2025-09 Sep - You can do it

Sep 14, 2025 remembering cheering us on Our Reach

Read time: Summary 0.2 minutes | Expanded section: 10 minutes | Entire message 10.2 minutes

Summary

Expanded Message

‘As we start to think about our ancestors, there can be a strength that is beyond us: the crowds cheering us on — those who’ve come before.'

~ Sheldon Martin

As the article mentioned “She had the opportunity to work with a friend in her ward who was well-versed in family history”, I thought everyone in our ward has that same opportunity. You’re not alone in Temple & Family History work.

Remembering All These

Mosiah 1:4 talks about the brass plates, yet might we apply it to ourselves and to our use of FamilySearch.org?

For it were not possible that our father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have taught them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates; (emphasis added)

To remember all of our family history, we have both the help of the online repositories in familysearch.org, and the help of Ward Temple & Family History consultants who are well versed in the use of family history tools. Let us help you find out more about you and your ancestors. Contact one of us in church or drop by the family history center during its posted hours of operation (staffed by volunteers, so be patient when occasionally the person is not there). The first step is to create a familysearch.org account. TFH consultants can help you start building your family tree of four generations (you, your parents, your grandparents, your great grandparents). As we all try to be more like Jesus Christ, who focused on the one, we can also focus on one person at a time in our family tree. Once you have your 4-generations recorded, there consultants can help with all manner of challenges. Bring your challenge, let’s invite the Holy Ghost to aid us, and see how we might help.

My effort to relate Mosiah 1:4 to us stems from a 25 years ago talk, where then Elder Russell M Nelson said, “Once we understand why we need guidance and where we obtain it, we then ask, how can we achieve it? How can we truly live, not “by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”? We begin with a determination to “liken all scriptures unto us … for our profit and learning.” If we “press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, … [we] shall have eternal life.” (emphasis added)

Does Temple & Family History Sometimes Feel Beyond Our Reach?

Have you ever wondered why we are asked to do things in God’s kingdom that feel beyond our reach?

Elder Steven D. Shumway, Of the Seventy, April 2025

Elder Shumway got his answer hearing this:

Now is the time for you and for me to prepare for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. President Russell M Nelson

Elder Shumway then said,

When President Nelson said this, the Spirit taught me that as we participate in God’s work, we prepare ourselves and others for Christ’s return. The Lord’s promise is compelling that callings, ministering, temple worship, following promptings, and other ways we embark in God’s work uniquely prepare us to meet the Savior.

That brings another way of viewing Temple & Family History work.

I noted that the Come Follow Me lesson included this.

Seek diligently to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to the children; Doctrine & Covenants 98:16

Elder Shumway continued,

As God’s kingdom expands and temples dot the earth, there is a growing need for willing souls to engage in God’s work. Selflessly serving is the very essence of Christlike discipleship. But serving is rarely convenient.

Indeed, Temple & Family History work is rarely convenient.

Elder Shumway mentioned one of the blessings.

When we say yes to serving, we are saying yes to Jesus Christ. And when we say yes to Christ, we are saying yes to the most abundant life possible.

I was still pondering that, when the audio review of his talk went on.

We engage in God’s work not because God needs us but because we need God and His mighty blessings.

I appreciated when Elder Shumway said,

We learn this pattern in the account of the Creation. After each day of labor, God acknowledged the progress made by saying, “It was good.” He did not say the work was finished nor that it was perfect. But what He did say was that there was progress, and in God’s eyes, that is good!

This statement reflected my experiences in Temple & Family History over decades. It is always progress. Looking for an ending is disappointing because the challenge is not structured like that. Seeing each session of service as progress helps in the vast work He asks of us. Each year, millions of records are released. These add more sources for our people. More importantly, the new information provides additional information that has helped me find other people.

D&C 98:12 provides one of God’s patterns.

For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept;

For me, line upon line, precept upon precept equals progress.

Ponder how Elder Shumway’s next statement applies to Temple & Family History work.

As we labor with God in whatever way He asks, we grow into the measure of our own creation.

Rather than letting the scale of the work get us down, look at how Elder Shumway frames it.

God rejoices in our progress, and so should we, even when we still have work to do.

And boy do we still have a work to do. It is refreshing to pause and be thankful for the progress we make with Him. It renews my soul to thank God for the promptings of the Holy Ghost to focus here rather than there. There is much repetitive effort in Temple & Family History, and the help from heaven comes enough to feel it and be grateful for it. Is this not helping each of us progress? The beauty of this loving pattern, is that it applies in any service we give to the Lord. It is not just for Temple & Family History service.

As we participate, we progress toward “the measure of [our] creation.”

I have noticed progression in people’s skills in Family History. It can be started easily. And it has enough challenges to continue building our skills in Family History.

Last weekend, I experienced the increasing network effects. As I have focused on other lines in my family, I’ve started looking for everyone of that name in a town my people resided. This has resulted in discovering more cousins over time.

When the network is small, the relationship button responds with “Unknown”. But when others help, and our own efforts link them farther back to their ancestors, then the blessing is that the relationship button nearly always finds a linkage. This network effect and its outcomes are very satisfying as one of the payoffs of many sessions of progress.

For those of you who have not yet served much in Temple & Family History, Elder Shumway spoke to you too.

At times we may lack the strength or the means to serve in a calling. Our loving Heavenly Father does not condemn us when we are willing but unable to serve.

Another blessing of our service in Temple & Family History work is called out by Elder Shumway.

Serving elevates our homes and churches into holy places where we can practice covenant living. For example, our covenant to always remember Christ is made individually, but this covenant is lived as we serve others.

This applies in missionary work, Temple & Family History, Ward callings, our families, and any service.

Elder Shumway articulated what I have felt in my own service.

When we serve because we love God and want to live our covenants, service that seems dutiful and draining becomes joyful and transformative.

He then noted,

We become the kind of person who wants to be in God’s presence. This understanding overcomes hesitations to serve or preferences not to serve.

Elder Shumway went on to focus on how “participating in God’s work helps us receive God’s gift of grace and feel His greater love.”

As his talk ended, I was impressed to share,

In earnestly seeking to represent the Savior, we become more like Him.

Elder Jorge M. Alvarado said that temple and family history work is more than just pedigree charts, it’s discovering one’s roots, heritage and history. When members learn more about their ancestors, they will have a desire to help them receive ordinances of salvation and exaltation.

Story Time

  1. Expecting the first baby girl in their family in 108 years. Boy or Girl? This couple expects to break a 108-year streak of male births in the Sherman family. The couple was surrounded by family and friends when they received the news that would end more than a century of boys-only births. “We are the ones bringing the baby girl into the world. Finally, after over 100 years. It’s amazing.”

  2. Finding family in Plainview. John Keller found out much about his family at a museum. His family – as it turns out – was quite prominent in the early days of Plainview. Keller’s great-great grandfather, Edwin N. Phinney, had once lived in Plainview, and Keller contacted the museum, planning a two-day visit on August 28-29. John was able to see the large memorabilia display about his family, which has been at the museum since the early 1970s. There he found hs 2G grandfather’s journals. Starting in 1873, while living in Maine, Frank Phinney journaled daily up until his death in 1925. How nice it must have been to read about his 2G grandfather by reading his journals.

Have you considered journaling? Would it help to think of it as not for you, but for your future generations?

  1. Madina Khudaynazar came to the USA as a child refugee. She got a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in her original home country and to unlock some of her family history. Madina’s mother often narrated stories of her own childhood, when she wove carpets with her sisters as they shared lines of poetry from famous Persian poets. “It’s one thing to hear the stories, it’s another to live in a culture that values that art — and to discover the nuances of her experiences.”

“I was finally able to see the whole picture of pieces of puzzles my mom would paint for me.”

  1. Primary Children Plan, Prepare and Participate in Family History Summer Camp. Collaborative ward efforts help children learn more about their ancestors and other parts of the world. Ward temple and family history consultants met with families to help parents and children create FamilySearch accounts, explore their family tree and learn how to add memories to ancestors in their family trees. “It’s been fun to learn a little about different parts of the world and to find out everyone’s connections to those places.”

“I love that this is helping my kids learn that family history is fun and interesting. It’s helping set their foundation and start habits for doing more family history as they get older,”

“This is not just ‘Aunt Sally’s' project anymore,” he said. “Everybody can do this. Our goal at FamilySearch has been to make it so easy that even children can do it. Everybody can do it.”

~ Elder Kevin S. Hamilton, General Authority Seventy

Reminder. Current Workflow for Family History:

Think Inputs and Outputs.

  1. Historical people’s information first has to be digitized (others do this).
  2. We index people’s digitized information so the image can be associated with text, which can be found in computer searches. AI is still not good enough to do this by itself.
  3. We link families' data together in FamilySearch.org (each member’s initial target is 4-Generations found and linked. Later we work cousin lines too.)
  4. We attach people’s information (source data) to the right person to help us and others to get to know them better. Attaching more sources also shows our hypotheses about individuals more likely true than not true as we build a clear picture of who they were.
  5. Then, we can get names to take to the temple and offer them the choice of being linked to their families for eternity.
  6. By delving deeper, finding and attaching sources and their small bits of information about our ancestor’s experiences, we get to know our people (both direct lines and cousin lines), and our hearts turn to them. As more original sources are digitized and indexed, more puzzle pieces become available. It’s an ongoing and accelerating effort. When are we “done” knowing someone? We can all go beyond the dates of their birth and death and get to know our people.
  7. We can bless others by sharing with our immediate family and cousins what we’ve learned about our shared ancestors or kin, helping all of us feel more grounded, knowing where we came from. Potentially helping them to turn their hearts to their fathers too.

As Ward Temple & Family History Consultants we are called to help you with HOW to do these things, the Lord has asked that we all do.

Sincerely, Your Ward Temple & Family History Consultants,

During Stake Family Search Center posted hours, our staffing assignments are posted

(our contact info is in the tools app, or see us in church)

P.S. - Older versions of this Ward Message (without names), with some how-to instructions, are at familyhistorystuff.com for your reference. This site is not for profit. The .com was a mistake when .org was intended, and would have doubled the cost to fix the mistake.