March 22, 2013 - Temple trip and testimony

On Friday there was a ward temple trip. I had remembered about my family names that had yet to be done. I had done all the female ones that I've found so far, but hadn't been able to do many of the male names. I went on the website and started clicking on male names to be printed out. There was a group that showed had not been done yet. Printed, but not completed. I was confused trying to find out what happened. I checked through my ordinance cards and sure enough they hadn't been done. I remembered that back in January 2012, I had planned on printing out names for the temple trip, but everything that could've gone wrong did and it never happened.

As I was clicking on their names to be reprinted, I felt something. It was this energy. Kind of an excitement, anxiousness, happiness, sort of feeling. I took another look at the names I had just clicked and realized they are my grandfathers, great-grandfathers, and some cousins. All within 2-3 generations back, so they were relatively close. As well as a female that I hadn't clicked yet and didn't notice before. In total, I took 30 males names and 1 female name to the temple.

I love going to the temple. Its my favorite place to be. As we entered the temple grounds, I felt elated. But as we went inside, I felt very overwhelmed with emotion. It was the excitement and anxiousness I had felt earlier, but seriously increased. I started having tremors. Its something that my body goes through when I have an anxiety attack, my hands shake uncontrollably and my arms twitch. What was different about this was I wasn't going through the fear and nervousness that associates with it. Some people asked me if I was going to be OK and what was going on, etc. I did my best to explain that I was fine, despite the shaking. I pondered why it was happening. The answer hit me with full force that what I was feeling is what they were feeling. My family on the other side of the veil. I had begun the ordinance work for the women, but hadn't for most of the men yet. They were excited and anxious that they were finally going to be able to see their husbands, sons, brothers, nephews, and cousins again. As well as the men that were going get their work started, they were excited and anxious to see their loved ones again.

I got to watch the ordinance work for my male family members and it was so exciting. I couldn't stop smiling and would spontaneously start crying. Happy tears though, like ones of relief. My body slowly started calming down and I wasn't shaking anymore. I could feel their anxiousness had calmed down and replaced with indescribable joy.

I am thankful for the young men who helped me with the work. Although I don't really know them outside of name and face, I hope that they took something away from helping me and my family. I hope that it helped instill an enjoyment for family history work and temple work.

I was thinking back to the general conference talk I studied for the talk I wrote. The Joy of Redeeming the Dead by Elder Richard G. Scott. There is a quote that stands out to me:

"Many faithful saints have done the work of researching their family lines and are using the reserve feature of FamilySearch to hold the ordinances for their own family members to serve as proxy. The intent of reserving names is to allow a reasonable period of time for individuals to perform ordinances for ancestors and collateral lines. There are currently 12 million names and millions of corresponding ordinances that are reserved. Many names have been reserved for years. Ancestors who have been found are no doubt anxious and thrilled when their names are cleared for ordinances. They, however, may not be very happy when they have to continue to wait for their ordinances to be performed."

I had started doing family history work in August/September 2011. I didn't have a plan for how it was all going to be done other than I want to do it. I didn't occur to me how it would feel for them. My family members on the other side. Especially when I had only taken care to get the females done. I left the males waiting. The females waiting for them. I feel kinda bad about it, but also am glad that I did get the beginning part done. I haven't figured out getting the next part of the ordinances done, outside of a friend offered to help. I think I want to at least get my next part of them done first. So I can help.

I feel a something extra being family history consultant. I am thankful for my calling. I am thankful for the ability to help my family and others beyond the veil. I learned that by doing this work, it is also doing missionary work :-) I am thankful to know that my family who has passed will be together for all of eternity. I am thankful to be a member of this church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I am thankful we have a way to help those who've passed on. We're the only ones to the best of my knowledge who do.

I'm just so thankful for it all :-)

I testify these things in the name of our beloved Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Amen.