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Eva Dove, 12 (left), helps to teach the Barker family, Julie, Daisy, Dreyson, and Sheldon (from left), how to use familysearch.org and create accounts for their family members at the Barker home in Ogden on March 16, 2015.

ROBBY LLOYD/Standard-Examiner

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Eva Dove, 12 (left), helps to teach the Barker family, Julie, Daisy, Dreyson, and Sheldon (from left), how to use familysearch.org and create accounts for their family members at the Barker home in Ogden on March 16, 2015.

ROBBY LLOYD/Standard-Examiner

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Sheldon Barker (far right) looks through familysearch.org with help from his family and ward member Eva Dove (far left) to look for his ancestors to collect information for temple work, at the Barker home in Ogden on March 16, 2015. From left: Eva Dove, Julie Barker, Daisy Barker, Dreyson Barker, and Sheldon Barker.

ROBBY LLOYD/Standard-Examiner

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Alexis Giles (blue) and Eva Dove (red) help the Barker family, Julie, Daisy, Dreyson, and Sheldon (from left), navigate familysearch.org and and find their ancestors to build their family tree for temple work, at the Barker home in Ogden on March 16, 2015.

ROBBY LLOYD/Standard-Examiner

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OGDEN – The LDS Church is encouraging youth to get involved with family history any way they can and some stakes are taking that to heart, calling youth as young as 12 years old to be family history consultants.

In the Ogden East Stake several youth have been called as family history consultants as the stake is building up its family history plan. Brett Lund is the high councilor over family history and has enjoyed seeing the results of youth getting a first-hand look at the success of family history. Lund said his stake has been trying to follow the council of Elder David A. Bednar when he told youth that they had natural abilities and talents that could be used to help others with family work. “Invite the young people to act. You have to be there, but you’ve got to get out of the way. You have to provide direction without taking over,” Bednar has said.

That’s what some wards are doing now. In the Highland Ward, 12-year-old Eva Dove was called to be a family history consultant a couple of months ago. She has been doing family history work for her family since she was 10. “I really like finding family names and getting them ready to take to the temple,” Dove said. She just went and did baptisms with some of her family names this past weekend. When she was called to help others she was excited. “I thought it would be really cool,” she said. She and another 12-year-old boy in her ward were called at the same time and she said the two work as a “team” when they go into people’s homes to help them with their family history.

She helped teach them how to get names ready to go the temple. “I like doing something good for people and for my family,” Dove said. “I want to be able to share with other people the great thing we have,” Dove said.

14-year-old Abe Smith was recently called as a family history consultant in the Waterfall Canyon ward. He was also excited with his call, but didn’t expect it. “I have poked around a bit with it (family history) but I am excited to learn more and help others,” Smith said. “It’s such an important work,” he added. Both Dove and Smith love reading family stories that their family already has or that are online on familysearch.org already. Smith thinks it is a good idea to have youth involved because of their knowledge of technology. “That way people don’t have to have that burden all on their own. It’s a good way to get it done,” Smith said.

Lund agrees. “We know the technology comes naturally to them,” Lund said.

Last year LDS General Authority Neal Anderson gave youth the temple challenge to take as many names to the temple as proxy baptisms they do. This year, he added to that, admonishing them to teach someone else to do the same. “We didn’t want that challenge to fall on deaf ears. We want our youth to take some action,” Lund said of his stake.

He has also found in his own family that when his daughters hear stories of their ancestors they become interested in doing the work. “I find when they (youth) feel it in their heart they are more willing and ready to serve,” Lund said.

“This is part of the hastening the work the youth are asked to do, not just with missions but with family history,” Lund said.

Many youth are asked to bring family history stories and at least four generations of family history work completed with them when they serve they leave for their missions. Youth are also admonished to fill out the “my family” booklet the LDS church distributes.

Right now it is Lund’s stake they are working with wards to have full groups of family history consultants, maybe up to 10 people called in each ward, adults and youth. Those called make appointments with families to go into their homes and physically show them how to use familysearch.org to do family history work. “It’s kind of like home teaching in a way … it’s good for the youth to have those experiences and can prepare them to serve their missions,” Lund said.

For more information on youth and family history visit www.youth.lds.org and click on the youth and family history link.