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I love my name: Victoria(Tori) Lyn Jorgensen. I love it because it almost rhymes (Lyn and Jorgensen. Plus, Victoria is just a classy name that works in all time periods. My dad jokingly affirms I was given the name because the University of Utah emerged victorious against Brigham Young University in football the day I was born. My mom clarifies that although that was a great coincidence, I was actually named after my great-grandpa, Victor Hughes Watkins.

My great-grandpa died before I was born, so I never had the great privilege of meeting him on this Earth. I didn't know very much about him either. I was never curious enough to ask my dad or my grandparents about him. Recently, though, I stumbled upon FamilySearch! It's like Facebook for the dead! Seriously! I went from my page to the fan chart (or to my 'friends list' if we are comparing this to Facebook) and clicked on Victor Watkins page. Then it connected me to his page with photos and posts! 

Here's a little of what I learned:

While Victor was young he found joy in jumping over this ditch of irrigation water on his way home from school. It was normally only 8 to 9 feet wide but sometimes it got as wide as fourteen feet! He was the champion ditch-jumper of the town! (Partially due to the fact that no one dared or cared to compete against him.) This totally prepared him to try out for the track team at the local high school his freshman year. Check out the story in his own words:

". . . One day in the spring of the year when I was a freshman in high school, just a month or two after turning 16 years old, I wandered out onto the high school athletic field where the coach was training the school tract team. Naturally, I was especially interested in the broad jumpers, now days called long jumpers. As I watched, the coach said that anyone who could jump 17 to 18 feet would be eligible to participate in the school track meets. I said, 'Well, that shouldn't be too hard to do.' All the fellows immediately gave me what in those days was called the 'horse' laugh. Even the coach joined with them, because none of the fellows were jumping that far. So, even though I was just a freshman, I made the rash statement that I could jump that far with my street clothes on. The challenge was immediately accepted and I took off my coat. The first leap exceeded 17 feet which very much surprised everyone, including myself. Deep down in my heart I was very thankful for my town ditch leaping experience." *


This story really spoke to me because I know that experiences we have early on prepare us for experiences to come in the future. I realized the experiences I had while I was in my first year of college prepared me for my mission. I was away from my family for a greater length of time than I had been previously. I was rejected by 43 jobs even after several interviews. When I finally got a job to keep me busy it was with the University Journal where I was a reporter and had the great opportunity to talk with people from all walks of life. I also participated in the swing dance club. At first the lifts freaked me right out because I was scared of falling, but I came to love it and develop trust. On my mission all of this is just escalated to the max. I will be away from my family for a total of 18 months, I have experienced more rejection than ever before, I have the opportunity to talk to everyone everywhere no matter who they are or what they are doing, and I realize more now than ever before that sometimes I've got to fall a few times in order to learn, but as long as I put my trust in God, everything will work out.

I know that all opportunities that happen prepare us for upcoming events. I've seen that in my life, my great-grandpa's life, and the lives of countless others. I know as long as we are living righteously, even hard times will adequately prepare us for the future. That's a promise. ( 2 Nephi 2:1-2) This is just one lesson that I have learned through doing my family history and I'm sure there is more to come.

I know everyone can learn life lessons from studying family history. You'll learn a lot about yourself if you try it out. Please go to FamilySearch.org and set up an account! If you need any assistance feel free to FB me! 

*Montgomery Family Newsletter