Hearts shall be turned!

Dear Family,

I just wanted to share a few experiences that I've had the last few days as I have been working on family history.

Experience #1:

I was working on some descendents of an ancestor when I started getting into the 1900's. As I thought about reserving their names for the temple I became worried. "What if these people were someone's grandparents? What if that grandchild converted to the gospel and was disappointed that the work had already been done? I decided to leave the name unreserved when I was hit by a very strong impression.

"Please do this work. These ancestors need the power to turn the hearts of their living children to the gospel." 

It was an awesome moment. It brought on a whole new light to the scripture "And the hearts of the children will turn to their fathers..." I can only imagine the power that might come to the county in New York, if the generations of its founding families are able to turn the hearts of their children to the gospel. I am more excited than ever to complete these baptisms, because I feel that it will have a powerful influence in the living posterity of these people.

 Experience #2:

This evening I was double checking some of the work I have previously done, tying up some loose ends, and merging some duplicates. One cousin, Amy Cromer, was stuck in a dead end. I knew the last name of her husband, but had no way to determine any more information on her family. I visited her again tonight, and noticed that all of her ordinances have been completed. I prepared her name, Cami Twede did her Baptism and Confirmation, NanaRue did the Initiatory, and Fay Howells completed the Endowment. It made me smile to know that our family had worked together to finish all of her work in under a month.
As I did a quick check on her, I was amazed to see that just 3 days ago, someone created a possible duplicate for Amy. Within minutes, the previously unknown name of her husband and three children were ready for baptisms. I teared up, realizing that now that Amy's work had been done, she now had the ability to help us find her own family.

I know that this work is important, I know that it gives us power, and I know that we aren't alone in our endeavors. I believe that the more we participate in family history work, the closer we come to those on the other side of the veil in a very literal sense. I feel so blessed to be a part of this work, and hope that you will find a testimony of it for yourself. I love you all!

New Announcement from Family Search!

FamilySearch Announcement June 2014

  Hi!

We’re excited to announce that Latter-day Saint users of FamilySearch.org can now receive personal access to Ancestry.com, findmypast, and MyHeritage at no cost! Access to these commercial family history websites, used in tandem with enhanced FamilySearch tools, will open new doors of discovery, elevate your ability to provide temple blessings to ancestors, and increase the joy that comes from connecting generations. Starting today, you can sign up for personal accounts with all three sites and use the features of each in searching for ancestors. In the future, you will be able to connect data between your FamilySearch Family Tree and the online trees of each of these websites. In addition, you will be able to submit names for temple ordinances starting with each of these websites. More information concerning online tree integration and temple submissions will be available by the end of 2014. To sign up for your personal accounts: Click the button below for the account you wish to register for. You can choose all three, but you must follow the same steps and register for one at a time. After you click the button, you will immediately be asked to sign in to FamilySearch.org. Once you have signed in to FamilySearch.org, you will be guided to create an account for the website you selected. Each account is unique and requires its own registration. This process will require you to return to this email to create a different account for each website you select. Once you have successfully entered your FamilySearch.org information, you'll be taken to the site you've selected to create your account. Or, if you already have an existing account with one of these websites, you can convert your existing subscription to a free account. Ancestry.com is the world's largest online family history resource. It is home to 13 billion global historical records, millions of family trees from around the world, and a whole lot more. Using continual innovation and ever-evolving technology, Ancestry.com has an easy-to-use interface with access to historical content to help people everywhere discover, preserve, and share their family history. Ancestry.com is currently accessible in English, French, German, and Italian. findmypast offers more than 1.8 billion international family history records and newspapers from the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and beyond with records going back to A.D. 875. Many record collections are available only at findmypast. New records are added every week. findmypast.com is currently accessible in English only. MyHeritage is designed to help you discover unknown ancestors from all around the world. Combining rocket-science technology, millions of international family trees, and exclusive global record collections, MyHeritage automatically finds new family tree connections and historical records for you, making family history research easier than ever. MyHeritage.com is currently accessible in Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Sincerely, The FamilySearch Team This invitation is meant specifically for you. Please do not forward this notice. Forwarded invitations will not allow others to get free access. You received this message because you registered for a FamilySearch account. For any additional information concerning these partner websites and access for members, contact FamilySearch Support at support@familysearch.org .

Hastening the Work -By Michelle Twede

We recently held Stake conference. During the Saturday Evening session Elder Summerhays from the Quorum of the Seventy spoke and talked about the hastening of the work. I loved what he shared. He told how someone in his family had adopted some children. He said that he received a witness that the ancestors of these adopted children were aware and grateful to their family for saving their children. He said that they in re turn would help save his family.  

During the Sunday session Elder Summerhays talked again about unlocking the door for those on the other side, by doing their temple work. By doing this they will have the ability to administer to you in your life. He spoke especially to the youth of the stake, that it is their sacred responsibility to seek after their ancestors. "Get on Family Search. Take family names to the temple. The Spirit world is close to you." He said if they do this, that they will receive the privilege of help from beyond the veil. Both temporally and physically if they unlock the door for them.  

Adrie Twede: Expert Indexer!

Yesterday I got a phone call from Adrie Twede. She was on family search and had a few questions. She asked me some names and dates and within a few minutes, she had set up her entire family tree on her own! I was so amazed at how fast, and how adept she was at navigating her way around Family Search.

I mentioned our June goal for indexing. Again, within minutes, she had found the online tutorials and dowloaded the program onto her computer. Today I got this email from her.

Hi Rachel.

this is adrie.

I got 15 points on indexing 

i just finished today

it was super fun i liked it.

i want to do some more

thanks for helping me out 

 

I am so proud of her! She is only 5 points away from achieving our individual goal of 20 points per person. Anyway, I thought I would spotlight her efforts. She is such an amazing girl! As you all begin the indexing challenge, send me an email and I'll put your experience up on the blog!

Getting Started with Indexing

The Church has a great resource for training you on Indexing.

Click here to go to the Indexing overview website. There are four tabs to help you get started.

The TEST DRIVE tab will take you through the basics of indexing. It takes less than a minute. It is a great way to get your kids involved.

The GET STARTED tab will help you to download the Indexing program to your computer and get registered.

The FIND A PROJECT tab will show you where projects are coming from around the world.

The GET HELP tab will give you all the info you need if you have any questions.

Goal for Month of June

For the month of June, I'd like to challenge everyone to try indexing! It's an easy way to contribute to family history work.

We have a goal for every person over the age of eight in the family to get 20 indexing points by the end of the reunion. So, lets get this going!

To get started, visit the "Indexing Tutorials" under the Tutorials tab. It will show you how to upload the indexing program from the church, and how everything works. If you want to email me with the points you earn, I'll add it to our running tally!

Love you all and have fun!

Memory of Her Mother and Sister Leone- By Sylvia Vivian Tuttle Howells

      My mother was very beautiful, high cheek bones, long auburn hair beautiful peaches and cream complexion, a lean shape and proud posture, evincing a fine discrimination of moral values.  It was her spirit that made her truly lovely.  She reverenced God and there was no insincerity, indolence or hypocrisy in her.   She was a wonderful cook, so proud of her children, generous to a fault, always mild disposition and loved my father.  My Mother’s sacrifices never once visiting her folds, her care of us when we were sick, and our happiness at meals when were altogether, yet her willingness to let us leave home just when we could have been much a help to her, to make our own way will ever be a constant reminder to me to live well and noble.

     There were 12 children in my Fathers and Mothers family.  Rena Kathleen, Sylvia Vivian, Bertha Lillian, Leone, Harvey Frederick Eugene, Frances Willard ( named after the great Temperance Speaker), Wallace Earl, Lulu bell, Virginia Rose (whom I named being born on my birthday 14 years later) Benjamin Ward, John Morrison, Earl Richard.  Leone was the 1^st to leave.  She was 14 years and 7 months.  She died of pneumonia. In life she was always such a little angel always unselfish and helpful.  She had beautiful brown hair curly and braided that hung down her back.  Her eyes were brown and I can remember how sober she was though never cross.  She like us all had whooping cough one spring, measles the next and the 3^rd spring pneumonia.  The Dr. came and told us she would not live until morning.  I had brought her a tiny bouquet of sweet smelling wild flowers called Hipatias colored a delicate orchid.  She was so weak she could scarcely hold them.  Mother asked me to go to the village and get my sister Bertha who was boarding with a family and going to school. With every step I took I prayed that Leone would live. Then as I hurried on I was impressed it was wrong and left off.  I brought my sister and soon after we arrived we were all standing around her bed when Leone looked at a big picture on the wall of Jesus as he taught the Wise men in the Temple. Mother said, “God will take care of you.” Leone smiled looking from face to face and died. My Mother and I knelt by the lounge in the kitchen and asked God to take care of her. For a long time after we’d set her place at the table and often spoke of her sweet ways. We never cried for Leone, she seemed nearer to us than ever she was before. I did her work in the Temple and hope I will be fine enough to enjoy her companionship in the Spirit world. I never heard of the Gospel as members of the church know it but my prayer had been answered. I knew the prompting of the Holy Ghost and accepted without question the inspiration not to pray for her recovery. To me she had always been like a little angel, a peace maker, always doing for others and so dear. After I had been in the Church several years I told a lie about a person who could have been hurt by what I said. (I believed I had told the truth but the evidence was only circumstantial reinforced by one I highly respected) I was going to the Temple frequently. One night I saw Leone. It was just a fleeting glimpse but it was enough to make me do everything in my power to correct what I had said even though I still believed I had not lied.