14 May 2017

14 May 20107

This last week has been pretty much to schedule. For some reason our FHC has been really busy. After a four or five hour shift we are pretty much brain dead. I have spent some time on the new web indexing program and it seems quite simple and user friendly. I have indexed a couple of batches but usually do not have a lot of time to do it.

This week, I worked with a family from Puerto Rico and by using census records was able to take his family that consisted of one family back six generations. From coming in and not knowing even their names, he was trilled. He was an older gentleman that was being helped by a friend who did all of the computer input. They were both rather excited about their experience and it is so fun to watch the joy that they feel when they find their family.

Another couple from Australia (New South Wales), Lindsay and Margaret Allen  came in to spend a little time not knowing what he did. We were able to get them both set up on their own accounts and trained enough that they could go back to their home and work on adding their family.  They were with a tour group that will tour the USA by bus, then fly to see their daughter in London that they hadn't seen for years, and then back to Australia.  It is amazing the people that see our sign the "Find your Ancestors" and come in to check it out!

Another sister from Puerto Rico came in and I was able to extended her family out two generations and then I taught her how to search records where she was able to find a baptism record on one of her family members. She was excited to go home and start searching. When she left she gave me a $10.00 bill and told me to take my husband out for a dinner. As we cannot take gifts, I put it in the cash box where we can buy paper and FH Center supplies.

Last night I worked with a sister from Provo, Utah. Her name was Linda and she was a professional researcher. In our conversation, I ended up telling her about the "Find, Take, and Teach" program that is rolling out from the church. I showed her how to get into it from FamilyTree and explained about how the consultant and the participant were to pray for each other for the needed inspiration and revelation to be led to those waiting for temple work on the other side of the veil.  I explained that it was a Faith based approach and a conversion tool that was really powerful. She got excited and wanted to take it back to Utah and get it started out there as she could really see the spiritual effect that it could have on the people in her ward and stake. She actually lives the our old Provo Utah Sunset Stake so it was fun spending time with her.

She let me know that she was struggling her experience with cancer and having to have a double mastectomy. For some reason, it took her identity and self esteem away and wanted me to help her find it. I can't say that I was very good at counseling her, but she left very excited about having something new to focus on and how she could change lives.

Today for Mother's Day, we spent the whole day at the Stake Center training several people. Hailey Roark, the lead Temple and Family History Consultant in Manhattan YSA had her first experience teaching Alex Wood, another member of her ward with the lesson plan she had prepared.  In the process, several family names were able to be added to Alex's Family Tree and print family ordinance cards to take to the temple for baptisms.  We had consultants from the Manhattan 3rd ward with members they were helping along with a consultant from the Manhattan 2nd ward.  We attended sacrament meeting in the YSA  ward and then we attended all of the meetings in the Manhattan 3rd ward. During Relief Society, they had made a lovely buffet for all of the sisters and we shared stories from the Bible and from individual members of women that affected their lives. It all made for a wonderful day.