I was working my shift at the Granite Family History Center and a brother came in just as I was free to help. He had never signed into his FamilySearch account before, but his tree was very well populated. He had an appointment to go to the Draper Temple and wanted to find family names for he and his wife. Ordinance Ready provided him a name that was a relative twice removed, but he wanted a direct-line ancestor. We went back to his family tree to look for green temples. He found two men seven generations back that were ready for their endowment, but he could not find a female endowment. We went to his wife’s tree which was also very full and the ordinances there were even more complete. It was almost closing time at the center as he searched back over seven generations on each line. I finally felt prompted to say out loud, “Lord, we just need to find one female endowment!” At that moment, a female with a green temple appeared on the line he was searching and she was ready for an endowment! He immediately looked up at me and all I could say was, “Be sure to include the Lord!” We may have eventually found that female, anyway, but it was like the Lord was giving us a gift of His tender mercy and we both felt the joy of the Spirit.
Recently FamilySearch announced that Church members’ temple ordinance reservation lists are now limited to 300 individuals.
“A new limit of 300 reservations enables you to more easily manage your reservation list. It also allows Church members to more easily find family names and other temple opportunities. Additionally, it will help those beyond the veil receive ordinances in a more timely manner.”
We now have two green temple icons. In addition to the green temple we are familiar with, in which you have two years to complete the ordinance, there is one with a little clock in the corner indicating that ordinances have been shared with the temple. You may reserve these ordinances, as well, and are given 90 days to complete them. This gives us an opportunity to do the work others have shared.
If you have ever experienced the joy of someone who finds a green temple icon while looking for a temple opportunity on their family tree you will know that the new reservation limit is a blessing. Consider cleaning up your temple reservation list to a reasonable number and sharing those excess names with the temple. You will still have a record of these individuals under your “Temple Shared” tab and can always go back to do the ordinances, yourself, if they are still available. The only thing you’re giving up by releasing those individuals to the temple is their long wait. What you are doing is spreading the joy of family temple work!
– Mary Anne Thorum, Consultant, Granite Family History Center