Although I have been an active member of the church all my life, I have never felt the urge to do family history work. I was certain that searching out one’s ancestors required being old or being born with the genealogy gene. I was sure that neither prerequisite applied to me. Then, two years ago, I was called to be the Temple and Family History Leader in our ward. Because of that, my wife and I felt like we should volunteer as consultants at the Granite Family History Center when it reopened after COVID. Our eyes and our hearts have been opened as we’ve taken our first steps into the wonderful work of discovering our ancestors. We now are certain that being blessed by the Spirit of Elijah requires neither a special gene nor reaching one’s golden years.
In our efforts to get our ward members excited about doing their own family history work, we learned quickly that we were not the only ones laboring under some serious misconceptions. We heard all the same excuses we had used for not getting involved –
“It’s too hard and I’m too busy,”
“I’ll get into genealogy when I retire,”
“It’s not my job, I already have a church calling,”
“Family History work is a little boring to me”
“All of the temple work for my ancestors has already been done. There is nothing left for me to do.”
With that in mind, I would like to share three insights I have gained from my efforts to follow President Nelson’s invitation to be a part of “the greatest challenge, the greatest cause, and the greatest work on the earth today,” the gathering of Israel on both sides of the veil.
INSIGHT #1 – The responsibility for Temple and Family History efforts in the wards (as well as missionary work) now rests with every Relief Society Sister and every Elder as well as each of the youth in the Aaronic Priesthood quorums and Young Women classes.
When the Elders Quorum and Relief Society Presidencies were given the responsibility for the day-to-day missionary and temple and family history efforts in the ward, President Ballard said it would strengthen the work because ALL members should now feel responsible and be encouraged to participate in some way.
INSIGHT #2 – FamilySearch is a partial fulfilment of prophecy. It is evidence that the Savior is hastening His work in the latter-days. It makes doing family history and connecting with our ancestors easier than ever before.
Prophets in the last century spoke of future inventions and technologies that would help the Lord’s work progress in ways that would amaze us and let us all participate. Today, with a few clicks of our computer mouse, we have family names to take to the temple or, with a few swipes of our smart phones, we can see pictures of and read stories about our ancestors that were previously unknown to us. FamilySearch is a marvelous work and a wonder in our day.
INSIGHT #3 – Taking family names to the temple provides only a fraction of the joy that comes from doing family history work. Great blessings come from learning about the lives and the faith of our ancestors.
Speaking of the Spirit of Elijah, Elder David A. Bednar taught, “This distinctive influence of the Holy Ghost draws people to identify, document, and cherish their ancestors and family members – both past and present.” Doing family history work is about coming to really know our ancestors and documenting their lives by sharing recordings, pictures and stories with living relatives, and learning to love and cherish them for who they were and what they accomplished.
I am grateful for a calling that opened my life to the blessings of family history work and taught me that no matter where we are in life’s journey, there is a way we all can participate in the gathering of Israel RIGHT NOW!
Wes Innes, Granite Family History Center Consultant