Jan 30, 2024

“Volunteering has given me the opportunity to serve in my busy schedule and receive spiritual peace from that service,” says Rob Swanson, volunteer for the Wilford Woodruff Papers Project. 

Rob first heard about the Project from a friend, Hovan Lawton, former member of the Wilford Woodruff Papers Editorial Team. Rob is now a volunteer  transcriber and enjoys helping with the process of sharing valuable Church history records on the web for everyone to access. 

“I love the gospel and I love the men and women who fought so hard to do what God asked them to do,” Rob shares. “I think so many challenges with Church history come from folks only hearing the bad side of people and not seeing the good that these people did. I think President Woodruff’s record shows that complexity of people trying to live up to the lofty mantle of sainthood.”

Rob has also enjoyed writing articles for the Foundation. He says, “Writing the Come, Follow Me articles has been super uplifting! I have used Wilford Woodruff's papers for previous academic projects, but it has been fun to connect what he wrote to what the Church today is studying in Come, Follow Me.” 

Rob would like everyone to know that “this is a project that we need everyone’s help with. Whether it be donating expertise, time, or financial support, this Project has the potential to be a godsend for future scholars and for countless generations of Latter-day Saints.”

To become a volunteer, click here: wilfordwoodruffpapers.org/get-involved.