"Seek the gems that shine in the heart"

In the middle of the night, last night, I had the impression that I needed to write this. As a companion thought to what you see here, I felt that I really need to work harder to teach others to do this research I love doing so much. The following writing is to encourage others to do what they can in this great work of family history research.

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"Today, seek the gems that shine in the heart" - Hymns, 229

As we strive to do what the Lord asks of us, following the Spirit, it is amazing what can be revealed to us. In studying and pondering the scriptures, the Lord reveals by the language of the Spirit, many gems that are often unexpected. That is how we learn so much more that what we find on the printed page.

Applying the same principle to family history work, I find that the Lord works in the same manner as we work at learning about our ancestors.

As I was doing research a number of years ago, with the object of writing the history of one of my ancestors, I was using the search tools of a then new service, the Utah Digital Newspapers service ( https://digitalnewspapers.org/). In the process of searching for information about my ancestor of focus (Lorenzo Wesley Roundy), I felt the prompting to look for Soren Jensen, the brother-in-law of my great grandfather, Ole Hansen Jacobson. Fairly quickly, I found a newspaper article, dated 14 Feb. 1879 mentioning "notices of the death of three children of Bro. Soren Jensen, all from this Frightful disease [diphtheria]." In searching further, I discovered that there were three children previously unknown for this family. I found the specific details of the lives and sad passing of these three young boys, aged 10, 5 and 2 months. Subsequently, I entered the information into FamilySearch and was able stand as proxy in performing the temple work for the oldest boy. They were all born in the covenant, so they were sealed to their parents, but there was no evidence of the other saving ordinances preformed for Soren Peter, the oldest child of Soren Jensen.

In the years since, I have often found the tender mercies of the Lord in family history research. Even as we learn by the language of the Spirit in regularly studying and pondering the scriptures and attending the temple, we can also find that same experience and learn by that same Spirit in researching our family and ancestors. These truly are the "gems that shine in the heart."