Family history moments: Door after door

For several years, I kept feeling my aunt's presence. It was as if I could hear her saying, "You need to get back to Church so you can have my temple work done. I want to be sealed to Daddy."

I started going back to Church. The ward was offering a class on New FamilySearch. I came home and asked my husband, who is not a member of the Church, if I should take it. He excitedly said, "Yes, but do my side. Call my aunt and have her send you a CD of what she has."

My husband's aunt and I got together, and I was shocked to see all the information she had on Shupe family history. She said there was a woman in Salt Lake City who had even more and that she would try to find her telephone number.

The next week, I was looking at records on a microfilm full of Shupe family history. On a hunch, I tried to contact the name of the person in Mesa, Ariz., who had donated the records. I didn't find his number from directory assistance, but I asked for contact information for the five other Shupes listed in Mesa. I called the last name on the list. She gave me contact information for someone else, who in turn told me that her cousin in Salt Lake City had all of the Shupe genealogy. It was the same person my husband's aunt had mentioned, but now I finally had her address and telephone number. When I called her, she was so sweet and very helpful. She has over 200,000 names of Shupe relatives and family history.

On April 27, 2010, I went to the temple for the first time in about 20 years. I was able to do the work for my aunt, a deceased cousin and some of the Shupe family. I know there was rejoicing that night.

I keep saying this is the kind of story that other people experience in doing family history, not a recently activated person like me. When I think about it, I know that the Lord loves me and He is the one that opened door after door. — Melinda Cobb Shupe, Layton, Utah

http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/59369/Family-history-moments-Door-after-door.html