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.
Doctrine and Covenants 18-19 —"The Worth of Souls Is Great"
Martin and Lucy Harris had one of the finest farms in Palmyra, New York. It had taken them years to acquire, had enabled them to raise a family, and had given them good standing in the community. But in 1829 it became clear that the Book of Mormon could be published only if Martin mortgaged his farm to pay the printer. Martin had a testimony of the Book of Mormon, but Lucy did not. If Martin went forward with the mortgage and the Book of Mormon did not sell well, he would lose his farm and jeopardize his marriage. At some time or another, we all face questions similar to those that Martin may have been facing: What is the gospel of Jesus Christ worth to me? What am I willing to sacrifice to help build God's kingdom? ... Martin made the decision to mortgage his farm. His sacrifice paid for the printing of the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon. And now, more than 190 million copies later, millions of souls around the world have been blessed.
God's blessings are greater than the treasures of the earth.
From Come, Follow Me :
The Book of Mormon did not sell very well in Palmyra, and as a result, Martin Harris ended up having to sell a large portion of his farm to pay the debt (see The Contributions of Martin Harris, Revelations in Context, 7–8). Ponder that sacrifice—and the blessings you've received because of it—as you read these verses. You might also think about what the Lord has asked you to sacrifice.
What sacrifice are you willing to make to help build God's kingdom? At the 2017 RootsTech Discover Day, President Russell M. Nelson challenged you to make a sacrifice of time to do more family history and temple work.
"We are to be strong links in the chain from our ancestors to our posterity. If...we know who our ancestors are and know marvelous things about them, but we leave them stranded on the other side without their ordinances--such diversion will not be of any help to our ancestors who remain confined in spirit prison ... That means sacrificing time we normally spend on other activities. We need to be spending more time in the temple and in doing family history research which includes indexing ... I would like to extend a challenge to each one of us. I invite you prayerfully to consider what kind of sacrifice--and preferably a sacrifice of time--you can make to do more family history and temple work this year." (Open the Heavens through Temple and Family History Work, Ensign, October 2017)
Learning Paths to FamilySearch
Learn how to sign in and navigate FamilySearch in FamilySearch Project 1, Goal 1 in The Family History Guide). Continue with FamilySearch Goals 2-14. Read how Projects, Goals and Choices enable your continued learning.
Use The Family History Guide Online Tracker to document your progress. The Tracker will enable you to study for as little or as long as time allows and then you mark where you left off so you know exactly where to begin the next time.
Family History in 5 Minutes a Day
You have a busy life. How do you fit in more activity in the same amount of time? President Nelson challenged it means sacrificing time you normally spend on other activities. However, there are ways you can do family history in short amounts of time—even as little as 5 minutes a day.
Start or continue indexing as a family or individual. You will be helping others and yourself be able to find ancestors in the records you index. To learn how to begin, see Get Started at FamilySearch. If you prefer, find a specific project by looking at the Indexing Overview on FamilySearch.
Do your family members' names have special meaning? Maybe you could talk about why names are important and what it means to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ (see Mosiah 5:7). This could be a good opportunity to help family members prepare to take Christ's name upon themselves when they are baptized.
Surname Search
Discover the origin and meaning of your last name at Surname Search by FamilySearch. Before you search, see if you or other family members can guess the meaning. Enter the last names of some of your ancestors to also learn about their last names. Look at your pedigree chart if you need help finding other names. (If you need help finding your pedigree chart, The Family History Guide Project 1: Family Tree can help you.)
The Meaning of Your Name
"Discuss with your family the meaning of each of their names if you know it. Discuss with them also why you gave them their names. Tell a story about the time each child was given a name and a blessing. You might keep secret the name of the child you are talking about and let the children guess who the child is. If you have a picture of each child when he was very young, show the picture after telling the story. A child loves to hear about what happened to him when he was a baby." This lesson also has an adaptation, including a story, for younger children you may want to check out. (Lesson Twenty-eight: A Name and a Blessing, Family Home Evening Resource Manual)
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. Find promises in Doctrine and Covenants 18-19 and write or audio-record about their influence in your life.
