy, his wife, do temple work for her deceased family members. Several weeks ago, Garrett and his wife tried the new Ordinances Ready feature and found five of Garrett’s family members who needed temple work, including the cousin of his beloved grandfather. He felt that an instant bond was formed.

Garrett and his family use the Ordinances Ready feature often now and feel it has elevated the temple experience for them individually and as a family. “Ordinances Ready has been such a blessing for our family,” they say, “and it is bringing promised blessings and spiritual power [as we perform] temple work for ancestors.”

Ordinances Ready is becoming “the norm”: Kirsten’s story
Kirsten’s son Bennett just turned 12 and has loved the new Ordinances Ready feature after using it on one of his very first temple trips. Kirsten says, “It’s amazing to me that children who are going to the temple for the first time can take names as a norm in their temple attendance.”

Kirsten’s other teenage sons attend the temple almost every week, and they use this new feature to find and print temple names regularly using their own FamilySearch accounts. When Kirsten taught the youth in her ward how to use the feature as well, many ward members discussed how life-changing Ordinances Ready can be for the youth. As Kirsten summarized, “For the kids, this ease will be normal to them. Ancestors will always be on the forefront of their minds, and temple attendance will forever be more personal for all.”

I hope you loved the article. The original can be found at the church website.  I testify that as we will engage more in the work of the Lord, we can find meaning to our lives, and we will develop a love for the Savior and for those we do the temple work for.  And it will change your lives.  I know the Savior lives. I know he is at the head of this work. And I know that he loves each of his children, and stands ready to embrace all who will come unto him.  Watch the windows of heaven open as you engage in this work.

Get started on the Family Tree Mobile App, or on the Family Search Website.  If you want to find out more about how to get started on the App with Family History, you can find more on this blog.

Picture courtesy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Media Library

An Invitation to Pray about the Lord's work of Salvation

Today's post is a simple challenge. I want to ask you to pray about something.

But First...
But I want to give you something to ponder first.  What if you didn't have the gospel in your life? What would your life be like without it? What blessings would you be missing?

Many of your ancestors, or ancestors' posterity through other lines now believe in the gospel, having been taught it on the other side. But since they never got a fair chance to accept it on earth, they cannot progress, and enjoy the same blessings that we take for granted sometimes. They have to wait for us. 

What will your reunion be like?
When this earth life is over, you will be able to see your ancestors. If you have spent your time researching to try to find them and do their ordinances, how will your reunion be with them? And more importantly, with the Savior?

If you have not, will they not ask you why you didn't seek them out? In a now famous story, the Forefathers of this great country appeared in to Wilford Woodruff and asked him the same question.  They told him they had laid the foundation of freedom so the gospel could be restored.  They had done the work the Lord gave them to do.  But their ordinances hadn't been done.

It wasn't long before President Woodruff did their ordinances. 

Study and Pray about it
Don't wait until you get on the other side to see if work needs to be done.  Because by that time, it will be too late for you to do it.  Begin to study more about Family History on the Gospel Library Mobile App, or on the Church Website. And offer a heartfelt prayer asking the Lord if you should start to learn more about Family History or Indexing (Indexing is how I started).  It doesn't matter what age you are, young and old are needed in this work.  Then, as you get your answer, the link to get started is at the bottom of this post.

Feelings of Inadequacy
You may think you can't do it.  I know that feeling.  I felt it myself when I started.  But the Lord will prepare a way for you as you seek him out. He did for me, and he does for everyone who seeks his help.  We have the words of Apostles and Prophets who promise that.

Testimony and Challenge
I know this work is real. I know these people are waiting for their work to be done.  I know of no greater reward than the spirit we have when we engage in this work of salvation. And if you aren't very outgoing, this is the perfect work for you to do.

Study. And Pray. I guarantee you, the God of Heaven, the author of this work and of our Salvation will answer you through the spirit.  And as you engage in this work, you will be able to do the work that will allow your ancestors to return to the presence of the Lord.

They are praying that will happen soon. Are you going to be the answer to their prayers? We have such a short time in this life.  But as we engage in this work, the heavens will open, and angels will attend us. 

Then get started on the Family Tree Mobile App or the Family Search Website.  But first pray for the spirit to turn your heart, and that can give you a love of this work, a love of the Lord, and a love for your ancestors.  And it will change your life.  There are other posts on this blog with hints and suggestions on how to get started.

Picture Courtesy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Media Library

“Understanding the eternal nature of the temple will draw you to your family"

Each of us has a yearning to find out who we are, and where we come from.  I've got a few quotes about how Family History work, temple work, indexing, or discovering family stories can help with that.

“The home, family, and temple are inseparably connected. One leads to the other. In no other work are we more home-centered than in temple and family history work.

“Understanding the eternal nature of the temple will draw you to your family. Understanding the eternal nature of the family will draw you to the temple.” (Elder Gary E. Stevenson, Temple and Family History Leadership Instruction, February 2019)

Family history is about finding inspiration in your family’s story, both past and present. It includes discovering and sharing interesting details about your family, homelands, and traditions.

Further, when we engage in family history, we discover more about ourselves and our ancestors. We then connect with them by performing needed gospel ordinances. This discovery and connection is part of the Gathering of Israel.
(Ephesians 1:10)" Quotes courtesy of FamilySearch

I add my testimony, as Elder Renlund said a couple of conferences ago, that as we engage in this great work, we will find healing, peace, protection from the adversary, and many more blessings too numerous to name, but which I have blogged about before on this blog.

Discover who you are, and get started today on the Family Tree Mobile App, or the Family Search Website.

Picture courtesy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Media Library, of the Cordoba, Argentina Temple

How to get started in the work of Salvation

Your ancestors and their posterity are being taught the gospel in the spirit world, and they need your help. Now some of you may think your family history work is done, but it isn't.  You see your ancestors had brothers and sisters, with posterity through other lines.  And you can do their work as well.

And Family Search and the Family Tree Mobile app will show you how to find those relatives through the "ancestors with tasks" section of the App (Just open the app, tap the 3 lines, and you will see it). Then follow these steps:

Choose an ancestor in the "ancestors with tasks" section:

1. Look at the person's record in family tree.  see whether they have children or a spouse listed, or brothers or sisters.  Keep a mental note. The next step shows you how to compare this relative to other genealogical records that have been found that may show more family members.

2. There is a blue dot on your relative's name.  Tap it, then tap one of the records that comes up, and then tap "review and attach," and you will be able to compare these side by side.  If the new record found lists new siblings, a spouse, or parents, you will find the option to add a new person to the tree. If there are not any new people there, go back to the ancestors with tasks section, and choose another ancestor and repeat the steps. 

3. If you do find someone you can add, Family Tree will do a quick search to make sure there aren't duplicates.
a. if there aren't, add them in and request the ordinances.
b. if there are, make sure the names, birthdates, and relatives are the same before adding the new person.  You may want to call Family Search before moving forward with this.  It's an extra step, but worth it.

Final step, take the names to the temple, and enjoy feeling of the spirit that is there.  You are doing something for people they can't do for themselves. You have become a Savior on Mount Zion.

Now it's not always that easy.  Sometimes you have to merge duplicates, and you have to be careful, but don't be afraid.  You will figure it out, sometimes with the help of Family Search Genealogists who are just a phone call away (tap the 3 lines, tap help, and call).

Additionally, you will have help from the Lord, and from the other side of the veil.  When you exercise faith, God can inspire you to find their information needed for the temple. As Quentin L. Cook taught, you should not “underestimate the influence of the deceased in assisting your efforts” (“Roots and Branches,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 46–47).

The church gives the following instructions on what to pray for:

1. Pray to be led to find your ancestors who have accepted the gospel in the spirit world but haven’t been baptized yet.

2. Pray frequently that you can be a gatherer in this great work and that you can help God’s children receive the gospel.

3. Make a plan to act; consider family or ward members who can help you.  

I testify that this is the Lord's work. As you engage in it either on the Family Search Website, or the Family Tree Mobile App, you will find a peace beyond compare, and your life will change. You can also find other resources and stories on this blog.

Picture is the Fort Lauderdale Temple, courtesy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Media Library.