Weekly Family History Activities

Week 9: February 20–26 New Testament

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.

Matthew 6-7

"He Taught Them as One Having Authority"

Living the Savior’s teachings can help me become like Him

From Come, Follow Me:

The Sermon on the Mount contains many gospel principles. As you study these chapters, ask the Lord what He wants you to learn ... Consider recording your impressions.

Personal Scripture Journaling

From Come, Follow Me:

You might consider reading the Sermon on the Mount again, looking for other recurring principles or messages that are especially applicable to you. Record what you find in a study journal, along with your thoughts and impressions.

Consider how recording your thoughts and impressions becomes part of your personal history. “You can highlight verses, follow cross-references, take notes, and store all of these materials in a private, personalized online study notebook.” See Using Study Tools on ChurchofJesusChrist.org which includes two “how to” videos.

See also:

Recording Your Testimony Of Jesus Christ

Read and study "The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles.” You may want to audio or video record your own family taking turns reading each paragraph of it. Preserve your audio recording on FamilySearch Memories.

Consider also recording and preserving your personal testimony of Jesus Christ to strengthen it, and to save it to influence generations to come. You could verbally express or read your testimony as an audio message on FamilySearch using the FamilySearch Memories Audio App, or the "Record My Story" feature on FamilySearch Discovery, or from FamilySearch memories on your computer (see this link).

You may want to help young children write what they feel. Consider scanning or taking a photo of hand-written testimonies to preserve in Memories on FamilySearch. You can also type directly into a document and preserve it. See instructions in The Family History Guide here.

Matthew 6–7

From Come, Follow Me:

One principle you might find [in the Sermon On The Mount] is the need to prioritize the things of God over the things of the world.

A Sacrifice Of Time

“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. Brothers and sisters, together we are engaged in the work of Almighty God. He lives. Jesus is the Christ. This is His Church. We are His covenant children. He can count on us.” President Russell M. Nelson, Open the Heavens through Temple and Family History Work

See Week #6 2023 for more invitations from our prophet to prioritize your time to do more temple and family history work, and also fun, rewarding activities to fit into your schedule.

See also:

Matthew 7:24–27

Obeying the Savior’s teachings creates a firm foundation for my life.

From Come, Follow Me:

Living the gospel doesn’t remove adversity from our lives. Both houses in the Savior’s parable in Matthew 7:24–27 experienced the same storm. But one of the houses was able to withstand it. How has living the Savior’s teachings created a solid foundation for you? What do you feel inspired to do to continue building your “house upon a rock”? (see verse 24). See also Helaman 5:12.

Rosemary Wixom: Temples, Taproots, and Family Trees

"How does family history relate to this idea of anchoring to the taproot of our Heavenly Father's plan? Let's go to the tree that grows from the taproot. Consider the beautiful painting by Annie Henrie Nader titled Turning the Hearts.

The artist said the tree represents the tree of life and the fruit of the gospel. She states, ‘It also represents a family tree,’ and ‘the fruit embodies those precious pieces of information we pass down through ... generations.’

When I first saw this painting, I thought, 'I want to do that!' I want to stand under that beautiful tree and pick those precious pieces of fruit from its branches to pass down to my children and grandchildren. I want them to see themselves surrounding that tree. I want them to turn their hearts to their roots. I want them to know their progenitors—their positive attributes and their struggles. Where did their ancestors get the strength to endure? What are their stories of exercising faith in Jesus Christ that enabled them to live Heavenly Father's plan.

I love family history! I love learning my ancestors' stories. Those stories create a connection." Rosemary Wixom, Temples, Taproots, and Family Trees

Sharing Precious Pieces Of Family History

Here are Sister Wixom's ideas (paraphrased with added references) for helping her family receive the fruit:

Seize this moment. Personally learn from living relatives. (See Week 8: Family History Activities, 2022 for ideas)
Create a family gathering. (See What’s a Family Tree Gathering?)
Make our ancestors real through their stories. For two minutes I wrote everything I could remember about my deceased father that I could use to introduce him to my grandchildren. That got me thinking: "What if I were to do this exercise with other progenitors? And what if I made it an ongoing process? What if I collected that information? What if I took a simple notebook and titled it 'Precious Pieces of Information'? Could I also use my mobile device to record insights about each ancestor I have known?" (see Using FamilySearch Apps to Record Oral Histories)
Use the Sabbath for family history activities. (See Family History on the Sabbath and The Sabbath Is a Delight)

Provide temple ordinances for those who are waiting. (See Latter-day Saint Topics and Latter-day Saint Youth: Take Ancestors To The Temple)
As I submit these precious pieces of information online, others may connect the past to the present and continue to create an unbroken chain of memories.

"To know these pieces of information about our immediate family members who have gone before is one step, but to climb into the branches of our family tree and discover names of those who are waiting for their saving ordinances is another step. In Annie Henrie Nader's painting, passing the fruit may also represent discovering names of ancestors and performing their ordinances. We can do it as a family. As we pass the fruit, we not only see ourselves in the plan of salvation, but we also offer salvation to those who have gone before. Both are important elements of family history." Rosemary Wixom, Temples, Taproots, and Family Trees

Click to enlarge.