Part 3
Hope Chest software is a tree analyzing software that works with FamilySearch Family Tree. “Request Ordinances” is by far the most used feature of Hope Chest and I would like to reemphasize the care needed when using of this part of the app. Set the date limit. Don’t even search for people born after 1906 or before 1500. There are special provisions for those.
Be mindful of the rules when reserving about not hoarding. Finding green temples in FamilySearch Family Tree, sometimes called “green temple hunting” is frequently advocated as an easy way to get Church members involved in submitting temple names. However, many who encourage or employ this method fail to verify information or relationships. FamilySearch has done a magnificent job of making family history easier. With billions of easily searchable records at FamilySearch and partner websites, verifying information and relationships is exponentially easier than in years past. Multiple sources can frequently be found and attached in order to validate Family Tree information and relationships. That is what I am emphasizing. Don’t just find green temples, spend some time with each one of these ancestors. What once may have taken months can now often be accomplished in minutes.
FamilySearch has also made it easy to take names to the temple. All Church members are encouraged to Find an ancestor, Take them to the temple, and Teach others to do the same. Such encouragement helps dispel the myth that family history is too hard. In a well-meaning attempt to involve members, some are encouraging them to find and reserve green temples in Family Tree with little or no verification. However, it is my experience that mistakes can be made, duplicates can be missed, and this is largely due to the data in Family Tree. Please remember that the information in Family Tree, which varies widely in quality has not been validated by the Church, as many suppose. It is just too big.
My suggestion is to verify and double check before taking the names to the temple, even if they are already on your temple list. This suggestion is backed up by the following:
“It is the disposition of many of the people to hurry their work along in an unorganized fashion because of their zeal for temple work. Patience, accompanied by prayer and thorough research, will prove best in the end.” – Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 2, p. 209.
More on the proper use of Hope Chest next week.
For more information, contact Shanna Jones shannasjones@msn.com