I stand as Proxy

Live is best when it looks like this.

Hey lovelies!

I hope you are all having a marvelous day.

Guess what I did today! I helped 10 wonderful souls get into Heaven.

For those of you who don't have a clue what I'm talking about I'll explain...

source

Before we were on this earth we lived in Heaven with our Heavenly Father (God). When we were born we passed through the veil which made it so that we would not remember anything from our life in Heaven. We were placed on this earth to be tested. We must show our faith in Christ by repenting of our sins and entering the waters of baptism. Baptism is a saving ordinance which means that it is required if we want to return to live with our Father in Heaven after this life.

Now, what about those who don't have a chance to get baptized in this life? What about those who die as young children, or who die old, but are never taught about the gospel? Are they lost?

Peter taught in Acts 10:34-35 that  

"34 God is no respecter of persons:

35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him."

If God is no respecter of persons, and if He loves all of His children, and if He really does want all of His children to come to live with Him again, then he would surly provide all his children with the same opportunity to receive the ordinances that are required for them to return.

What about the little children who die before they are baptized? 

Baptism is for the unclean so that they might be made clean. Children are born innocent, and therefore, don't require baptism to make them clean. Children don't need to be baptized until they are accountable for their actions. This comes at the age of accountability, which is at age 8. (D&C 68:25-27) If children die before age 8 they don't require baptism. They are automatically accepted into God's Kingdom.

Now, what about those who die at an older age, but still never got baptized?

This is where baptisms for the dead comes in. If you read my blog or follow me on any other social media sites, you might have noticed that I "go to the temple" a lot. Well, what I am doing at the temple is in fact baptisms for the dead.

Here on earth we have the opportunity to stand in as proxy for those who have passed on to the next life. In a sense we stand in and act as their bodies. [When my little brother was younger and we went to go do baptisms for the dead he thought that we were actually baptizing dead bodies. So just to make that clear we are baptized "for and in behalf of" those who have died. haha]

After their ordinances are performed for them they are then able to accept or decline them, thus allowing them to enter into Heaven if they decide to accept.

Now I want to share with you why today's trip to the temple was special. Normally when I go to do baptisms I do "Temple names", which are names of people that somebody else has found and given to the temple for others to do. But today I did "Family names", which are exactly what they sound like. They are names of my family members that I found myself.

It all started HERE at FamilySearch.org where I found searched out the names of those in my family who have died without being baptized

I then took those names to the temple and was baptized for them. 

It meant so much more to me knowing that the people that I was doing work for were people I was related to, and I can honestly say that I felt their presence while in the temple.

So to the youth of the church, as well as to the "older youth", I offer you a challenge to spend a few minutes searching your family history for names that need work done, and then go to the temple and do the work. If you don't know how to get started shoot me an email at feelmysunlight[AT]yahoo[DOT]com! I'd love to help! (I am after all, a family history consultant. It is my calling in the church to teach people how to do this.)

I have a strong testimony of family history work, as well as temple work. I know that this gospel is true and I love it so much. All I desire is for others to have this same joy in their lives that the gospel has brought to mine.




feel my sunlight



p.s. Isn't summer just the most wonderful thing? I think I am in love with it.

p.s.s. Shout out to Sister Hartvigsen for driving us to the temple today. You rock!