A group of young members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are finding that a study of their family trees is uncovering wonderful information about their ancestors, as well as lessons for life today.
For the last several weeks, young singles from the Takapuna Ward (congregation) on Auckland’s North Shore have been learning how to do genealogical research.
“I’ve never really had a great interest in family history until now,” said Tristan Roding. “Seeing names from my family tree made me realize they were real people.”
Kelly-Anne Linehan has had a similar experience. “I have been able to see my ancestors’ names and find out about them. People I don’t know, but people I want to know. It has strengthened my family as we talk about our family and make connections to ourselves and our lives.”
For Josh Bradfield, the exercise has expanded his understanding of what ‘family’ means. He said that the Church’s online genealogical resource www.familysearch.org allows him to gain an appreciation for the immense size of his family and how much he owes to those who have gone before him.
According to Michael Chang, doing family history research makes him more grateful for his grandparents.
“In the process of searching for information,” he says, “I began to ask my 90-year-old grandmother questions about how the family settled in Taiwan. My grandparents were born in perilous war-time and my grandfather was a soldier who fought for freedom. During combat, my grandfather was shot in the heel. He was fortunate that the bullet didn’t pierce the bone or else he would not have escaped and his line of posterity would have totally changed.”
He adds: “They became refugees later and were struggling to establish themselves as they escaped from island to island. I am deeply impressed by the way my family worked and persevered when they arrived in Taiwan after leaving everything behind. My grandmother decided to buy a simple soda machine and started selling lemonade and soda on the street. My grandparents worked steady and constant in difficult circumstances while they took care of youngsters and providing a living. I admire my grandmother’s tenacity and courage.
“My love and appreciation for my family grows as I do family history research. Doing family history has changed my attitude towards seniors in my family as I am more motivated to offer to help around the house as I learn how much they devoted to the family.”
Latter-day Saints believe that family relationships can extend beyond death and this is a strong motivation for Church members to learn all they can about their ancestors. Mormon temples, of which there are over 130 worldwide, are places where Latter-day Saints participate in sacred ordinances that make eternal family relationships possible.
Jonathan Linehan says he feels a strong desire to learn about his deceased family members and to make the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ available to them, through temple ordinances.
“My mum is the only member of the Church in her family and my dad’s parents are the first members in their family. I am a third generation Mormon in my family so there are only a few of us to do the work.”
He says that family history and temple service make it possible for his ancestors to choose to accept or not “the blessings they were unable to receive on earth.”
