Hearts of the Children

Awhile ago I found something shocking while on Family Search. My opa had an older sister I never knew about, born a year before my great-oma and great-opa were married. She only lived 2 weeks. Her biological father’s name had been added manually in a note, a name I can’t connect to anyone.

I had to know more. 

My opa & oma are deceased, so I asked my mom, who asked some relatives. There was some hazy knowledge of this baby girl, with a general idea that the father was not a good man, but nobody knew much else. 

The fact remained: the child was not sealed to anyone.

I KNEW, deep in my SOUL, she needed to be sealed to her mother, and, though not biologically related, my great-opa. 

A few weeks later, she was.

When my sweet great-uncle, my opa’s brother, called to tell me thank you for instigating this, 

I cried for joy.

Recently I was thinking about my opa again, about his near death experience in war-torn Germany. While saving his genealogy papers, he was badly burned by a bomb & briefly died, & had an extraordinary out-of-body experience.

I’d heard this story in my childhood, but wanted to know more. 

I discovered nobody had ever written it down. 

I knew it HAD to be written! It MUST NOT be forgotten! 

My mom agreed, & urgently got to work with her sisters to compile the story. She sent it to me, & I added it to Family Search.

Yesterday my opa’s brother, now 91, called me once again, telling me thank you for instigating this. 

And I cried, once again, for joy.

I’m NO family history expert. I don’t spend much time on it! If I can make a difference, anyone can! People must not slip through the cracks! Stories must be told! 

“These things should be preserved... they have enlarged the memory of this people... brought them to the knowledge of their God... by very small means the Lord... bringeth about the salvation of many souls.” (Alma 37:7-8)

"And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers.” (D&C 2:2)

Elijah’s prophesy is being fulfilled! Do you feel it? WE need THEM & THEY need US! THIS MATTERS. One day we will be blown away by just how much it does. ❤