Will you miss the boat, train or whatever?

Currently in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there is an emphasis on the concept of hastening the work of salvation, both for the living and for the dead. As stated by President Thomas S. Monson,

Wishing will not make it so. The Lord expects our thinking. He expects our action. He expects our labors. He expects our testimonies. He expects our devotion. See Hastening the Work of Salvation. 

As President Monson further said in his First Presidency Message in the June 2014, Ensign magazine,

The Lord has never, to my knowledge, indicated that His work is confined to mortality. Rather, His work embraces eternity. I believe He is hastening His work in the spirit world. I also believe that the Lord, through His servants there, is preparing many spirits to receive the gospel. Our job is to search out our dead and then go to the temple and perform the sacred ordinances that will bring to those beyond the veil the same opportunities we have.

Recent developments in the larger, world-wide, genealogical community are proving to be even more evidence of the hastening of the work of salvation for the dead. The recent agreement between RootsMagic.com and MyHeritage.com is one more step in the advancement of the technology necessary for the hastening. Unfortunately, many, if not most of the members are not participating in this hastening of the work. They are essentially being left on the dock or platform or whatever.

The work will continue to accelerate. New opportunities will be developed. The changes to family history are coming with ever increasing speed. Quoting from Elder Allan F. Packer in the October 2014 General Conference:

To assist members, the Church has gathered records and provided tools so that much of the work can be done in our own homes or in the ward buildings and the temple. Most obstacles have been removed. Whatever your past perception, it is different now! 

However, there is one obstacle the Church cannot remove. It is an individual’s hesitation to do the work. All it requires is a decision and a little effort. It does not require a large block of time. Just a little time on a consistent basis will yield the joy of the work. Make the decision to take a step, to learn and ask others to help you. They will! The names you find and take to the temple will become the records for “the book.”17 

Even with the dramatic increase in member participation, we find that relatively few members of the Church are regularly involved in finding and doing temple ordinances for their family.18 This calls for a change in our priorities. Don’t fight the change, embrace it! Change is part of the great plan of happiness. 

This work needs to be done, not for the benefit of the Church but for our dead and for ourselves. We and our deceased ancestors need the stamps in our spiritual passports.

 We have been given the tools. Let us now start to work.