A Night in Sicily

As a convert from an Italian Catholic background and the only member of the LDS Church in my family, I’d been working on my family history for about 12 years with little success. I could not find my maiden name, Trifiletti, when I searched Ancestral File and not even when I attempted original research at the Family History Library. I learned that microfilmers were still working to secure records in the rural hills of Sicily, the birthplace of my forebears.

As time passed, I continued to pray for the Lord’s help. One Sunday afternoon I felt besieged by the sight of my nearly blank family history papers scattered over the kitchen table. I went to the living room and sat down on the couch. As I searched my scriptures, I found answers and the courage to move forward.

Again I went to the Family History Library and discovered that the records I needed had finally been microfilmed. I remember running my hands over the image of the names of my grandparents in San Marco and feeling as close to them as if I were personally visiting them. From that point on, I found hundreds of my relatives. My joy was full.

My husband, Don, and I yearned to share our joy and testimony of temple work with our friends. Before we moved to Florida, we decided to invite friends from our Sandy, Utah, ward and stake to our home on different evenings for what we called “A Night in Sicily.” For each gathering, we sent out invitations, prepared an Italian meal, and enjoyed a slide presentation featuring Italy and my ancestors. Following the slides, I bore a simple testimony in Italian and invited our friends to help us perform the temple ordinances for my ancestors.

The response was overwhelming. As our friends attended the Jordan River Temple with us, the Spirit was strong. A friend commented, “At one point in the endowment I realized I was crying and it surprised me—the tears were there before I even noticed them. I just felt that your grandmother was there too.”

This help from our friends has enabled me to accomplish the temple work for my ancestors. But even more important, these “Nights in Sicily” and the days and evenings in the temple with our friends have also allowed us to share the Spirit in a powerful way with those we love on both sides of the veil.—Karen Merkley, Oviedo Ward, Lake Mary Florida Stake