Homecoming talk, given July 12, 2009

Today we are speaking about our pioneer heritage. I'm going to tell you a little about our mission and tie them together. We served in the Family and Church History Mission in Salt Lake for 18 months in the Family History Library, mostly in the lobby where we greeted patrons and helped them find the best place in the Library to search for their ancestors. It was a great opportunity to give a good first impression of the Church. Later in our mission we were asked if we would like to transfer to another zone in the Library. We were given several options. While we were thinking and praying about it, every time that I heard the option "information commons" I would get a warm feeling in my heart, so the Holy Ghost decided for us.
We had great opportunities to learn about many genealogy websites and programs as we served. Most of the patrons who come to the Library are not members of the Church. Many of them asked about why we do this work. It was not a proselyting mission during our service hours but we could answer questions. I explained to some of them that we believe that families can be together forever and that what we are doing is the fulfillment of the scripture in Malachi 4:5&6 that tells that Elijah will come and turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers. Some of them were touched by the spirit of Elijah and didn't know it. If they wanted to know more about the Church we would send them over to the North Visitors Center which is a separate mission for proselyting.
Last month the Family and Church History Mission held a fast that older member's, especially couple's, hearts would be softened and have a desire to serve a mission. We heard that the numbers of missionaries are down in all missions. Maybe it's because of the financial difficulties many people are having. Our experience has been that serving has given us blessings of prosperity and opportunities to learn better how to do our own genealogy. When I think of willingness to serve I think of Lehi--did he really want to go into the wilderness? And Nephi going back to get the plates or building a ship, and Joseph Smith being persecuted. They were obeying the Lord. Some potential missionaries or genealogists say "I'm too old" or "I don't know computers" or "I can't leave my grandchildren". Heavenly Father gives us experiences to prepare us and help us grow. In one of our mission devotionals someone said "there are sins of omission and sins of commission and sins of no mission".
Let me share some of my ancestral heritage with you. On my father's side of the family my great grandmother, Louise Garbe Wintsch was born in Germany in 1870. Her mother had a friend who belonged to our church. Louise and her mother were invited to attend church with that friend and her friend's daughter. They enjoyed going but Louise's father stopped them because he didn't want them to join our church. Louise was 8 years old at that time. She stayed friends with that family and gained a testimony. When she was 13 years old, a baptism date was arranged and Louise wanted to be included but again her father said no. Louise's family lived in Berlin in an apartment on the 5th floor. She had been very upset and about midnight she got up and was walking in her sleep. Louise went into her parents' bedroom, opened the window and was going to step out. Her mother woke up and caught her just in time. She gently shook her awake. Louise's parents decided that if it meant that much to her they would let her be baptized. They investigated the Church and were baptized too. Later, 2 of Louise's brothers also joined. In 1889 she immigrated to America and to Utah.
My great grandfather on my mother's side, Charles Ernst Christian Musig, was born in Germany in 1852 and immigrated to America in 1867 at age 15. He heard about the rich mines in Utah. While working there as a cook he roomed with 3 LDS boys who shared the gospel with him. He felt the Spirit and knew it was true. Charles was baptized in 1871, and in 1874 he married Emerett Funk. They were blessed with 8 children. Charles was called on a mission to Germany in 1898. His family struggled financially so each child did their part to help support their father on his mission. The oldest son, Charley was 22. He helped on the farm but decided to work for wages in a mine. He was killed in a mine explosion in 1900. On the day of his injury, Charley started for work, then returned and told his mother that he had seen his grandparents and other relatives who had already passed on. He knew that something was going to happen to him. The father Charles returned from his mission about 2 months later. He was a valuable missionary because of his knowledge of the German language and his understanding of the people. My mother said that whenever she visited him, her grandfather bore his testimony to her.
When writing your personal or family history, think about the experiences you've enjoyed reading. What kind do you like to read and what kind do you write? If our pioneer ancestors hadn't accepted the gospel and taught it to their children and stayed true to the gospel, we might not have it in our lives and have that spiritual heritage. The pioneers lost loved ones on the way west but their testimonies and temple covenants helped them be strong and motivated them to sacritice.
Let me share with you some examples of the sacrifices of some modern day pioneers. Dick and Diana Heiner had a dairy farm in Wyoming. Their son Ben had a dream to go on a mission since he was a little boy. Ben has lower than normal intelligence so when he sent in his papers to go on a mission, he was turned down. He said to his mother "what will I do if I can't go on a mission?" Ben's parents checked on the options and were told that it might work out for him to come to the Family and Church History Mission as a service missionary. They knew that he probably wouldn't be successful on his own so Ben's parents also filled out mission papers and came on the mission with him and served full time hours. Their efforts opened the door for many young elders and sisters with mental, emotional and physical disabilities who otherwise wouldn't have been able to serve a mission. Sister Heiner told me that before they came, one day she saw her husband starring out the window. He said to her, "I guess we won't ever have animals again". They were willing to make that sacrifice and sell their animals and leave their farm so their son could have his dream of serving a mission. Elder Ben was very open about his feelings of love for others and very happy to be there. When we left the misson there were about 200 young elders and sisters serving.
Elder Alex Cowdell is a young missionary from Orange, California. He is a tall, handsome young man. We couldn't tell what kept him from serving a procelyting mission. Elder Cowdell just ached to be able to share his testimony. On some p-days he would take some Book of Mormons and get on the trax and ride back and forth just so he could hand out the Book of Mormons and share his testimony.
There are many young elders and sisters who serve along with the older missionaries in the Library. I call them the whiz kids because for most of them it is very easy to learn the genealogy programs on the computer. They've been using it since they were in kindergarten. It seems to me that the computer was invented mainly for the purpose of speeding the work of genealogy. Another older missionary, Sister Marlene Grua came to serve after having many strokes and at least one major stroke that took away most of her physical abilities. She has no feeling at all in her body. She had to learn to walk by watching her feet, and to eat, drink and swallow without choking. She's very pleasant in her trials. She learned to use a touch-sensitive conputer to print temple cards.
We also met Sister Cathy Stephenson, a church employee and former missionary. Her challenge is that she is one of the little people, sometimes called dwarfs. Sister Stephenson joined our missionary choir and sang with us in the Tabernacle. She uses a scooter to get around more quickly because she has short legs. She told us of her difficulty trying to reach things in her apartment. Her service and courage were an inspiraton to me.
Included in the Library is a deaf zone with about 12 missionaries. They served a patron who is blind and deaf and comes to the Library to do his own research. These are missionaries and patrons with great courage who give most of us no excuse for not doing our own genealogy as we have been asked to do.
One sister shared her experience with a patron. As she was sitting with the patron at a computer and helping her search for her ancestors, the patron told her that she had seen this missionary previously in a dream helping her at the Library. The missionary felt very good knowing that Heavenly Father knew that she would be serving. Think how the reality of that dream could affect that patron who was not a member of our Church. We had heard about many spiritual experiences in the Library.
At one point on our mission I was feeling inexperienced and inadequate. I read in Alma 60:24 where Captain Moroni wrote an epistle to Pahoran. He asked those he thought were slacking to begin to be up and doing. That encouraged me to try harder.
In James 1:22 it says "be ye doers on the word and not hearers only". Nephi said "I will go and DO". Missions and callings give us that opportunity. The Lord will help us in our process of becoming who He wants us to be. In 2 Nephi 28:24 we are told "wo unto him that is at ease in Zion". Elder Bruce Hafen wrote about becoming more consecrated members whether on a mission or in a calling. I know that everyone isn't able to serve a mission right now.
D & C reminds us of Elijah's mission and that if we don't do our part, the earth will be utterly wasted at His coming. Genealogy and temple work are among our main purposes for being here. Helping find our ancestors who need temple ordinances benefits both them and us because their salvation is necessary for our salvation. In this way we can keep our spiritual heritage alive. Here are some excerpts from D & C 128:18-24 from an epistle from Joseph Smith telling about baptism for the dead. He said that "the earth will be smitten with a curse unless there is welding link of some kind between the fathers and the children. We, without them cannot be made perfect and vise versa for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fullness of times so there can be a welding of dispensations. We have received a voice of gladness for the living and the dead. Glad tidings of great joy. Shall we not go on in so great a cause? Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth athems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel who hath ordained before the world was to redeem them out of the prison. Let us present in His holy temple a book containing the record of our dead". The first step in temple work in finding ancestors. Our goal is to do temple work and seal families. Technology is helping with this urgency. Someone likened being connected to our ancestors to a train--Jesus Christ is the engine and we are the caboose. Each needs to be connected or we are lost. We won't be connected unless our ancestors are sealed or linked to us.
It was very hard to take off my missionary badge. I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to serve our Savior.
D & C 4:3&4 is written to missionaries: "If ye have desires to serve God, ye are called to the work. For behold the field is white already to harvest and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not but bringeth salvation to his soul." And D & C 84:88 tells how the Lord will help us as missionaries--"and whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left and my spirit shall be in your hearts and mine angels round about you to bear you up." My missionary badge has 2 names--mine and our Savior's. It was a special experience to represent Him. As missionaries we can be a light to the world. Think of these 5 words, "I'm going on a mission". Here are 5 more words from our Savior, "Here am I. Send Me." I pray that we will follow His example in serving to the best of our abilities.

Hi everyone,
It's been awhile since we wrote on our blog. There have been a lot of major changes in our mission and we have been very busy with our new responsibilities! Last September I had some thoughts about where we should be serving when the Family History Library zone changes would be made. In October when we were interviewed we were told about six options where we could choose to serve. Each time that our mission president's counselor said "Information Commons" I had a feeling that it was where we were supposed to go. It is now called Family Search Library. In this zone we help patrons look for their ancestors and do other programs on the computers. We are learning some of the programs as we go and have a lot more to learn. It's a great opportunity for us to serve and to do our own genealogy.
Elder Larsen is one of the assistant zone leaders so we have extra responsibilities which include being in charge of the socials, helping with the schedule, getting patrons to the right place in the Library to look for their ancestors, and helping other missionaries get into classes to learn new FamilySearch which is President Gordon B. Hinckley's inspired program to help us avoid doing so many duplicates of temple ordinances.
I recently had my first experiences of taking my own ancestors' names to the temple because so many of them had already had their temple work done. We have been on this mission for one year now and will be here until the end of June 2009. We had a great time on Temple Square during the Christmas season. We were able to see the lights on Temple Square and attend the spectacular program of the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra and the bells being played.
On January 14th we attended a temple devotional where Elder Allan Packer of the seventy was the speaker. His main thoughts were about finding peace in the hard times that we are facing. He said that we really need the Holy Ghost to be with us, that He is a key to show us all things that we should do. By the power of the Holy Ghost you may learn the truth of ALL things. (Moroni 10:5) He mentioned the scripture in 3 Nephi 9:20 that tells that some people were baptized with fire and the Holy Ghost and knew it not. I have often wondered how that could happen. Elder Packer said that they knew it not because they failed to understand how much the Holy Ghost could help them and they were not in tune and listening or pondering. In D & C 88:33 it tells us that it doesn't profit us if a gift is bestowed upon us and we don't receive the gift. (The Holy Ghost) Elder Packer also talked about the temples and how we need to be worthy to enter them and how we treat them with respect.. He likened that to how our bodies are the temples of our spirits and that we need to not allow anything unclean to enter our minds and bodies.
I recently read a scripture that reminded me of the temple and getting revelation there. It's 1 Nephi 18:3 in the Book of Mormon. "And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things." A mountain is sometimes symbolic of temples. If we go often when we can and pray there about our problems and give thanks He will more likely give us answers and great personal revelation.
We encourage everyone who can to serve a mission. We are enjoying making friends, learning genealogy programs and serving Heavenly Father.