Come, Follow Me is a resource offered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is designed to be used in the home to support personal and family scripture study to build faith in Heavenly Father and His plan of salvation and in the Savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Come, Follow Me is self-contained and adequate, when used properly. Products and materials designed to supplement this resource, though they may be helpful in some instances, are not necessary for a successful home study program.
As you read Joseph Smith—History 1:27–33, consider that God has a work for you to do, as He did for Joseph Smith. Ponder this invitation from President Russell M. Nelson: "Ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, how He feels about you and your mission here on earth. If you ask with real intent, over time the Spirit will whisper the life-changing truth to you. ... I promise you that when you begin to catch even a glimpse of how your Heavenly Father sees you and what He is counting on you to do for Him, your life will never be the same!" (Becoming True Millennials [worldwide devotional for young adults, Jan. 10, 2016], broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
Elder Bradley D. Foster explains your role in gathering God's children on both sides of the veil.
"The gathering is "the most important thing taking place on earth today," President Nelson told youth during a worldwide devotional in June 2018, inviting them to enlist in the Lord's youth battalion to gather Israel. This gathering should mean everything to you. This is the mission for which you were sent to earth.'" (The Church News, November 18, 2020) See also Youth: Latter-day Saints in The Family History Guide.
Gather Those Who Are Missing
Who in your family may need to be gathered? Review your fan chart on FamilySearch. The fan chart is a great tool to give you an overview of your family tree on one screen. What "empty" boxes do you find? Change to different ancestors and see if any empty boxes appear. Make notes of them. As a family, discuss what you might do or with whom you may seek help to see if you can find these ancestors. Pray for guidance. Set some smart goals to succeed. (The fan chart defaults to the fan chart of the individual who logged on to FamilySearch. To start the fan chart with someone else, simply find that person on your fan chart and click that person's name, and then click the Tree link that appears in the box.) See also Week #42, 2020.
Read your patriarchal blessing. What insights do you find about your life's mission? Record in your journal any promptings you may receive. "Patriarchal blessings...contemplate an inspired declaration of the lineage of the recipient and, when so moved upon by the Spirit, an inspired and prophetic statement of the life mission of the recipient, together with such blessings, cautions and admonitions as the patriarch may be prompted to give for the accomplishment of such life's mission, it being always made clear that the realization of all promised blessings is conditioned upon faithfulness to the gospel of our Lord, whose servant the patriarch is (First Presidency Letter to stake presidents, 28 June 1958)." (Thomas S. Monson, October 1986 General Conference, Your Patriarchal Blessing)
President Henry B. Eyring said: "It is important to know why the Lord promised to send Elijah. Elijah was a great prophet with great power given him by God. He held the greatest power God gives to His children: he held the sealing power, the power to bind on earth and have it bound in heaven" ("Hearts Bound Together," Ensign or Liahona, May 2005, 78).
Marriage Records
Does your fan chart show any ancestors missing a spouse? Pick one and search for the missing spouse so your ancestor can be sealed. One way to document a marriage is through marriage records. More information on marriage records can be found here in The Family History Guide.
What do words like "plant," "hearts," and "turn" in this section teach you about the mission of Elijah and the blessings of the priesthood keys he restored? How have you felt your heart turn toward your ancestors? Think of ways you can experience such feelings more often.
Getting involved in family history is a great way to help your heart turn to your ancestors, and there are so many fun ways to get involved. Your life will also be blessed. President Russell M. Nelson said, "While temple and family history work has the power to bless those beyond the veil, it has an equal power to bless the living." (Generations Linked in Love, April 2010 General Conference)
Family History Is for Everyone
Family History Is for Everyone discusses fun ways to participate in family history. Which of these 10 methods would you like to try? Click on the article and read about those of interest to you. Choose one activity and begin to work on it.
To help family members turn their hearts to their fathers (or ancestors), you could invite them to learn about an ancestor and to share what they learn with the rest of the family. Why does the Lord want us to learn about our family members and perform temple ordinances for them? How are we blessed when we participate in family history and temple work? (see Dale G. Renlund, Family History and Temple Work: Sealing and Healing, Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 46–49).
As a family, think of and write down all the blessings you can receive by doing temple and family history work. Review Elder Renlund's address Family History and Temple Work: Sealing and Healing and watch the video below to see if you can discover any additional blessings you did not write down. Discuss together the wonderful blessings that are available to you and how you can experience more of them in your individual lives.
Watch the Youth Connecting with Generations video by President Nelson and check out the following links in the blog article that goes with it:
President Nelson and his wife Wendy encourage us all to prayerfully consider where we could make a sacrifice of personal time to the Lord by increasing the amount of time that we spend doing temple and family history work. As we do so, Sister Nelson said, "Watch what happens!" Watch a short video clip here or read or watch the full talk here.
Your Personal History—Fulfillment of Promises in Your Life
"As you study your scriptures during the next six months, I encourage you to make a list of all that the Lord has promised He will do for covenant Israel. I think you will be astounded! Ponder these promises. Talk about them with your family and friends. Then live and watch for these promises to be fulfilled in your own life." (President Russell M. Nelson, Let God Prevail, October 2020 General Conference)
As you read your Come, Follow Me lesson this week, identify promises the Lord has promised He will do for you and add them to your list. Write these promises in your journal, and share how their fulfillment has blessed, or is blessing your life. Below are just a couple of promised blessings.
Elijah will restore the priesthood (the sealing power). (D&C 2:1)
The hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. (D&C 2:2)
