LIVERPOOL, England — There was a near disaster for the family history computers tent when Liverpool's city council inadvertently moved its location from what was a solid surface to a grassed area — where the computers could not function. There was practically nothing that could be done about it until Monday morning, Aug. 20, shortly before the ships arrived.
Bengd Svedjot, senior manager for family history in Europe responsible for correlating the family history facilities at each of the Sea Trek port, explained, "Originally, the floor should have been concrete. Sea Trek did not know they needed a floor."
Time was of the essence, as crowds of "Liverpudlians," as they call people from Liverpool, would be gathering the Prince's Pier Head hoping to be able to not only visit the exhibit but use the family history computer internet stations. Unless a floor could be provided with electrical connections, the event could not take place.
On hearing the news, local members rallied. Monday morning, a member's business contacts with a lumberyard resulted in the free supply of plywood and timber for the floor. Two carpenters and a healthy quantity of strong priesthood brethren were ready and waiting to swing into action.
"They put that floor (60-feet-by-40-feet) in within 30 minutes," said Brother Svedjot. "The same spirit that drove the early converts was present. It was just fantastic."
Sea trek Director of Operations, Chris Bowler, said, "It was incredible to see them organize and carry it out. I think of the words of the last song of the oratorio: 'Good hands come together and pray and labor as one.'
Robert Gerrard of the Southport Ward was the supervisor of the 26 volunteers from the Liverpool England Stake staffing the emigration exhibit and assisting visitors to access the Church family history computer resources. "It's been really busy all day," he said. By 7 p.m., just under 2,000 people had used the computers.