...my genealogy. And the reason why I am doing it is very clear to me!
Part of the reason I have been neglecting my blog lately is that I have been working on my family history when I have my computer out. The LDS church's site new.familysearch.org has made it so amazingly, miraculously easy to connect generations and get names ready to take to the temple!
My mom joined the Church after she and my dad were married and none of her family has joined, leaving us the opportunity to do lots of temple work. Using the new site, I have been able to work on my pedigree charts and print out the necessary paperwork to do temple work for my not-so distant ancestors. The very next time I went to the temple, I took the paper work to the temple and received 28 cards of work ready to be done.
Today, Tim and I are going to perform baptisms for the dead for 20 of these people and I am so excited! These people include my mom's grandparents, some of whom she knew in her childhood and some who passed away before she was born. I have heard stories about these people and wondered about them for years. Now to be able to do something for them that they can't do themselves is such a blessing!
If this makes no sense to you and you want to know what I'm talking about, I invite you to learn more about what I believe. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe that families can be eternal if marriage is performed by someone with authority to seal (marry) you for time and eternity- not just for this life. To get to that point, one must make covenants and receive other ordinances first, including baptism. In the temple, the ordinances can be performed by proxy for those who did not have the opportunity to do so in this life. We also believe that each person has been given agency to choose for themselves in all things. As part of the eternal principle of agency, those for whom these ordinances are performed can accept or reject the work that has been done. I believe that we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father and He wants us all to return to Him after this life. I am trying to live worthy of that goal & want to help my ancestors to be able to do the same. If you have more questions, let me know. You can also go to lds.org, familysearch.org, or stop the missionaries and ask them.
I am so blessed to be able to go to the temple and participate in these ordinances for my family members & I feel especially close to them as I have researched them & learned more about their lives. I look forward to meeting them someday!
2 comments:
I hope you're having fun! Just a plea however. Please, oh please, keep track of your sources as you do your research. Because someday, your grandkids will be trying to more work on your stuff and will have no idea why you know that so and so is so and so's parent. It's not that they don't believe you, it's just that source is the start of lots more research. I wish my great grandfather would have done that. Something other than a list of names...
Good job Corrine! I bet it was amazing to be able to work on family tha is so close to you!
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