At the Temple with Family & Friends

Those that came included:  Cousin Clay and triplets (Brigham, Cooper, Isabelle along with two girl friends), Craig along with Emily and Allie (and one friend), Tisha & David, Chad & Braden, my mom, Corbin, Porter, Paul, and me.

Last Saturday we were able to reserve a time at the temple to do baptisms for the dead.  Porter had found 160 family names that needed this work done.  I was thrilled to have so much support from family and friends.  It took all of us to get this done!  The girls (10 of us) each performed eight baptisms while the boys (5 of them) each did 16!  Holy Cow!  I learned that next time we will need a few more boys and a few more men to make it run more efficiently.

But who can complain about being in the temple.  It was a wonderful evening.  For the very first time, my brother, Chad baptized Mom, Tisha, and me.  I gave Chad the experience that he will never forget.  For some reason, I was creating huge splashes in the font and making quite a scene - it was probably the cause of my bloody nose (which started after I got out of the water).  My new nickname is "Splash".  Maybe next time I can perform it with more grace.

After performing this work, I revisited the talk from Elder Richard G. Scott's titled, The Joy of Redeeming the Dead from the Oct. 2012 General Conference. It is a powerful talk that I encourage you all to read again.  In there many phrases stood out to me.  

"In an epistle written over 150 years ago, Joseph Smith stated: “The Saints have the privilege of being baptized for … their relatives who are dead … who have received the Gospel in the spirit, through … those who have been commissioned to preach to them.” Later he added, “Those Saints who neglect it in behalf of their deceased relatives, do it at the peril of their own salvation".

He talks about temple and family history being one work with two parts.  And that blessings come from doing each part of the equation.  Then he emphasizes that "there are some members who engage in temple work but fail to do family history research on their own family lines. Although they perform a divine service in assisting others, they lose a blessing by not seeking their own kindred dead as divinely directed by latter-day prophets. …

“I have learned that those who engage in family history research and then perform the temple ordinance work for those whose names they have found will know the additional joy of receiving both halves of the blessing.

Any work you do in the temple is time well spent, but receiving ordinances vicariously for one of your own ancestors will make the time in the temple more sacred, and even greater blessings will be received. The First Presidency has declared, “Our preeminent obligation is to seek out and identify our own ancestors.”

Do you young people want a sure way to eliminate the influence of the adversary in your life? Immerse yourself in searching for your ancestors, prepare their names for the sacred vicarious ordinances available in the temple, and then go to the temple to stand as proxy for them to receive the ordinances of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. As you grow older, you will be able to participate in receiving the other ordinances as well. I can think of no greater protection from the influence of the adversary in your life."

 What a powerful statement!  As a parent, I want to make the temple and family history work the top priority, especially knowing the protection that it provides.  That is more than enough motivation.