BYUI FHC December Hours

What is the purpose of Family History and Temple work?

President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, has taught: “True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior.” We are familiar with the doctrine of family history and temple work, but let’s review to improve our attitudes and behavior.

God is our loving Heavenly Father and He wants all of His children to receive His eternal blessings. Many of our ancestors died without the opportunity to receive and accept the gospel. If we think about all the blessings the restored gospel brings into our lives, we can’t help but have the desire to share it with others. 

President Henry B Eyring stated “Many of your deceased ancestors will have received a testimony that the message of the missionaries is true. When you received that testimony you could ask the missionaries for baptism. But those who are in the spirit world cannot. The ordinances you so cherish are offered only in this world. Someone in this world must go to a holy temple and accept the covenants on behalf of the person in the spirit world. That is why we are under obligation to find the names of our ancestors and ensure that they are offered by us what they cannot receive there without our help.”

We must not forget that family history research and temple work go hand in hand and should not be separated. President Howard W Hunter declared “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.”

The words of the prophets and apostles are so powerful. To read more of their words and hear experiences of other visit the Family History section of lds.org.

Family Tree is here to stay

Family Tree is here to stay and new.familysearch.org is going away.  Family Tree is now available on FamilySearch.org and is an inspired change for family history research and temple work.

Why should we be excited about Family Tree?

1. It is part of FamilySearch.org.

All sites and information are in one convenient spot.

          2. User friendly navigation

You have the ability to view the source, temple work, relationships, and facts for an individual all in one spot. You can now view the descendants as well as the ancestors in the pedigree view. This provides more opportunities to find temple work.

      3. You have the ability to edit incorrect information

           4. Emphasis on sources

           5. Communication with others

           6. You can watch your ancestors and be notified of changes

      7. Ancestors may be qualified and submitted for temple work

The new FamilySearch website has made great progress to decrease duplicate temple work and has increased the number of members participating in family history. However, they have not met their goal in reducing duplicate research which requires accurate, source-based, information.

Family Tree can now achieve these goals through its emphasis on sourcing to create accurate data and prevent duplicates. The consistent use of sources on Family Tree will prevent errors and minimize contention among researchers working on the same lines. To view an introduction video to Family Tree click here. And get started with your Family Tree file on familysearch.org.

November Hours

BYU-Idaho Family History Center Hours