Today I went to my Family History Center for three hours, my regular weekly assignment. Normally there are very few visitors who need help, so I work on my own family search.
Shortly after 9:30 am, two men came in that needed help with their ancestral search. One was from Guatemala and the other, Peru.
I volunteered to be their consultant since no one else spoke Spanish. They were both converts. The younger of the two, Mario, brought in Miguel. Miguel knew very little about his parents and grandparents. But, just enough to link him to them and go back to his grandparents' and placed them in his pedigree. I was able to pull information out of him to piece together his family information.
He walked away when we were done with the information entered so he could have his parents and grandparents with both sets temple work ready and to be sealed to his parents. I showed him how he could do the paperwork and just take it for completion.
He was thrilled, as I was as well to bring him the blessings of an eternal family. I gathered from his comments that he really never knew his father, who had died when he was two years old.
I explained to him and Mario how right nowhis family was in a place where they could not progress except for his help in identifying them. He smiled when I told him what an honor it is to have their ordinance work done in their behalf and have the joys of eternal family blessings.
It felt so good to be an instrument in the hands of God to be a help for this man who had no one to bless his life in this way. Although I don't know his whole story, or even much of it, he did join the church fifteen years ago, and was faithful to received his temple blessings by the next year mark and ever since.
This New.Familysearch.org website really helps families unite and can be found to receive their eternal blessings to come to pass on both sides of the veil.
I bore my testimony to both of them (in Spanish, no less) that I know that this is an inspired program and that the promise, "receiving hidden treasures, even hidden treasures of knowledge," reveals unto them in this work for our kindred on the other side of the veil. I also bore witness at how thin the veil is and how we are blessed to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
I had confirmation after confirmation as I bore my testimony that what I was telling them was true. Wow, what a missionary experience I had. I could feel the Holy Ghost's promptings. Miguel gave me "un abrazo, fuerte," a strong hug as he left!
He reminded me so much of one of my great uncles, Raul Sanchez, a brother to my maternal grandfather, Alberto Sanchez.
Mario, the other fellow, was in his mid forties, and had ten children. His parents live in Guatemala and are LDS as well. He was able to get into New.FamilySearch.org and find his pedigree to connect to his ancestors from Guatemala into Oaxaca, Mexico, even though he came so the other man could get help.
It was a very rewarding experience. I am thankful to have that calling. This morning I wanted to just stay home and fought that feeling to stay home. I felt I might have a great experience if I went, since I do whenever I am there. I must have overcome the opposition and forged ahead, and see why I was being tempted to not go today. So much would have been missed had I not been there to help these people.
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