The past couple of months have been exciting at the Granite FHC. Last month I shared with you the response of many young men and young women to President Nelson’s invitation to join the battalion to participate in “the greatest challenge, the greatest cause, and the greatest work on the earth today.” The response continues to be overwhelming, as each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday dozens of our youth have been coming to the FHC to participate in family history activities. As you can expect, these youth are fast learners and are already demonstrating exceptional skills in family history work. Not only are they experiencing the joy of family history for themselves, they are finding joy in helping others participate in the blessings that come from engaging in temple and family history.

Besides the youth activities, there have been numerous training sessions, classes, as well as activities for YM/YW groups, YSA groups, Elders quorums, Relief Society groups, Sunday Schools, and families. We have also hosted many indexing missionaries who have used the FHC while their facility is undergoing renovation.

Speaking of renovation, much has been done in the past two months to upgrade our facility and make it even more user friendly. Here are just a few of the changes:

1. All the computers in Rooms 101 and 102 are brand new computers with touchscreens. Counting the new lap tops we have acquired for overflow and for check out for offsite family history activities, we have over 50 new computers to serve you.
2. The old office used primarily for book scanning has been remodeled to be a patron overflow room. It now has four new computers along with the book scanner computer.
3. All computers are now linked to the Lexmark printer.
4. Room 101 has all new computer tables on wheels. This has allowed us to change the table configuration for better teaching and consulting experiences with the youth.
5. Both the instructor computers have Join.me (for broadcasting and recording classes) and Reflector 3 (for mirroring iPads, laptops, Androids, phones, etc.) installed.

If you haven’t visited the granitefhc.com website recently, you have missed out. Every week new information, ideas, inspirational thoughts, and calendar items are added to assist you. One of the great advancements this fall has been the broadcasting and recording of some of our family history classes. We have amazing instructors who have done an excellent job teaching us about all kinds of topics related to family history.

Because it is hard for many to attend the class when offered, you are now able to watch the class live from your home or office, or you can access it at a more convenient time for you by just downloading it from the FHC website.

The more time I spend at the Granite FHC, the greater my appreciation for the many faithful and dedicated saints who work so hard to make the FHC a happy, helpful, and inspiring place to be. I am overwhelmed with the talent, skills and knowledge of so many who devote many hours each week in the Lord’s service. My heart is full of gratitude to all those who serve, the patrons who visit, those on the other side of the veil who prompt and assist, and our Heavenly Father who guides this work.    –David Castleton