For the past seven years, the Mount Mahogany Stake presidency (in Pleasant Grove, Utah, U.S.A.), has adopted a focus of shepherding its members to the temple. As the high councilor over family history for my stake, I have seen many inspiring examples of how family history work has been used to support and encourage that goal. I want to share some of the things we have learned over the past several years in hopes that other wards and stakes around the world can see some of the same miracles we have seen.
Apostolic Promises
Family history work in our stake really took off around the same time as we received the Apostolic promises and blessings given by Elders Richard G. Scott and David A. Bednar in general conference. Some key phrases among these inspired teachings really resonated with our stake goal of being a temple-going people. While aimed initially at the youth, these promises, we felt, applied to all of us:As you respond in faith to this invitation, your hearts shall turn to the fathers.… Your love and gratitude for your ancestors will increase. Your testimony of and conversion to the Savior will become deep and abiding. And I promise you will be protected against the intensifying influence of the adversary.
David A. Bednar, “The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2011, 26–27
Immerse yourself in searching for your ancestors, prepare their names for the sacred vicarious ordinances available in the temple, and then go to the temple to stand as proxy for them to receive the ordinances of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost.… I can think of no greater protection from the influence of the adversary in your life.
Richard G. Scott, “The Joy of Redeeming the Dead,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2012, 94
Making a Difference
Inspired by the stake focus and the words of living prophets, individual ward and stake leaders began to implement projects and activities that engaged record numbers of members and impacted families on both sides of the veil.Family History Night
With the approval of the stake presidency, family history consultants from a trio of wards worked together to organize a monthly family history night that anyone could attend. They chose a rotating mutual night, in case leaders wanted to bring their youth groups, and made it an open invitation so that nobody felt obligated. Representatives from the three wards took turns staffing the activity and helping those that attended find ancestor names to take to the temple. Family history engagement in these three wards jumped as a result of the effort.
Family History Missionary Couple
As he prayed for direction on how he might boost family history involvement in his ward, a particular bishop in the stake was inspired to call an established couple in his ward as family history missionaries. He didn’t give them any instruction beyond telling them simply that he wanted them to magnify the ward’s calling to do family history and trusting that they would be guided to know what to do. They felt prompted to visit every family in the ward in their homes and teach them how to use FamilySearch.org and descendancy research to identify ancestors needing temple blessings. They went out and evangelized it. At one point through their efforts the ward hit a submitter number as high as 60%, as compared to around 10% in the other wards. It was unbelievable. It shows that if you shine a light and encourage people to lengthen their stride, they will. The ward members really felt the blessings of taking their own ancestor names to the temple, exactly in the same way that Elder Scott and Elder Bednar promised it would.
Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy
What better way to keep the Sabbath Day holy, and make it a delight, than to do family history? In doing so, you combine the apostolic promises associated with keeping the Sabbath Day holy as well as those associated with doing family history. A bishop in the stake asked me to teach all of his youth Sunday school classes in a rotating fashion twice a year about FamilySearch and how to use it. We get each of the youth signed on and show them how to use FamilySearch Family Tree and descendancy research. By helping these young men and young women to catch the vision, we are beginning to see how our children can do social media in the Lord’s way, connecting generations. I believe that if they will just spend an hour doing that on the Sabbath day, they will see a tremendous change in their life.
A promise
I know that temples can be a refuge for us. One way we can get ourselves to the temple more often is by feeling the spirit of Elijah that comes when we find the name of an ancestor and take it to the temple. By providing him or her with those sacred ordinances, we are doing for them what they can’t do for themselves. And we are both blessed.
Dr. Russell J. Osguthorpe, a pediatric physician, is the high council representative for family history in the Pleasant Grove, Utah (U.S.A.) Mount Mahogany Stake.
