But, I knew exactly what the Lord would have me say and it's something I want my girls to hear many times through out their life! I have worked hard to get the testimony that I now have and have been thru many hard and many wonderful experiences to get to this point. I often wish I could just give my girls my testimony but I know it's not that simple. But hopefully I share my testimony enough with them and I need to record it in my blog more often! Hence this post.
Today I spoke about my testimony of doing family history work. After trying to get a cheap laugh and introducing myself I muddled thru this as best I could...
I would like to take you back to an Emily Kikuchi from 2 years ago. That Emily Kikuchi was definitely skinnier with less grey hairs. And that Emily Kikuchi also had successfully convinced herself of something. She had convinced herself that she was doing her Family History Work. There I said it…the dreaded topic! But please don’t let your eyes glaze over now like the me from 2 years ago would have done. Because I promise this story is a good one.
So 2 years ago I had convinced myself that by writing religiously on my blog and then printing that blog into a book every year that I was doing some form of Family History and that it was enough. I often repeated the excuses to my self that other family members were doing the work or that it just wasn’t my season right now. So when the subject came up in Stake meetings or General Conference my mind would wander to make a grocery list or such.
But then wouldn’t you know that dang Spirit started tugging at me. It started when I would be wasting ridiculous amounts of time on the Internet. Which I’m sure none of you do! I kept thinking, “there are better things you could be doing with your time Emily of two years ago!” And those thoughts continued to increase and get louder and louder as the Spirit often has to do to me unfortunately. But I still needed more nudging! After an inspiring Relief Society lesson I met with my Ward Family History Consultant who taught me the basics because it was so bad I didn’t know how to even log in! And then a few weeks later I met with our Stake Family History Consultant Jill Bluthe to try and find holes in my already very full family tree. Well Jill is incredible and she lit a fire under me! Well I think the Spirit of Elijah lit the fire and Jill just provided the match.
At the Family History Center Jill and I worked for a little bit and started finding my people! Like Jill says they are not names they are people! And they are MY people!
The very first woman we found is named Mamie Lee Cope. Mamie was Born April 1882 in Jasper, South Carolina where she lived her whole life. She married Rufus Virgil Smith and they had 7 children. Census records show she couldn’t read or write and that her job was “keepin house.” She had a daughter named May that died young and I know that her simple headstone says MOTHER in big beautiful letters and I can only imagine she was good at that.
When we found Mamie Jill looked at me with her gorgeous accent and said “Mamie is going to find you a man!” And I wasn’t much interested in that but I had no idea that Mamie was going to sure become so important to me!
On the RS Temple day last year I baptized and confirmed Mamie. I went on to do all of her work and seal her to her husband and 7 children. After that beautiful day I thought my time with Mamie was over but I had no idea.
Skip forward to this past summer. To get a little personal I am divorced and my ex husband still lives in Hawaii. He comes to visit my girls every 6 months and takes them to a hotel for a couple of days with their Grandma. This particular visit my sweet Riley got sick while she was with her dad. Riley is special needs, non verbal and on life saving medications. I normally worry about my girls when they are away from me but needless to say I was more worried then usual. So in the middle of their trip I went to visit my babies at their hotel. I stayed as long as I could to hug and love on them and then it was time to leave. When I did Riley started to cry and it broke my heart in a million pieces. In the parking lot I sat in my car and cried. I bowed my head to pray as I knew I needed the Lord and I asked Him what I should do. As soon as I said amen, the crystal clear answer was “Mamie’s got it.” And I knew. I could not be there with my babies, but my sweet ancestor who I have no doubt was a wonderful mother and grandmother could be there. And she would be there because I had found her and given her family back to her. Then the tears really flowed as I drove away trusting in the Lord and trusting in Mamie. And wouldn’t you know it my babies came home a few days later and they were just fine.
The Apostles and prophets have promised us incredible blessings like these if we just try to do a little Family History Work. These are just some of them..
• We will become saviors on Mount Zion
• We will enjoy more closeness and joy in our family
• We will have divine protections
• Our love and gratitude for your ancestors will increase.
• Our testimony of and conversion to the Savior will become deep and abiding.
• We will be given protection from the temptation and ills of this world
• We will find the power to change, power to repent, power to learn, power to be sanctified, and power to turn the hearts of your family together
• We will heal that which needs healing
• Our knowledge and faith in the Savior will increase
• We will be protected against the intensifying influence of the adversary
• Our families will be safeguarded
• We will be blessed in every other aspect of our lives
Who amoung us wouldn’t want those blessings? I sure do! And I can sure testify of these incredible blessings from my experience with Mamie! And I have no doubt that all of you have a Mamie or many Mamies!
And listen, don’t be overwhelmed, don’t glaze over because the Lord and our leaders aren’t asking us to turn our lives upside down and devote all of our time to it. I still waste time on FB, don’t worry! Elder Bednar tells us that
“We should find great comfort in the fact that ordinary people who faithfully, diligently and consistently do simple things that are right before God will bring forth extraordinary results. It is through living the gospel in small and simple ways that individuals are able to bless themselves, all those around them and generations to come.”
I know that by doing small and simple things, by devoting a little of our efforts and of our time to do our Family History work we will be incredibly blessed and so will our families. I am SO grateful for the amazing blessings that have come into my life because of it!
So 2 years ago I had convinced myself that by writing religiously on my blog and then printing that blog into a book every year that I was doing some form of Family History and that it was enough. I often repeated the excuses to my self that other family members were doing the work or that it just wasn’t my season right now. So when the subject came up in Stake meetings or General Conference my mind would wander to make a grocery list or such.
But then wouldn’t you know that dang Spirit started tugging at me. It started when I would be wasting ridiculous amounts of time on the Internet. Which I’m sure none of you do! I kept thinking, “there are better things you could be doing with your time Emily of two years ago!” And those thoughts continued to increase and get louder and louder as the Spirit often has to do to me unfortunately. But I still needed more nudging! After an inspiring Relief Society lesson I met with my Ward Family History Consultant who taught me the basics because it was so bad I didn’t know how to even log in! And then a few weeks later I met with our Stake Family History Consultant Jill Bluthe to try and find holes in my already very full family tree. Well Jill is incredible and she lit a fire under me! Well I think the Spirit of Elijah lit the fire and Jill just provided the match.
At the Family History Center Jill and I worked for a little bit and started finding my people! Like Jill says they are not names they are people! And they are MY people!
The very first woman we found is named Mamie Lee Cope. Mamie was Born April 1882 in Jasper, South Carolina where she lived her whole life. She married Rufus Virgil Smith and they had 7 children. Census records show she couldn’t read or write and that her job was “keepin house.” She had a daughter named May that died young and I know that her simple headstone says MOTHER in big beautiful letters and I can only imagine she was good at that.
When we found Mamie Jill looked at me with her gorgeous accent and said “Mamie is going to find you a man!” And I wasn’t much interested in that but I had no idea that Mamie was going to sure become so important to me!
On the RS Temple day last year I baptized and confirmed Mamie. I went on to do all of her work and seal her to her husband and 7 children. After that beautiful day I thought my time with Mamie was over but I had no idea.
Skip forward to this past summer. To get a little personal I am divorced and my ex husband still lives in Hawaii. He comes to visit my girls every 6 months and takes them to a hotel for a couple of days with their Grandma. This particular visit my sweet Riley got sick while she was with her dad. Riley is special needs, non verbal and on life saving medications. I normally worry about my girls when they are away from me but needless to say I was more worried then usual. So in the middle of their trip I went to visit my babies at their hotel. I stayed as long as I could to hug and love on them and then it was time to leave. When I did Riley started to cry and it broke my heart in a million pieces. In the parking lot I sat in my car and cried. I bowed my head to pray as I knew I needed the Lord and I asked Him what I should do. As soon as I said amen, the crystal clear answer was “Mamie’s got it.” And I knew. I could not be there with my babies, but my sweet ancestor who I have no doubt was a wonderful mother and grandmother could be there. And she would be there because I had found her and given her family back to her. Then the tears really flowed as I drove away trusting in the Lord and trusting in Mamie. And wouldn’t you know it my babies came home a few days later and they were just fine.
The Apostles and prophets have promised us incredible blessings like these if we just try to do a little Family History Work. These are just some of them..
• We will become saviors on Mount Zion
• We will enjoy more closeness and joy in our family
• We will have divine protections
• Our love and gratitude for your ancestors will increase.
• Our testimony of and conversion to the Savior will become deep and abiding.
• We will be given protection from the temptation and ills of this world
• We will find the power to change, power to repent, power to learn, power to be sanctified, and power to turn the hearts of your family together
• We will heal that which needs healing
• Our knowledge and faith in the Savior will increase
• We will be protected against the intensifying influence of the adversary
• Our families will be safeguarded
• We will be blessed in every other aspect of our lives
Who amoung us wouldn’t want those blessings? I sure do! And I can sure testify of these incredible blessings from my experience with Mamie! And I have no doubt that all of you have a Mamie or many Mamies!
And listen, don’t be overwhelmed, don’t glaze over because the Lord and our leaders aren’t asking us to turn our lives upside down and devote all of our time to it. I still waste time on FB, don’t worry! Elder Bednar tells us that
“We should find great comfort in the fact that ordinary people who faithfully, diligently and consistently do simple things that are right before God will bring forth extraordinary results. It is through living the gospel in small and simple ways that individuals are able to bless themselves, all those around them and generations to come.”
I know that by doing small and simple things, by devoting a little of our efforts and of our time to do our Family History work we will be incredibly blessed and so will our families. I am SO grateful for the amazing blessings that have come into my life because of it!
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