Sunday, July 7, 2013

Not One Soul Left Behind

The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead.”

   I am sure that Heavenly Father put His plan in my life long before I needed it. I was just an investigator of the church and a fairly new one. I knew that geneology was something the Mormons did so I figured why not look up some information. My dad never spoke of his family and I knew the names of his siblings. I called my dad and asked him to give me more detailed information and he could only offer me his father's name. Luckily it was a name that was not common. When I entered in the name on ancestry website it opened so many doors. I found a distant relative that I was able to talk to and get information from. I became addicted to family history, but at the time I still had no idea why the people of the church were so interested in it. I spent days and nights doing the research on my family. I had found relatives back to the 1500s. I printed off all of the information and then tucked it away. 

  A couple years later as a member of the church and now a temple recommend holder I know the importance of family history. I know that my ancestors need a chance to accept this gospel. Since that time I have done more research and found many names of children, aunts, and uncles. I felt the Spirit so strongly when I watched the Young Women and Young Men be baptized for over 30 of my relatives. Without sharing too much of my patriarchal blessing it says that I should not waste time and I should be working on family history always. I never want to let down my Heavenly Father. I actively attend the temple and go thru for my family members. What a blessing to be able to do their work and give them the chance they never had.

   It is a great feeling to know that when I pass thru the veil one day that I will have a crowd of people waiting for me. My ancestors are given a chance to save themselves because of my diligence to family history. All of our families deserve this chance, but it is in our hands. If we are too busy watching tv, surfing the internet, going out with friends, then we are not using our time how Heavenly Father intended. We have been commanded to seek after our dead and we must do so. As Heavenly Father has told me and it can go for anyone else that He did not give me time to waste. We must use our time wisely and search out those ancestors. I don't want to cross the veil and learn of a soul I missed  because I was too busy for family history. 

 I bear my testimony that if we do our family history that our lives will be blessed. If we take time out of busy lives then we can save the souls of many. I will do whatever I need to do to ensure that not one soul is left behind. I say these things in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. 

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