If you happened to pass the Holy Cross Cemetery recently and saw a group of young people with cameras taking pictures of headstones, do not be alarmed. They are not curious tourists; they are missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The cameras are helping document the lives of those who have passed on but are still a vital part of someone's past.

The headstone pictures taken are uploaded to the BillionGraves website, allowing those researching their own family history to access the available information electronically. It also preserves the information recorded there, even if something happens to the headstones due to time or nature.

In the Dakotas mission, these young missionaries have already documented over 150,000 headstones in over 130 cemeteries, and the numbers keep growing.

Typically, missionaries are called to share the message of the gospel for 18 to 24 months, but COVID-19 has limited those opportunities, even in Edmunds County. The Dakotas Mission President Scott L. Howell, a university administrator, former cemetery sexton, and amateur genealogist, developed this plan to keep the missionaries active and productive.

"This has been a wonderful experience for our missionaries," President Howell said. "It not only provides them with service opportunities, but it also increases public awareness of them and their service within the community."

Elder Britton Rowley from Duchesne, Utah, who took part in the Holy Cross Cemetery project, said of the experience, "I loved being a part of the BillionGraves project. It's great because it has the potential to help so many people understand their family heritage better."

Anyone who would like to follow more of what the missionaries are doing in your area may contact them at (605) 519-0215, or find them on social media.

Instagram: @gloryinhim.bh

Facebook: The Church of Jesus Christ in Aberdeen, SD