In our assignment we seldom know if what we write has a direct impact on a reader. Does it help in our goal as missionaries to help others come unto Christ? We are primarily "seed planters," but in this case we were fortunate to receive some feed back. (Read below, following the article.)
Focusing on Family Trees in Fiji
Members of remote Fiji village upload family histories to FamilySearch.org
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VANU LEVU, Fiji -- Members of a newly organized congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Fiji village of Nakawakawa are working together to upload their family histories to the internet.
Recently, Church members from the small but growing congregation located in a remote mountain village on Vanu Levu, brought their written and mental lists of ancestors to the meetinghouse they built themselves.
Larry and Lynda Bennett, a retired American couple who serve as family history missionaries, brought laptop computers and remote internet connections from their base in Auckland, New Zealand.
Peter Vakalala, local lay leader of the Church, brought the generator to supply power for the laptops.
Together they uploaded four generations of ancestral names, vital dates and other family details for each participant to FamilySearch.org, a free internet-accessible service provided by the Church.
This ensured their family history information is permanently recorded, and available in the future to them, their descendants and others desiring to discover and connect with their ancestors and their ancestors' personal stories.
"Preserving oral histories and other living memory is critical in areas where official documents may be scarce or non-existent," said Sister Bennett.
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| Branch President Vakalala reacts to seeing his picture and family information of FamilySeach |
President Vakalala was shown how to access records, add new families and upload family photos to FamilySearch.org. He will train others in his congregation how to use it themselves.
According to Elder Bennett, family history research has the potential to keep families strong. "When you do your family history and write memories about or read stories of your deceased ancestors, you feel connected to them in a very special way."
The Bennetts work to help people fill in the blanks in their family trees in New Zealand, Austrailia and the South Pacific Islands.
They are not alone. "Mormon family history missionaries are assigned throughout the world to help implement strong family history programs," said Sister Bennett.
FamilySeach, a service provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is committed to helping people connect with their ancestors.
This effort is rooted in the Mormon belief that families are meant to be central to our lives and that family relationships are intended to continue beyond this life.
Because interest in family history is not limited by culture, ethnicity or religious faith, FamilySearch's resources are available to everyone who whats to discover more about their family and heritage.
The Rest of the Story:
About two weeks after this article was published we received an email from Sister Bennett. In part it read:
"I got a message this evening from Peter Vakalala thanking me for getting the story about Nakawaka Branch into the Fiji Sun. As a result of that story several of his family members have contacted him about family history and now one of his cousins is taking the discussions.
"Sometimes it may seem like your assignment doesn't directly impact testimonies as much as some. But know that you...are touching lives."
That was a welcome tender mercy.
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