Hello Brethren, Jo and I hope that your summer activities are going well! We want to share two things this month that we hope will be of use to you in your callings.
Last June, I told you about our 2022 Fankhauser family reunion, about how there was a lot of interest expressed in using the FamilySearch and FamilySearch FamilyTree programs. I had shown FamilyTree on my phone to several who were there. I said at that time that I would make an effort to emphasize those programs during the coming year, and that I thought Jo and I could have a positive impact on the idea of family history on the minds of our family members.
As the year wore on, though, we ran into some issues that held us back. Most of those were related to a "fear" of overstepping our bounds as co-presidents and "forcing" a church-sponsored program on those who are not yet members of our church. Because of that, we didn't really get started with our efforts to make that positive impact a reality until late April. We finally got the message out via email that the FamilySearch FamilyTree app was available for free from the Play Store and the App Store.
The reunion was scheduled on May 28. During May, I worked on a presentation that I could give at the reunion. Because I wanted to highlight FamilySearch, I decided to make a video like the videos that I saw on YouTube. I had made videos before, but they were really just slideshows saved as mp4 (movie) files. So, there was a learning curve involved, and it took me hours to come up with something that was pretty crude, compared with some other YouTube videos, despite my time spent (I have a newfound great respect for those that have mastered that craft). That said, that video that I made was pretty successful! So many requests for more information, for help with FamilySearch FamilyTree, for more pictures, and so on. Of course, there were other things that made the meeting a wonderful event, things like placemats that had the music for the Swiss national anthem (Fankhauser is Swiss - our ancestors emigrated from Switzerland in 1847), a maze for kids, a word search puzzle with names of ancestors and a place to list top ten songs from 1932 (this was the 90th reunion). We also had Lindt truffles at each place setting (Lindt is a Swiss company). We had a presentation of an award winning entertainment speech from Jill, a graduating high school senior. We had name tags with ancestral lineage. We had people bringing precious pictures and other mementos to share. Jo and I were so glad to be a part of it!
As a follow-up, I created a space for others to upload pictures, and a YouTube channel. It's still in process, but please take a look at https://youtube/@RCFankFamRe to get an idea of what is possible. The idea is to encourage family history throughout the year - identifying ancestors in historic photos before loading into FamilySearch, collecting photos in one place that may not be ready yet for FamilySearch (like snapshots of people at the reunion, keeping a photo-record of current events, and encouraging uploading to FamilySearch historic photos and audio files that are ready for FamilySearch.
My presentation focused on stories that had made an impression on me. Stories connect us, I think, in ways that nothing else can. FamlySearch is certainly a place to store and investigate stories. I talked about my grandmother and her mother, about the trials that they faced with faith and determination despite many hardships. I love them for their example, and I know that they love me - the spirit tells me that is true.
The spirit of Elijah is real. That spirit turns our hearts to the promises made to the fathers and helps us to know that their hearts are turned to us. They love us, and they help us, just as we love them and want to help them. As we learn their stories, they become part of our lives, inspiring us to continue legacies in many cases and to improve on legacies in others. Again, the spirit of Elijah is real, Jo and I can testify to that.
I think the takeaways from this experience with our family, are: 1) don't let fear stop you from doing something, anything, that the Holy Ghost prompts you to do - it will turn out fine; 2) come to understand the law of sacrifice, then lay on the altar all that you need to in order achieve all that you need to; 3) never underestimate the power of a good story to change hearts; and 4) keep the temple at the center - as directed by the Savior, it contains everything we need to know!
What comes to your mind as you think about ways to reach out, not only to members, but to your larger communities?
As you know, changes in policies and procedures at the temple occur from time to time, and it seems like the rate of change increases as the work increases. Bhe doctrine does not change. Our understanding of the doctrine does change, however, and it seems like the Prophet and the temple department are very interested now in making sure that our understanding of the doctrine changes in accordance with true gospel principles, free of any private interpretation.
A case in point involves a fundamental doctrine that is obvious on its face, but less so at its root. That doctrine teaches that the temple is the house of God. "Holiness to the Lord. The House of the Lord" is inscribed above the entrance to the temple. That the building is dedicated to God is stated very clearly, and can't be easily ignored. But to get to why it's there is another matter.
We have mentioned before that the temple rite, today and aciently, symbolically traces our path from out of the fallen world, through the processes of serving, cleansing, purification, and sanctification to the "holy of holies", which is the presence of the Father. In the ancient temple, a fence surrounded the tabernacle. It was made of white linen, white being of course the color of purity, and a stark contrast to the desertscape and coase dark-colored goat hair of the tents surrounding it. The east side of the fence is broken by a gate, also made of fabric. This fabric was blue, representing heaven, and red, representing sacrifice and blood. These colors are of course age-old symbols that persist today, for example in the U.S. flag. An interpretation of the gate is that it represents the Redeemer - none can enter except by and through the Savior. Inside the holy place, just after the altar of incense was the veil. The veil was colored in red and blue, as was the gate,and also purple, the color of royalty. Again, the veil here represented the Savior.
We learn in the temple endowment today, in a clear and unmistakable way, that the veil of the temple represents the Savior. We are received by the Father into his holy presence only through the grace of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, who came into the world to do the will of the Father and to glorify the Father. We learn that the Apostle Paul taught this temple concept in his letter to the Hebrews. Chapter 10: 19-20 teaches
19 Having therefore, brethren, aboldness to enter into the bholiest by the blood of Jesus,
20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the aveil, that is to say, his flesh;
Then, he compares the High Priest of the temple in his day, whose job it was to mediate between man and God through ritual sacrifice and personal purity, with the Savior, the ultimate High Priest:
21 And having an ahigh priest over the house of God;
22 Let us adraw bnear with a true heart in full assurance of cfaith, having our hearts dsprinkled from an evil econscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
We have seen that the question of this reference to Hebrews is on the minds of many patrons at the Winter Quarters temple - we thought that we should mention it to you so that you might be prepared as you counsel with your members. Maybe we should also note that, as I'm sure you have noticed, over the last few years there has been an effort on the part of church leaders to emphasize the centrality of the Savior to the doctrine of the church. From requesting that the proper name of the church be used in all communications, to making the temple instruction more transparent, including discussing the five laws (obedience, sacrifice, the gospel of Jesus Christ, chastity, and consecration), they have reminded our members that Christ is the focus of all that we do. The temple is the Lord's. It is His house, and He is the object of its architecture, its policies, practices, and doctrine. Everything there teaches of Christ, and as we learn, we draw closer to Him, increasing our appreciation of His infinite love for us. For a better and in depth discussion, please consider this article by Terryl Givens and Fiona Givens in LDS Living: https://www.ldsliving.com/what-the-temple-veil-symbolizes-how-it-relates-to-the-atonement/s/90938.
We will leave you with the words of Elder Gong: "May we draw closer to our Savior in the holy house...in all our generations - in time and eternity, happy and forever."
Thank you for all that you do, and please let us know your thoughts!