In a back-to-back activity following the success of the Panagbenga FamilySearch Interactive Booth, the Baguio Philippines Stake (diocese) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints joined the Strawberry Festival celebration by holding a 3-day FamilySearch Interactive Booth in La Trinidad, Benguet.
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| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
From 18 to 20 March 2019, 2, 681 people from around the province of Benguet visited the family history booth and learned the basic ways to build their family trees. It’s the first time for the Church to join the month-long Strawberry Festival and the members were thrilled to continue their endeavor to share the joys of family history work to the locals.
“I-Benguets (people from Benguet) love family so this FamilySearch program is very beneficial for us that is why we wanted to have a Family Search booth this year at our festival,” says La Trinidad Mayor Romeo K. Salda during the opening.
The La Trinidad Strawberry Festival is an annual month-long celebration held every March to promote the strawberry and tourism industries of the Valley of Colors. This year, however, the home and family serve as the highlight of the festival’s theme. With the theme “La Trinidad, My Home, My Pride,” Latter-day Saints in Baguio saw the event as the perfect avenue to introduce the Church’s family history program to the locals, families, and tribes in the province.
As it was the first time for the Church to join a festival, several members volunteered their time to help man the booth and to invite people to learn about genealogy. Despite the unstable weather conditions and the challenges encountered as they talked to individuals unfamiliar with family history, the volunteers stayed diligent with their task.
The fruits of their labors were evident by the positive experiences guests enjoyed as they visited the booth. Some of the elderly visitors were so happy and amazed at the program that they have requested for the family history consultants to join their upcoming grand clan reunions to introduce the FamilySearch to their families. Additionally, several visitors requested for the Ilocano version of the Book of Mormon.
Overall, the FamilySearch Interactive Booth proved to be a success as it not only help families and individuals learn how to connect with their ancestral line but also gave members of the Church an opportunity to serve their neighbors, the people in Benguet.