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Family History

For Leaders and Temple and Family History Callings

Pray to be Led by the Holy Ghost

A temple and family history consultant finds greater joy in his calling through prayer and following the Spirit.

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<![CDATA[]]> <![CDATA[[PIANO PLAYING]]]> <![CDATA[Family history has always come naturally for me.]]> <![CDATA[I read my first census in the National Archives]]> <![CDATA[when I was 11 years old.]]> <![CDATA[I continued to have a passion for it for the next 60 years.]]> <![CDATA[And I've locked down a system that works very well.]]> <![CDATA[About six months ago, I was having]]> <![CDATA[a conversation with a fellow genealogist]]> <![CDATA[whose work I highly respect.]]> <![CDATA[She was sharing an experience she]]> <![CDATA[had with one of her ward members,]]> <![CDATA[and I had never seen her this excited.]]> <![CDATA[There was nothing profound or different about what]]> <![CDATA[she had discovered, but she had changed her approach.]]> <![CDATA[She described the process as following her heart]]> <![CDATA[instead of her head, which allowed the Spirit]]> <![CDATA[to closely guide her.]]> <![CDATA[And she kept encouraging me to do the same.]]> <![CDATA[I didn't give it too much thought for quite a while.]]> <![CDATA[When I work with people, they really]]> <![CDATA[appreciate my knowledge and ability,]]> <![CDATA[and I couldn't see a need to change something]]> <![CDATA[that I've been so successful with for so many years.]]> <![CDATA[However, after several months, I noticed]]> <![CDATA[that some of my other colleagues were also]]> <![CDATA[having the same renewed excitement]]> <![CDATA[about the experiences they were having as they allowed]]> <![CDATA[the Holy Ghost to guide them.]]> <![CDATA[And I started to feel like I was missing out on something.]]> <![CDATA[[PIANO PLAYING]]]> <![CDATA[]]> <![CDATA[It wasn't until my high priests group leader connected me]]> <![CDATA[with a less-active man in my ward]]> <![CDATA[who needed help finding a specific couple on his family]]> <![CDATA[tree that my perspective changed.]]> <![CDATA[]]> <![CDATA[As I was scheduling an appointment with him,]]> <![CDATA[I had a very strong prompting that I]]> <![CDATA[needed to let the Spirit be the guide from start]]> <![CDATA[to finish with this man.]]> <![CDATA[His mother had been searching for the names]]> <![CDATA[of her grandparents for years, and his goal]]> <![CDATA[was to find them for her.]]> <![CDATA[As I started preparing an experience for him,]]> <![CDATA[it was really difficult to stay focused on such a narrow goal.]]> <![CDATA[]]> <![CDATA[So I started to pull in leads that would very quickly fill up]]> <![CDATA[the holes in the rest of his family tree.]]> <![CDATA[While I was doing this, I realized]]> <![CDATA[I'd forgotten to say a prayer before I started.]]> <![CDATA[So I stopped what I was doing and prayed.]]> <![CDATA[As soon as I finished, I had the clear impression]]> <![CDATA[to search only for those two names until I found them.]]> <![CDATA[And in spite of how frustrating this was for me,]]> <![CDATA[I stuck with it and stayed committed to his goal.]]> <![CDATA[When I arrived at his home, he introduced me]]> <![CDATA[to his wife, who had decided to join us.]]> <![CDATA[]]> <![CDATA[I normally wouldn't have started with an opening prayer,]]> <![CDATA[but I was determined to follow through on my prompting.]]> <![CDATA[]]> <![CDATA[As I guided him through the experience]]> <![CDATA[I had prepared, with each step, he grew more and more excited.]]> <![CDATA[After only a few minutes, he made it]]> <![CDATA[to the historical records and found the death certificate]]> <![CDATA[of his great-grandfather.]]> <![CDATA[I had discovered this document during my preparation]]> <![CDATA[and was really excited for him to see it.]]> <![CDATA[On that document were the names he had been looking for.]]> <![CDATA[And after he and his wife read them out loud, none of us]]> <![CDATA[could utter a word.]]> <![CDATA[The Spirit filled the room, and we all felt it.]]> <![CDATA[Together we shared a moment of pure joy.]]> <![CDATA[]]> <![CDATA[After a minute or so, the brother]]> <![CDATA[began to express appreciation for helping]]> <![CDATA[him find these ancestors.]]> <![CDATA[He did not think he had the ability]]> <![CDATA[to do this kind of work, and he definitely]]> <![CDATA[wasn't expecting to feel so much happiness in the process.]]> <![CDATA[[MUSIC PLAYING]]]> <![CDATA[]]> <![CDATA[I understood what my colleagues were talking about.]]> <![CDATA[]]> <![CDATA[This work is so much bigger than me.]]> <![CDATA[]]> <![CDATA[At the end of the meeting, I decided]]> <![CDATA[we should have a closing prayer and offer thanks.]]> <![CDATA[He turned to his wife, who said, "Dear,]]> <![CDATA[I think it would be well if you do it."]]> <![CDATA[He then offered a very tender prayer of gratitude.]]> <![CDATA[I felt God's love for this couple,]]> <![CDATA[and we now share a very special bond.]]> <![CDATA[I invited them to meet with me again,]]> <![CDATA[and they eagerly accepted.]]> <![CDATA[]]> <![CDATA[I believe that all of the skills I have gained over the years]]> <![CDATA[are certainly critical and valuable.]]> <![CDATA[But I have understood that choosing]]> <![CDATA[to be led by the Spirit deepens my contribution]]> <![CDATA[to Heavenly Father's work.]]> <![CDATA[[MUSIC PLAYING]]]> <![CDATA[]]>

Pray to be Led by the Holy Ghost

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