Hastening Family History & Temple Work

In Chapter 14, Hastening Family History and Temple Work, Howard W. Hunter shares his love for family history and temple work. From 1964 to 1972 President Hunter served as president of the Genealogical Society of Utah. Speaking at its 100th anniversary celebration he said, "I look back in wonder at the tapestry woven by the Lord in the furthering of temple and family history work. When I was president of the Genealogical Society of Utah, we had visions of how it would move forward mightily. Now we are observing something glorious occurring throughout the world. The gospel is moving forward to encompass every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. Temples are located throughout the earth, and the spirit of Elijah is touching the hearts of many members, who are doing family history and temple ordinance work at an unprecedented pace." To shed a little more light on that unprecedented pace, consider these facts. At the end of 1994, there were 46 operating temples. Today there are 150. And 20 years after his speech, in September 2014, there were more than 4,700 Family History Centers in 134 countries. The Lord is truly hastening this work!

Another way the work is hastening is through technology. Just as it has been a powerful blessing in hastening missionary work, technology has done the same for family history. Through technology, it is even easier for family history to be done by everyone in the family. As Quentin L. Cook put it, "Family history is a family affair."

In October 2011 LDS General Conference, David A. Bednar invited the rising generation to get involved in family history and temple work. He said,"The Lord has made available in our day remarkable resources that enable you to learn about and love this work that is sparked by the Spirit of Elijah. For example, FamilySearch is a collection of records, resources, and services easily accessible with personal computers and a variety of handheld devices, designed to help people discover and document their family history. ... It is no coincidence that FamilySearch and other tools have come forth at a time when young people are so familiar with a wide range of information and communication technologies. Your fingers have been trained to text and tweet to accelerate and advance the work of the Lord—not just to communicate quickly with your friends. The skills and aptitude evident among many young people today are a preparation to contribute to the work of salvation. I invite the young people of the Church to learn about and experience the Spirit of Elijah. I encourage you to study, to search out your ancestors, and to prepare yourselves to perform proxy baptisms in the house of the Lord for your kindred dead ...As you respond in faith to this invitation, your hearts shall turn to the fathers. ... Your love and gratitude for your ancestors will increase. Your testimony of and conversion to the Savior will become deep and abiding. And I promise you will be protected against the intensifying influence of the adversary. As you participate in and love this holy work, you will be safeguarded in your youth and throughout your lives."1

If you notice, Elder Bednar promises some wonderful blessings to the young people who do both family history and temple work. President Hunter also reminded us of the need to do both. He said, "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. Those who engage in family history research and then perform the temple ordinance work for those whose names they have found will know the additional joy of receiving both halves of the blessing."

In addition to Elder Bednar's promise of being "protected against the intensifying influence of the adversary," here are a few other incredible promised blessings that can come to us as we do our family history and temple work:

"While temple and family history work has the power to bless those beyond the veil, it has an equal power to bless the living. It has a refining influence on those who are engaged in it. They are literally helping to exalt their families." - Russell M. Nelson2

"As an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, I promise that if you look beyond the bonds of time and mortality and help those who cannot help themselves, you will be blessed with more closeness and joy in your family and with the divine protection afforded those who are faithful in His service. Elijah’s promise makes it clear that each of us has an obligation to the generations that precede us and to the generations that follow us." - Quentin L. Cook (RootsTech 2015 Family History Conference)3

“No work is more of a protection to this Church than temple work and the family history research that supports it. No work is more spiritually refining. No work we do gives us more power. No work requires a higher standard of righteousness. Our labors in the temple cover us with a shield and a protection, both individually and as a people." - Boyd K. Packer4

As with anything the Lord asks us to do, He blesses us more than we can comprehend. But we don't do temple and family history work to get personal blessings. We do it because we love our Heavenly Father. We do it to for our families. And we do this work for those who are not able to do it for themselves. I love President Hunter's reminder that, "Perhaps the greatest example of vicarious work for the dead is the Master himself. He gave his life as a vicarious atonement, that all who die shall live again and have life everlasting. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. In a similar way we can perform ordinances for those who did not have the opportunity to do them in their lifetime. ... In our hands lie the sacred powers of being saviors on Mount Zion in the latter days."

James E. Faust said, "Because this is a very spiritual work, we can expect help from the other side of the veil. We feel a pull from our relatives who are waiting for us to find them so their ordinance work can be done. This is a Christlike service because we are doing something for them that they cannot do for themselves."5

Anyone who has had the privilege of doing work for a family member knows the tenderness that accompanies that sweet experience. That is because, as President Hunter so beautifully reminds us, "it is in the temple that things of the earth are joined with the things of heaven." This truly is a heavenly work and we will be blessed with heaven's help as we do it.