“Many of our Heavenly Father Children died without knowing the Gospel. In his mercy and great love, the Lord has prepared a way for them to gain a testimony of the Gospel and receive the ordinances of Priesthood. That missionary work happens in the spirit world and many would accept the gospel then.
“Many of our Heavenly Father Children died without knowing the Gospel. In his mercy and great love, the Lord has prepared a way for them to gain a testimony of the Gospel and receive the ordinances of Priesthood. That missionary work happens in the spirit world and many would accept the gospel then.However they cannot receive any ordinances for themselves because they are dead and do not have physical bodies. So, in the Holy Temples we have the privilege to receive ordinances on their behalf. Ordinances like Baptism, Confirmation, Priesthood ordinations, endowment and sealing can be performed for them. .
However they cannot receive any ordinances for themselves because they are dead and do not have physical bodies. So, in the Holy Temples we have the privilege to receive ordinances on their behalf. Ordinances like Baptism, Confirmation, Priesthood ordinations, endowment and sealing can be performed for them. .If we do this work, we become saviours for them as they cannot do it for themselves.”
If we do this work, we become saviours for them as they cannot do it for themselves.”When I heard this topic in sacrament meeting, I had a desire in my heart to go to the temple. Because all my family members including my parents and siblings are of different faiths. They did not get the opportunity to hear about this true gospel and this great work of the Lord. I wanted to give them the opportunity to accept the ordinances especially to my deceased mother and father and all my brothers and sisters. Hence I started to work diligently on my family History and started getting in contact with many of my relatives who live in our home town. It was a struggle collecting all the information. Sometimes I got mocked on why I was collecting everything now. But I worked hard for two months and collected all the information I can until then. I worked with our Family History consultants Peter Bushi every single day and submitted all the information I collected. I had collected about 30 deceased members of my family that I was able to register for the ordinances.
We as a family my wife, my sons, daughters, son-in-laws and daughter-in-laws together decided to go to the temple. We wanted to get sealed as a family and also do all the vicarious ordinances to our ancestors. We had the privilege of entering into Hong Kong Temple on 02nd June 2014. We received our own endowments and got sealed as a family on the same day. The happiness we felt in the sealing room cannot be described in words. Then we proceeded further to perform the ordinances for our ancestors. We wanted to give them the same joy that we were feeling in the temple. We were excited for this great work of the Lord.
We entered into the baptismal font to perform baptisms and confirmations. My daughter volunteered to be a proxy for all the baptisms for all the female ancestors while my son-in-law performed the baptisms. My sons and daughter-in-law performed the confirmations for these ancestors. We all witnessed this great work for our ancestors and joy filled our hearts for them. We continued to perform other ordinances for all of them for next six days in the temple. We were able to complete all of them by the end of our temple trip.
I know that the Lord is mindful of each and every one of us including our ancestors. The plan of Salvation, the temple work and all the ordinances are once again restored back to the earth at present times. I am so grateful for the priesthood power to be restored once again upon the earth as in times of old. What a wonderful time we are in. I testify of the power of the temples. They are indeed the House of the Lord. I do so in the sacred name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Krishnaiah Penumuru, Hyderabad India Stake.
