This week, we had a very special blessing happen in our lives. Before I tell more about our special blessing, I wanted to add some background information from earlier in my life. If you don't already know, I am a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was baptized right after my 17th birthday in 1969. No one else in my family joined the church with me at that time, but I feel like my parents and my Grandfather Wills (my father's father) certainly appreciated the change of heart I received going through the process of conversion.
I mention my Grandfather Wills for a reason. After grandfather's wife died in 1961, he started spending time being interested in genealogy/family history. Not being a member of the church yet, I had no idea that he was actively researching out names of ancestors, let alone what even genealogy/family history meant. Through his years of research, he searched out and made some important connections related to his and his wife's family history. I'm sure that grandfather had a lot of past family history stuffed in his head, but I also know that he had many unanswered questions. One major connection that my grandfather fervently worked on before he died in 1972, was to prove our family's relationship with the Mayflower pilgrims. This, my grandfather not only proved, but he also became a member of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, which he was most proud of. My line comes through Sir Isaac Allerton, 3rd signer of the Mayflower Compact and second leader next to William Bradford.
After my baptism, I was slowly exposed to genealogy and family history. Though I didn't really become active in these areas until after my grandfather died and I ended up at Brigham Young University, I have always remembered my grandfather once telling me of his love and interest in our family history. He told me before his death that a family history tradition past down through the ages in my family was that my Wills line had direct connections to King Richard I, otherwise known as the "Lionhearted". He also told me that he never could find the connection and then told me to find the connection for him. This has always been deep seeded in my heart. What is interesting to me today, is that after King Richard I died, his brother, John, took over the throne. That same King John lived right here in Limerick and the castle literally blocks away from me is, indeed, his castle! Hmmmm, maybe another reason why we were sent here of all places???
One of the unanswered questions my grandfather had was concerning his grandfather on his father's side. My grandfather wrote in his personal history that he was able to meet his grandfather only once as he accompanied his father to Pennsylvania for a short visit. For some reason my grandfather's dad did not spend time with his own father once they both immigrated to America. The one unanswered question that never got answered before my grandfather died was where his own father came from in England. My grandfather zeroed it down to several small places in Stafford, but was never able to find any documentation. That unanswered question weighed heavy on my heart. I also want to state that my patriarchal blessing speaks concerning the "members of (my) family that have now gone into the spirit world." The blessing continues using these words, "They are looking to you to bring them full salvation." No pressure, right??? Knowing this is one of my earthly charges, I have placed myself anxiously engaged in the work!
Now shoot forward to 1973. As I said earlier, I applied and was accepted to BYU. When I arrived that fall semester, I was place in a BYU branch. One of my branch counselors, Brother Vail, posed a question to me one day with a bet. He asked me if I would like to join him at the Salt Lake City Family History Center. I said, "no, thank you. I'm the only member of my family in the church and there won't be any records there for me." He said, "I bet you lunch that I can find an ancestor of yours in less than five minutes!" Being the betting person that I am, I responded, "Your on!" Well, we meet in SLC and, yes, he won! He cheated though. He was a seasoned genealogist and tricked me. He never did, though, ask for the lunch I owed him. That day opened my eyes and my heart to the great joy and blessing that comes from doing genealogy/family history research.
Well, after years of research and a lot of prayers, I found documentation on the unanswered question for my great grandfather, Joseph Wills. He was born in Tipton, Staffordshire, England in 1854. I also have found several other important documents for this Joseph, including his marriage record, information on his children never well known before and other critical info up to the end of his life. I know that my grandfather is very thrilled about this accomplishment. Unfortunately, that Joseph had no real information about his earlier life. In time, I was able to found information on his father, another Joseph Wills (1831). After that name became public, no further info appeared for years, until I found his marriage certification on an index and sent away for the copy. I will never forget opening that piece of mail and reading that his father's name was William Wills (1805)! I cried.
Now, like millions of other people, I am slowly trying to keep going back and back to make the family connections needed to complete my family line. As I have done this research, I have also been able to take each of these names to have temple ordinances done, and in doing so, have felt inexpressible joy for each and every one of these family members. Having that level of joy felt for every name completed has been worth more than any earthly payment that I know of. Well, just after Christmas this year, I was blessed again. Hold onto that thought!
In mid January of this new year, our Limerick branch Relief Society President, Sister Jackson, announced that she wanted to arrange a temple trip for any sister who would like to go. If you will remember or for those who don't, my friend, Sister Smirnoff, months ago told me that she desired to return to the temple after not attending for a time. After she told me her desire, I responded that I wanted that exact same thing for her too. From September 2022 on, we often talked about the temple and by October, she announced that she made a personal change and was one step closer to going again! Woot, woot!
Elder and I were told in the beginning of our mission that we would not be able to go to the temple here unless we were to be invited by a branch member and could get permission from both our mission president and our area seventy. Knowing that, I quickly asked both Sister Smirnoff and Sister Jackson if they would invite us. DONE!!! So, of course I desperately wanted to be with Sister Smirnoff in the temple as she renewed her sacred covenants, but I also personally wanted to go to the temple because of the blessing I received just after Christmas. On that day in December as I opened my laptop, I had a notification from FamilySearch with names were now ready for temple ordinance work. When I opened the email, I started crying again (yeah, I cry a lot!). The names that were listed in front of me were for William Wills (1764) and his wife, Ann Sweet Racker (1776), the parents of William (1805). To me, that was a miracle!
So here is what our special blessing was as mentioned in the beginning of this blog. Last Monday, Elder Muirhead and I flew to Manchester, England in preparations to go to the Preston England Temple. With us, we took my precious fourth great grandparent's names, who both lived and died in England, to a temple that sits on English soil. We also had the privilege to perform all of their temple ordinances from baptism to sealing in the same day. Is that just amazing??! I never ever thought that we would be able to go to the temple while serving here and even more so, to take names from my family with us. This will always be the crowning event of my mission while here in Ireland!
From the church's website, "The Preston England Temple was announced in October 1992 General Conference by President Hinckley and was dedicated in June 1998. Located in Northern England, north of Liverpool and Manchester, the Preston England Temple anchors an extensive Church complex that includes a stake center, missionary training center, family history center, distribution center, patron housing facility, and temple missionary accommodations. Decorating the manicured grounds are mature trees, flower gardens, and a pair of reflection pools near the entrance. The Preston England Temple was the sixth temple built in Europe and the second built in the United Kingdom, following the London England Temple (1958)." Also, I think all of you back in Utah where temples are so easily accessed, need to know that it took many hundreds of Euros/GBP and over ten hours of travel time for us just get to the Preston England Temple and back from Limerick, Ireland. All worthy Irish members certainly sacrifice a great deal to come to the temple of the Lord. Now for some pictures of the Preston England Temple!
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