The Other Side of Genealogy

This article is one in a series of session reports from the recent BYU Conference on Family History and Genealogy. I tweeted the session live, but I hate to send you to Twitter to read them because they appear there in reverse chronological order. I’ve straightened them out for you here. Additions are shown in italics.

Tuesday, 28 July 2009

Good morning. The #BYU #Genealogy Conference has begun. (7:41 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

Per BYU tradition, started with opening prayer by missionary Jill Woodbury--a good New England name. (7:43 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

George Ryskamp is conducting. (7:45 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

Today's keynote is John H. Groberg, former executive director of FamilySearch/the Family History Department of the LDS Church. (7:47 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

Groberg is the principal character in the film, The Other Side of Heaven. http://www.imdb.com/title/t... (7:49 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

Groberg is also an emeritus general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (7:49 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

As such, Groberg's talk is expected to be religious. Indeed, the title is "Jesus is the Key." (7:50 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

Groberg advises audience members that faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to his teachings will increase genealogical success. (7:54 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

Groberg illustrates the principle with stories from his missionary service in Tonga, the subject of the movie, Other Side of Heaven. (7:55 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

Told story of riding horse and nearly losing life in the surf. (7:57 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

Told story of Holy Spirit telling him to go to a distant island *immediately*. (7:58 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

He made the arrangements. He went. At dock islanders told him "they are killing a missionary." (7:59 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

He arrived in time to save his life. (7:59 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

Bystander observed that "things seem to always work out for missionaries." (8:01 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

"I hope things always work out for you in your genealogy research." (8:01 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

Encouraged us to seek the help of the Lord. (8:02 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

Encouraged members of the Church to make Temple Worship a bigger part of their lives. (8:03 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

"I know God will help you in it [genealogy]." (8:03 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

"We need to learn to care for others--including those who have passed on--like God cares for us." (8:05 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

"As we love and serve the Lord, we see more clearly how He loves and serves us." (8:05 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

"I know from personal experience that the Lord literally cares for us." (8:06 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

I will use C.A.R.E.S. to illustrate how Jesus cares for us. Following the Savior, we can find ways of adapting these principles in our service to others. (8:07 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

C=Creation. Jesus …created this Earth. (8:08 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

These ways in which Jesus cares for us are a model of how we can care for others. (8:08 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

Creation? We can organize ourselves, care for a garden, ... After the creation of the Earth, the Lord said, "It is good." (8:10 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

We can create a loving family. We can create a loving personality. We can create genealogy research. (8:11 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

Do these things and you will feel a deeper love for the Savior. (8:12 AM Jul 28th from TweetChat )

C=Creation (8:13 AM Jul 28th from web)

A=Atonement (8:13 AM Jul 28th from web )

God did for us what we can't do for ourselves. (8:14 AM Jul 28th from web ) When we serve in the temple, we do for our deceased ancestors what they can not do for themselves.

R=Resurrection (8:14 AM Jul 28th from web )

"I know the Lord laid down his life for us and took it back up again." (8:15 AM Jul 28th from web )

E=Eternal Judgment (8:17 AM Jul 28th from web)

"Everything the Savior does is to eternally bless us. What a blessing to have him as our final judge." (8:18 AM Jul 28th from web )

S=Sharing (8:19 AM Jul 28th from web )

"Jesus is the Key to progress in every good thing. (8:21 AM Jul 28th from web )

"Let us listen and do all we can to learn from him and care for others” (8:22 AM Jul 28th from web )

The full text of Elder Groberg's address is available on the web.

Remember that tweets are limited to 140 characters. Less the #byugen hashtag, each tweet could not exceed 132 characters. Hence, tweets often use abbreviations, bad grammar, and lack proper punctuation.