Church News - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Family history moments: Moment by moment

Published: Saturday, May 26, 2007

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My neighbor Bill asked me for cards he could take to the Jordan River Utah Temple containing initiatory ordinance information. I gave him Emil Peter and his line. While doing Emil's name, Bill slipped onto the floor; later he accidentally dropped the cards, and they were scattered. Bill told me he felt Emil was not accepting the work, but I felt Emil wanted me to do more research. I immediately went to work and found his wife, their three children and spouses, her parents and a sister who was married to Emil's brother.

The very next day I received an e-mail from a relative of my Aunt Bev, who had recently passed away. My relative felt Aunt Bev wanted more research done on her line. Between these two lines, I found 164 people who needed their temple work done — in only four days' research!

On a Saturday I went to a family history center to create a TempleReady disk, but the library had closed. I hurried to a different family history center and was able to make the disk there. By 5:30 p.m. I had the disk and was on my way to do some grocery shopping, when I was prompted by the Spirit to drop off the disks at the temple for cards to be printed.

I felt I should wait while the printing was being done. Then I had the thought to go to the baptistry. One young man there volunteered to do baptisms for 50 men. Then, two young girls each asked for 30. That was 110 of my 164. While these were being done, three more young people came in and offered to finish up my names.

By 7:30 p.m. the baptisms were done, and I felt prompted to call friends to see if they were coming to do initiatories, which was their weekly Saturday night practice. I learned they had already left a message on my answering machine to meet them at the temple at 8:10 that evening. Thirty-six of 81 women and six of 84 men had their work performed that night before the temple closed.

I felt the Spirit directed me moment by moment for five days to end the wait for these individuals needing their ordinances done. — Rebecca Anderson, Riverton, Utah