Sunday Report

Lesson # 8 taught by Becky Sandoval "Temple Blessings for Ourselves and Our Ancestors"

As a new apostle, George Albert Smith toured many church history sites describes the view of seeing the Kirtland temple and knowing that the Savior appeared here to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. The saints built this temple in extreme poverty and sacrifice and the Lord blessed them.

In the temple we receive sacred ordinances that bind families for eternity. We are the only people in the world who know what temples are for. We have the opportunity to make sacred covenants that assure our family relationships for the eternities. 1Corinthians 15:19 says If in this life only had we hope, we would indeed be of all men most miserable.
The temple gives us knowledge of the eternal nature and purpose of our lives.
We must take the opportunity to see to our own covenants and avail ourselves to the blessing of the temple.

Through temple work we make blessings available to our deceased ancestors. Our Heavenly Father told the people through Joseph Smith that unless we perform the work for our dead, we would lose our own blessing and be cut off. Sister Johanna Moose shared her feelings of temple work for her ancestors and the love she has for her family. The challenge was made to increase our desire to see to the ordinances for our own families. Her desire was to be greeted on the other side of the veil by thousands of her family members, all bound under the covenant of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Lord will assist us in searching for our kindred dead. Many miracles occur in compiling our family history and President Smith related the story of Mr Dawes. A mistaken identity and meeting resulted in the church receiving a very valuable book of genealogy for the church library.
The Lord is helping us and the way will be opened, people are being prepared and prompted to do their genealogy.

We are blessed to live in these modern times with so many tools available to us. We live near temples and will be held without excuse. Let us commit to the work of binding our families together and reap eternal joy.