temple and family history work (fdrel 261-01) (1)

7/28/2019 Temple and Family History Work (FDREL 261-01) (1)

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Temple and Family History

Work


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Shortly after the death of Sister LeGrandRichards, I was assigned to be Elder Richardsjunior companion to assist him in creating theAtlanta Georgia Stake. As we were flying toward

his beloved Southern States Mission, he said tome, Brother Ballard, I am not afraid to die; theonly thing I worry about is, will I be able to findMommy over there.

I was impressed to say to Elder Richards that inhis case that could be a real problem.

Immediately, I had his full attention. He looked me directly inthe eye and said, What do you mean by that?

With my emotions near the surface, I answered this greatmissionary, Elder Richards, when you die, so many peoplethere will be anxious to greet you because you introduced the

gospel to them that you might have difficulty finding Mommyin the crowd. His response was, Oh, you dont mean that.We all might ask ourselves the question, Who will be there to

greet us?M. Russell Ballard. We Proclaim the Gospel.EnsignNov. 1986, 31.


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What do you suppose the fathers would say if theycould speak from the dead? Would they not say, Wehave lain here thousands of years, here in this prison

house, waiting for this dispensation to come? Herewe are, bound and fettered, in the association ofthose who are filthy? What would they whisper in ourears?

Why, if they had the power, the very thunders of heaven would be in

our ears, if we could but realize the importance of the work we areengaged in. All the angels in heaven are looking at this little handfulof people, and stimulating them to the salvation of the humanfamily. So also are the devils in hell looking at this people, too, andtrying to overthrow us, and the people are still shaking hands withthe servants of the devil, instead of sanctifying themselves andcalling upon the Lord and doing the work which he has commandedus and put into our hands to do. When I think upon this subject, Iwant the tongues of seven thunders to wake up the people.(BrighamYoung. Discourses of Brigham Young, selected and arranged by John A. Widtsoe [Salt Lake

City: Deseret Book Co., 1954] 403. Print.)


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Oh, I wish many times that the veil werelifted off the face of the Latter-day Saints. Iwish we could see and know the things of God

as they do who are laboring for the salvationof the human family who are in the spiritworld;

For if this were so, 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 bedirected to redeem their dead, to perform faithfully thework and mission given us on earth; so that when weourselves should pass behind the veil and meet with Joseph

and the ancient apostles, and others who are watching overus and who are deeply interested in our labors, we mightfeel satisfied in having done our duty.(Wilford Woodruff. TheDiscourses of Wilford Woodruff, edited by G. Homer Durham [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft,1969] 152. Print.)


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I would advise all the Saints to go to with their mightand gather together all their living relatives to this place,

that they may be sealed and saved, that they may beprepared against the day that the destroying angel goesforth; and if the whole Church should go to with all theirmight to save their dead, seal their posterity, and gather

their living friends, and spend none of their time inbehalf of the world, they would hardly get throughbefore night would come, when no man can work.(JosephSmith. Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, compiled by Alma P. Burton [SaltLake City: Deseret Book Co., 1977] 146. Print.)


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You will be tempted to stop and leavethe hard work of finding to others who are more

expert or to another time in your life. But youwill also feel a tug on your heart to go on in thework, hard as it will be.

As you decide, remember that the names which will beso difficult to find are of real people to whom you owe your

existence in this world and whom you will meet again in thespirit world. When you were baptized, your ancestors lookeddown on you with hope. Perhaps after centuries, they rejoicedto see one of their descendants make a covenant to find themand to offer them freedom. In your reunion, you will see in their

eyes either gratitude or terrible disappointment. Their hearts arebound to you. Their hope is in your hands. You will have morethan your own strength as you choose to labor on to find them.

Elder Henry B. Eyring. Hearts Bound Together.The EnsignMay 2005, 77.


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We wonder about our progenitorsgrandparents, great-

grandparents, great-great-grandparents, etc. What do they think ofyou and me? We are their offspring. We have the responsibility todo their temple work, and the beautiful temples of the Lord standday after day, yet we do not fill them always. We have a graveresponsibility that we cannot avoid, and may stand in jeopardy ifwe fail to do this important work. I hope our Saints will understand

the glorious reality of it all: that as the work in our temples is donein this world; it helps to prepare us for another and better world I have tried, in my minds eye, to envision our progenitors who areanxiously waiting for those of us who are their descendants and aremembers of the Church on the earth to do our duty toward them. I

have also thought what a dreadful feeling it would be for us to seethem in the hereafter and have to acknowledge that we had notbeen as faithful as we should have been here on earth inperforming these ordinances in their behalf.(Spencer W. Kimball, TheThings of EternityStand We in Jeopardy?EnsignJan. 1977)


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This vicarious work constitutes an unprecedentedlabor of love on the part of the living in behalf of the

dead. It makes necessary a vast undertaking of familyhistory research to find and identify those who havegone before. To assist in this research, the Churchcoordinates a family history program and maintainsresearch facilities unmatched in all the world

This program has been praised by genealogists throughout the worldand has been utilized by various nations as a safeguard of their ownrecords. But its primary purpose is to afford members of the Churchthe resources needed to identify their ancestors that they mightextend to them the blessings that they themselves enjoy. They ineffect say to themselves, If I love my wife and children so dearlythat I want them for all eternity, then should not my deceasedgrandfather and great-grandfather and other forebears haveopportunity to receive the same eternal blessings?(Gordon B. Hinckley.Why These Temples?TambuliJune 1992, 3)


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I am confident that the Lord will permit us

and direct us to go on building these sacred

structures as we become worthy of them.

Our important test of that worthiness will lie

in doing the research that becomes the

foundation for the major work to be carriedon in them.

Gordon B. Hinckley. A Century of Family History Service.EnsignMar. 1995, 61.


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SAVIORS ON MOUNT ZIONObadiah 1: 17,21

In our pre-existent state, in the day of the great council, we made a certainagreement with the Almighty Since the plan is intended for all men, webecame parties to the salvation of every person under the plan. Weagreed, right then and there, to be not only saviors for ourselves butmeasurably, saviors for the whole human family. We went into apartnership with the Lord. The working out of the plan became then notmerely the Fathers work, and the Saviors work, but also our work. Theleast of us, the humblest, is in partnership with the Almighty in achievingthe purposes of the eternal plan of salvation.

That places us in a very responsible attitude towards the human race. Bythat doctrine, with the Lord at the head, we become saviors on Mount

Zion, all committed to the great plan of offering salvation to the untoldnumbers of spirits. To do this is the Lords self-imposed duty, this greatlabor his highest glory. Likewise, it is mans duty, self-imposed, hispleasure and joy, his labor, and ultimately his glory.

(Widstsoe. The Worth of Souls.The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine1934, 25: 189190.)


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This work, unselfishly given in behalf of those onthe other side, comes nearer to the unparalleled

vicarious work of the Savior than any other ofwhich I know. The great and important work ofteaching the gospel of Christ to the people of theworld is incomplete, at best, if it does not also

provide for that teaching to those in anothersphere and making available to them those gospelordinances required of all if they are to moveforward on the way to eternal life.

(Gordon B. Hinckley. EnsignNov. 1985, 60.)


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With the announcement just made of the constructionof seven new temples, there begins the most intensiveperiod of temple building in the history of the Church.

The building of these temples must be accompanied bya strong emphasis on genealogical research on the partof all members of the Church.(Spencer W. Kimball. NoUnhallowed Hand Can Stop the Work.EnsignMay 1980, 4.)


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We have great works to perform on this earth, and I suppose the wholeprogram of the Church could be put in one of three categories: missionarywork, temple work, and keeping Church members active and faithful. It ishard to overemphasize the value and importance of any one of these

activities. Our great and growing missionary program among mortals is themost extensive it has ever been in this dispensation as we preach, teach,and baptize tens of thousands of our fellowmen. However, missionary workis not limited to proclaiming the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue,and people now living on the earth. Missionary work is also continuingbeyond the veil among the millions and even billions of the children of our

Heavenly Father who have died either without hearing the gospel orwithout accepting it while they lived on the earth. Our great part in thisaspect of missionary work is to perform on this earth the ordinancesrequired for those who accept the gospel over there. The spirit world is fullof spirits who are anxiously awaiting the performance of these earthlyordinances for them. I hope to see us dissolve the artificial boundary line

we so often place between missionary work and temple and genealogicalwork, because it is the same great redemptive work! Recently I have feltimpressed to share some thoughts about the work for the dead because Ifeel the same urgency for it that I do about missionary work, since they arebasically one and the same.(Spencer W. Kimball. The Things of EternityStand We inJeopardy?EnsignJan. 1977.)

temple and family history work (fdrel 261-01) (1)

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