Church Media Relations Director encourages BYU-Idaho students to embrace family history

Michael Otterson, director of media relations for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, encouraged Brigham Young University-Idaho students to engage in family history and turn their hearts to their fathers in a devotional address given Tuesday, November 28.

Otterson read Doctrine and Covenants Section 2 and noted its significance was not fully known by the Prophet Joseph Smith until 20 years later and that similar words were used to close the Old Testament.

Otterson said the number of spirits waiting to have temple work done is overwhelming and that they are not just forgotten names. "These people lived and loved and died, and struggled with the challenges of life, just like we do except usually in very much harder circumstances," Otterson said.  "Being loved by God is exactly what all of the human family has in common, whether gypsies from Western Greece or a tribeswoman from the Kalahari Desert, whether they lived a thousand years ago or whether they live today."

Otterson imagined seeing family history and temple work from the Lord's point of view, "contemplating the billions of spirits who have to hear the gospel and receive ordinances if the whole earth is not to be wasted."  He listed nine acts of God that have helped the work move forward: making the importance of the work for the dead clear in scripture, sending a resurrected prophet to teach Joseph Smith, sending Elijah to fulfill prophecy and usher in work for the dead, inspiring governments to keep census and civil records, giving technical means to man to research names, prompting Church leaders to invest in technology to aid the work, inspiring a modern prophet to build temples at an inconceivable rate and willingly responding to every heartfelt prayer for help with the work.

Otterson said he wanted to deliver a family history message to students because of their unique qualifications to assist in family history work.  "I doubt whether there's a person in this entire audience who isn't very familiar with how to use a computer," Otterson said.  "The same isn't true for your parents, so I want you to do something next time you're in their home," he said. 

He listed three family history tasks for students to help their parents with: download a Personal Ancestry File to their hard drive, teach parents how to begin to enter their own information, and record parents talking about their lives and their parents and grandparents.

Otterson told several family history stories including that of his father, who was a British soldier in World War II and was killed in a road accident when Otterson was nine months old.  "As I grew older I began to sense the loss," Otterson said.  "I missed his wisdom.  Yet that fact has been the stimulus for me to learn all I could about his life. Over the years I have recreated from interviews, letters and journals what I could not learn first-hand. I share it now for his children, his 10 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren, with the hope that they will come to know and appreciate this remarkable man."

Otterson shared with students his feelings when he is able to complete temple work for one of his ancestors.  "When I stand in the baptismal font of a temple - as I did in London in 1976 for my father - or complete any temple work for someone whose life I've studied, the experience is immeasurably richer," he said.

To conclude, Otterson encouraged students to turn their hearts to those whose sacrifices have blessed their lives.  "May you feel the reality of the Spirit of Elijah," Otterson said.  "May you use your natural gifts and talents and experience to help capture the stories that make your families special, and that will help bind your children and your children's children through those common experiences."

Next week's devotional speaker will be Merv Brown, BYU-Idaho University Communications Manager. Devotionals are held every Tuesday at 2 p.m. in the Hart Auditorium with additional seating in the Hinckley Chapel, Taylor Chapel and Kirkham Auditorium. Devotionals are broadcast on KBYI-FM 100.5 at 2 p.m. and rebroadcast Tuesday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m.