How to Get More Joy in Your Life

Story from Kim Sorenson, Aug. 06 EnsignKept praying for specific blessings

The impressions of the answer she repeatedly got were to do family history and temple work

She didn't want to!●Had four young children

●Working 6 hours a day on a business●Husband always gone, in a bishopric

●Had demanding church calling

David O. McKay“I want to tell you one thing, when the Lord tells you what to do, you've got to have the courage to do it or you had better not ask again.”

A Promise

At a high point of stress, she again prayed. She got the same answer. She promised to do an hour of family history work a day.

Not just any hour, the best hour

During her baby's naptime when the other kids were at preschool or school.

“firstling of the flock”

Scriptures that Helped● Moses 5:6● D&C 130:20-21● Matthew 5:7

Alma 34:26“And now behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, do not suppose that this is all; for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need—I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith.”

Her Dream

A little boy entered her childhood home, starving and ill-clothed. He said his name was

“Alexander Mackenzie”

She found him in her research the next day!

He had married into one of her pioneer lines, lived to be 100 and never joined the church. He died and had been forgotten.

Symbolism of Her Dream

● Lacked clothing = lacked temple endowment

● Young child = spiritually young in the gospel

● Hungering for righteousness =wanted to be filled with the Holy Ghost but could not be until he was baptized

Blessings ● Cars and appliances didn't break down

● Children didn't get sick● Miracle in finding clothes for scout camp in short amount of time

● Prayers answered

D&C 128:18It is sufficient to know, in this case, that the earth will be smitten with a curse unless there is a welding link of some kind or other between the fathers and the children, upon some subject or other—and behold what is that subject? It is the baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time. And not only this, but those things which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world, but have been kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed unto babes and sucklings in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times.

Family History AND Temple Work

Yet there are many members of the Church who have only limited access to the temples. They do the best they can. They pursue family history research and have the temple ordinance work done by others. Conversely, there are some members who engage in temple work but fail to do family history research on their own family lines. Although they perform a divine service in assisting others, they lose a blessing by not seeking their own kindred dead as divinely directed by latter-day prophets.

●

● I recall an experience of a few years ago that is analogous to this condition. At the close of a fast and testimony meeting, the bishop remarked, “We have had a spiritual experience today listening to the testimonies borne by each other. This is because we have come fasting according to the law of the Lord. But let us never forget that the law consists of two parts: that we fast by abstaining from food and drink and that we contribute what we have thereby saved to the bishop’s storehouse for the benefit of those who are less fortunate.” Then he added: “I hope no one of us will leave today with only half a blessing.” - Pres. Howard W. Hunter

1. Pull Down the Powers of Heaven: the

Help of Angels

Principle #1“God does notice us, and he does watch over us. But it is usually by another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other.”

-Pres. Spencer W. Kimball

Principle #2“...it is contrary to the order of heaven instituted before the foundation of the earth, for holy messengers who have passed through the resurrection, or messengers who belong to the heavenly sphere, to come to earth and perform work for men which they can do for themselves...”

Teachings of the Pres. Joseph Fielding Smith

p. 294

So could we say it this way?

“It is in accordance with the order of heaven for holy messengers...or messengers of the heavenly sphere...to come to earth and perform work for men which they can't do for themselves.”

??????

Principle #3

“Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost, wherefore they speak the words of Christ.”

2 Nephi 32:3

Let's Combine the Three Principles

1. God does notice and watch over us. He meets our needs usually through another person. 2. Could this “another person” include spirits, who willingly speak through the Holy Ghost to people who have the relationships, ideas, and resources to help us? Could their whisperings set things in motion for us for us to receive desired blessings, because we have done things for them they couldn't do themselves?

Could these angels be the spirits of those who we have done the work for? And could they be giving people ideas on what to do for us, through the power of the Holy Ghost, to help us when were are in need, as a completion of the give/receive cycle?

Elder John A. Widtsoe"Those who give themselves with all their might and mind to this work receive help from the other side, and not merely in gathering genealogies. Whoever seeks to help those on the other side receives help in return in all the affairs of life."

Angel StoriesAfter forty years, Edwin Cannon, Jr. decided to prune his old photographs from Germany. However, every time he planned to discard the photographs of a family – a mother and father and their small children – he was impressed to keep them, although he was at a loss as to why. He knew their surname was Berndt but could remember nothing more about them. He decided to give them to a friend, Thomas Monson, who was leaving shortly for Berlin. Amazingly, when Thomas Monson boarded the flight from Zurich, Switzerland to Berlin, one of his fellow passengers was Dieter Berndt who sat next to him. He told Dieter that he had some old photos of people named Berndt. He handed a photo to him and asked if he could identify those shown in the photographs.

As he looked at them carefully, he began to weep. He said, “Our family lived in Stettin during the war. My father was killed [and] when...the Russians invaded...my mother took my sister and me and fled from the approaching enemy. Everything had to be left behind, including any photographs we had. I am the little boy pictured in these photographs and my sister is the little girl. The man and woman are our dear parents. Until today I’ve no photographs of our childhood...or of my father.” They had miraculously come into possession of the last remaining visual evidence of a couple who seemed to be calling from beyond the grave, saying to their children, “Remember us!” Was their meeting mere coincidence? Thomas S. Monson, CES Fireside, 11 January 2009

Shoe on Gravestone“One of my cousins was trying to locate our great-grandmother's grave in the cemetery in Garden City, Kansas while on their way to Colorado for a vacation. After searching for quite a while, they were unable to locate it and decided to go on down the road. When they went to get into the car, they noticed their daughter had lost a shoe so they went back into the cemetery to find it. It was found – on the gravestone of our great-grandmother!” Mere coincidence? Charles E. Templer, RootsWeb Review, Vol. 9, No. 43

“Get Back to the Computer!”

Dora Fisher had been searching all her life for more information about her father's youngest brother, believed by most to have been stillborn. An aunt told her she remembered her brother was born one evening about 1926 in Ontario, Canada. He died the following morning. But no one living knew his name. Dora relates that she was working with FamilySearch Indexing. “I would download a batch of 24 Ontario Death records, index them, and send them back. Then I would go do a load of laundry...but something kept drawing me back to the computer.” After about 10 batches the names of her grandparents jumped off the page. They were listed as parents of a deceased boy: John A. Taylor, Born: 20 Jan 1928, Died: 21 Jan 1928.

She said, “I scared the heck out of my husband. I threw my arms in the air and hollered, 'I found him!' Then I cried. ... It was one month to the day since his next oldest sister had passed away. I can just see the two of them up there, screaming: ‘Get back to that computer!’ If I had stopped earlier in the day, someone else would have gotten this batch, and I still wouldn't have the information.” Dora J. Fisher, http://archiver.rootsweb.com/" \t "_blank

2. Have the Spirit more and learn to be

more fluent in the language of the Spirit

1 Nephi 5:16-17“And thus my father, Lehi, did discover the genealogy of his fathers, ...And now when my father saw al these things, he was filled with the Spirit.”

“Revelation comes to individual[s]...as they are led to discover their family records in ways that are miraculous indeed. And there is a feeling of inspiration attending this work that can be found in no other. When we have done all that we can do, we shall be given the rest. The way will be opened up.” Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, Nov 1975, 99

3. For Our Eternal Perfection

“We without them can not be made perfect neither them without us.”

We are complete and finished when we are like trees, with roots and branches permanently attached.

We are Like Trees“If a man die, shall he live again?” The answer is a resounding yes because of the atoning sacrifice of the Savior. Part of Job’s diverse preamble to the question is interesting: “Man that is born of a woman is of few days. … He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down. … There is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease … and bring forth boughs like a plant.”

-Elder Quentin L. Cook, Roots and Branches

April 2014 Conference

4. To Become More Like Christ

We get to do something for people that they can't do for themselves, just as Christ does.

“We did this for you!”“...[As] my husband and I...walked through the Old Pioneer Cemetery searching for the grave of an ancestor...I was touched by the peaceful solitude and spirit I felt. I walked through the trees and read the names on the gravestones, many of them children and families. I wept as my heart was turned to our forefathers.... In my mind I asked many questions: Why did they leave their comfortable homes and families? Why did they suffer persecution, sickness, even death? Why did they sacrifice all that they had to come to this place? ... As I sat silently contemplating this scene, the answer came forcefully yet softly to my mind and heart: ‘We did this for you.’ Those words...reminded me that our ancestors...sacrificed everything so that past and future generations would [receive] eternal blessings.... It is my prayer that we might understand our role in this great work.... I know that if we will do this, the joyful day will come when we shall meet our ancestors once again and be able to say to them, ‘We did this for you.’” Elaine S. Dalton, Ensign, Nov 2004, 89

5. To help fulfill prophecy and to feel our place in history

Malachi 4:5–6“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:

●

● “And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”

Story about Nephi from Elder Andersen's

roots tech 2014 talk

“These are my days.”“Although [Nephi] had wondered about his time and place, he concluded with very powerful words: “Behold [he said] … these are my days.”[5]

“My beloved young brothers and sisters, these are your days. You, like this prophet, Nephi, have been chosen to live in the final years preceding the Savior coming to earth. We do not know the exact day or year of His coming, but we can readily see the signs that precede His coming.[6] One day, just as Nephi came to see his vital place in preparing for the Savior coming to the Nephites, we will look back and see the glorious blessing that was ours to live in our time as we prepare the world for the Savior’s return. Let us see beyond the difficulties and the obstacles confronting us to our important purposes and to the glorious days ahead. Let us each echo Nephi’s words: “These are my days.”

-Elder Andersen

You were born for such a time as this

Just as Esther in the Bible, who did for her people what they couldn't do for themselves.

When he was a teen,

13 temples in the world

Now we have 143

Eighty-five percent of the membership of the Church now live within 200 miles (320 km) of a temple, and for a great many of us, that distance is much shorter

“No generation that has ever lived on this earth has had so great a privilege you are having to enter the doors of the Lord's house and assist in the salvation of those who have come before.”

Watch “Find Our Cousins” talk by Elder Andersen, rootstech 2014 video,

rootstech.org

Elder Quentin L. CookWe finally have the

● Doctrine● Temples● Technology

this is the first time on earth, all three! And the technology continues to increase

April 2014 General Conference

We were born at this time to do this work! Family history centers are now in our homes!

6. To Refine Your Tastes for

Eternity/Zion and Have God's Vision and

Priorities

Pres. Wilford Woodruff“If the veil were lifted off the face of the Latter-day saints...[and they] could see and know the things of God as they do who are laboring for the salvation of the human family who are in the spirit world..., this whole people, with very few, if any exceptions, would lose all interest in the riches of the world, and instead thereof their whole desires and labors would be directed to redeem their dead.”

Family History Research and Temple

Work is the Lord's Priority

● Correct understanding of Godhead● Importance of Book of Mormon● The work of salvation for the living and the dead with the return of Elijah

To increase in our view that God is our

father and man is our brother, to increase

familial feelings towards all of God's

children, that we are a human “family”

Zion is a Culture Based on the Doctrine

of the FamilyGod is our father, man is our brother,

one heart, one mind

no poor among us, no needy, have all the ordinances each of us need to live eternal lives

● When you build your family tree, don't just go straight back, find your cousins

There's something about cousins!

A greeting fit for brothers/sisters/cousin

D&C 88:130-133“Art thou a brother or brethren? I salute you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, in token or remembrance of the everlasting covenant, in which covenant I receive you to fellowship, in a determination that is fixed, immovable, and unchangeable, to be your friend and brother, through the grace of God in the bonds of love, to walk in all the commandments of God blameless, in thanksgiving, forever and ever. Amen”

Elder Neil Andersen

“Prepare as many names for the temple as you perform in the temple.”

#TempleChallenge

6. To increase mercy in your life

“Let us be more merciful. … Let us be more compassionate, gentler, filled with forbearance and patience and a greater measure of respect one for another. In so doing, our very example will cause others to be more merciful, and we shall have greater claim upon the mercy of God who in His love will be generous toward us.” President Gordon B. Hinckley, “Blessed Are the Merciful,” Ensign, May 1990, 70

7. To increase your sense of worth and belonging to your family and God

You know more of you who you are, as you know “whose” you are.

The single most important thing you can do for your family, it seems, is to develop a strong family narrative.

● The more children knew about their families’ histories, the stronger their sense of control over their lives, the higher their self-esteem, and the more successfully they believed their families functioned.

● The researchers reassessed the children after the traumatic events of September 11, 2001. "Once again, the ones who knew more about their families proved to be more resilient.”

● A child who knows where her grandmother went toschool may be more resilient than a child who doesn't.

● Children who have the most self-confidence have a strong intergenerational self. They know they belong to something bigger than themselves.

● The bottom line: If you want a happier family, create, refine, and retell the story of your family’s best moments and your relations' ability to bounce back from the difficult ones

●

● March 15, 2013.

Elder Bruce C. Hafen A Bond that Ties Generations Together“There really can be a bond and a sense of belonging that ties together generations. ... This bond gives us a sense of identity and purpose. Our ties with the eternal world suddenly become very real, sharpening our life’s focus and lifting our expectations. ... We can discover within ourselves a reservoir of patience and endurance that we never will find without the deep commitment that grows from a sense of real belonging. Exerting such immovable loyalty to another person teaches us how to love – indeed, how to be more like the Savior. Our sense of belonging to one another...foreshadows our belonging in the eternal family of God. Our willingness to discipline our individual desires enough to honor [our] loved ones prepares us to belong to Him who is our Father.” Bruce C. Hafen, Liahona, June 1998, 16

8. To bring about world peace

D&C 98:16“Renounce war and proclaim peace, and seek diligently to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers, to their children.”

9. To feel more joy!

“I understand that we are running out of names for the temple for our youth baptisms. You need to start finding names to take to the temple. When you find names of family members and When you find names of family members and offer them the ordinances, you will find happiness.offer them the ordinances, you will find happiness.

Think of someone in your family that is not happy. Let them help Think of someone in your family that is not happy. Let them help you in finding family names to take to the temple and they will you in finding family names to take to the temple and they will find happiness.find happiness.

I promise you that the promise of Elijah will be fulfilled. I promise you that as your hearts turn toward your fathers, you will find happiness. “ -Pres. Henry B. Eyring

D&C 128:22“Let your hearts rejoice and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth antehms of eternal praise to the King Immanuel , who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prsion; for the prisoners shall go free.”

10. To get bragging rights for descending from wonderful

ancestors and to learn lessons from them and those from not so

wonderful● It is fun to find out who you are related to!

Google BYU Relative Finder

11. To increase your belief that you can do hard things and to pass that on to your children

12. To eliminate the power of the adversary in your life.

Elder ScottDo you young people want a sure way to

eliminate the influence of the adversary in your life?● 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.

Elder Richard G. Scott - October Conference 2012

Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone

“I promise you that all who faithfully attend to temple work will be blessed beyond measure. Your families will draw closer to the Lord, unseen angels will watch over your loved ones when satanic forces tempt them, the veil will be thin, and great spiritual experiences will distill upon this people.”

Pres. Boyd K. Packer“No work is more of a protection to this Church than temple work and the genealogical research which supports it. No work we do gives us more power.

● Our labors in the temple cover us with a shield and a protection, both individually and as a people.”

● Elder Boyd K Packer - October

Conference 2010

13. To save the earth

D&C 110:15

“or else the whole earth will be smitten with a curse, and be entirely wasted.”

Forget recycling, just do your family history and temple work!

14. To create treasured gifts for family members

Books or DVDs with charts, pictures, stories showing connections to relatives

15. To create cool art and decorations for

your home

Kidspacestuff.com

Familychartmasters.com

Row 1 Row 2 Row 3 Row 40

2

4

6

8

10

12

16. To find healing

Symbolism of Ezekiel 47

River of the water of life● It heals and gives life

Cancer-freeFor years I have been cleaning up all the genealogy my Grandmother had gathered. Every Memorial Day my grandparents descendants meet at the Spring City cemetery to honor all our ancestors buried there. Then we go to the Church right next to my grandparents home for lunch. My son was not supposed to go because that year he had been diagnosed with Cancer and his treatments had put his blood count very low. The weather was very cold and could be very harmful to him. But he showed up anyway. I was very mad. We decided to give him a family blessing, one of which we, as a large family, had not done together for a very long time. My uncles and cousins all gathered around him. As the prayer was administered I felt the presence of many of my ancestors, the women were around me and the men were around my son. I did not dare open my eyes, because I did not want to lose this wonderful peaceful feeling. After the blessing many came over to me and told me they too had felt the presence of others, but they did not know who they were. I knew who they were because I had been taking care of them for years. Because I had taken care of them, they were now taking care of me and my family.

● My son's next exam showed the Cancer was gone. 12 years later he is still Cancer free."

17. To have the thrill of a treasure hunt every

day!No vision, the people perish

Seek (have vision) ye shall find

18. Technology

To keep up with all the cool techie stuff and maintain wise perspective on why it's here and how to use it

Archibald F. Bennett, a prominent genealogist, said: “Sister Susa Young Gate . . . once asked her father [Brigham Young] how it would ever be possible to accomplish the great amount of temple work that must be done. He told her that there would be many inventors of labor-saving devices, so that our daily duties could be performed in a short time, leaving us more and more time for temple work. The inventions have come, and are still coming but many simply divert the time gained to other channels, and not for the purpose intended by the Lord.” – Archibald F. Bennett, Improvement Era, October 1952, p. 720

More from A. F. Bennett

He said that someday someday there would be a system that we would all use that would connect people from across the globe and generations in order to do family history. That time has come and you can give up some of your blogging and Pinterestign and Facebooking to do it!

Elder Richard G. ScottDecide to Do Something Significant

“Set aside those things that don’t really matter in your life. Decide to do something that will have eternal consequences. Perhaps you have been prompted to look for ancestors but feel that you are not a genealogist. Can you see that you don’t have to be anymore? It all begins with love and a sincere desire. ... This is...a monumental effort of cooperation on both sides of the veil where help is given in both directions. It begins with love. Anywhere you are in the world, with prayer, faith, determination, diligence, and some sacrifice, you can make a powerful contribution. Begin now. I promise you that the Lord will help you find a way. And it will make you feel wonderful.” Richard Scott, Ensign, Nov. 1990, 7

Splashtop● ipiccy● Recordseek.com● Google alerts● Rootstech● Google searches, especially using maps and news

How?Watch videos at lds.org/youth/family-history

Then log in to familysearch.org

with LDS Account

look at your tree

If family is new to the church, start gathering information from living family members and put it in

If family has been in church for generations, it can be hard to find where the “work needs to be done.”

“all my work is done” ?“People will say ‘All of my family history work is done.’

● I get that all the time. …. I say, “Well, you know we added a million and one hundred thousand names yesterday. You might want to go back and check to see if there’s anything new.”

● Elder Dennis C Brimhall - CEO Family Search

● It is a myth that “the work is all done.”

● Don't just go straight back, find your cousins

How to Find CousinsGo to puzzilla.org

enter LDS Account info,

go back 6 generations, then pick a pioneer ancestor, then go back 1 or 2 more generations, then click on descendants, you will be able to find dead ends of family tree branches

Then look in the database at familysearch.org and ancestry.com

Favorite resources● ancestry.com● Findmypast.com● Myheritage.com● Genealogygems.com● Rootstech.org● BYU Relative Finder

● Puzzilla.org● ancestry.com videos on youtube.com

● Truemiracleswithgenealogy.com● Zapthegrandmagap.com

● Findagrave.com● Namesinstone.com● Billiongraves.com● Treeseek.com

My Story

Getting The Whole Blessings

"When members of the Church find the names of their ancestors and take those names to the temple for ordinance work, the temple experience can be greatly enrichedcan be greatly enriched."

● "We especially encourage youth and young single adults to use for temple work their own family names or the names of ancestors of their ward and stake members."

● 1st Presidency - October 8, 2012

Do you Want a Full or Half Blessing?

Doing temple work without the research to bring own names is like having a tree without roots. Open up your tree to feel the power of your roots in all areas of your life!

They Want to Bless Us!

Our Ancestors Are Deeply InterestedRobert Millet told about Joseph F. Smith's remarkable address in a916. "He spoke about the nearness of the world of spirits, and of the interest and concern the spirits have for us and our labors. He stressed that those who labored so diligently in their mortal estate...would not be denied the privilege of “looking down upon the results of their own labors” from their post-mortal estate. He said, “they are as deeply interested in our welfare today, if not with greater capacity, with far more interest behind the veil, than they were in the flesh. ... Sometimes the Lord expands our vision from this point of view and this side of the veil, that we feel and seem to realize that we can look beyond the thin veil which separates us from that other sphere. ... And so it is that [this] work...goes forward on both sides of the veil.” Robert L. Millet, “Beyond the Veil” Tambuli, June 1986, 31

We Are Forming an Alliance

Forming an Alliance“We are forming an alliance, a union, a connection, with those that are behind the veil, and they are forming a union and connection with us; and while we are living here, we are preparing to live hereafter, and laying a foundation for this.” John Taylor, Journal of Discourses, 11:12/11/1864