Sandi, Thanks for the nice things said about our Family History Centers. All of us are volunteers, some have been around a long time and some of us are new. We do the best we can. All of our materials and info are donated. Most of our patrons are not members of the church, and 99% of them are the greatest! We do get a few who demand all kinds of things that are not possible for us to do, and we do have some dishonest people who try to steal films, books, etc. But our reward is to help someone find something they have been searching a long time. Like yesterday, a lady was using a swedish dictionary to find out what some words meant so she would know what she was looking for, and I handed her a pamphlet on that country and lo, and behold, as I was explaining what was in the pages, there were the exact words she had been trying to find. She let out a gasp and grabbed my hands and WOULDN'T let go. She just couldn't believe it and was so appreciative, and went on to have much success. Now, I'm referring to the Family History Centers around the world and not the Salt Lake Library. When you combine the two, you will find many friendly helpers who definitely know what they are doing, and you also have more information in one place than anywhere in the world. We appreciate YOU, because it's people like you who help to add to our information and help us link families together. Thanks again, from one who helps others out of pure love. Linda Kay Tom & Sandi Sladek wrote: > Jim, > I am one of the non-church members on the list, and I wanted to > tell you that you were a little too harsh on yourself. I've only been doing > my family research for about 5 months, but the LDS library in Utah has a lot > of great info. on how to start. I have a Family History Center near me, but > have also taken gen. classes at the college here. The first and MOST > important thing I learned was to write down my sources, rather I found > something or not. Always keep track of where and what you've researched. The > main library in our city has loads of information, just for your > researching. I started out wanting > to know enough about my ancestors, so that they were real people to me > instead of just names and dates. I try to find out their occupations, and > what community organizations they belonged to, so it helps me know what some > of their intrest were. Its not easy, but it is more satisfying when you sit > down and read it, its more like a family history than just a text book with > names and dates. Good Luck to you. And I want you to know that some of the > volunteers at our FHC are the nicest people I've ever met, and always > willing to help. There's always a few that are just putting in their time, > but overall I think their a God send. > > Sandi > > > ==== GEN-ROOTERS Mailing List ==== > And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron,which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life;which waters are a representation of the love of God. 1 Nephi 11:25 > > listowner questions to AZDEE@aol.com