sacred things

Sep 9, 2012

In our church we believe in performing ordinances for our ancestors. We are baptized for them, washed and annointed, receive an endowment from God, and then do the sealing work for them so their families can be sealed together in the eternities. We believe it is some of the most important work we can do in this life because it connects us to our ancestors, knits our hearts together, and allows all of God’s children to make covenants with Him. Our ancestors have the opportunity to either accept these covenants or not. They are not binding on them in any way unless they accept them.

I have been engaged in a serious amount of genealogy since April. I am sure I have spent over a thousand hours researching my family lines and entering their information in my file so that these ancestors can be given the opportunity to make covenants with God.

It would be absolutely impossible for me to share the precious experiences I have had with the Spirit while I have been searching for my family members, but today I want to share a few things that have happened in the past week as my ward members have attended the temple to do the work for my family.

One man said he volunteered to do ten names for me last Sunday, but had no idea how he would ever fit in a trip to the temple this week. This is his busiest time of the year at work and he was swamped. He put my temple cards in his pocket and forgot about them. On Friday, he was overcome with their spirits. He was quite surprised as nothing like that had ever happened to him before. He knew he had to go to the temple for them that day, but he had too much work to be able to leave. He says he could feel their presence helping him to get his work done quickly and efficiently and was able to get three days worth of work done in three hours and make it to the temple before it closed for the night. He says these male ancestors of mine sent him the message that they were excited to have their work done and were going to help him get his work done so he could go to the temple for them.

Another man said he couldn’t stop crying while he was in the temple. He said my family members’ spirits were so strong that his heart couldn’t stop the tears from flowing.

Another man shared a feeling he got while he was in the temple on Saturday. He said he felt as if some of my family members were not ready to accept the ordinances, but they would as they watched my example. I am feeling pretty overwhelmed by that one. I know my example of discipleship is not at all what it should be and I hope they can feel my love for the Savior and for them and be merciful and understanding with my less than Christlike behavior.

My father’s grandma Sallie was the first person I found when I started this research and I immediately fell in love with her. Her husband died of a brain tumor when she was pregnant with her ninth baby and she worked as hard as she could to raise those seven boys and two girls by herself for the next thirty years until she passed away the year my father was born. I have been waiting to do her work until I could sit because I wanted to be the one to do it. I love her so much and I couldn’t bear to let anyone else, even my closest friends, do it for me. I still can’t sit, but on Saturday morning I woke up and God told me that I needed to go do Sallie’s work right then. I didn’t know how that could possibly work because of the sitting in the temple, but I decided to move forward with the day and try my best to make it happen.

Before I went in to the temple, Annesley threw her arms around me and said “I will pray for Sallie!” I asked my other children to do the same. You see, even though I only know a little bit about her life, I love her and I want her to give her heart to Jesus. I want her to have happiness. I want her to accept these covenants. I want her to know and trust my love for her.

It was glorious. I talked to Sallie’s spirit almost the entire time I was in the temple and kept telling her that the way to have peace is through the atonement of Jesus Christ and the way to have joy is by making and keeping covenants with Him.

I am so grateful for the privilege I have of doing this work for my family and that others are joining me and having spiritual experiences as well.

God is good. He is my light and my joy. I rejoice that I am His daughter.