Sacramento Youth Learn How to Find Their Cousin Ancestors
Contributed By Bryan Andersen, Church News contributor
Youth, leaders, and ward temple and family history consultants from the Sacramento California North Stake learn about researching names to take to the temple.
“My challenge for you is to prepare as many names for the temple as you perform baptisms in the temple.” —Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
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Confetti poppers popped, pizzas were devoured, and tablets and laptops hummed, all while LDS youth in the Sacramento California North Stake were connecting with their ancestors during a recent family history event.
Young Men and Young Women leaders organized the “Find Your Cousins” family history event. More than 100 youth, leaders, and ward temple and family history consultants joined together at the stake center on April 20, 2017, to learn more about researching names to take to the temple.
Guest instructor John Hansen, an area temple and family history consultant and FamilySearch library director, showed several instructional videos, then led the group through the steps of signing on to FamilySearch.org and looking for ancestors.
Several of the young people were able to locate ancestors whose temple work had not already been done. Ordinances were then reserved so that approvals could be obtained, after which cards can be printed and taken to the temple.
Other youth were able to input their parents’ and grandparents’ information into their family tree so that they could then connect to other ancestors who are deceased.
Youth leaders said they will encourage the youth to continue with family history work, noting that some of the youth have already been called as ward temple and family history consultants.
Leaders also hope that with the knowledge and enthusiasm the youth gained from the stake Mutual activity, they will be able to increase family history efforts in their own wards and families.
Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles first encouraged youth to work on family history during a 2014 RootsTech talk titled “Find Our Cousins.” “My challenge for you is to prepare as many names for the temple as you perform baptisms in the temple,“ he said. (See related story.) Since then, countless youth around the world have accepted the challenge.
Youth, leaders, and ward temple and family history consultants from the Sacramento California North Stake learn about researching names to take to the temple at a recent “Find Your Cousins” stake activity.
