Nov 13, 2023

“I have felt a spark kindled regarding my family history in the early days of the Church,” shares Laurie Low, a member of the Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation Board.

In her service, Laurie has had many tender experiences, such as this one:

While exploring the website, I decided to look up family names to see if any were mentioned in the journals or documents. I found a letter written by my great-grandfather and his brother, responding to a mission call to New Zealand from President Woodruff. 

My grandfather was a ‘black sheep’ in the family and left the path of covenant living, as did my father for most of his life. Reading about the faith and obedience of my great-grandfather gave me a new appreciation for the blessings I enjoy, I believe because of his righteous living. Although two generations left the covenant path, the Lord put a faithful woman from a faithful family in my father’s path to bring his family back into covenant living. I believe it came about in part because of the faithfulness of my great-grandfather.

Laurie adds, “This work is very heartwarming. Reading about the sacrifices, hard work, and faith of early Church members inspires me to do and be better.”

Laurie first heard about the Wilford Woodruff Papers Project from her friends, Steve and Margaret Wheelwright, who have been involved with the Foundation since its beginning in March of 2020. Laurie became very interested in the Project because, she shares, “Their excitement about it was contagious.” She has begun sharing her own excitement, and the inspirational records of the Restoration now available online, with her friends and family and anyone else that is seeking truth.

For more information on how you can also get involved in the Project, visit wilfordwoodruffpapers.org/get-involved.