Our Work

I realize that I have never really described what I do.  My call is to the family search zone of the Family History Library.  We are on the main floor of the library and mainly provide services for new comers and inexperienced family historians.  Ninety percent of my time is spent on the patron services floor.  Here we answer questions, help beginners with on line resources, show people how to print or save documents they find.  A typical patron will come in and say, "I don't know anything about my family."  We ask questions and help them identify what they do know and what they would like to know.  We show them how to find their ancestors in resources like social security death index, census records, birth or marriage records, military records and voter schedules.  We show them how to use the library catalog, and where further research can be done.  We introduce them to familysearch.org, and its associated sites.  This work is fun and rewarding.  I often meet people from far away.  We do not preach the gospel here, but the spirit is almost always present and our encounters are often spiritual experiences.  Occasionally members of the Mormon church come in for help with new family search.  These are usually wonderful experiences too.
The other 10% of my time is spent in the lobby.  I man the information desk, the exit desk, the temple desk.  Here we direct the patrons as they come into the library and answer phone calls that come in.  We show a short film to the first timers.  We get them help if they need it.  We direct them to other floors, depending on what they are looking for.  This is also fun.  We will interact with literally dozens of people during an hour.  They are all nice people who are sincerely looking to connect with their families.
I also do a little mentoring of new missionaries who come into the zone.  I have recently been trained to work the "pod" which is the reference desk on the main floor.  Here we are expected to know more, so time will tell if I'm ready for that.
David comes into the library with me every morning.  After prayer meeting he goes off to the Cafeteria dish room where he helps get the cafeteria ready for the lunch rush.  They eat lunch at 10:30, before the cafeteria opens.  During the lunch time he stacks and puts away dishes as they come out of the dishwasher.  Sometimes he stands by the automated dish return to make sure nothing sticks out and stops the conveyer.  The rest of his crew goes home at 3:00 but David stays another hour to scrub tables and chairs in the dining room.  It takes him a couple of months to get through the whole room, but he is very thorough.  At 4:00 he walks back to the library and we go home.

Even though we do the same kind of thing every day, the people we interact with make each day interesting and new.

September 2010 Milestones

This month I will complete the first 12 months of my mission and the first 60 years of my life.  If I am like my parents (unlikely because I have abused my body with unhealthful food and slothfulness for too many years) I can expect to live to 90.  So I have finished 2/3 of both my mission and my life.  It has got me to thinking about the the way each of them is going.
First of all I'm not eager for either to end.  This mission has been so much more fun than I ever could have imagined.  I don't know what I imagined my earth life would be like, but I'm pretty sure I didn't know how much fun it would be either.  Did I know how much I would love my family?  Did I know how much I would enjoy my work and play?  Did I know how much beauty I would find here?  Doubt it, or I would have signed up earlier (1000 BC for example).
Secondly I know they will both end eventually.  The mission call was for 18 months, and when that is over I will return home and do something else.  I hope I will have made a difference in some way, to some one.  When my mortal life ends, I will return home and do something else.  I hope it will be true that I made a difference during my life as well.  Is anything better because I am here?  I think so.  I hope so.

But for now I have 6 months to do my best in the mission.  It might be a good idea to give us advance notice of our earthly release date.  Do I have a day? a decade?  Whatever.  I plan to live it all, right up to the end.  So here's to the last third.

It's autum time

Last April, as Spring emerged from the reluctantly departing Winter, I was in awe of the variety and abundance of flowers.  Everywhere!  Every kind, I thought.  Now I'm seeing some new blooms of early autumn.  Most especially sun flowers.  They are growing among the tall grasses of fields, along the road ways, sprouting around rocks on the hillsides.  They are beautiful in a simple and rangy way, dotting the washed out summer fields with bright yellow and deep brown.  The pale grey/green of the omnipresent sage brush is turning yellow with blooms as well.  This one is problematic to me.  It seem sage blooms do something to my nose.  I sneeze, and sneeze, and wipe my eyes, and sneeze and blow my nose, and sneeze again.  I've tried 4 different allergy meds, the only one that dries me up is Benedryl.  Turns out Benedryl is also a sleep medicine.  So I have a choice: Sneeze or sleep.  Relief will come with the snow.
I woke up to a little chill this morning.  The hot days of summer are coming to an end and there is the smell of Autumn in the air.  I rode through Dimple Dell on Saturday and noticed the leaves sound different when the wind passes.  They still look green from a distance, but they are drier and up close you can see the colors of fall creeping in.  We may still have some warm weather ahead of us, but it is becoming clear that summer cannot last.

Family reunion

Demke Cowboys out on the range

A few of the Demke/McKenna/Hess kids

I am currently recovering from a "family high."  My niece Jerusha, a champion organizer, pulled together an amazing reunion for the families of Sheldon and Neldon Demke.  Included were all my children and their families, my sister and her husband and all their children (less one on a mission in South America) and families.  All together there were about 48 people.

Tatum and Afton riding with grandma

Slip 'n slide

My grown up children

We occupied a large and lovely lodge on Fish Haven Creek near Bear Lake, Idaho.  This is some of the most spectacular scenery!   It was all I could do to drive safely with so much to look at along the way.  Our time there was well organized with each delicious meal being prepared by a different family.  Activities were planned for all interests and age groups and included games, crafts, slip and slide, feats of strength, daily trips to the lake, and culminated in a sweet and spiritual Sacrament meeting Sunday morning.   At least half the participants were children.  Miraculously, there were no serious injuries, quarrels or tantrums.  The entire time was imbued with the sweetest feelings of love and companionship.  I spent a few sad moments regretting that Sheldon wasn't able to be a part of such a gathering, then more and more I started to realize that he was a very real part of our reunion.

The last of my posterity left town yesterday.  Their departure has left a hole in my soul, but it is filled daily with the knowledge that we are united by far more than time and geography.  I am so grateful to be part of an Eternal family.

A friend of mine works in the Salt Lake temple the day before he works in the library with me.  One day a while back he looked especially tired.  He explained that the day before he had worked in the baptistry and that it was Prom night.  When I failed to see the connection, he told me that Prom day is the busiest day of the year in the baptistry as it is a tradition for young men and women to come to the temple and do work before going out to dinner and dance.  I couldn't help contrasting that with the way most of the world views prom night, as a time to get drunk, get a hotel room, and get into trouble.
While there is no doubt that there is a great and growing wickedness in the world at large, I would propose that there is an opposing movement for good, growing just as rapidly.  A few examples:
Everyday I see people of all faiths drawn to the family history library, wanting to know about their heritage.  I'm sure that many of them are being pushed there by their unseen ancestors who are eager for them to be their advocates in the mortal world.  The fact that they are responding to these promptings tells me that they are a part of the great movement for good in the world.

I have referred before to the fact that from a prominent point on a familiar horse trail I can see 3 operating temples.  (One lit up behind Sam in this photo)  Within the 60 mile radius of my mission there are at least 7 more.  Within an easy drive of my home in California I can attend 5 temples. Temples are now in very part of the world.  These are busy places, full of people who are trying to live good lives and care enough about each other to take time so that others can share the blessings they have.  Most do so on a regular basis.
I am in awe of the young people in my life, especially my own children, who I see working so hard, tirelessly raising their children to have strong values in a world that increasingly belittles them.  It is not easy to choose the good path, but the rewards are great and very real.
Today our Sunday school teacher quoted Hezekiah to us.  Hezekiah has helped his people prepare for the coming siege of the Assyrians.  He says to his people (paraphrasing), "Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the [world] nor all the multitude that is with them: for there be more with us than with them. . . with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles."
And so I would propose that as the polarization of our planet increases we each take the attitude of Hezekiah.  Be strong and courageous, be not dismayed.  Every time we make a good choice we are enlisting legions of angels to back us up.  We are not alone.  We know good will ultimately prevail.

Rescue

I had a couple of adventures on horseback during the past 2 weeks. The first happened when I took my brother Toby out for a ride. I put him on David's horse Pancho and I rode Jerusha's horse Norman. Norman is a sweet and reliable mount who would be considered safe for almost any rider. At one point in the ride Toby decided to go on ahead and I attempted to turn back. Norman objected to the separation from his herd and started to buck. Now I've been on a lot of horses, many misbehaving in many ways, but I've never ridden a bucking horse. This was genuine rodeo style bucking, head down and hind feet in the air. It didn't take me long to realize why the rodeo cowboys get big bucks for this and that I was no rodeo cowboy. I decided to stop trying to correct Norman in hopes that he would relax, but without the bit he just took off, still bucking. I knew I couldn't sit this and, just in time, a soft grassy hill sped up on the left. I landed gently on the hill, got up quickly, grateful for my rescue from what could have been a dangerous situation. Norman and I both survived to ride another day.

Thursday I went riding with my friend Debbie and her sister Sandy. This time the horses were hot and tired before we left the barn. One minute out we were confronted by what could only be described as a herd of children (about 50, average age maybe 12), jogging down the main horse path to our trails. One look at this noisy, erratic mob coming towards us and I knew we were in trouble. Horses are basically prey animals and at their core, reactive. We train them to think, to obey, to be desensitized to most of the things they might encounter on the trail, but I knew these horses had never seen anything like this. To them it must have looked like a growling, prowling herd of mountain lions coming to eat them. The reactive brain took over. Each of us felt our mounts tense and Norman spun on his heels and ran for all he was worth in the other direction. Herd mentality took over and the other two horses followed. This was no gentle canter down the lane. These were three horses racing for their lives at top speed, in spite of the pleadings of their riders. My horse, being the fastest among them quickly overtook the other too. With a little distance we were able to remind them of their training again and the reasonable side of their brains came back. We had an exciting ride, but everyone stayed on and no one was any worse for it.

These two experiences reminded me why I pray for protection every single ride, and every day. The world is a dangerous place, and every day I am delivered, rescued even, in ways big and small, by the Lord.

Protection from physical danger is the least of these rescues. There are worse dangers to our souls than getting bucked off a horse. The world offers countless evils that would bruise and even destroy our Spiritual natures. We need to protect ourselves and our loved ones, and be constantly prayerful as we seek deliverance from soul-destroying influences.

We also have the opportunity to rescue others along the way. Many ride through this life unaware of the dangers around them. We can be a beacon, a lifeline, a saving influence to them.

One of the great joys of my current situation is being able to research and do saving ordinances for my family and friends. Every time you go to the temple, every time you share your testimony, every time you offer help to another human being, you are sharing in the great rescue mission that is mortal life.

I am lately overwhelmed with gratitude for the Gift of the Holy Ghost. This blessing to have the constant companionship, guidance, comfort, and support from a member of the God Head is truly amazing. I wonder how I could ever function without it. It is priceless. But it is not without cost. The cost is living a Christ-centered life. I am ashamed by the countless times I have traded the companionship of the Spirit, for some small, ultimately worthless, worldly pleasure. If asked would I give up this Gift for a million dollars, I would quickly reply, "Never!" And yet I have done just that, for far less: A less than inspiring movie, a word of gossip, a few extra moments of sleep that might have been scripture study time, a caustic remark, a minor dishonesty, etc.

So this week I will try to not offend the Spirit, invite it in by my faith and obedience, share the blessings it brings with those around me.