Moving The Work Of The Lord Forward!

It is still an exciting time in Plainview Texas as we make the Missionary Work an individual responsibility. The Gospel is worth sharing with friends, neighbors, co-workers, classmates and all kinds of other types of wonderful interactions we have the chance to share the Gospel with. The question may arise in your head, or perhaps already has, on "How do I best share the Gospel with another?" Let us remember a Scripture that was on the Mastery List in our Seminary classes, but I would like to do so by quoting a General Authority, Elder Delbert L. Stapley, when he said to the members in the Ensign magazine (December 1971, Page 94): I believe The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can save the world if its members will live as saints of God should. Each time we let down in living gospel principles, someone is sure to observe our conduct and form an unfavorable opinion about us and the spiritual values of the Church. Our faithfulness gives meaning to the doctrines we teach. The Savior emphasized this statement by saying: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16.) Well brethren, how do we do that? How do we live every day so that all whom observe us, know of our integrity, our standards, our views, and not only learn to respect them and admire them, but actually begin to see how much joy living the Gospel brings to us in each and every single day in life? I'll tell you about an experience I had, not to long ago. A few weeks ago, at work, there was a discussion abroad amongst all the mechanics and even the other Sales Associates at work about some things that were less than worthy of discussion at work, and even for most normal people of the world. As I crossed the corner, and came about to the cash register, some of the mechanics dispersed... the Sales Associates stayed along with the Support Manager for the shop. The discussion altogether quit, and it was, but pure silence save only the opening of the sliding door of an occasional customer coming in. I asked, very curiously why it was that when I came back that the conversation silenced, some dispersed and others remained and they too remained silent. They all looked about at each other, seeming to hope someone else would command the explanation of sorts that would be acceptable to curb my curiosity. Finally, the silence broke as the Support Manager rang out, "...because we know that you don't talk like that, think like that, nor like hearing anything like that. You are a man of God Rex, and we respect that." I tell you my heart was filled with joy as I realized that there were things that I was doing that caught their attention, and even the things which I did not do, also caught their attention, but the things that I did not do, were those things that the world had deemed acceptable. The plummeting of moral standards, the actual "Moral Decay" Elder Holland spoke about in this past General Conference is acceptable to the world, and sadly evident, some of my co-workers. But what I see is that as I am there, and they do not talk or act in manners that are less than worthy of friendly conversation, it is actually helping to change their carnal natures. Brothers and Sisters, that is Missionary Work. Missionary Work is not knocking on doors, handing out Book of Mormons or pass along cards alone, it is literally living the Gospel of Jesus Christ in every thought, word and deed. Elder Stapley also referred to our responsibility as saving the entire world. Although it is quite a big piece of responsibility when one chops it down to the individual, the collective basis of members living the Gospel of Jesus Christ in such a way that the world cannot ignore, will stand as a testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel, and with the Holy Ghost as our guide and Testimony as our words, it is one testament outside of biblical or modern prophetic writ, that the world cannot deny. My last addition of Elder Stapley's words follows: To save the world is a great responsibility. This responsibility rests not only upon the leadership of the Church, but upon the membership of the Church as well. The true gospel of Christ is the hope of the world. It is the only plan that will unite the ethnic and national groups and break down the barriers that divide mankind today. History has proven that man cannot forsake God or his Son, our Savior, and live in peace and security. No individual or people can be in rebellion against God’s commandments and be in harmony with him. Today there is open rebellion in many areas of the world against the established order of decency and obedience to the laws of God and man. As members of the Church, what are we doing toward saving the world? First of all, we must live the commandments. We must be honest with ourselves and others. We must be morally clean and not live a double moral standard. We must not have two personalities—one for Sunday and another for the other six days of the week. A recent convert wrote a letter in which he stated that he found the Mormon religion “a breath of sweet fresh air,” and then he gave eight reasons for leaving his former church and joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I will list them and comment briefly on each. 1. Wholesome family life. The home determines one’s attitudes and purpose to a greater degree than friends and companions, school or college, business or social life. It is the first great training ground for youth. An ideal LDS home is one where you will find high standards maintained with confidence, peace, companionship, and happiness. 2. Self-reliance and responsibility. All Church members from the cradle to the grave are taught self-reliance and responsibility. Achieving eternal life is a personal obligation. 3. Moral and physical discipline. The apostle Paul counseled the Galatian saints, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, … murders, drunkenness. … But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.” (Gal. 5:19, 21–22.) President David O. McKay always taught that in the control of morals there must be self-mastery, self-discipline, and self-control. President Joseph F. Smith said, “No man is safe unless he is master of himself, and there is no tyrant so merciless or more to be dreaded than an uncontrollable appetite or passion.” (Gospel Doctrine [Bookcraft, 1939], p. 247.) The Savior warned, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matt. 26:41.) 4. Obedience of children to parents. The apostle Paul counseled the Ephesian youth, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.” (Eph. 6:1–3.) Also to the Hebrew saints he said of the Christ: “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” (Heb. 5:8.) Obedience goes beyond that of earthly parents. It obligates all of us as children of our Father in heaven to be obedient to his laws and commandments. 5. Striving for perfection and excellence in all things. The gospel is for the perfecting of the saints. The Savior counseled, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48.) Jesus asked his disciples this question: “… what manner of men ought ye to be? …” He answered his own question by saying, “… verily I say unto you, even as I am.” (3 Ne. 27:27. Italics added.) He lived so perfectly that he challenged his followers to “follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do.” (2 Ne. 31:12.) 6. Chastity and holy observance of the marriage covenant. It was very heartening to read about the new Miss America, Laura Lea Shaefer, who courageously responded to questions in her first formal press conference by saying that she didn’t believe in and is against premarital sex. She feels that using marijuana leads to hard drugs and that abortions should be illegal. She added: “I am not a typical coed, but I feel my peers and the majority of young people feel the way I do.” What a choice example to the youth of America are her personal standards of conduct! Infidelity is a violation of the marriage covenant and so often results in divorce, which undermines the security of children, frequently leading them into drug use, immorality, other sinful practices, and withdrawal from church attendance and activity. If all couples faithfully observed their marriage covenants, there would be fewer problems and sorrows in the world today. Children would naturally expect their marriages to be sacred and secure if their parents set the example of love and trust and eternal family goals. 7. High standards in education. We are taught, “The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.” (D&C 93:36.) The Lord counseled, “And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.” (D&C 88:118.) We are also taught: “Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.” (D&C 130:18–19.) 8. “Last, but not least,” this recent convert said, “is common sense.” Common sense suggests ability without sophistication or special knowledge. It is just good, sound, practical sense in judgment. All have been born with a measure of common sense. It is a matter of using it, of thinking things through instead of acting in too much haste. These eight significant and important reasons are good points for all of us to remember and follow in our personal lives. The gospel only can inspire people to live its standards of moral and spiritual conduct. We do not sacrifice anything when we give up the ways of the world and faithfully keep the commandments of God. For such worthiness in mortal life entitles us, after we depart this life, to the celestial mansions of our Heavenly Father. What could be a more glorious and satisfying reward? Brothers and Sisters, I bear solemn witness to you, in the fulfillment of my calling I have seen the Lord bless my life more fully in performing the work of sharing the Gospel when I have been fully living the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and doing all I can to deny the world, Babylon, residence in my mind, heart, home or habits. May we all be more diligent in the performance of our duties, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, Savior and Redeemer, Amen.

You Tube To Spread The Gospel

Visit http://plainvieweq.blogspot.com ! This post contains videos! I have undertaken a personal mission of myself to do all I can to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world... yes, the world. I address my mission, and the desires I have in relation to that in this video I made (posted below) and I pray that I will be able to represent the Faith the way the Lord would have me do. If you wish to see the video commentaries, similar to the ones I will post below my intro video, please do so by visiting ****************************************************** Lubbock Texas Stake Announcements: Thursday, May 20th 2010: 6:00pm Stake President Interviews @ Stake Center Thursday, May 20th 2010: 7:00pm YW Camp Meet. Adult Leaders Sunday, May 23rd 2010: *High Council Speaker* Sunday, May 23rd 2010: 6:00am Stake Presidency @ Stake Center Sunday, May 23rd 2010: 7:00am Elders-HP Interviews @ Stake Center Sunday, May 23rd 2010: 7:45am Branch Missionary Correlation Sunday, May 23rd, 2010: 8:30am Branch Council Sunday, May 23rd, 2010: 9:00am Stk. Pres. Coun. Sunday, May 23rd, 2010: 7:00pm Seminary Graduation @ Stake Center Monday, May 24th, 2010: Family Home Evening; For F.H.E. Ideas, visit LDS Living Magazine online @ www.ldsliving.com Thursday, May 27th, 2010: 6:00pm Stake President Interviews @ Stake Center Friday, May 28th, 2010: YW / RS Dinner (Time Unset) Sunday, May 30th, 2010: BYC Monday, May 31st, 2010: *Memorial Day* Family Home Evening; For F.H.E. Ideas, visit LDS Living Magazine online @ www.ldsliving.com ****************************************************** Bishop Keith B. McMullin, Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric at the 180th annual General Conference, said the following: "Duty does not require perfection, but it does require diligence. It is not simply what is legal; it is what is virtuous." "For those who eschew evil and live good lives, who strive for a brighter day and keep the commandments of God, things can get better and better even in the face of tragedy. The Savior showed us the way. From Gethsemane, the cross, and the tomb, He rose triumphant, bringing life and hope to us all. He bids us, 'Come, follow me.'" "President Thomas S. Monson has counseled: 'If we are to walk with head held high, we must make our contribution to life. If we are to fulfill our destiny and return to live with our Father in Heaven, we must keep His commandments and pattern our lives after the Savior. By so doing, we will not only achieve our goal of eternal life, but we will also leave the world richer and better than it would have been had we not lived and performed our duties.'" **See this talk, and the many others that were given at the 180th Annual General Conference by visiting the Church's General Conference Beta Page @ https://beta.lds.org/general-conference?locale=eng (Just copy and paste the above html into your browser address bar)

Using All The Resources We Can

 Brethren, it wasn't a year or two ago when I started to look for other means for a "Primary" E-Mail account that had filters and well intentioned settings that would be ideal for someone like myself that had standards which differed from the world, and essentially were higher than those which the world deemed acceptable. There are a plethora of E-Mail offers out there, and nearly all of the ones that are offered today are free. Not bad right? Perhaps not bad, but the offers of the world as we see more and more in this day and age are all short of ideal for the standards of traditional Christian believers and also the liking of the Latter-Day Saints.

We live in a world of technological fancy, with informational advances that would be topics of science fiction and never truly taken seriously if we attempted to relay and try to explain life as it is lived today using technology, in the dawn of the twentieth century. With all these possibilities, is it any wonder that we are under constant attack by our adversary whom Nephi called "the enemy of my soul." (See 2 Nephi 4:28)

The good news, is I found a reputable, infused with good standards, wholesome and family oriented place to set up an E-Mail account that I could trust. In all my dealings with Deseret Bookstore, I finally paid attention to some of their ads on the side which mentioned a E-Mail site, which also had a magazine and was ideal for people whom had it with the days of AOL, YAHOO or MSN. They are called LDS LIVING MAGAZINE.

Their website is http://www.ldsliving.com , and I have had the greatest pleasure of using their free E-Mail service to help filter out (In my experience) better than any other E-Mail company had prior, all the junk and garbage that seemed to still get to my inbox when I used other E-Mail companies. Long story short, I can affirm to you their dedication to protecting you from the trash that (earlier referred to as) "the enemy of our souls" wishes to land in our inbox.

Many General Authorities have cautioned us about the war that Satan has been waging on us continually in trying to make us stumble upon habits that will destroy our souls. It was Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of The Twelve Apostles at this past conference (The 180th Annual Conference) who said,

"Most days we all find ourselves assaulted by immoral messages of some kind flooding in on us from every angle. The darker sides of the movie, television, and music industry step further and further into offensive language and sexual misconduct. Tragically, the same computer and Internet service that allows me to do my family history and prepare those names for temple work could, without filters and controls, allow my children or grandchildren access to a global cesspool of perceptions that could blast a crater in their brains forever."

As Elder Holland does, his ability to express with vivid detail, the concerning aspects of "this" problem (We shall define the word 'this' in that sentence to any action of negative opportunity Satan tries to use on us) he brings to light the ever greater need, for more awareness and even greater caution to uphold ourselves against the spiritual onslaught Satan fires at us... and the worst part of it all, is that this onslaught is a never ending one. He doesn't rest in his attempts to destroy us. 

Elder Holland also said concerning Satans desperate attempt to trip us up at any location, time or place, the following,

"And just to make sure that temptation is ever more accessible, the adversary is busy extending his coverage, as they say in the industry, to cell phones, video games, and MP3 players."

If you find yourself heading for a change of venue, and are possibly wanting to set up a new E-Mail account with a tad more confidence under your belt that you have the slight edge over those whom Satan employs to destroy our souls, I'd gladly endorse LDSLiving and the E-Mail they offer. If not for you, perhaps maybe that teenager, or pre-teen who wishes to get their own E-Mail account; Take confidence in knowing that LDSLiving is there for you.

In this great war that Satan has declared against us, and the precious Spirits of our children, let us not only use filters, parental controls, scriptures, gospel principles, teachings of the prophets and several tools alike those just named, but let us take a firm and confident stand in the means that good people inspired of God of created in "Using All The Resources We Can" to beat back the adversary. May the Lord bless us all in this work of protecting ourselves, and the precious spirits of those we are responsible for, and guide us in all we do. That is my prayer, and the reason I wrote this blogging entry...In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Family Search News

Brethren, handed to me after church was a neat bit of information that was not able to be included in the Branch Bulletin, but is of sufficient significance that I felt it important to share this with you:

FamilySearch released 300 Million new indexed records on April 28th, 2010. To see a list of the collections go to:

http://fsbeta.familysearch.org/s/collection/list

To search the records, go to

http://beta.familysearch.org

May the Lord bless us in continuing to be diligent in the searching out of our kindred dead, and getting their temple work prepared and done to share the blessings of the great plan of Happiness with all of our Heavenly Fathers children.



************* Lubbock Texas Stake Announcements:*****************
Monday, May 10th 2010: Family Home Evening; For F.H.E. Ideas, visit LDS Living Magazine online @ www.ldsliving.com

Thursday, May 13th 2010: 6:00pm Stake Presidency
Thursday, May 13th 2010: 7:00pm Bishopric Training
Saturday, May 15th 2010: 5:30pm Stake Youth Com. @ Stake Center

Saturday, May 15th 2010: 6:30pm Multi-Stake Dance @ Stake Center

Sunday, May 16th 2010: 6:00am Stake Presidency
Sunday, May 16th 2010: 7:00am High Council
Sunday, May 16th 2010: 7:45am Branch Missionary Correlation
Sunday, May 16th 2010: 8:30am P.E.C Meeting
Sunday, May 16th 2010: 6:00pm Stake Missionary Correlation @ Stake Center

Monday, May 17th 2010: Family Home Evening; For F.H.E. Ideas, visit LDS Living Magazine online @ www.ldsliving.com

Thursday, May 20th 2010: 6:00pm Stake President Interviews @ Stake Center
Thursday, May 20th 2010: 7:00pm YW Camp Meet. Adult Leaders

Sunday, May 23rd 2010: *High Council Speaker*
Sunday, May 23rd 2010: 6:00am Stake Presidency @ Stake Center
Sunday, May 23rd 2010: 7:00am Elders-HP Interviews @ Stake Center
Sunday, May 23rd 2010: 7:45am Branch Missionary Correlation
Sunday, May 23rd, 2010: 8:30am Branch Council
Sunday, May 23rd, 2010: 9:00am Stk. Pres. Coun.
Sunday, May 23rd, 2010: 7:00pm Seminary Graduation @ Stake Center

Monday, May 24th, 2010: Family Home Evening; For F.H.E. Ideas, visit LDS Living Magazine online @ www.ldsliving.com

Thursday, May 27th, 2010: 6:00pm Stake President Interviews @ Stake Center

Friday, May 28th, 2010: YW / RS Dinner (Time Unset)

Sunday, May 30th, 2010: BYC

Monday, May 31st, 2010: *Memorial Day* Family Home Evening; For F.H.E. Ideas, visit LDS Living Magazine online @ www.ldsliving.com ******************************************************

Bishop Keith B. McMullin, Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric at the 180th annual General Conference, said the following:

"Duty does not require perfection, but it does require diligence. It is not simply what is legal; it is what is virtuous."

"For those who eschew evil and live good lives, who strive for a brighter day and keep the commandments of God, things can get better and better even in the face of tragedy. The Savior showed us the way. From Gethsemane, the cross, and the tomb, He rose triumphant, bringing life and hope to us all. He bids us, 'Come, follow me.'"

"President Thomas S. Monson has counseled: 'If we are to walk with head held high, we must make our contribution to life. If we are to fulfill our destiny and return to live with our Father in Heaven, we must keep His commandments and pattern our lives after the Savior. By so doing, we will not only achieve our goal of eternal life, but we will also leave the world richer and better than it would have been had we not lived and performed our duties.'"

**See this talk, and the many others that were given at the 180th Annual General Conference by visiting the Church's General Conference Beta Page by clicking the link below:

General Conference Website

The Construction of the Kyiv Ukraine LDS Temple

Visit http://plainvieweq.blogspot.com ! This post contains videos!

Brethren, as it has been an un-official  trend of this blog, if I find videos that I think are inspirational or worth spiritual understanding, I post them here for all to see. My friend Seth Adam Smith has made another great Temple video of "The Construction of the Kyiv Ukraine LDS Temple" and I wish you all to view it. I hope it brings the Spirit as powerfully to you as it did to me. Enjoy!

Thanks To Seth Adam Smith For Video! For More Of His Moving And Powerful Videos, Visit his YouTube Channel At http://www.youtube.com/user/SethAdamSmith



As of April 2010, the exterior of the Kyiv Ukraine Temple is finished, and landscaping and fence installation are underway.

On Saturday, September 19, 2009, about 680 members of the Kyiv Ukraine Stake, outlying mission branches, and their friends gathered to witness the raising of Moroni atop the spire of the Kyiv Ukraine Temple. This event marks a major milestone in the construction of the temple, which is expected to be dedicated in late summer of 2010.

Nearly nine years since its announcement, ground was broken for the temple on Saturday, June 23, 2007, coinciding with the 97th birthday of President Gordon B. Hinckley. The event was indeed a fitting tribute to this inspired leader, whose program for accelerated temple construction worldwide paved the way for this temple in Ukraine.

Though only recently introduced in 1991, the Church has grown steadily in this eastern European nation. At 8,500 members strong, the Church in Ukraine reached a milestone on May 30, 2004, when Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles organized the first stake of seven wards in Kyiv. Elder Nelson blessed members to love their neighbors as Christ that many more stakes might be organized. He also encouraged them in their family history work in preparation for the temple.

New Inspirational Temple Video

Visit http://plainvieweq.blogspot.com ! This post contains videos!

Many of the brethren who follow this blog will tell you that I have frequently landed some spiritually significant videos that have been a treasure and a great blessing to be able to view. These videos have helped stir me up in some of the most covetous spiritual moments of significance that I personally have sought after when I was feeling "down" or "depressed". I likewise have been informed of the momentous effect that they have had on those whom have made it habit to watch them on the blog after the suggestion has been made here, on our wonderful blog. A Brother in the Lord, and a significant man in the making of these videos, named Seth Adam Smith, has made it a great task of his to produce these for the benefit of both member and non-member, and who has been featured on Meridian Magazine as well as one other location has outdone himself here on this following video, which is a video about The Vancouver British Columbia Temple. This video is now featured on a site we have had a link on our Plainview Branch links (Recommended Initially By Brother Randall Guinn also of the Plainview Branch) and that site is http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/ . Below, I have embedded the video for your pleasure, and I hope you all love this video as much as both Brother Randall Guinn and I both do! To see more of other great videos on a wide variety of Gospel Topics, visit Brother Seth Adam Smith's personal YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/SethAdamSmith. May the Lord continue to guide and direct us all in this great work of spreading the Gospel!

The Peace Music Brings

Visit http://plainvieweq.blogspot.com ! This post contains videos!

Below is a video, to which music is sang by Dallyn Bayles, a member of our church, and the song is that which is sang by him is called "My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee". In times past I may have posted this video on the blog, but I never seem to be able to watch this video, hear the song, and view the inspirational pictures without being stirred and moved upon by the Spirit. I have needed a spiritual uplift as of late, and yet, know and take comfort that my Heavenly Father loves you, me, all of us. We know the worth of souls is great in the eyes of God, let us remain ever diligent in proclaiming his Gospel to the world... brethren, God Speed.

“A Celebration of Family History” Delights Thousands of Genealogy Enthusiasts

SALT LAKE CITY 30 April 2010

Thousands of genealogy enthusiasts filled the Conference Center Thursday, 29 April 2010, to enjoy an evening of music, stirring speeches and moving video presentations as part of the National Genealogical Society 2010 Family History Conference.

The event, entitled “A Celebration of Family History,” was organized by FamilySearch , a division of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and served as an inspirational compliment to the lectures, presentations and other learning and networking opportunities offered at the conference. 

President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, spoke to those assembled. In his remarks he acknowledged the unique support family history researchers offer one another. “You have built and preserved a community where the mentor that helps those less skilled is revered,” President Eyring said. “It is rare in history for such a community to emerge. It is rarer still for such a community to sustain itself.”

“There had never been anything like this before — a production-quality event celebrating family history with thousands of enthusiasts in attendance,” said Jay Verkler, president and CEO of FamilySearch. “The personal family history stories depicted and the musical numbers by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir were absolutely amazing, and we are so grateful that President Eyring and David McCullough were able to join us and share their remarks.”

Throughout the program, video segments projected on giant screens depicted the personal journeys and dramatic discoveries of a handful of individuals in pursuit of their family history.

 

“In telling these stories, we want to show what growing numbers of people are discovering — how family history research fulfills a need to belong or feel connected,” said Verkler. “Each new discovery into our family history provides immense satisfaction. What we learn can expand family relationships in the present and helps us better understand ourselves as we realize our ancestors struggled with similar or greater challenges.”

One video depicted the journey of Mailie Mossman, a Hawaiian woman who found uncommon inner strength that helped her survive her own breast cancer. Though her research, she learned of the remarkable life of her great-grandmother Emma Lyons Waimau, who suffered from Hansen’s disease (leprosy).

Emma had been forced to leave her family on Christmas day 1894 to live in Kalaupapa, a quarantined colony inhabited by others who had the disease. While there, she fell in love, married, and went on to give birth to six surviving children. By law, she was forced to send each child away from Kalaupapa within the first year of life to ensure the children did not contract the disease.

“As I speak about it, I feel sadness in my heart,” said Mailie. “I find her story so interesting because whatever she has in her, I would hope to have in me.”

After searching through thousands of grave sites twice, Mailie finally found the resting place of her great-grandmother Emma. The experience was very emotional for Mailie, as years of her searching, pain, loneliness and joy finally came together.

“As a result of my having breast cancer, I have been able to look at what happened to Emma and how she dealt with her illness. I’ve learned so much about life — my life — through Emma’s life,” Mailie continued.

To the delight of the audience, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian David McCullough returned to the Conference Center for the second time in six months to participate in the program. In December 2009, he worked with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for their annual Christmas concert.

 

During his remarks, McCullough spoke about the nature of history and how we must come to understand those who came before us. “The more we know, the more we want to know. Curiosity is accelerative,” he said. 

“There really is no such thing as the past. No one really lived in the past. They lived in the present, their present,” McCullough later added.

In addition to the celebration, representatives of FamilySearch are contributing to other aspects of the conference. Over 30 of the conference workshops are provided by FamilySearch employees, and even more employees are staffing FamilySearch booths in the exhibit hall each day, answering the public’s family history questions and demonstrating free online resources. The conference runs through 1 May 2010.

“It’s been very exciting to have the National Genealogical Society conference in Salt Lake City,” said David Rencher, chief genealogical officer for the Church. “This is the first time since 1985 that the conference came here, and we are absolutely thrilled to have so many people come.” 

Home to the world’s largest genealogical library, Salt Lake City has much to offer genealogy aficionados. The library’s collection includes over 2.4 million rolls of microfilmed genealogical records; 727,000 microfiche; 356,000 books, serials and other formats; over 4,500 periodicals; and 3,725 electronic resources.

The Family History Library was founded in 1894. Today, it is open to the public at no charge and is visited by an estimated 1,900 patrons or more each day. The library offers free classes and is staffed by knowledgeable volunteers eager to assist researchers.

In addition to the Salt Lake City branch, another 4,600 smaller family history centers dot the globe. These centers, combined with the Web site www.familysearch.org , receive millions of visitors a month.

FamilySearch is working diligently to make more of its records available online and benefits from a small army of volunteers that prepare records for online access. “Right now, over 300,000 people are currently helping create free online indexes that anyone can access,” said Verkler. “There are also several other ways that people interested in family history can help in this effort.”

Church Launches New Web Site to Help Unemployed Find Work

SALT LAKE CITY 30 April 2010

  With severe economic challenges affecting the nation and many parts of the world, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has established ldsjobs.org to assist people in the job market.

   The new interactive Web site is designed for job seekers, regardless of religious denomination, to locate employment, increase or improve skills through education and start or refine a small business. All the services are free. 

   “One of the first things we find with many people who come into our employment centers is that they’ve lost hope,” says Rick Ebert, director of employment resource services for the Church. “They’re desperate. We try to give a person a sense of hope that there are possibilities for them; there are resources that can be made available to them.” 

   Currently, there are approximately 250,000 job listings, and 9,000 employers are signed on to the site, looking for the right candidates to fill openings.

   Ebert says he sees this as a significant tool to assist local Church leaders in their responsibility to help members who are struggling to find employment or seeking to improve their careers. While the site has been launched in English, it will be available this year in Spanish and Portuguese, with plans to expand to other languages in the future.

   When a person logs on the site, they will be invited to create a profile that includes their employment history, qualifications, education and skills. Rich Vunder, manager of Church employment resource services in northern Utah, says the exciting thing about the site is the control prospective employees have over their information. “It is a self-directed Web site. The better their profile is, the better their opportunities to connect with employers.” 

   LDSjobs.org is also a tremendous resource for employers. Employers can post job openings, review potential candidates, make contacts and even hire new employees based on Web site profiles. As an employer, Ebert explains, “I can literally go to the Web site, send an electronic message to the individual saying, ‘I have an interest in meeting with you.’ ” The Web site is the catalyst for bringing the prospective employer and employee together. 

   In New York, Joe Doria, manager of Church employment resource services, says he and his associates use the Web site in their work with many of the Fortune 1,000 companies. The site’s resources help potential employers meet staffing needs at senior executive levels.

   LDSjobs.org can also be a resource for students and young adults looking for summer jobs. Julie Poole, manager of Church employment resource services in Dallas, Texas, says the Web site helps young people not only find a part-time job but plan a career. “It’s an incredible resource that supports Latter-day Saints and those of other faiths.” 

   The site includes information about schools, financial aid and programs that are available at technical and vocational schools as well public schools and private schools. In addition to specific job resources, ldsjobs.org also has a database of community resources to help those with disabilities, single parents and those who have health issues.