This is a special experience. President Batt asked that we share some of the experiences that happen in the Family History Center. I asked the two girls that are pictured to share their experiences. I email them to the President. Not sure what will happen after this but it was a good experience.
After reading your request, I decided to ask two of the young women who have been coming into the Family History Center and doing family history to write their stories and express their thoughts.
I am attaching the letters that they wrote today. I asked that they share their experiences in the Family History Center in their own words.
I told them that it did not need to be very long and that it should simply come from their hearts. I suppose I should have asked specific questions that they could respond to, but felt impressed to ask them to just put down their thoughts and feelings.
They came in at 12:10 and did not leave until 2:15. At first Amber struggled to get started, but eventually seemed to become more confident in sharing what she felt. Kelly thanked me for giving her the opportunity to share her story. She has been accepted into the college in Blanding, Utah. She wants to become an English teacher, and a writer.
I did not edit either of the girls words, because these are their stories not mine.
Kelly has taken several names to the Temple. Amber is still working on that goal, but comes in a couple of times a week with more stories and more information to add to her growing tree. She recently found her great grandmother's information and hopes to take her name to the Temple in June.
I have also included their pictures. The first will be of Kelly and the second of Amber. The third was taken when they were just about done with their stories.
I feel confident that each girl's story will be read with the same spirit in which it was written.
I asked each girl to add her personal information at the end of her story.
Tuba City, Arizona
I am 18 years old, and a senior in high
school. I am a member of the Navajo Tribe and born and raised in Tuba City,
Arizona.
Although
I was raised in the Navajo religion/tradition and attended a lot of the
ceremonial activities, sings, etc., I honestly never really had an honest
belief in it. My maternal grandmother and paternal grandfather are medicine men
and women, meaning they heal and do prayers over patients who come to them for
help and alignment for their lives.
2012
was a very bittersweet year for both my family and I. We have always had many
trials, just like every other person throughout the world, but nothing like
what we had faced in the first part of the year.
My
family soon began to fall apart because of the mistakes my parents had
made, and not long after, my parents
were separating. In April of 2012, my dad had begun experiencing total loss of
his vision in one of his eyes. He also had to seize his job for weeks, because
of an infection in his foot that had led to some major pain and
hospitalization. For me, being the one child that was closest to him, seeing
him in pain and agony was probably the most pain and sorrow that I had ever
experienced myself. No one ever knew that I was suffering at home because I
still managed to put those things aside while I was in school, but it didn’t go
away once I went back home at the end of the day.
Growing
up in a home that revolved around the Navajo tradition, I rarely knew who
Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ was. So while in the midst of juggling the
separation of my parents, school, and my father's suffrage, I had decided, for
the first time in my life, to get down on my knees to pray and ask for help and
comfort.
I
was alone outside one night, basically thinking of all the things I could do to
try to make things better, and I felt a feeling of peace and reassurance
suddenly melt over me. My eyes began to well up with tears, and I told myself
"dad's going to be okay." Because of the feeling I had experienced that
night, I had kept praying and finally began to feel happy to know that he
really was going to be okay.
My
dad's was referred to an Eye Doctor in St. George, Utah, by one of his friends
who was also member of the church. By this time, he had completely lost sight
in one of his eyes. So when he got there, he was seen right away, and had
called home to tell us that he is being sent to Las Vegas to have surgery on
his torn retina. He came home 3 days after his surgery and had explained to me
what his surgery was like. I could still see that he was in pain, but then I
remembered, "he's going to be okay."
A
few weeks have went by since the surgery and he had slowly began to regain his
eye sight. Within a few weeks, he went from completely blind to seeing again.
He went back for a checkup and the doctor had told him that it was 'miracle'
that he was able to see again, and that very little people are able to see
again after a torn retina.
It
wasn't until then, that I been able to be reawakened to the Lord and his
blessing. It wasn't until then that I had been so thankful to have someone,
that I have never been seen before, be there for me like no one else has, and
that was my Heavenly Father.
On
a Sunday in 2012, my dad was on his way to work, but was distracted by a
thought, and before he knew it, he was parked in the parking lot of the LDS
church. He walked in and attended that Sunday's service and left with a great
feeling of remorse. He came home to my siblings and I, and told us that he had
attended church. At first it was a very strange thing to us, not only because
he attended but because he told us that he wanted us to go the following
Sunday.
The
next Sunday came around, and I refused to go, but the rest of my siblings had
agreed to go, and what got me by surprise was that he had even talked my mother
into going as well. While they were at church, I was home alone and thought
about what they could possibly be doing. A couple of hours went by, and they
finally came home. I asked them how it was and if they liked it and they said
"Yes! Kelly you should go next Sunday!" I was stunned by their words,
and few days later, I told them "Okay, I'll go and see if I like it."
So I went to church for the very first time, of course I was very nervous but I
could suddenly fill my heart and soul filling up with emotions of truthfulness,
which after lessons with the missionaries I came to realize that it was confirmations
from the spirit that what I was being taught, was true.
Each
Sunday after that, my family and I had made church a number one priority as
well as the missionary lessons after Sunday service. I was introduced to the
Book of Mormon and had began to gain a testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus
Christ, and there were several occasions where I could take a look back on my life on how much He
had blessed my life and my family from the success that I had in school, the
safety and guidance of my family, the restoration of my dad's eye sight, and
the rejoining of my parents relationship and so much more.
We
realized that 2013 was beginning, so the missionaries asked my 4 siblings and
I, "so when do you guys want to get baptized?"Within those few months
of going to church, people have always talked about their baptisms and
conversion stories, which made me anticipate he day of my baptism.
I knew without an ounce of doubt that the
Gospel of Jesus Christ was true and that it had changed my life so much, so my
family and I all agreed that we would get baptized on February 9 and get
confirmed the next day on February 10th, which is also my birthday. My best
friend of 8 years has been a member of the church for most of his life and I
had had the most amazing privilege of being baptized by him.
The
day I was baptized and the day I was confirmed, are one of the most amazing day
that I will always remember and hold deep in my heart. I am very glad to say
that I have shared my baptism with 4 of my siblings and my best friend.
It
is now 2014 and I have been to the temple 5 times. I started my genealogy in
August and took my very own family names to the temple and did work for them,
for the very first time in September. The very first time I had done this, I
had experienced for myself the indescribable feeling that everyone has talked
about. I was so happy knowing that I have opened the door for my ancestors on
the other side. I was overwhelmed with emotions and felt that same burning
light inside of me, that I had felt right before my baptism, and I then again I
knew it was true and that my ancestors where there right beside me, waiting to
receive their baptism ordinance.
It
is now March, and last month we had a temple day and I had taken more family
names and this time I had begun work for my father's side of the family. I
managed to gather information for my father's mother, and did baptisms for her.
The next day I went home, I showed my father the little pink card stating that
I did his mother's baptism. He began to weep and I could see how happy he was
and then he said "thank you sweetheart" and hugged me. I began to
cry, because I knew that I am doing a good thing and when he said "thank
you", I knew that was all I needed to boost my stamina in doing my
family's work.
I
know in my heart that I will never let this Gospel go, because I have
experienced the awful world without it. I know that my Heavenly Father knows
me, and I am so thankful to have all of my family with me in church every
Sunday. I am so thankful for all that Heavenly Father does for me and the blessings he grants me with. I know
that the Gospel is true because I have experienced these things and they have
been confirmed to me through the power of the Holy Ghost. And I say these
things in the name of thy Jesus Christ, Amen.
I am 18 years old. I’ve been a member of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for eleven years. I’ve been baptized at ten
years old in March by my Father, Fred Manygoats. My Mother name is Mary-Jane
Shepherd and I Baptized my mom for of died. My mom passed away when I was
eight. I’ve transferred from Leupp Arizona to Tuba City Arizona 1st
Ward.
Why I come to Family History? Because, I would
be the first generation to hold the past, present, and future of my entire
family’s history and beyond history. I find Family History very important for
my Family today, the next falling generation, and my kids, grandkids kids, and
so forth. So that one day they can look back to me and behind me and to see who
they are, where they’re coming from, where they could feel closer too in their
hearts, and many more.
When I was in my mom’s
wombs, I felt like that was the only place that felt like home. Where it was
safe, warm, Comfort, and closer to my Heavenly Father. My grandpa John Lee
Curtis told me when that my mother only kept me when I was only three months
old and she didn’t want me. So my Grandpa John lee was more than loveable to
open his Wings and fold me into his arm and love me like I was his only
begotten Angel that has falling from the heavens to be here on earth for a one
purpose reason.
I turned 7 years old and
still with grandpa, away from school. I never went to school until they put me
in 7th grade. It felt so uncomfortable and scared without grandpa. I
didn’t want to feel hurt again. Grandpa was the only one who was always been
patient with me. He never yelled at me, hurt me, spanked me, hit me, and cursed
at me. It actually really hurts to think back again! What I saw from him. All
he wanted to do was to take care of me and nourished me well. I could see it
from his eyes. His eyes had this sorrow in them. Now that I am grown and I
think of my grandpa. He told me that he only loved me as his only precious
sheep. He would tell me stories about the one man from heaven; however, I
remember that I would just sit there and listen every Single day what he was
talking about this man from heaven.
Every day, we would get up
at 6:40 am and get ready and go outside and just stand there for a few minutes
and smell the fresh air and that one moment of the morning, the fresh breeze
would fade away back to the heavens. In my own image, this is actually the
message from my heart. Then we would go down to the corn field, pass the sheep
corralled, going 1 mile down into the tree to our favorite spot, where we sit
and listen to the quite sounds around us. Listening to the sound of other
creature around us. Listening to the sounds of the wind going through the trees
and sounds like people is trying to talk to us. Then me and grandpa would go
under this very small tree and sit under the tree like it’s a shade. But then I
would always tell grandpa tell me more about this man from the Sky. I would
always beg him to tell the story from the very beginning of the heavens was
created to the present of what reality is going on today. I have so much
treasure of my Grandpa. He is always going to be my mom and dad. I miss him so
much, dearly.
When my Grandpa Passed away,
I tried yelling at my grandpa, “Why are you laying in the wood box? Get up grandpa;
we need to say our prayers, the sheep are hungry, we got to let them out, we
got to water the corn.”
Six months later, everything
felt do unorganized. Who’s going to be here for me, who is going to do prayers
with me, or water the corn.
Every morning at 6:30 am, I
would wake up with good dreams about my grandpa and hurry and get ready , brush
my hair, put it in a bun or brad my hair, fix my bed, and go outside to the
east and see if my grandpa would come back from his vocation. I would stand
there and cry. All I had was grandma.
She loved me so much, but I
was more around grandpa. But grandma came out that early morning and we both
cried and prayed. And she told me, “Grandpa is never ever going to forget about
you. You are always going to be under his Wings every step of the way.” Than it
opened my eyes. I got up and ran to the corn field and stayed there, thinking.
Two weeks later, I went back
to my mom and dad. I didn’t know them at all. I didn’t know I had brothers and
sisters. But I was excited to meet them. Who they are and what they do. I went
to Tuba City Boarding School in my 7th grade year. Then I started to
like it. All the learning and friends. I felt like my grandpa was actually
around. Because he needed me to have faith, be happy, and move on. Why? Because
he knew that I had more to live with.
When I go home, I tried to
be closer to my mom and communicate with my brothers and sisters, but they
didn’t want me to be there. My dad he loved me and I had a really good
relationship with my dad. My mom seems that she didn’t want me to be around or
be in the picture. I told myself that’s okay. I would try to play with my
siblings outside while dad had gone off to work. Mom would always keep me
inside and let me do all the chores and part of the cooking. Trial was hard.
But every night I would talk to myself in my dad’s closet all night to a one
man from the heavens. I would talk to him like I would usually talk to my
grandpa. Than my original dad would tell me that I would always fall asleep in
his closet; mostly, every night. Why? Because, I felt more safe in a dark
closet alone.
Then my mother passed away in 2001 or 2005. We had her memorial
at Tuba City Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Relief Society room.
Then, I thought and asked a lady, “What is this place?” and she told me, “This
place is the true Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. And I was like,
“who is Jesus Christ?” she was in a rush to work so she left it from there.
Then a year later my dad said, “We all need to go to Church.” I was thrilled,
and I just voted and said, “Well let’s go because I don’t know who Jesus Christ
is?” When we got the Leupp Chapel. I felt a great spirit upon me. It felt like
I had found the key to happiness. Then Elders would come to our house on
Fridays and teach the Gospel. And I didn’t know what the Gospel was. Then one
day out of a year. I notice that we weren’t going to church. I kept praying
that I don’t want to become inactive and I prayed for my family. So that we all
can go back to church. Finally, three years later. I said, “You know what
that’s it, I am going back to church no matter what’s going to go in my way to
be there and I am going alone.” Sense that I am a senior now; I transferred
myself to Tuba City Alternative School and turn myself to Tuba City Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Now that I am here. I am still struggling
with trials. I am slowly overcoming it. I thirst more of the Gospel and I am
thinking of going on a Mission.
