We don’t often realize the impact that doing temple and family history has on our own lives and the lives of those we serve.

This is an experience that Janet Helland shared. Janet Helland is a Granite Family History Center consultant, and consultant trainer. The experience she shares gives us some insight into the work that is going on at the GFHC, and the miracles that happen here.

One evening following a class I had taught at the Granite Family History Center, a young man who I will call “John” had just been called as a Temple and Family History Consultant in his stake and asked if I could answer a couple of questions for him after the class.  

As we sat together, I could see that he had some experience but just needed a bit more tools to use.  We looked at FamilySearch along with the Family History Guide and he felt more comfortable that he could find answers when they came up.

He mentioned to me that he had received an email from FamilySearch that he had a pioneer ancestor and could we look at it together.  He was quite taken back by the email and began to explain to me that he was the only active member of the Church in his family.  On both sides of his family were either family members who had left their faith or never joined a church.  Some were tolerant and still others could be quite mean spirited about his faith.  He expressed that often he felt quite alone.

As we investigated his email, we found that he truly did have pioneer ancestors!  We read about a grandmother who had come across the plains and found other members of her family as well.  Tears began to well in John’s eyes as the spirit bore witness to him the he was not alone!  For the first time since he was a teenager, he felt that he had people, loved ones, who shared the same faith as he had.  It was a miraculous moment for both him and me as we shared this beautiful and edifying discovery experience together.  I will never forget it.

Miracles do happen as we discover our family history. –Janet Helland