This is the Joseph Smith Memorial Building where we work on the main floor.
The day after Labor Day holiday we are back at work in the Family History Center helping guests find their ancestors. It is fun to go into the FamilySearch program on the computer and find an ancestor. Just today Elder Hunt has helped a couple from Canada and Sister Hunt helped two brothers from Massachusetts.
The couple from Canada had less than 30 minutes before they were headed to the airport to catch their flight. They wanted to find her great-grandmother. They had her name and a death date and wanted to find what her birth date was. They clicked on the search menu and then from the global they clicked on the country of Canada and it brought a pull down-menu with all the names of the provinces. They knew which one she lived in and we clicked on it. They put her great-grandmother's info in and clicked "Search". Her name came up near the top of the list. They clicked on her name and it showed a death record from the indexed record with her date of birth and the country she migrated from. She said this is so exciting I think I am going to cry and she did. They wanted a copy of the record so they printed it. They were so excited and happy about their find and how quickly they found her great-grandmother that they said they are going to sign up on the free account in FamilySearch as soon as they get home. Elder Hunt was very happy for them because now the couple will continue their search for ancestors as they build their family tree.
The FamilySearch program also has a menu under Get Help where there are tutorials on how to build your tree and add information and other things like photos and stories. It is a very helpful place to go to learn more about the program.
Now the story about the two brothers from Massachusetts. They two did not have very much time to spend on finding their ancestor. They were on a tour and the bus was leaving in a few minutes. They only had their great-great grandmother's last name and an estimated death year. They clicked on the FamilySearch and then clicked on the Search menu and clicked on the title "all records and collections" below the global map. They typed in her last name and approximate death year with a ten year range and clicked the search button. There were over 12,243 records so they narrowed their search by typing in Massachusetts under residence and clicked on Search. This time 101 names came up and they narrowed that down by typing in Massachusetts for the death place. This time five names came up and they remembered that their mother called her by name and that name was the third one on the list and they clicked on it and it was full of valuable information like when and what country she migrated from which was her birth place. It also gave her birth date. They literally jumped up and down and couldn't stop shaking Sister Hunt's hand. They also got a print out of their great-great grandmother's information. They too said they will set up an account to continue to build their tree while their 95 year old Mom is still alive and can give names of their ancestors.
We wanted you all to know that it is so rewarding to help individuals (guests) find their ancestors at the Family Search Center where we have been assigned to work. We are still learning a lot about FamilySearch program and we will continue to improve our skills. We are happy to know that some of our family and friends are getting involved in doing their genealogy. They are finding that it is fun and interesting to find stories, facts, and photos of their ancestors. There are so many records recorded and digitized where we can find information. It does take time and dedication to do genealogy research. One hour a week without interruption will help in getting started. It is frustrating at times when we can't find information we are searching for. That is when the Get Help menu is very handy and helpful.
We are still waiting for our visas since we have reapplied. The Lord knows where we are needed the most and that is where He will allow us to be His missionaries. We love our mission and we love our Savior Jesus Christ. This is His work. Thank you for your prayers and support in every way. We love you all very much.
To the left is the Cristus Statue at the Visitor's Center on Temple Square west of where we work. To the right is the picture of the Salt Lake Temple. The trees at Temple Square are being wired with Christmas lights in preparation for the Christmas festivities. They are a sight to see and celebrate at Christmas time.
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