“Family History, Temples, and Missionary Work: Powerful Partners in Gathering Israel,” Liahona, December 2021
Family History, Temples, and Missionary Work: Powerful Partners in Gathering Israel
They are not separate but all parts of the same great work.
Photograph of London England Temple by Mark Henderson; photograph of sister missionary by James Whitney Young
Two sister missionaries in the Texas Houston Mission felt prompted to teach a lesson about the purpose of the temple. During the lesson the man they were teaching mentioned that his brother had died several years before. Having already felt the Spirit concerning Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, when he realized he could provide saving ordinances for his brother, he accepted the missionaries’ invitation to be baptized. Later, as a new member, he was baptized for his deceased brother in the Houston Texas Temple.
In Tempe, Arizona, a Church member asked his neighbor if he would like help creating a family tree to show his ancestry. The neighbor accepted. The member helped the neighbor add the names of his parents and grandparents in FamilySearch. They linked to information already available, and before long the neighbor had a fan chart showing five generations of his family. This led the man to have an interest in the gospel and eventually to baptism and taking the names of his ancestors to the temple.
Stories like these—and there are hundreds of them—illustrate how family history, missionary work, and temple work can combine to draw people toward the gospel.
Parts of the Same Plan
“People have an inborn desire to know something about their ancestors,” President Russell M. Nelson said. “That becomes a natural opportunity for our missionaries.”1 This inborn desire is God-given and is a powerful means of turning hearts to ancestors who are waiting to receive temple ordinances. Connecting with these ancestors also helps prepare the hearts of the living to receive eternal truths—thus leading people on both sides of the veil to the temple.
When the angel Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith in September 1823, he told Joseph about the Book of Mormon—“God’s instrument to bring about [the] gathering”2—and then quoted several scripture passages. One of those passages concerned the return of the prophet Elijah, who would commit essential priesthood keys and usher in a time when the hearts of the children would turn to their fathers (see Malachi 4:6; Joseph Smith—History 1:27–43).
We often use the phrase “the spirit of Elijah” to describe people’s interest in and love for their ancestors.3 President Nelson said this is “a manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family.”4
This explains why many people feel an intense satisfaction when they discover information about their ancestors. Just as most people have an innate sense that family is what matters most in life, they also know that family necessarily includes those who have gone before. As they learn more about these family members who have passed on, their hearts turn joyfully to embrace them. This is not merely an emotional response but often a spiritual response guided by the Holy Ghost.
“Turning to the fathers awakens and prepares a heart for the mighty change,” said Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “Thus, the spirit of Elijah helps in conversion.”5 Clearly, family history, missionary work, and temple work are meant to be used together. With our prophet’s emphasis on the gathering of Israel on both sides of the veil being the most important work going on in the world today, it is not hard to imagine family history being a profound, heaven-sent gift to assist us in sharing the gospel with others.
Bring Them Together
What, then, does it look like to bring these complementary activities together? Here are some ideas.
Members
Use family stories to start a meaningful conversation about the love you have for your family, past and present. Your knowledge of your own family makes you perfectly qualified to have conversations with others about their family. Your offer to help them learn more about their family can deepen your relationship and may ultimately lead them to a path of eternal significance.
Pre-Missionaries
Take some time to participate in family history and temple work, even though you’re busy as you prepare for your mission. Establish a Church Account—you’ll want it for a number of reasons as a missionary, including being able to access your family history on FamilySearch.org.
Learn stories about your ancestors and be prepared to share them. Take some family names to the temple if you have a temple nearby. If not, prepare names for others to take to the temple. Start now to learn about FamilySearch and other resources.
Missionaries Currently Serving
Counsel with your mission president to see if personal participation in family history and temple work is appropriate in your mission. Here are some things that are acceptable in every mission:
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Talk about families—the universal desire for belonging and connecting makes it a natural way to begin a conversation.
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Help investigators learn how their families can be together forever.
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Testify of the blessings of the temple.
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Encourage newly baptized members to participate in family history and temple work.
Temple and Family History Consultants
Be aware that you too can play a key role in the conversion and retention process for new Church members.
“If I were a missionary today,” President Nelson said, “my two best friends in the ward or branch where I served would be the ward mission leader and the ward temple and family history consultant.”6
As appropriate, help missionaries introduce people to family history and the purpose of temples. Offer to help these individuals get started with their own family tree. When appropriate, encourage missionaries to bring people to the family history center.
As investigators prepare for their own baptism, the missionaries may encourage them to prepare to be baptized in the temple for their ancestors. Help newly baptized members continue to discover their family history. Share in their excitement about opportunities they now have to bless generations of family members. Encourage them to remain worthy of temple blessings.
Help the Hastening
In Doctrine and Covenants 88:73 the Lord said, “Behold, I will hasten my work in its time.” Some of the clearest signs of this hastening are:
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Increasing numbers of temples and their proximity to Church members.
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Missionary work throughout the world.
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The explosion in the availability of information about our ancestors.
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The development of powerful technology to find, organize, and share this information.
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A real and rapidly increasing desire among God’s children on earth to discover who they are and connect with their families—past and present—as well as their ancestral homelands.
As President Nelson said, “Our message to the world is simple and sincere: we invite all of God’s children on both sides of the veil to come unto their Savior, receive the blessings of the holy temple, have enduring joy, and qualify for eternal life.”7
What a blessed opportunity we have, as Church members living in the latter days, to be Heavenly Father’s helpers in gathering together His children!