Genealogy Researcher Jim Mason

      Did you know Jim Mason is becoming a Family History expert?  And we thought his only specialty was gardening!  When Jim joined the church he made a promise to himself that after retirement he would do genealogy/temple work for his family.  He especially wanted to do it for his grandmother who always visited revivals and churches and had strong spiritual feelings that affected him.
   Another reason Jim wants to do genealogy work is because he is a convert to the church and never had a chance to go on a mission.  "I've always felt that the best missionary I can be is doing family history. I'm not afraid to talk to my neighbors about it because there is no rejection," he said. "I feel my concern in doing as much as I can for not going on a mission."
  Jim senses the urgency of this commitment he made as a youth.  He has many books with ancestor stories and pictures.  His cousin Janet went to England and interviewed relatives.  He keeps in touch with her.  In tracing his family history he has even found a line that goes back to Jesus Christ.  "This was like a urgent reinforcement of the need to do this right away," he says.
  Although he sometimes uses the Lodi Family History Center, most of his work is accomplished on a laptop computer set up in a corner of his bedroom.  He provides names for ward members to take to the temple, as well as putting some in the temple drawer where anyone can pick them up and do the temple work.  Jim is really enjoying the journey, as well as providing his ancestors with an opportunity to have all the blessings of eternity.