Spirit of Elijah

                Families, communities, and nations are strengthened by the spirit of Elijah.  Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints often hear of the spirit of Elijah; millions have been touched by that same spirit as they search out their ancestors and do temple work for them.  While answering the call of the spirit of Elijah, they are unifying and strengthening their families.

                The promise of the spirit of Elijah is found in the scriptures:  “And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers” (Doctrine and Covenants 2:2; see also Malachi 4:5-6; 3 Nephi 25:5-6; Doctrine and Covenants 110:14-15)

                People have worked on family history for close to two hundred years.  The work was slow until new technology opened up amazing ways to make it quicker and easier to do.  A recent Ensign article by Carol Brennan Moss of the Family History Department shed some light on the subject.  “The website FamilySearch.org was introduced to the world in May 1999.  It was an instant success, experiencing more than 1.5 billion hits by October of that year.  Back then, users could perform a basic search for an ancestor in limited databases and compiled genealogies ….  Today we can search over 3.5 billion records in databases containing actual images of records, add sources to individuals in our family trees, and directly process temple work on FamilySearch.org.  The new features of adding photos and stories to our family members on the tree enable individuals young and old to become instantly engaged in the work.  Their hearts turn as they discover pictures of their relatives and read facts about them in both record and story forms….”

                My husband’s sister did not complete her temple work during her life on earth, and we gathered the necessary information to do the work for her.  We found some interesting hurdles to get over before we could take her name to the temple but eventually completed the task.  We performed the necessary temple work that is essential to her eternal happiness.

                Individuals and families can get involved in family history work; the rising generation is particularly adept doing the work because of their computer skills.  All ages enjoy reading the stories and seeing the pictures of their ancestors.  The spirit of Elijah can unify families here on earth and help all of us learn about our loved ones who have passed on to a better life.  Family, communities, and nations are strengthened when they have the spirit of Elijah.