Becoming “Angels” to
Angels: Setting the Prisoners Free
Billions have lived
on this earth. Each one has a story that they will tell for eons
about family they learned to love while living here. Many want to take
these relationships to a higher level, but feel imprisoned by the lack of
ability. Who can help them?…
“We Need Your Help!”
One day, a dear
friend, “Jan” (not real name), felt the room she was in beginning to fill up
with spirits from the “other side.” She knew intuitively that these
spirits were family members. At some point a male “grandfather,” stepped
forward as a spokesman for her father’s family line. He said in a very
Commanding voice,
“We need
your help!”
She told him She
would help in any way she could, then asked if he wanted her to do some
research and gather information. He replied,
“No! The
information has been found, but the work is not getting done!”
Jan asked, “Who has
the information?” He said,
“Grace!” “Call her!”
Jan followed the
directive and called her cousin Grace and sure enough, found that she had
hundreds of family name cards already printed (but not completed), and hundreds
more family names reserved in her computer, – so no-one else could do their
work. These spirits were stuck!
Thankfully, Grace
accepted Jan’s offer to help complete those saving ordinances for their
ancestors, and she voluntarily delivered the stacks of cards to Jan’s home.
Jan then asked her family members who were scattered in many temple
districts for help.
The following
morning, Jan hastened to the temple and spent the entire day completing as many
ordinances as possible. As she exited the temple the same “great
grandfather” stepped up to her. He tenderly thanked her, and then
emphatically and emotionally stated,
“THE PRISONERS SHALL
GO FREE!”
He then faded from
sight.[1]
Jan and Grace set in
motion eternal work. They became coworkers with angels…[2]
“We’ve Waited a Long
Time”
Elder F. Enzio Busche
shared a similar story of a man named Joseph Gilbert, who was a recent convert
to the church:
“On the day that he
was in the temple for the first time, he saw in a vision of a great
gathering of his ancestors who were looking at him and pleading with him,
‘Please, don’t forget us…We have all waited a long time for this!’” [3]
Spirits from the
other side are occasionally allowed to come to express their desires to us.
Sometimes it can be surprising…
Unlikely Plea from
Wayward Sister
Larry James wrote
about an experience he had in the Mount Timpanogos Temple years ago,
“My wife and I were
asked to help one of the families in our ward with sealings for their
family. I was sitting in one of the witness chairs when the sound in
the room became very still. I heard a female voice speak to my mind. She said,
“DON’T FORGET ME!”
It was the voice of
my younger sister. This had never happened to me and I began to weep.
“My sister had been
dead for over four years. She was never active in the church, and had been
married 5 times and had 6 children by different men. I had written her off as
having made her decision as to the gospel of Christ. Needless to say, I
interrupted the session and the sealer thought I was in some kind of trouble. I
explained to him what had happened, but he didn’t seem surprised. Well, within
one week, my wife and I had completed her sacred work.”[4]
Elder Jeffrey R.
Holland joyfully taught, “Don’t underestimate your family on the other side
of the veil.”[5]
Isn’t it the
truth. They often are allowed to break through to us in such interesting
ways.
“Help me! Notice me!”
Maurine Proctor
shared an experience where she personally learned how eager our kindred dead
are to let us know they want their work done. She said,
“Scot and I spent the
summer in England with our youngest two daughters, and part of that time we were
doing family history. The night before we were going to spend the day in the
Huntingdonshire archives where Scot’s ancestors were from, we were studying
those family records, looking particularly for an end of line where we could
break through.
That night as I
slept, I heard the name “Sarah Holden, Sarah Holden, Sarah Holden.” There was an
eagerness and an insistence about this as if she were saying, ‘Look for me.
Help me. Notice me!”
The next morning, I
said, “Scot, do you have a Sarah Holden in your line?” He said, yes, and we
looked her up.
“That day in the
archives we looked for Sarah, who had had her work done, but we
discovered the work was incomplete for most of her siblings. Since
then, we have continued to make breakthroughs on that line.”[6]
Angelic Voice
Ellen Lovett also heard
a voice from beyond the veil. She wrote,
“I joined the church
with my husband in 1956 and was immediately immersed in doing genealogy
research. Since I have gotten older and have less responsibilities and
more time, I spend most of my waking hours doing research. I just feel
compelled to gather all I can. Recently, I woke up at 1:30 AM and
the name “Mary Margaret Marsh” was spoken to my mind. I had not heard the
name before so tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t until I got up and wrote
it down. The next morning as soon as I was awake, I felt I had to find
who she was.
“I worked all
day on Family Search looking for any record I could find and found
nothing. Then I went to Ancestry, which I rarely use, and found a DAR
record. Never before have I found any of their records in my
research. Sure enough, there was her name and she was married to
a man in my family line whom I had been researching his records less than a
week before. I had previously found no spouse for him, but there she was
with birth, death and marriage records and more of his ancestry.
“I was so excited I
could hardly sit still. It was such a thrilling experience and I know it
was only because of Divine help that I found her. She must have been
waiting to catch me in my sleep so I would sit still and listen. This is God’s
work and it will have eternal joy for many of his children.”[7]
Power of God
Sister Wendy Watson
Nelson urged us to “Make time to help those on the other side make covenants
with God! As you do so, the power of God will flow into your life in an
unprecedented way.” [8]
Let me ask; who
doesn’t need more power and aid in their lives? As we embark on this
endeavor to help our ancestors, they will help us. They know who we are…
Angels to Angels
So, do our ancestors
get together on the other side and talk about their “angels” on earth who are
doing their work? Of course, it’s part of their history! They will mention
Jan, Grace, Joseph, Larry, Maurine and Ellen in hushed reverence as their
partners with Christ in their exaltation. And we, like the
above-mentioned individuals, can be “angels” to our angels.
The prisoners can be set free!
[1] “Jan” and “Grace” (Real names
withheld) Story used with permission.
[2] Joseph Smith, “And now, I ask, how
righteousness and truth are going to sweep the earth as with a flood? I
will answer. Man and angels are to be coworkers in bringing to pass this
great work…” History of the Church, B. H. Roberts, ed., 7 vols., 2d ed.
1932-51, 2:260.
[3] F. Enzio Busche, Yearning for the
Living God, p. 213.
[4] Larry James, personal
correspondence. Used with permission. Also in https://unexpectedmiraclebook.com by
Craig Jenkins.
[5] Jeffrey R. Holland, https://spiritualcrusade.com/2019/04/your-family-on-the-other-side.html)
[6] Maurine Proctor, personal
correspondence. See also, https://latterdaysaintmag.com/three-prophets-saw-their-fathers-in-the-world-of-spirits.
Used with permission.
[7] Ellen Lovett, personal
correspondence. Used with permission.
[8] Wendy Watson Nelson, Covenant
Keepers, p. 58.
