It's All About the Collaboration!

“There are millions across the world who are working on family history records. Why? Why are they doing it? I believe it is because they have been touched by the spirit of this work, a thing which we call the spirit of Elijah. It is a turning of the hearts of the children to their fathers. Most of them do not understand any real purpose in this, other than perhaps a strong and motivating curiosity.”

(Gordon B. Hinckley, “A Century of Family History Service,” Ensign, Mar 1995, 61).

This week I read and learned a lot about how technology can help me pull my family together in the work. I was asked to make a couple of research documents for myself and one that is specifically for sharing research with my other family members. What an idea!

Just in case you are interested in what I have been up to, here are the links to those two documents.

The first is a research log example in GoogleDocs. Having this will allow my family to communicate with each other on what their family history projects are, what questions they have and where we could all be helping. This group document will ensure that we have no unnecessary overlap. It will also help us avoid time being wasted while we are all circling around the same thing.

The second one is an example of a homemade family group sheet. It will serve as a document that I can keep up so that I have tabs on all of the people I am working on. It will benefit me when I need to have a quick reference off a family layout. It will also be something that I can access to write down information when I am not able to get to my FamilySearch or RootsMagic accounts. It can also serve as a sort of scratchpad for all my research before I post it permanently. This document is very exciting for me!

I cannot wait to talk to my family and get everyone involved. It will be so awesome to focus our research and be able to see what everyone is working on. What an exciting thing!

ISO: Tech Prayers

In our home, we pray for a lot of things. We teach our children to pray for safety, for the Spirit to guide us, and for our family who is away. We pray over food. We pray to start the day out well. We pray when we hurt, when we are sad and to give thanks. That is a lot of prayers, and yet still, there is room for much improvement. There are prayers that I haven't even considered saying, but could change my whole world if I would take time to think about them! 

This week in our class, we were blessed to read a page of quotes about technology and the role that it plays in Family History work. On this page of quotes was one quote that I have been pondering about since. 

“Let us think over these things, and pray to the Lord to open the way, and the way will be opened by which we will learn about our ancestors. And when the time comes that we have done all we can in a natural way, the veil will be drawn aside, and the Priesthood behind the veil will minister to the Priesthood in the flesh, and reveal many things that we could not ordinarily obtain knowledge of here; but we will get them by this kind of revelation.” 

President Charles W. Penrose, 1913

(Charles W. Penrose, “Salvation for the Dead,” The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine 4, January 1913, 18)

The quote itself is remarkable and very inspiring. However, the part that stood out to me was the year that President Penrose said it. 1913! That is more than 100 years ago and long before any of the technology advances we enjoy today were even imagined. This part: "...and pray to the Lord to open the way...," isn't that amazing? We are living in days that are the literal answers to prayers. This laptop I am typing on? Someone prayed for this technology. They knew it would help us find them and our other family members. 

To those earlier saints, I tip my computer screen. Thank you for your prayers! 

Which leads me to question: they prayed for this technology, knowing that it would bless the entire world with the ability to progress the work of salvation. Am I taking their prayers, hopes and dreams for granted? Do I use the blessings of technology like they imagined I would? Have I taken the time to learn and use the programs that were made for people like me to link our families together? These are answered prayers- what am I doing with them? 

Also:  what technology advancements do I pray for? 

When I was asked that in my study material, I didn't have an answer. Actually, I did. None. I have never once prayed for a technology advancement in any area, let alone an area that is gospel related. But why not? There is so much work to be done and so many areas where the work has reached a "brick wall." Why have I not even once considered praying for some advancement to help me? 

(click for lds.org)

I am grateful for this introduction week of my Family History classes. I am grateful for the blessings of technology and also for the prayers of those righteous people who knew better than I. I look forward to a wonderful term and to my new understanding of what to pray for!