Family Search Day

Family Search Day hosted by the Mesquite East and West Stakes was held on Saturday, October 18 at the stake center.  Displays of memorabilia including quilts, family group sheets, photos, and quilts added much help connect families to their ancestors. 

Lynzi Coffey was the keynote speaker.  Working for Family Search she is in charge of the 1,500 family search centers in the United States and helps with the other 2,000 worldwide family history centers.  She challenged those in attendance to expect miracles. Using a power-point presentation she showed the six steps on the journey to find history.

1.      The call – listen for the whispering of the Spirit, sometimes it is a quiet nudge

2.      Preparation – gathering knowledge, take a new path, remove old assumptions, He will equip those He calls

3.      Path – wander and learn new insights; there will be trials, sometimes a brick wall; the path will include emotional stories we didn’t expect

4.      Transformation – become more connected to our ancestors and gain a deeper understanding of ourselves

5.      Arrival – a mission, a goal, a reflection to see how we have grown but rarely the end; it is an open door to another

6.      Legacy – Stories of faith, love, perseverance, stories that shaped destiny and empower the future and light the way for others; your journey matters too

Sr. Coffey said miracles are how God reveals His love sometimes in quiet ways or maybe dramatic.  She used these steps to show the journey of Nephi and the records to illustrate the call of Nephi to get the plates from Laban through the time of Moroni and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.

She said, “I have found treasures and been able to meet family members I didn’t know.”  She has felt the spirit guide her.  It has been exciting, frustrating and unquestionably sacred. “Family history has transformed me and drawn me closer to Heaven; reached and built relationships.  I have seen the Lord’s hand in my life and have reached sacred arrivals.”

“It is not just about names but it about connections and a legacy shared with you and testimony grown.”

She told some personal stories of her brick wall with her ancestor Michael O’Brian. In wanting to find more connections to Michael she took three of her young children to Grantsville Cemetery to look for his grave.  The cemetery was the size of three football fields and no photos or grave plot numbers recorded they started their search.  As they got out of the car two robins were hopping along the ground and her young son asked, “Shall I follow them!”

“Follow the birds!” she said.  The robins kept hopping along and he followed them until they each perched on a headstone – one of the sister-in law of Michael and then on Michael’s headstone! Then the birds took flight.     It was a MIRACLE!

Sr. Coffey told of another miracle in her brick wall that opened.  While working in the family history center in Salt Lake she received the impression to look in the census record and found Michael worked on the railroad.  Then she thought that was about the time of the Golden Spike. “I wonder if he was there when the trains met at Promontory Point?”   She had a picture of him and going to the Golden Spike Museum she compared his picture to the photograph of the event and found him standing near the engine. Many of the other faces were labeled but not his.  She had found him at the event! 

“The Lord is in the details and will guide us to look in places we never thought to look.  I am still at the brick wall regarding his parents, but I received help and found stories about him.”

The following classes were available: On-on-One Coaching, Don’t Worry Be Appy, Full text Search with AI/ Home page, Ordinances Ready, Research on Wiki.  Breakfast of muffins, juice, fruit and yogurt were served.