Our oldest daughter turned 12 in February 2014, the same month the Granite Family History Center was dedicated. She became engaged in the work; indexing, adding memories, and finding names for temple ordinances. She found some stories about my grandparents and great-grandparents that I had never heard of before. She was excited and looked forward to going to the center. I knew very little about temple and family history work back then. In fact, I associated the work with genealogy, a term that brought to my mind seasoned-retired people going through old records to find temple names…..I was completely wrong.
Even before our second daughter turned 12, she was immersed in the work. She especially loved going to the FHC and teaching other youth and adults about indexing, green temples, and the different computer programs that enhanced the work. I saw her gain more confidence in all parts of her life and she continued to serve as a youth consultant. We now have an 11 year old son who is also driven to temple and family history work. His desire to be at the FHC is close to that of his allotted Xbox time; which is a definite sign that the work is true!
Last September, our kids had the idea to take the family names they found and do baptisms and confirmations in every temple in Utah; all 17 within one year. We bought the Utah Temple Passport Book ($6.99 Deseret Book-free advertising) and we began the journey. We have done work in 9 temples with 8 to go. It has been an outstanding experience so far. As a father I have learned something with each temple trip with my kids. At the St. George Temple I learned that the Lord rewarded the prayer of a determined daughter as we were able to perform the ordinances on the last day of our vacation, even when the baptistry was closed (long story). In our Manti trip, I learned to slow down a little. The pace of life is fast, but going to the temple can give us the true perspective we need. From our Bountiful Temple trip I learned how powerful the family is here on earth and on the other side.
Referring to temple and family history work, Elder Quentin L. Cook stated “As an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, I promise that if you look beyond the bonds of time and mortality and help those who cannot help themselves, you will be blessed with more closeness and joy in your family and with the divine protection afforded those who are faithful in His service.”
As a father, I have a testimony of this closeness and joy. Don’t get me wrong, we still have plenty of moments in our family where there is contention that equals that of a BYU-Utah game. However, I have witnessed how our entire family has been blessed through this work. It all began with our kids planting a seed, the FHC and all the support/expertise of those volunteering at the center acting as the soil, or “the good ground”, and then the Lord providing the sunlight. There really is power in temple and family history work! –Mark Sheffield