The Name that Found Her • followHIM Favorites • November 3-9 • Come Follow Me

Summary

Podcast Summary: followHIM — "The Name that Found Her" • November 3-9 • Come Follow Me

Hosts: Hank Smith & John Bytheway
Episode Date: October 30, 2025
Sections Covered: Doctrine & Covenants 125–128 (Baptisms for the Dead)

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Episode Overview

This FollowHIM Favorites episode focuses on a powerful family history and temple experience related to baptisms for the dead—the central topic in this week's Come, Follow Me study. Hosts Hank Smith and John Bytheway share a moving story about a woman from Suriname whose ancestors' names repeatedly found their way into her hands at the temple, illustrating the spiritual bond across generations and the role of promptings from the other side.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Context: Baptisms for the Dead

• The week's scripture sections (D&C 125-128) focus on the doctrine of baptisms for the dead.
• Hank and John introduce the theme with an invitation to see how the "spirit world touches our world," specifically through temple work.

2. Augustina and Eva Dorson's Family Line

• Story Source: Written by Sister Vicki Taylor, Caribbean Area Communications Senior Missionary.

• Main Characters:

  • Augustina Constantine Dorson: Born July 1, 1863, on the Serra plantation in present-day Suriname, the day slavery was officially abolished. Daughter of Molly Dorson.
  • Eva Dorson: Molly's sister, also a slave on the plantation.

• Life remained hard for the family even after abolition due to delayed implementation and repayments to slave owners. Eventually, the family moved to the capital, Paramaribo.

3. The Temple Experience (02:04–03:51)

• Lucanne Libretto's Experience:

  • On September 13, 2024, Lucanne attends the temple with five ancestral names for baptism. While waiting, she feels an urgent spiritual prompting—"I literally felt I was being pushed forward." (02:23, Lucanne paraphrased by John Bytheway)

  • She bypasses the group, and receives Eva Dorson's name first.

  • During a later session, she receives Eva's name again and again, without requesting it.

  • Lucanne reflects:

    "I was tired, but a temple worker handed me one more name to complete in addition to the five I had already done. To my surprise, it was Eva Dorson again. With tears in my eyes, I knew with certainty she wanted and had chosen me to do all her work at the temple. I never asked for her name, but I kept getting it pressed into my hands." — Lucanne Libretto (03:33)

  • Lucanne is grateful she listened to the promptings, even when exhausted.

4. Family Legacy and Spiritual Impact

• On September 21, 2024, Lucanne, her husband Imro, and others from their district completed ordinances for over 90 family members—including Augustina, Molly, Eva, and others.
• Imro's Testimony:

  "The best time we can spend here on earth is in the temple with our Heavenly Father." (03:49, Imro Row)

• The experience deeply strengthened their connection to both living and deceased family.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "I literally felt I was being pushed forward."
  — Lucanne Libretto, paraphrased by John Bytheway (02:23)
• "I want her. I want her. I want her."
  — John Bytheway, imagining Eva's urgency from the spirit world (04:01)
• "She gets that name, this Eva Dorson. Cool, huh? Over and over again."
  — Hank Smith (04:19)
• "The best time we can spend here on earth is in the temple with our Heavenly Father."
  — Imro Row (03:49)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:03] — Episode introduction and context (Come Follow Me sections)
• [00:40] — Story of Augustina and Eva Dorson's family background
• [02:04] — Lucanne Libretto's temple experience and spiritual promptings
• [03:33] — Lucanne's emotional realization about Eva Dorson's requests
• [03:49] — Imro's testimony and family legacy
• [04:01] — Hosts reflect on the story’s emotional power

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Tone & Atmosphere

• Warm, reverent, and conversational.
• Hosts express awe at the immediacy of spiritual promptings and the reality of connection with ancestors.
• Gentle encouragement for listeners to engage with their own family history and temple work.

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Final Thoughts

• The story powerfully illustrates the theme of personal, spiritual connection in temple work, showing how the work of salvation binds generations and how heaven sometimes urges us directly.
• Listeners are invited to deepen their engagement with Come, Follow Me—and to look for ways the "names find them" in their own lives.

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Listener Invitation:
For a deep dive, check out the full podcast episode and join next week’s FollowHIM Favorites for another inspiring story.

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Transcript

[A]

Hey.

[B]

Welcome to Follow him favorites. This is where John and I share a single story to go with each week's Come follow me lesson, John. We are in sections 125 through 128, pretty much all on baptisms for the dead. You have a story for me?

[A]

You know what I love about this story is almost everybody has a story like this. It's a wonderful place where the spirit world touches our world and it happens to a lot of people. But this one, I just loved it. This was written by Sister Vicki Taylor, who was a Caribbean area communications senior missionary. There are so many names in here and country names that I'm going to mispronounce.

[B]

We apologize in advance.

[A]

Yeah, here we go. Augustina Constantine Dorson was born July 1, 1863, on the Serra plantation in the district of Coronai, west of Paramaribo in the country currently known as Suriname. She was born the day slavery was officially abolished in the country that was then known as Dutch Guyana, located in the northeast part of South America. Augustina's mother, Molly Dorson, and Molly's sister, Eva Dorson, were slaves on that plantation. Life for the slaves was hard and did not change for 10 years after slavery was abolished because the government had to repay each plantation owner for for each person freed. The family eventually moved to Paramaribo, a larger town in Dutch Guyana, to find work. Fast forward, Hank, these wonderful brothers and sisters start doing family history. You heard the name. Eva Dorsen was one of the slaves. Early in the morning, September 13, 2024, Sister Lucanne Libretto attended the temple to do baptisms for their ancestors. Lucanne was given five names to be baptized for. She sat quietly in the chapel, waiting for her husband to change clothes while the rest of the group entered the baptistry. But as she waited, she felt strangely restless. She was being urged to go inside and start the baptisms immediately. She said. I literally felt I was being pushed forward. I passed the entire group, and to the surprise of my fellow brothers and sisters, I was helped. First, they wondered why I was in such a rush to pass them to the first row. Once I started the baptism, the first name I was given was that of Eva Dorson. Later that evening, when Lucanne returned for another ordinance session, she received Eva Dorson's name again. She was amazed and felt a strong bond with the deceased woman, as if Eva had chosen Lisanne to help her. At the end of another ordinance session, Luzanne said, I was tired, but a temple worker handed me one more name to complete in addition to the five I had already done. To my surprise, it was Eva Dorson again. With tears in my eyes, I knew with certainty she wanted and had chosen me to do all her work at the temple. I never asked for her name, but I kept getting it pressed into my hands. Even though I was exhausted, I felt grateful that I had listened to the gentle promptings of the spirit. On September 21, 2024, Imro, her husband Lu San, I think are her relative, and others from the Paramaribos Suriname district returned home with gratitude for the opportunity to attend the temple and for their shared memories. Imro witnessed ordinances completed for over 90 family members, including his great grandmother Augustina, his grandmother Molly, his mother Siglen, and his great aunt Eva, as well as his father, brother and son. It was a deeply emotional experience that strengthened his bond with his family, both past and present. In his testimony, Imra Row said, the best time we can spend here on earth is in the temple with our heavenly father.

[B]

Wow, that is amazing.

[A]

She gets pushed forward.

[B]

You, you, you. Move, move. I want her. I want her.

[A]

I want her.

[B]

I would love to find out if she in her life was this way. If we find out she was. She was a. Hey, we're doing this right now.

[A]

She was waiting for her husband to get dressed, but it's like, no, no, no, no.

[B]

Go now. No go now.

[A]

She gets that name, this Eva Dorsen. Cool, huh?

[B]

Over and over again. Well, we hope you'll join us on our full podcast. It's called Follow Him. Now, John, I don't know what word you would use to describe it, but what Dr. Jordan Watkins does in these sections, talking about Joseph Smith and his legal problems with baptisms for the dead, it really will expand your mind in ways that you just. I don't know how to describe it. Come join us on our full podcast. It's called Follow Him. You can get it wherever you get your podcast. Come back here next week. We'll do another Follow him favorite.