Dorothy Walker, Jordan North Stake


	THE BLESSINGS OF FAMILY HISTORY– Given 4/6/04 Stake Conference
	by Dorothy Walker

Each year the PTA sponsors a contest in the schools called  Reflections. Children are to elaborate on a given theme. Last year’s theme was, “I am happy when. . . . .”

What are YOU happy when. . . . .?  I could say, I am happy when I am doing family history. WHY? Simply, because I know I will receive  blessings when I keep the Lord’s commandments. 

A saying that some of us recently heard while attending a Personal Ancestral File class, went like this:

“If I ALMOST keep the commandments, I ALMOST get the blessings.”

Some of us are pursing this part of the Gospel in varying degrees. Others may almost be doing it. 

	The principle of temple and family history work has always been an important part of the doctrine of the Church. 

This principle applies to those who have died without the benefits of the ordinances needed for eternal progression. They have the opportunity, through us, to receive those saving ordinances and be linked in families and generations through the Sealing Power of the Holy Priesthood.

Because of the importance and magnitude of this work, the Church has gone to much effort and expense to provide helps and tools to assist us in gathering the names of our kindred dead.

Taking advantage of these wonderful services is up to US if WE want the blessings. 

We marvel at the advances of technology, and it  certainly has made it possible to keep the growing number of temples operating efficiently.

About three or four years ago, I heard a comment at a Family History Seminar about what may be coming in the future as far as technology and family history was concerned. It went like this:

 “FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS AND HANG ON TIGHT!”  

I have done just that and hung on tight ever since!  It may seem scary and mind boggling, but  I can see the progress of these technology miracles that make doing our family history, easier, more efficient, and more exciting. 

You who may not have had the pleasure of finding this out, TRY IT! As the saying goes,

 “Try it! You might like it!” 

 Be brave! Don’t let the gray hair stand in your way!

Elder Richard G. Scott said:	
“Don’t worry about learning HOW to do it. If you’ll just do it, you’ll learn HOW.”

And help IS available! It is as simple as 1 - 2 -3  --
1- your ward family history consultant 
2 - our stake family history center - 3 - the Family History Library downtown. (Although I might say that, if you need more personal help, you may want to consider the local help within our stake.)	

Often, Warning labels are included in products or operations. Here is a warning label for family history:

 “If you are a beginner, Don’t try to gather your family tree all at once. You may not see your tree because of the forest.”

Many of you know I teach piano.  Whenever a student says, “This piece is TOO hard”, I say “That is what you have a teacher for”, and I have them go slow and break the piece in small sections, thus making it  easier for the student.

This is how searching for your ancestry should be. The saying that you eat an elephant one bite at a time certainly applies to family history.

One of the many blessings I have received is in helping others. I enjoy it SO very much. I enjoy seeing the excitement in others as they progress with their family history.

The Stake Family History Center Staff or  your ward Family History Consultants can  help you organize a book of remembrance. In the Doc & Cov, section 128, we learn that the Lord wants us to have a book, (quote)

 “containing the records of your dead, which shall be worthy of all ACCEPTATION”. 

	There have been many changes in Books of Remembrances over the years. In early  years of temple work, each member would have his individual temple book which he would take to the temple. It looked like this   (Show) This, by the way, belonged to Peggy Christensen’s grandfather.

How many of us remember the HEAVY binders containing the long legal-sized family group records and pedigree charts? 

Now, we have a more realistic book of remembrance that is  lighter and more compact in a 3-ring binder, (Show)

What takes even less space are these; 

(Show a floppy disk and a CD) 

The important thing is that YOU have your OWN copy, and that it is acceptable to the Lord.

You are going to meet your ancestors  (show disk) on the other side of the veil. Now is the time to get acquainted with them! You know how much easier it is to meet someone you have never met before when you know something about that person. I think that will be true on the other side also.

And just how do we get acquainted with our ancestors? If there are no available stories or life histories that you know of, go to their family group records. Stories sometimes can be told through names, dates and places.

As an example, here is a record of  my ancestors who were early converts to the Church. The parents were baptized in Indiana in 1831. They had four children at the time. Their next three children, which included twins, were born in Missouri. Their next three children were born in or near Nauvoo. The next two children were born in Iowa – one at Mount Pisgah, and one at Council Bluffs. The last child was born in Ogden, Utah.

With my knowledge of Church History, I know about this family. I know at least somewhat of their struggles and hardships in coming  West, and that they had strong testimonies of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Elder Neuenschwander said,

 “A life that is not documented is a life that, within a generation or two, will largely be lost to memory. . . . Knowledge of our ancestors shapes us and instills within us values that give direction and meaning to our lives. . . Life is lived forward, but understood backwards.”

Living  relatives also should not be forgotten in seeking out our ancestral lines. In the latest issue of the New Era, there is a cartoon which goes like this:  

Grandpa is being visited by his grandchildren who are showing him their baby books and other memory books. Grandpa is saying “I have a book of remembrance. . . . I just can’t remember where it is.”

(Do you know where yours is?)	
	
Besides getting spiritual blessings in this aspect of the gospel, you can get blessings of health --   mental health!

I have a brother, now a retired medical doctor,  tell me that he would often recommend to  patients who were struggling emotionally, to do family history. Why I asked? He replied that was a way for them to turn their attention to others, and away from themselves.
	
Our existence is all about giving of yourself and serving others.  As King Benjamin said: “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God.”

Serving others in the temple – for those who have gone on before - is always a special experience.
Serving others who are on your own ancestral lines make it even more special. 

President Hinckley said, 
“You’ll leave the temple better than you arrived, I promise.”

I love the Gospel principles. I know that one of the ways we are to come unto Christ is through redeeming the dead. I am so grateful for that principle. Close