LDS-WARD-CONSULTANT-L Archives

From: "Jill Christensen" <>
Subject: [LDS-WC-L] Let Every Man Learn His Duty
Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2001 11:41:56 -0700

From: "Jill Christensen" <>
Subject: Fw: WFHC Training~ Let Every Man Learn His Duty
Date: Friday, September 14, 2001 8:27 AM


----- Original Message -----
From: "Keith Browning" <>
To: "Jill Christensen" <>
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2001 7:22 AM
Subject: Re: WFHC Training~ Let Every Man Learn His Duty


Hi Sister Christensen,

I like what your SFHC has written. It is very positive and helpful, much
more so
than many messages we see.

Keith Browning
Area FH Director

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To St. David Stake Ward Family History Consultants,

I, like many of you, have experienced the anxiety and frustration that comes
from trying to get someone else to fulfill their responsibilities; often,
trying to do your calling and others' also. It is, certainly, true that
many Ward Family History Consultants experience more than their share of
frustration in trying to get the Lord's program for Temple and Family
History Work working well within your wards.

In searching for some way that I might be of some help in minimizing
frustration I am reminded of how, extremely, important the specific details
in the messages of the Lord and his apostles are. I recall a message by one
of the apostles, a few years ago, in which he said that we should simplify
our lives by identifying our talents (our strengths) and specializing by
developing on those talents.

As I searched for a better understanding of what to specialize in I came
across a talk by President Marion G. Romney in which he said, "It is of
utmost importance that we keep clearly in mind what the magnifying of our
callings...requires of us. I am persuaded that it requires at least the
following three things:

1. That we obtain a knowledge of the gospel.

2. That we comply in our personal living with the standards of the gospel.

3. That we give dedicated service...."

"Obtaining a knowledge of the gospel" and "complying in our personal living
with the standards of the gospel" need no clarification and, certainly, to
"give dedicated service" includes service to family, the poor and needy,
families to which we have been assigned as visiting and home teachers,
etc..; however, I am sure that the Lord will not hold us accountable to
perform the duties of our Stake President, Bishop, High Priest Group Leader,
Elders Quorum President, etc.. In fact, I believe that, when the Lord
admonished that "... every man learn his duty, and to act in the office to
which he is appointed, in all diligence" (D&C 107:99) He lovingly gave us
the direction for minimizing anxiety and frustration: to specialize by
learning the Ward Family History Consultant's duties and then acting in that
calling diligently.

As I search to better understand the calling of a ward consultant I become
more and more impressed with how beautifully the Lord has correlated the
responsibilities within the Temple and Family History Work program. The
technical specialists are clearly the Ward Family History Consultants and
the Family History Center Staff and their responsibilities are clearly
different:

1. The Family History Center Staff's responsibilities are clearly "...to
help patrons feel welcome, understand the principles of family history
research, and know how to use the center's resources."

2. The Ward Family History Consultants' "... main responsibility is,
(clearly) to help members identify ancestors for whom information is readily
available and provide temple ordinances for them..."

It seems to me that "readily available information" is that, generally,
available from the home. So may I suggest that the avenue to peace and joy,
for each of you in your callings, is to prepare to, when called on by your
priesthood leader, be a real source of help by being the very best you can
be at:

1. Teaching members how to use Personal Ancestral File (PAF 4 or 5) to
organize and preserve their family history information.

2. Teaching members how to organize and preserve paper (letters, pictures,
etc.) copies of family history information.

3. Teaching members to identify, collect, organize, and record family
information available in their own homes, including genealogical and
personal history information for each member of the family, and information
they may have about parents, grandparents, etc..

4. Teaching members how to, effectively, request family history
information from near and living ancestors--parents, grandparents, great
grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, etc..

5. AFTER 1-4 (above) Teaching members how to use the Family Search
Internet web site in searching for information not currently available from
living family members. NOTE: The information available from living family
members will, generally, be much more easily obtained and confirmed than it
will be after they have passed-on.

I pray the Lord's blessings to be with each of you.

Respectfully,
Bernard E. Christensen
St. David Stake Family History Consultant

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• [LDS-WC-L] Let Every Man Learn His Duty by "Jill Christensen" <>