On Friday afternoon and all day Saturday, Tom was training CLAs at our home. It was a great experience to see how everything fits together as we embark on educating citizens of the urgent need to preserve the legacy of the 20th century before it is too late! Further, making them aware of the tools to do so through LegacyStories.org.
CLA Training- Feb 2012, Salem UT: (l-r) Sandy Jones, Jan Coover, Tom Cormier, Karen Mack, Golden Adams
However, perhaps the greatest leverage possibility came when Tom and I met with Gordon and his wife at a late-night meeting at Gordon's hotel to talk about I-ASK and the Living Legacy Project.
During the Friday afternoon RootsTech sessions, Tom and Gordon discussed the needs of the Heritage Industry and how I-ASK could be the umbrella to solve the significant problem of uniting the various entities toward the common goal of preserving heritage. To that end, an appointment was made for later that night to meet. In the couple of hours that we met, Gordon told the story of his careers and how they had led to where he is now with FamilySearch, but of his even greater personal interest.
Tom shared a couple of videos to help him see how I-ASK could be the solution with "legions of Personal Legacy Advisors" working with everyone to enable them to preserve their legacy stories which Gordon expressed as "turning the hearts"! (See the last two verses of the Holy Bible - Old Testament) Gordon's understanding of what we are about and his position both officially and personally were shared.
"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." (Malachi 4:5-6)
Elijah has come, and I believe that the mission of I-ASK fits as an integral part of this fulfillment. It will be exciting to see how things continue to unfold as we see the fruits of the conversations of Tom and Gordon in the coming weeks and months!
I end as I began. The "tender mercies" of which I speak are, as Elder David R. Bednar* describes, "the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ." They are beyond our own capacity and in His timing. The Lord's "tender mercies" continue to be recognized as I have the opportunity to participate in this great cause. I see it in what we are doing, and I see it especially in my own life!
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* Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints