In previous posts, I've shared a short 3 minute video awhile ago by the church about the Promised Blessings of Temple and Family History Work. It's one of the most amazing videos ever.
This last year, the church made a Part 2 of that video, and made it available for Rootstech. Without further ado, here's the video.
It's easier than ever to start or continue with Family History. There is a short get started video posted below that can show you a secret to finding your ancestors, even if you have never done it before, or if you have run into some roadblocks.
One last note: If you can't see any record hints after logging into Family Search when you use the above link, it may be because you haven't put your parents, grandparents, and great grandparents into the tree.
If that is the case, reach out to your family! Get their birthdates and family stories, and start putting them into Family Search until you get back to your most recent ancestor who has passed away. If Family search then connects to the global family tree, and you can see more ancestors, come back to this post in a week or so, when Family Search has been able to match records up, and follow the instructions on the video.
If it doesn't connect to ancestors already in your tree, I would contact one of the Family History Consultants in your ward or branch, or reach out to a genealogist in your family and have them assist you. It's well worth the phone call, and will change your life.
For those who need help, You can also find a great post about resolving duplicates here.
Picture is the Cedar City Utah Temple, courtesy of the Media Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
As I have gone to the grounds of a couple of temples locally, I have noticed that even though they are closed to proxy ordinances this Christmas Season (many carefully opening up next year, according to the church), they do have Life-size Nativities on the grounds of the temples I saw.
One sacred activity this year might be to go to your local temple, sit on the grounds and feel of the spirit of that place. And chances are there is a nativity there that could make the visit more meaningful.
A Sacred Experience
A nativity is wonderful, and a nativity setup on hallowed ground can turn a great Christmas activity into a sacred experience as you go, especially as you take some time to ponder and silently pray when you are there.
I recommend you take some time before Christmas, perhaps on a weekend, and go to the temple grounds if local regulations permit. Even though it's outside, please maintain social distancing and make sure and observe any local mask mandates.
And then enjoy the spirit of the temple that we all have missed these last 9 months. And take some time to reflect upon the significance of the Birth of the Savior.
If you have children, it's a perfect time to teach them more about the Savior, as well as teach them more about the temple. You might let them know the spirit they feel on the temple grounds comes from the Savior whose birth we celebrate. You might let them know that spirit is one of the reasons you love the temple.
This Christmas is a time for Hope: I look forward with hope for the future. This pandemic will not last forever, and in a future day, we will be able to enter the temples again. But until then, the grounds are dedicated to the Lord, too. And we can have our cups filled, our testimonies strengthened, and can experience Christmas in a different way as we will go up to the Mountain of the Lord.
God lives. He loves each of us. He will ever be our hope, our light, our salvation, our Redeemer, our King, and our best friend. And he is the reason for the season.
Find out how you can #LightTheWorld this Christmas Season at the Church Website. Serve others and spread the light of Christ this Season.
Picture Still from Celebrating the Light of the World: A Christmas on Temple Square Performance, program available at the Church Media Library, and on Youtube
Normally I post about Family History, however this post is to share an invitation to listen to our Prophet this week.
This Friday at 11 am MST, the Prophet will give a ten minute message of hope and healing to the world. It will be posted to Church media channels and apps afterwards.
As we together face this tumultuous year, and now as we go into uncertain times, we need the Savior of the World. And we need the words of our prophet as we begin this Holiday Season.
I know God Lives. Jesus Christ is our Savior. He is the one who will heal our hearts, calm our troubled minds, and comfort our weary souls. He stands at the head of this church. He is real, and I love him with all my heart. And I know he loves all of his children. He is there. And his words will again be spoken this Friday.
I hope and pray that all of us may watch this, either live or later on. You can find out more about this, and how to watch on the Church News Announcement Page.
Here's the 30 second video of the Invitation.
Pray about your direction in life One last bit. I encourage you today to just take some time to login to Family Search, or the Family Tree Mobile App, and search through some of the stories of your ancestors. And prayerfully decide about engaging in Family History. It's another way to heal your heart and soul, and can bring the peace of the Savior into your life. And it can save the lives of others.
Family History is for children as well as families. Take a couple of minutes, and watch this story of a boy who started Family History as a child, and how it changed his whole family for the better. And it is also important for individuals.
I know some of the most powerful spiritual experiences our children, or anyone can have is when they are somehow engaged in Family History. It touches their sensitive natures and binds them to Christ. And it touches our hearts as well.
10 Minutes First, you have to learn how yourself, and there is a great video quickstart guide on a previous post that you can use to get started in as little as 10 minutes.
Even if you only try it once a month, it will change your life, and the lives of your family, and especially your children. It can set you as a family firmly on the gospel path for your entire lives. And individually you can feel the Love of the Lord.
Remember you don't have to be a genealogist. You don't have to do it all the time. And you as a family or individually can prayerfully decide how much you do. Here's the video:
If you have ever gone to reserve names for the temple, but couldn't, and instead got the message "possible duplicates exist," this post is for you. It can also get you one step closer to finding more of your ancestors in a more accurate way.
Resolving and merging duplicates can be fraught with anxiety, however merging duplicates, when done right, can actually help the global family tree, and make sure fragmented families are connected.
Now Family Search updated a bit ago, and it has a new, fresh look, and merging is a bit different, so I wanted to share this video that walks you through the changes.
One note. If you make a mistake and merge people that are actually different people, you can reverse that, so it's not something to be afraid of. That being said, it's still important to make sure dates and data match up so you don't merge people who are actually separate people (birth dates can be off by a year because census records can sometimes be off by a year).
This can be done on the Family Search website or the Family Tree Mobile App, however I prefer the website. However, feel free to use whichever you prefer, as the layouts are similar.
As President Nelson said, this is the work of Almighty God, and will help prepare the world for the second coming of our Savior. It is one way of many that we can Let God Prevail in our lives. Here's the Video
If you have never done Family History on Family Search, I've done a 10 Minute Quick Start Guide on another post.
I had the most wonderful experience today. Though temples are still closed to proxy ordinances (thought that may be changing soon), I decided to drive to a temple that is close by, and just sit there on the grounds.
A Beacon of Light
The grounds were beautiful, the temple was elegant, and shone like a beacon of light. And it wasn't just the building that shone, it was the spirit. I felt the spirit in a way I haven't since temples closed for proxy ordinances.
Love from our Heavenly Home here on Earth
I felt the Love of the Lord, and I felt a peace that cannot be obtained anywhere else on earth. I felt like I was in my heavenly home for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
I have so missed the temple. but even if we can't go inside, we can still feel of the spirit of the temple as we will go there, and sit on the temple grounds. It is still a place of prayer, and a place dedicated to the Lord. And angels attend as we go there, even if we can't go inside.
An invitation to go to the temple
So, I recommend the following as an individual or a family activity with your children, parents, or friends. Perhaps today, or in the next week or couple of weeks just go to your local temple, and just spend some time on the grounds. Perhaps you go on a Saturday or a weekday. You may wish to call your local temple first before you go and ask when their grounds are open. And you will want to follow safe social distancing guidelines.
How the House of the Lord can fill us with God's love
My heart is full. I still feel the peace of the temple filling my day with the light of Christ, and the comfort of his love. And I want to share that, and I know the Lord wants to share that love with his children.
God Lives. This work still goes on. And we can still feel of the peace of the temple as we wait for them to open to proxy ordinances. With all my heart, I encourage you to do that, if you are able to.
Picture Courtesy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Media Library
Until Temples Open, or if you can't go to one right now, Discover an easy way to engage in Family History Work if you have never done it with this 10 minute quick start guide with video.
With General Conference Approaching, I wanted to suggest something that can help you to draw closer to our Heavenly Father, closer to Christ, and draw closer to your Family as well. You can get your children involved in any of these, and can create age-appropriate activities that will involve them. Your Family Members experiences with Conference
Take some time today, this week, or maybe between sessions of Conference to ask some older members of your family about their Favorite General Conference experience or talk. It can strengthen your testimony, and help make Conference more meaningful.
Your Ancestor's Experiences
You can also go onto the Family Tree Mobile App or the Family Search website, and search through family stories of your ancestors that may have been uploaded by some of your relatives.
You may find out that you are not alone, and that your ancestors may have faced many of the challenges you are facing.
Watch for Invitations to engage in Family History
Also, this Conference, listen for what our Leaders say about Family History and Temple work, including indexing, and pray to know if it is something the Lord would have you participate in in.
One final suggestion. Watch or read the talks from this last General Conference to prepare for this coming General Conference. To get started, here is a 2 minute clip from one of President Nelson's talks last Conference that was shared by our Bishop.
This quick post can help the Windows of Heaven open for you in ways you may never have considered. I've experienced sore trials for many years. And for me healing has come in a way I didn't anticipate. For Many Years I was too intimidated to Start Family History Work, and I thought my Family History work was done.
But I was wrong on both counts. When I found how easy it was with the church's tools, I was amazed. And I discovered I didn't need to do it all the time. Once a month or once a year, I realized I was needed.
And the blessings of heaven began to pour down upon me. And that's why this post with a get started video. So you can experience the same thing.
First, though, this work is a supernal work. It will help prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Savior. Additionally, you will also discover who you are as a child of our Father in Heaven. And you will feel of his love. But how do you get started?
I've put together a short how to video showing you how to get started in Family History on Family Search in just 10 minutes. It shows how easy it is to find your ancestors. Family Search has hints to get started or continue It starts with how to find record hints, and below the video I'll include the link to where you can view these same hints that Family Search has created just for you to get started, or to continue on in this work of Salvation.
Testimony of this Work and how it will help us feel heaven near I know that as we will follow President Nelson's invitation from Last Conference to engage in Family History work before the temples open, that when the temples do open, we will feel of the gratitude of our Father in Heaven, and of our ancestors as well. And our cup of joy will be filled to overflowing.
And you will discover that your life really does matter in a whole new way. You will feel of the gratitude of our Heavenly Father, and Savior Jesus Christ. You will find a sense of purpose, and will experience all the blessings promised by Apostles and Prophets.
And you don't have to wait until temples open. Blessings will come as you are just getting started in this work.
And one day after you have left this life, you will meet these ancestors, and you will embrace them, and weep tears of joy with them because you have done for them what they couldn't do for themselves. Here's the get started guide..
God Lives. Christ is our Savior; this is his work and his church. We are a part of it. And his work is the greatest thing we can engage in.
One last note: If you can't see any record hints after logging into Family Search when you use the above link, it may be because you haven't put your parents, grandparents, and great grandparents into the tree.
If that is the case, reach out to your family! Get their birthdates and family stories, and start putting them into Family Search until you get back to your most recent ancestor who has passed away. If Family search then connects to the global family tree, and you can see more ancestors, come back to this post in a week or so, when Family Search has been able to match records up, and follow this.
If it doesn't connect to ancestors already in your tree, I would contact one of the Family History Consultants in your ward or branch, or reach out to a genealogist in your family and have them assist you. It's well worth the phone call, and will change your life.
Picture is of the Provo Temple in Autumn, courtesy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Media Library
As many of us are struggling with the effects of this pandemic, I've been pondering many of the invitations by the prophet that have brought me peace and have comforted my sometimes weary soul. And following these invitations can save us and our children. Close to the end of this post I'll speak about how you can help your children specifically.
On my other blog, I've spoken of many of these prophetic invitations and promises, but here I wanted to focus on one specific thing that can bring us peace.
A prophet's invitation that can change your life
It's something President Nelson invited us to do last Conference. And as it did for me, it can change your life as well. It is something that originally helped me to feel of the spirit of Elijah, and gave me the courage to start to learn how to do Family History.
For all ages It's Family Search indexing. It's easy, addicting, and fun, can be done with just 10-15 minutes maybe on a Sunday or weekend, and helps the work. If you don't know how to do Family History it's a perfect fit. And it's for adults, teens, and even older children. That's right, you can learn to do it and teach your children. More on that later.
How it helps with Family History Work I shared in another post about how Family Search emailed me a few years after I helped index the 1940 Census (10 years ago), and let me know that the records I indexed had helped hundreds of people add to their family trees, and reserve ordinances for their ancestors. It helps link the Family of Man with sacred ordinances.
Easy to Get Started Just go to the Family Search Indexing Website, login with your Church Account, choose a project (right now records of people from Wisconsin are being encouraged), and then get started. It's wonderful for a Sunday afternoon or a weekend. And for questions, there is a wonderful help page.
What you are doing When you login and choose a project, what you are doing is reading the words on a microfilm Family Search shows you, and typing them into boxes and submitting it, so that people can search for them on Family Search. Then...
Family Search matches your records with people's ancestors Family Search will take those records and scan the Worldwide Family Tree, and can send a hint to a person's relative that a record has been uploaded that can help them add to their family tree. And possibly reserve ordinances.
It brings Joy and Peace-especially for beginners of all ages Learning Family History is a joyful process. It has been for me. I still feel like I'm a beginner. But I'm still able to help out with the work. And so can you whether you are an adult, youth, or older child.
How it changes the lives of Children Older children are especially sensitive to the spirit, and often can catch the spirit of Elijah at a young age. And that can change their entire lives. I discussed how Family History changes the lives of children and youth on another post on this blog.
Our Prophet's Invitation For now, I'm going to close with the quote with President Nelson's invitation in his talk "Hear Him," from last General Conference, and how it relates to indexing.
"While worshipping in the temple is presently not possible, I invite you to increase your participation in family history, including family history research and indexing. I promise that as you increase your time in temple and family history work, you will increase and improve your ability to hear Him."
This is an invitation with a promise, not a command. I know I have needed to Hear the voice of the Lord, through the spirit so I can get through some of the trials I have faced. If you reread the talk, this is one way, of many, that we can learn to Hear the Lord better.
Testimony I know this work is of God. It will help us draw closer to the Lord, closer to our families, and the spirit will rest upon our homes as we will engage in this work.
Make this new normal a new way to draw closer to him.
If you have never done Family History on Family Search, I've done a 10 Minute Quick Start Guide on another post.
"The work of gathering Heavenly Father's family is not just for young people, and it is not just for grandparents. It is for everyone. We are all gatherers." (Henry B Eyring, gathering the Family of God)
Each of us has something we can do to engage in the work of saving our dead. President Nelson has said that while it helps those on the other side, it can bless the living as well.
I wanted to share this new short video from President and Sister Nelson. The Heavens will pour down as you engage in this saving work.
If you have never done Family History on Family Search, I've done a 10 Minute Quick Start Guide on another post.
