FAMILY AFFAIR

CONTINUING THE WORK

I have been doing Family History Work. It has proven to be enlightening,a little sad,and somewhat spooky. Last year, I managed to gather up 4 relatives on my side of the family,my dad included and 3 people on my husbands side. Our ward has been trying to coax people to get busy with those names. So they started a mini-series of allowing anyone to come to the FHC 1 hour before service and do some work. I must say it was intimidating. The first Sunday I went I was assigned to a very enthusiastic Brother, who extolled the virtues of the new Family Search Network. I tried to get a word in, but couldn't. I showed him a name and he gave me a very fast paced demonstration of how to find various websites that would contain the info I was looking for. In fact, he found a website that had marriage and divorce records and I saw the names of about 3 relatives, including my brother. I was ecstatic,this was easier than I thought. But Brother Blah Blah was so enthusiastic about demonstrating the program, when I pointed this  out to him he closed the page. Of course the hour was over,and we couldn't find the "page"or site again. So a few months go by and I try again. This time, I log on myself and after a few interruptions, I manage to enter my families info in and print out the little cards for Temple Ordinances. Another year would pass before I even considered what I should do next. The thought of having to do multiple baptisms was not appealing to me. I would suck it up if I had too, but I needed help. Well help came in the form of my husband being asked to help with the young men who would be performing vicarious baptisms at the temple. It was a very low key announcement, in fact the Bishopric who made the announcement tends to mumble, so I am sure no one heard it. God works with us despite our shortcomings. As I wrote in a previous post, it was a great time. It was a new experience for me, one that I had never heard of until I joined this church. Its a shame other churches don't participate in this.        

This past Sunday was Fathers Day. My dad died about 13 years ago. It is amazing how time goes by. My brother is the only"dad" I send a card to. But this year I wanted to share with my brother a special gift. The gift of family. My brother is separated from his family and has to function as a "single"parent. I know he does feel sad and left out of his children's lives. I wanted to share with him the joy I have found in knowing that we will continue as a family in the eternities.  

Malachi 4:4 Remember ye the Law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
6 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.

I was continuing my never ending task of organizing my files. I prayed in my heart to find the strength and insight to "organize" myself and my husband and there by find the blessing in this . I came across a letter from my step mom,it was dated 2007.I hadn't opened that letter. I was really mad a myself ,because when I opened it , it contained a program for the funeral of an uncle, my dads older brother. He died in 2007 about 6 months before I was baptized. I felt bad because I missed a great opportunity to reach out to my cousins and aunts. I didn't give myself an opportunity to send a card, I didn't remember to tell my brother. So I looked at the program, and it was printed on cheerful yellow paper, and my Uncles face is smiling crookedly back at me. When I saw it, I had an AH Ha moment, and realized that I needed to do the work for him, and not only him,but his brother who had died in 03. As I waded through more paper, I found an obit card for a great uncle who died when I was 18. Its funny, when he died I had just finished boot camp and I was stationed in Illinois. I had written him a letter while in boot camp, asking if i could come and see him. He wrote back and said yes. I was too late, and my mother went to the funeral,but didn't invite me. So I started his work too. It is an amazing experience for me. Names of long lost relatives,whispered in my ear. For the past 2 or 3 days, the name Elvira has been stuck in my head. Who was Elvira. It turned out that she is a Great Aunt, my paternal Grandmas sister. We always called her Doll baby. I found a cousin who died at 18. Another great aunt was found. I think my paternal grandma is a missionary. I think she told them about me. Maybe they are standing in line.