What is the heart of the FamilySearch.org Family Tree program? For all our talk about compiling histories and making memories, the real heart of the Family Tree is the Spirit of Elijah, President Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of this back in General Conference in October of 1994, when the idea of a Family Tree program was just a dream. In part, he spoke about Elijah and Keys of Priesthood Authority: In 1844, Joseph Smith asked, “What is this office and work of Elijah?” The Prophet promptly answered his own question: “It is one of the greatest and most important subjects that God has revealed. …“This is the spirit of Elijah, that we redeem our dead, and connect ourselves with our fathers which are in heaven. …This is the power of Elijah and the keys of the kingdom of Jehovah.” Some among us still have neither perceived the Spirit of Elijah nor its power. Yet, we are bound by this warning:
“These are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over. …For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation …they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made perfect.” J.S.
Joseph Smith’s responsibility was to “lay the foundation” for this great work. Important details were to be revealed later. At April conference 1894, President Wilford Woodruff announced this revelation: “We want the Latter-day Saints from this time to trace their genealogies as far as they can, and to be sealed to their fathers and mothers. Have children sealed to their parents, and run this chain through as far as you can get it. …This is the will of the Lord to his people.”
We now have the tools to do exactly what is outlined in President Wilford Woodruff and President Nelson’s inspiring talk. Aren’t we now under an even greater obligation to move forward, now that most all of the barriers have been removed?
There are many demands on our lives but we have to carefully choose those that are most important. We live in a hurry-up society. If something can’t be done in a few quick minutes we will put it off until a later time. A time when we think that we will not be so busy. A man came into to the FamilySearch library the other day and wanted a name to take to the Temple (then). It so happened that his family line had not been worked on before and it was taking a little longer than he wanted to find a correct name, so he became frustrated and expressed his displeasure to the person trying to help him as he got up and left. The turning of the hearts by Elijah is not happening as it was expected but we can never give up’ The tools are available and it is true many youth are doing indexing. Maybe one day the prophet may say, the time has come and members of the church must turn now to their ancestors. There is very little time left and we have to turn our hearts now or fail the Lord and go to our graves as failures. Failure to follow the commands of our God and the admonitions of our living prophets has got to be a serious matter.