Sister Claudia Hamilton
Dear Brothers and Sisters, aloha.
We are grateful to be here with you today. We love Hawaii and we love BYU which means we love BYU–Hawaii.
I have a personal connection to Hawaii with my father who served as a young missionary in 1948.
He spent his entire mission in one place on the Kona Coast of the Big Island. I grew up with him sharing stories about his mission and his love for the people of Hawaii.
I met my husband almost 47 years ago at BYU in Provo, Utah. It was a classic love story–we were in the same branch and on the same coed softball team. He had recently returned from his mission in France and Switzerland, and I was getting ready to put in my application to serve a mission. He promised me that he would take me on a mission later, and I could never have imagined how that promise would be fulfilled as we have now served as mission leaders and in area presidencies in various parts of the world.
I have loved being with Latter-day Saints as we have traveled and born testimony of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We raised our family in Southern California and today, our six children are married and are raising our 24 grandchildren.
My husband was called as a General Authority Seventy in April 2013. We served for five years in Africa in the area presidency, and he currently serves as the Executive Director of the Family History Department of the Church in Salt Lake City.
It has been a testimony to me that God is in the details of our lives. I love the Lord Jesus Christ and witness that this is His Church led by His prophet.
Elder Hamilton…
Elder Kevin S. Hamilton
Dear Brothers and Sisters, aloha.
We are honored to be here with you today. My mother and father served here as senior missionaries from 2000–2001.
Shortly after they returned home, my father passed away from cancer. Mom is now 91 and still active and faithful. I have heard her say on many occasions how grateful she is that the last thing she and Dad were able to do together was to serve here in this beautiful place, among beautiful people, as full-time missionaries.
As Sister Hamilton mentioned, I currently serve as the Executive Director of the Family History Department of the Church. This includes FamilySearch, RootsTech, and our worldwide efforts to collect and publish genealogical records so that our members can perform sacred temple ordinances by proxy for their deceased family members in the house of the Lord.
President Russell M. Nelson has taught that “Family history research and temple service are one work in this Church. We cannot do vicarious work for our progenitors unless we know who they are. Temples are nourished with names. Without genealogies, ordinances could be performed only for the living.” [1]
This focus on temple and family history work has been one of the hallmarks of his tenure as president of the Church. Today, I would like to try to paint a picture of what the Lord is doing as he gathers scattered Israel on both sides of the veil.
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians and said, “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.” [2]
All things “gather[ed] together in one” is a concept that I would like to try and explore today.
I will talk about three things:
1) the spirit of Elijah,
2) the technology that we use for family history work, and
3) the temples being built around the world.
If you will bear with me, I think I can pull all three of these ideas together at the end in a way that will make sense and will increase faith and deepen testimony.
The Spirit of Elijah
First, the spirit of Elijah. We sometimes refer to something called the Spirit of Elijah. Elijah was an Old Testament prophet who lived around 900 BC and held the keys of the sealing power, which allows ordinances to be valid in heaven and on earth.
The Old Testament prophet Malachi, promised that “before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord,” Elijah would return and that he would “turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers.”[3]
In 1836, Elijah did in fact appear in the newly dedicated Kirtland temple and restored the priesthood key of sealing to Joseph Smith. [4] This inaugurated temple and family history work in this dispensation, and it is spreading across the world.
President Nelson has taught that the “restoration was accompanied by what is sometimes called the Spirit of Elijah—[which is] a manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family.” [5]
We see the effect of those priesthood keys being restored today in our temples across the world. This turning of the hearts of the children to their fathers is happening on a global scale in ever-increasing numbers.
For example:
Millions of people are coming to FamilySearch each year and signing up for a free account. The overwhelming majority of these new subscribers are not members of our Church. They are not of our faith.
Every day we get between 500,000 to one million unique visits to FamilySearch.org and we estimate that the vast majority of these people are not Latter-day Saints.
This year, 150 million names will be added to the FamilySearch Family Tree. Most of these will be contributed by those who are not of our faith.
We hold an annual conference in Salt Lake City every year called RootsTech. Before the pandemic, it was a Utah based, in-person conference that would attract 20,000 or so attendees. With the pandemic, we were forced to move RootsTech online. Last year we hosted nearly five million attendees from 243 countries. Most of those that attended were not members of our faith. And the RootsTech attendance numbers continue to grow.
We have 6400 FamilySearch Centers scattered around the globe—many located in Church meetinghouses. You can go into any of these Centers and find people there using our facilities and getting help from local ward and stake experts and again, the majority of these users are not members of the Church. When I get a chance to ask them why they are there, they typically sort of shrug and say “I really don’t know. I just want to connect to my family. I want to belong.”
People ask me often, “What exactly are you trying to accomplish at FamilySearch?” My reply is always the same: We are attempting to “build the family tree of humanity.” All of God’s children organized into one family tree so that we can perform temple ordinances for our ancestors.
The Spirit of Elijah is moving across the earth with majesty and power as people’s hearts are turned to their families. It knows no political boundaries, no language barriers, and no race or ethnic divisions. It simply works.
Technology
Second, the technology we use to do family history work. As people are prompted and inspired to come to FamilySearch to build the family tree of humanity, we are constantly looking for new technology to be able to handle the ever-increasing amounts of content and data that we are working with. There have been remarkable technological developments that have aided our efforts.
If you think about it, the first real use of technology to record family history was simply a quill pen and paper. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Catholic Church as they began to keep records of births, deaths, and marriages in the 16th century. Municipalities in Europe began to keep civil registries of their citizens in the 1700s.
All of these records, mostly on paper and mostly handwritten, provide a rich history of the people that lived, loved, and died throughout history.
Many Asian nations have a strong tradition of keeping clan genealogies—called jiapu in China and jokbo in Korea—that go back thousands of years with accurately linked records.
FamilySearch has been busy collecting these clan family histories for many decades and today has a very large collection of Asian genealogical records.
In 1938, FamilySearch adopted what was then a cutting-edge technology called microfilm. Using a camera, we learned that we could take a photo of a document and then store the image as a miniature on film. With the advent of digital cameras in 2006, we stopped microfilming, but by that time, we had acquired 2.4 million rolls of microfilm which we stored in a vault in the granite mountains near Salt Lake City, Utah. A roll of microfilm is 100 feet long and three inches wide.
A few years ago, we undertook a project to convert all of the microfilm in our vault to digital images. We organized a team to do the project and with fasting and prayer, they came up with new technology and finished the entire project in 2022. Today, all of the microfilm in our collection can be accessed with any smart device.
The advent of the modern internet allowed us to move FamilySearch from a desktop program to a web-based internet site which allowed all users to access FamilySearch data at the same time.
In 2007 we introduced a public tree—a wiki tree if you will—that allowed users across the world to work on the same family tree at the same time without duplicating their efforts.
Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007, which changed mobile computing forever. This was followed in 2008 by Google with the Android mobile operating system, an open-source operating system that dramatically lowered the price of smart phones. Within just a few years, most of the world had access to a smartphone.
I served for five years in Africa and have been to the most remote places on planet earth. When I would arrive at a stake or ward in one of these remote places, guess what I found? Virtually everyone there had an internet connected smartphone.
About the same time, FamilySearch introduced apps for smartphones such as the Family Tree mobile app. Today, anyone, anywhere in the world can connect to the internet and access FamilySearch with a smart device. Effectively, the entire world has access to their family tree information.
In November 2022, a company in Silicon Valley called OpenAI introduced a game-changing artificial intelligence product called ChatGPT. This generative AI tool has revolutionized the way we process data.
For example, we traditionally created searchable records from images using an army of human volunteers and a process called “indexing,” where a volunteer looks at a record and types in the key fields so that they become searchable. With AI, we are now able to “read” records in most languages—even handwritten records from the 1600s—and then using AI technology, we can not only index the records but also determine the relationships of the people in the records and create a family tree. And all of this with about 95% accuracy. Today, we use our volunteers to curate the records and get the last few percentage points of accuracy.
As this “tsunami” of data has swept over FamilySearch, the technology is now available to harness the data, organize it in a way that is searchable and makes sense, and then publish it so that users can easily have access. It is almost as if the Lord knew what we would need, and then provided the tools and the technology to be able to do what needs to be done.
It was President Boyd K. Packer, years ago and speaking about early technology advances, who taught that “When the servants of the Lord determine to do as He commands, we move ahead. As we proceed, we are joined at the crossroads by those who have been prepared to help us.” [5]
We are gathering and organizing data—big data—so that the faithful members of the Church can submit names to the temple and perform sacred temple ordinances for their deceased ancestors.
Temples
We have talked about the Spirit of Elijah and technology, now third, temples.
All of this—the Spirit of Elijah moving people to seek out their ancestors and build the FamilySearch Family Tree—and the technology needed to organize it is being driven by the unprecedented pace of temple building. President Nelson has announced 185 temples since becoming the president of the Church and we now have 367 temples either operating, under construction, or in planning.
We now have 17 temples in Asia, 20 in the Pacific, and 13 in the Philippines. We have 23 temples in Brazil and 25 in Mexico. And Utah? 30 temples so far.
So why are we building temples at such an unprecedented pace? In the recent general conference of the Church, President Nelson answered this very question:
“Because the Lord has instructed us to do so. The blessings of the temple help to gather Israel on both sides of the veil. These blessings also help to prepare a people who will help prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord!” [6]
Let me share a few remarkable stories that highlight the divine connections being orchestrated by the Lord.
In Taiwan, the FamilySearch team invited a prominent clan leader to visit our family history center in Taipei. While there, he discovered that his estranged daughter had created his family tree using FamilySearch. He was even able to listen to an audio recording left by his daughter, reconnecting with her in a deeply emotional moment.
In Malaysia, FamilySearch team members are working with local authorities from another church to digitize their records collection and today we have a strong partnership.
In Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, the FamilySearch team met with archivist officials from Mongolia and discussed the importance of preserving records. They invited these archivists to come to RootsTech in Salt Lake City last March. They came and were deeply inspired by the Church and the vision of FamilySearch.
Across the Pacific Islands, we have witnessed many remarkable stories:
In both the Cook Islands and Niue, after natural disasters destroyed their civil registers, FamilySearch provided replacement copies of the destroyed data from its own collection that had previously been digitized.
In the Philippines, we provided a digital copy of Manila’s civil records after the original records were destroyed, opening new doors for collaboration.
In New Zealand, a chance meeting with a government official led to a long-term partnership allowing us to capture a vast collection of records.
We are currently building a temple in Phnom Penh Cambodia. Unfortunately, most records were destroyed in the 1970s during a time of conflict. Because Cambodian people have few records, we are using oral genealogy and living memory to capture the names and dates of their ancestors.
In Brazil, we were recently introduced to a local archivist. He was not particularly friendly towards the Church or to FamilySearch, but we invited him to come to the open house for the new temple in Salvador, Brazil. While in the temple, he had many questions and felt something in his heart. He is of African descent, so after the temple open house, we began to discuss how we could work together to connect African Brazilians to their ancestors using our African oral genealogy records.
We invited an Argentine archivist to come to the Mendoza Argentina Temple open house. He came and brought his wife, and I personally took them on a tour of the temple. Just before we entered the temple, the wife informed me that she had been baptized a member of the Church at age 8, but shortly after her baptism, the family had stopped participating and she had had very little contact with the Church since. As we toured the temple, I answered their many questions. I could tell that she was very emotional as we sat in a sealing room, and I took the opportunity to bear testimony of Jesus Christ. As we left the temple, she turned to one of our team members and said (in Spanish), “I want this. I want this for my family. I want this for my husband.”
We have been gathering records in Belgium for decades, but the country has had very restrictive privacy laws which make it difficult or even impossible to publish the data we collected. Two weeks before the temple was announced the Belgian parliament passed a new law that resulted in a more liberal privacy restriction which allowed FamilySearch to publish many millions of records that had previously been prohibited.
I recently met an archive director from another church in Austria. This church has centuries of birth, death, and marriage records that we have never been able to access. After some discussion, he agreed to a “pilot” where we would send volunteers to digitize some of their records. We sent a lovely senior missionary couple to the archives and the Austrians fell in love with them. A second couple is now slated to join them, and we are already planning additional projects with the archive.
In February 2022, FamilySearch had three camera crews in Ukraine that were busy capturing images of records. Circumstances in Ukraine subsequently became very dangerous as we all are aware. However, today we have 72 camera teams operating throughout the country and our goal is to finish all of the archives and have everything safely in digital format and backed up to the cloud within the next year or so.
In 2011, a temple in Paris, France was announced. At the time, we had very limited access to French records, even though we had millions of records on microfilm. We were restricted by law from using them due to privacy issues. Over the next few years, several laws changed in France resulting today in incredible open access to French records. We now have a wonderful large collection of French birth, death, and marriage records.
When the Rome Italy Temple was announced in 2008, we had very few civil records for Italy in our collection. Shortly after the groundbreaking for the temple, FamilySearch signed a comprehensive nationwide contract to digitize civil birth, marriage, and death records. In the next few years, we will complete the project and will have published more than 250 million records.
In Germany, the archives in the Hamburg region had not worked with FamilySearch for many years. After the recent announcement of a temple in Hamburg, we were approached by local archivists asking FamilySearch to collaborate with them to digitize and publish their records.
Why is all of this happening and why at this time? Why are these miracles occurring and what is the Lord trying to teach us?
Again, President Nelson from last month’s General Conference:
“My dear brothers and sisters, do you see what is happening right before our eyes? I pray that we will not miss the majesty of this moment! The Lord is indeed hastening His work. [7]
Could I share a short 3-minute video with you? It is shared with permission from the copyright owner, Ben Arkell of the Called to Share YouTube channel and it shows just how incredible this growth of temples has been. [8]
All things gathered together in one in Christ. The Spirit of Elijah, technology, and temples. All things in heaven and on earth.
Now you might say to yourselves, Brother Hamilton, that was an interesting talk about temple and family history work. And I think it is. But for me, it is not about family history or even about temples, as important as those topics are. For me, I can summarize what I have seen and heard and observed with just one word:
And that word is Hope. Hope. Beautiful, simple Hope.
As in “There is hope shining brightly before us.” In this ever darkening and chaotic world, there is hope. The Lord is in charge. This is His work.
Twice in the Book of Mormon in consecutive verses, He says, “I am able to do mine own work.” [9]
He has this. He can do His work. He is in charge of His work and His Church.
In my interactions over the years with the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve, I have been impressed with their cheerful optimism. Of course, they have many concerns. But overall, they are upbeat and positive because they are seers—they see the future.
As President Jeffrey R. Holland recently said, “You have to remember that we win. This is a victory already registered. This is the only ball game I know of where the score is already on the board but we’re still trying to decide which jersey we wear ... We know the final result.” [10]
From President Thomas S. Monson: “My beloved brothers and sisters, fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith.” [11]
And just a month ago, after announcing another 17 new temples, President Russell M. Nelson said,
“The best is yet to come, my dear brothers and sisters, because the Savior is coming again! The best is yet to come because the Lord is hastening His work. The best is yet to come as we fully turn our hearts and our lives to Jesus Christ.” [12]
There is sunshine, and hope, and optimism for our lives. Every prophet from Adam to Russell M. Nelson has looked forward to this day, this time, with longing and joy and it has been my privilege to see all of this unfold from my perspective as a General Authority in the Family History Department.
My testimony is simply this: God is our Father in heaven, and He hears and answers every prayer. Jesus Christ is His only begotten Son in the flesh and is our Savior and Redeemer. He saves us from death and redeems us from sin. His Church has been restored again to the earth through Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the Restoration. It is led today by God’s prophet, President Russell M. Nelson.
The Lord is hastening His work. He is fully in charge and in control. We have great reason to rejoice and have hope. We can do this.
May we go forward in faith and with hope, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes :
[1] Russell M. Nelson, “Temple,” Leadership Seminar, 2019
[2] Ephesians 1:10
[3] Malachi 4:5-6
[4] Doctrine and Covenants 110:14-16
[5] Hunter, Howard W. and Packer, Boyd K., That They May Be Redeemed: A Genealogical Presentation, Regional Representatives’ Seminar, April 1, 1977
[6] Russell M. Nelson, “The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again,” Ensign or Liahona, November 2024
[7] Russell M. Nelson, “The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again,” Ensign or Liahona, November 2024
[8] Called to Share. (2024, April 25). 2024 Temple Timeline Video: Dotting the Earth [Video]. YouTube.
[9] 2 Nephi 27:20-21
[10] Sarah Jane Weaver, “Sarah Jane Weaver: The lesson of President Holland’s extraordinary example–‘I think we have underestimated our gifts,’ he says,” Church News, February 3, 2024
[11] President Thomas S. Monson, “Be of Good Cheer,” Ensign or Liahona, April 2009, 92
[12] Russell M. Nelson, “The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again,” Ensign or Liahona, November 2024