From Family History to Temple Service by Sister Anna Poon

Family History is for our ancestors’ salvation

In family history work we provide the tools and process to help members and non-members find their ancestors and bring them to the Savior.  Baptism is necessary for salvation – it is as important for the dead as it is for the living.  Non-members must be given their equal chance for salvation and to enjoy God’s mercy and blessings. 

Get started on your family history now

If you don’t know where to start your family history work, begin with yourself.   From your own memory and what records you may have, write your own life story.   Put pen to paper and write your life story.

The Lord will bless you once you begin your family history work.  From the moment you decide to start, things will happen and doors will open for you.  This is how inspiration works.  You can return to your homeland (where your forefathers came from) and visit the ancestral home or village.  Just follow any lead you can find and have conversations with your relatives or elders in that village.

Recently, a member found a letter his grandfather sent to some relatives in Swatow, China 40 years ago.  He sent the letter to a business contact in that city without much expectation.  As if by divine intervention, that letter was read over a radio station.  Within a few days, this member found 20 long lost relatives in China.

I am not an expert in family history research. However, I am dedicated to helping people work on their family history. It is my testimony that if you start with yourself, the Lord will bless you for your sincerity and diligence in labouring in His Kingdom.  You will not be judged by the number of names you submit to the temple.

Learning from everyone’s unique story

I enjoy the life stories of the people I’ve worked with because everyone has a unique story to tell.  Doing my own family history has helped me understand our family’s beliefs and values from my grandparents and great-grandparents.  These are important treasures to pass on to my descendants as a set of guidance and advice for their own families.  The family is really the foundation of a great society. 

I have served as the Director of the Singapore Stake Family History Centre for seven years.  It may appear that my responsibilities were to take care of the stake family history centre, teach the consultants how to use online resources, and fix their problems, but no.   The main purpose of my calling is to help church members discover their genealogies and take their ancestors’ names to the temple.

Come to the Stake Family History Centre

Everyone is welcome to the Family History Centre.  It is open every Wednesday, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. We can help you by:

• Giving you personal one-on-one assistance
• Providing access to genealogical records through the Internet or printed catalog as well as our Family Tree Program. 
• Sharing FamilySearch partner’s websites which can help you do “deeper” research.
• Showing you different ways to search for your genealogy.
• Helping and teaching you how to submit names to the temple.

From Family History work to serving in the Hongkong China Temple

Just doing family history work is not enough for me. I want to serve in the Hongkong China Temple to experience the close relationship with my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I want to stand up and do something meaningful, to live every day with determination and purpose - to encourage others and help them build and keep their faith in Christ. 

I want to learn and prepare myself to be among the pioneer temple workers in Singapore when a temple is built here according to the Lord’s timetable.