Each Tuesday for the past 4 months my mom and I have went to the Family History Center in Riverton. We have met with a missionary each week who has specialized in Danish research. We have learned so many amazing things since we began. We have found many distant family members birth, marriage, and death records online from Danish record websites. If we had not had help from this missionary we would have had a very difficult time understanding Danish.
We have found some records easily while others are very difficult to find. These past two weeks we have been working on a family that we have felt as if we were coming to a dead end. We were almost ready to give up and stop researching that family until today.
My mom and I were looking through micro-film records and our eyes were watering from all the straining we were doing. We did not want to stop as we thought we might be getting closer. We had been at it for about 2 1/2 hours and were just about to stop for the day when a elderly man came over to me and said, "I know you, can you come here for a minute, I will show you something?" I thought he looked very familiar and at first glance I though he was someone my husband used to work with years ago.
I quickly jumped up and headed over to meet him at one of the computers. But I realized, once I was up close, he was not the man that used to work with my husband, in fact I did not know this man at all. But he acted like he knew me and was continuing to show me his family tree in family search and how to obtain all the pictures other researchers had submitted.
As he began showing me this, I think I must have had a very perplexed look on my face as to why this man was talking to me, because he suddenly stopped and said, "Now you did tap me on my shoulder a few minutes ago, right?' I told him, that I had not tapped on his shoulder and that I had been over with my mom the entire time." He then replied, well a lady that looks exactly like you with the same hair, and same shirt just did. I looked around the family history library only to see grey haired men and women all around. In fact, I think I was the youngest one there at that time.
I was so taken back at everything he was showing me and wondering the entire time..Why? He then began to tell me about a book he wrote about the Martin and Willie handcart survivors and their rescuers. He told me that he had the book published at BYU and how the church and library had copies of them both on the shelf and in their archives. He explained that the book was full of testimonies of the Martin and Willie companies and that this book was not for sale in any book stores because he did not want to make money off of peoples testimonies.
He said the day his books were printed a few years ago, he went to BYU to pick them up. As he was walking on the BYU campus to pick up his published books he had a strong impression come to him. He was not to sell the books but rather the Lord would direct him to where the books needed to go.
He then began to share with me many stories he had in distributing this book to others over the past few months and years. He explained how he would have 30 books published and then one by one he would have things happen and would be guided to people who he felt needed a copy of the book.
He continued sharing the many interesting places and people he has felt that he needed to give a copy of the book to. He then told me that he needed to give one to me. He shared the sacredness of this book and told me he would mail me a copy once he got home.
I have to admit I was a bit hesitant at first, especially giving out my personal information to a stranger, but for some reason I felt that I knew this man. So I did give out my address and phone number. He told me he would mail the book to me once he got home.
I went home and went on with my day, but had a very unique feeling that what I experienced today was something the Lord wanted me to experience. But I have to admit I was still a little hesitant as to whether or not I would really get a book or not! I was torn as to whether or not what I experienced was real or not.
It was about 5 hours later when I received a knock at the door. All my kids and hubby were home at the time. I went to open the door and low and behold guess who was standing there holding a book and a dvd. It was the same man I met at the family history center earlier that day.
He was a very happy and nice elderly man. He met all of my children and husband and shared with them what had happened earlier that day. He told them that he never goes to the family history center in Riverton because he lives clear out in West Valley and he usually likes to go to the closer centers. But for some reason he felt as if he needed to come out to Riverton today. He then began to tell my family that as he was working at a computer, someone that looked exactly like me came up and tapped him on the shoulder. We then went on to explain the rest of the events.
We went and sat down in the living room and he began to share everything once again with my husband. I could feel the spirt so strongly and was not sure why the Lord felt I needed one of these books from this man. This man stayed and spoke with us for over 3 hours. He shared many experiences he had while writing the book. He shared how he traveled and found every gravestone of each person in the hand cart companies and how many of their stories and testimonies just seem to find its way to him. He made sure we knew that He did not write this book but only compiled it from the personal testimonies of the survivors and rescuers.
My hubby and I felt the spirt so strong and all three of us were in tears many times as we knew the Lord had brought us together.
I felt like such a doubting Thomas as this man was speaking to me and my husband. I felt bad that I had doubted things earlier that day. I knew as he was talking with us that what he said was absolutely true. As he was sharing stories about giving away his book. He shared how many of them were descendants of the Martin and Willie companies and he had no idea that they were until he went up to them, and told them he felt that he needed to share this book with them.
Now the entire time I was thinking I wonder if I have ancestors in this book that I don't know about, or maybe I will find out soon that I have someone in there related to me.
I do not know for sure, but one thing I do know is that we wanted to help him continue the printing and sharing of this book. I wanted to pay him for the cost of the book to print it. I got out my check book to pay him but then my husband shook his head no and pulled out his wallet. He then got out a $100 bill that he received for his birthday recently and handed it to him. With tears in his eyes my husband began to say that he works around peddlers all day long and has the desire to help them but sees many of them as frauds. He then went on to say that he knows the work this man is doing is truly benefiting others and helping the work of family history move forward.
This elderly man was so appreciative and tears welled up in his eyes as he graciously tried to tell us no thanks. But he could see how adamant my husband was about him furthering the work and then he proceeded to tell us that the book he gave to me was his second to last book that he had left. So he said he would be able to order more with this money. He was so humble and grateful for the offering as were we with him.
It was such an amazing discussion as you could feel the spirit so strong. We all felt as if we had known each other for a very long time. And the entire time I had not said much but just kept wondering, Why me? Why did I need to have a copy of this book? I think this man also wondered why he was guided to me as well. Toward the end of him sharing what was in the book, I had the strongest prompting to share with him the following:
I told him that I had started family history 4 months ago. I told him about how I went back to school for 7 years to obtain my elementary degree and how after 5 months of teaching I started this disease and was diagnosed 3 months later. I told him how hard it had been for me wondering why I had spent so many years in school just to be able to teach for such a short while. I explained how hard accepting that fact had been because I felt that was where I was supposed to be,
I then went on to explain years ago, when I had prayed to where I was supposed to teach, the answer came so clear and concise. It was "You will go where you can make the most difference!" At the time I thought that meant in an inner city school or under privileged students. But the Lord had a different plan for me and since then I have realized it has been with my own family is where I have made the most difference.
After tonight I realized that I also need to make the most difference with my family that have past on and who are waiting for their temple work to be done. I told him how we have been working on it once a week and how we have been stuck these past two weeks and how we felt like giving up and moving on to another family. He suggested that we remember to put our ancestors names in the temple in order to help find them. I had never thought of that and told him we would.
As I was telling him all this the spirit was so strong and I felt as if the Lord was reminding me through this man the importance of this great work and how I need not get discouraged or feel that what I am doing is not valuable. I realized tonight and recommitted myself to dedicating more time and attention to this great work. He also taught me that this work is a very spiritual work and as I do my part the Lord will do his. I also must not try to do it alone and if I ask the Lord will guide and direct me as well as my family members who are waiting for me to do my part so they can receive all the blessings in store for them.
As I have written this down today I have felt as if this work is what the Lord has wanted me to do all along but I have just been too stubborn or have not listened close enough to what I need to be doing. As I think back over my life I realized the Lord has been preparing me for this work. My first job after high school was working in an office doing research. I became one of the top researchers at this huge corporation and was promoted to special projects because of my diligence in never giving up and my hard work and dedication to detail.
Going back to college for 7 years has prepared me how to use technology in this day and age. I am amazed how much you need to know these things in order to be successful at Family History. If you think about it I am only 44 years old and have quite a few years a head of me….I hope! haha! And if I continue to learn and grow in this work now just think how much I will have to share with others in my elderly years. How grateful I am for this amazing work and how thankful I am to be able to be given this opportunity.
I think I needed that reminder today, so that I could make a renewed commitment to do what I need to do in order further the work finding my ancestors and giving the gift to my ancestors that they can't do for themselves!
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