The generations on either side of me link me to my past and my future. My view of family history involves revealing the roots and the branches.

Throughout this blog you will find perspectives related to the doctrines of temple and family history work from revealed revelation given to living prophets of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Monday, August 29, 2016

New Genealogy Service Poised to Fill Critical Gap in Genealogy Industry

Online Genealogy Coaching
Press Release:
CEDAR HILLS, Utah - August 29, 2016 - A new family history service launched today that will fill a critical gap in the multi-billion dollar genealogy industry.  genealogyDOTcoach (SM) is a new online service that matches up professional genealogists (called Genealogy Coaches) with people who want to have all the fun of making family history discoveries for themselves but just need a little assistance from someone they can trust.

"With do-it-yourself sites like Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org it has become so easy for anyone to start climbing their family tree," says co-founder, Janet Hovorka.  "But, sometimes people get a little stuck in the process.  The traditional option at that point has been to purchase a 10 or 20 hour research package from a professional genealogist.  Many people can't afford that kind of help. Others are reluctant to do so because they want the joy of making those family history discoveries themselves.  genealogyDOTcoach aims to fill that gap."

The service launches with 25 coaches across 47 different categories. Topics include:  getting started; genetic genealogy/DNA; tree analysis and writing a research plan; and document translation.  Coaches also specialize in research for different regions of the world and different ethnic groups.  The initial group of coaches have an average of 25 years of training and experience a piece.  They are researchers, authors, and lecturers.  The impressive list of coaches includes some of the most well-known genealogists in the industry.


On the genealogyDOTcoach website, users can select a topic and see a list of coaches who specialize in that topic.  They can review comments and ratings from previous clients, to help them select a coach they would like to work with.  Sessions can be scheduled for 15, 30 or 60 minutes.  Pricing starts as low as $15 for 15 minutes.

Shortly before the coaching session, an email link is sent that allows the user to log in to a private video chat room.  There they meet face to face, via video chat, to share screens and documents with the genealogy coach, and receive the help they need to keep them moving along in their family history journey.

"Clients leave the coaching sessions with a game plan for how to move forward in their family history research," says Hovorka.  "Just like life coaches or athletic coaches, genealogy coaches can give you the boost you need to be better at what you enjoy."

About genealogyDOTcoach
Complete listing of coaches with their bios found here:  https://genealogy.coach/project/all-coaches/

Sunday, August 28, 2016

A Grand Secret ... The Temple Blesses Our Own Lives

Salt Lake Temple - Photo From LDS Media Library
“The Salt Lake Temple baptistry is a thrilling place to be on Saturday mornings! I was there early one morning to be baptized for some of my ancestors. As I sat waiting on the bench in the baptismal area, I noticed that the young woman on my left was reading her patriarchal blessing. The girl on my right was reading her scriptures. I asked her if she had come here with a group. Her reply was: “No, I come with my friend every Saturday. It makes my whole week go better.” These young women, along with many other young men and women, know a grand secret—the temple blesses not only our families’ and ancestors’ lives, but also our own. We are promised that those who are endowed in the temple will go forth from that holy house “armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them.”(D&C 109:22) These are great blessings and promises. What youth does not desire to prepare to receive these blessings in order to navigate in today’s ever-darkening world?” 

- Elaine S. Dalton, “We Did This For You,” LDS General Conference, October 2004.

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Blessing Individuals Not Yet Under Covenant

Fort Collins Colorado Temple - Open House, August 19, 2016
“Enabling the exaltation of the living and the dead is the Lord’s purpose for building temples and performing vicarious ordinances. We do not worship in holy temples solely to have a memorable individual or family experience. Rather, we seek to fulfill the divinely appointed responsibility to offer the ordinances of salvation and exaltation to the entire human family. Planting in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; turning the hearts of the children to their own fathers; and performing family history research and vicarious ordinances in the temple are labors that bless individuals in the spirit world not yet under covenant.” 

– Elder David A. Bednar, “Missionary, Family History, and Temple Work,” Ensign, October 2014.

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Temple Blessings Will Come to You

Brigham City Utah Temple - Photo From LDS Media Library
“Now let me say something else to all who can worthily go to the House of the Lord. When you attend the temple and perform the ordinances that pertain to the House of the Lord, certain blessings will come to you:
• You will receive the spirit of Elijah, which will turn your hearts to your spouse, to your children, and to your forebears.
• You will love your family with a deeper love than you have loved before. 
• Your hearts will be turned to your fathers and theirs to you. 
• You will be endowed with power from on high as the Lord has promised. 
• You will receive the key of the knowledge of God. (See D&C 84:19.) You will learn how you can be like Him. Even the power of godliness will be manifest to you. (See D&C 84:20.) 
• You will be doing a great service to those who have passed to the other side of the veil in order that they might be “judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” (D&C 138:34.)
“Such are the blessings of the temple and the blessings of frequently attending the temple.”

- President Ezra Taft Benson, “What I Hope You Will Teach
Your Children about the Temple,” Ensign, August 1985.

Sunday, August 7, 2016

They Will Become Friends You Love


“You begin by doing simple things. Write down what you already know about your family. You will need to write down the names of parents and their parents with the dates of birth or death or marriage. When you can, you will want to record the places. Some of that you will know from memory. But you can also ask relatives. They may even have some certificates of births, marriages, or deaths. Make copies and organize them. If you learn stories about their lives, write them down and keep them. You are not just gathering names. Those you never met in life will become friends you love. Your heart will be bound to theirs forever.” 

– Elder Henry B. Eyring, “Hearts Bound Together,” LDS General Conference, April 2005.