Weekly Family History Activities

Week 22: May 22–28 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.

Joseph Smith—Matthew 1; Matthew 24–25; Mark 12–13; Luke 21

“The Son of Man Shall Come”

Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:21–37; Mark 13:21–37; Luke 21:25–38

Prophecies about the Savior’s Second Coming can help me face the future with faith.

From Come, Follow Me:

It can be unsettling to read about the events leading up to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. But when Jesus prophesied of these events, He told His disciples to “be not troubled” (Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:23). How can you “be not troubled” as you hear about earthquakes, wars, deceptions, and famines?

Elder Holland gives a description of our day, the work we have been sent to do, and the gratitude of those prophets who have gone on before as they cheer us on to "be not troubled," but to work to accomplish our part in the "drama of history."

"In short, apostasy and destruction of one kind or another was the ultimate fate of every general dispensation we have ever had down through time. But here's my theory. My theory is that those great men and women, the leaders in those ages past, were able to keep going, to keep testifying, to keep trying to do their best, not because they knew that they would succeed but because they knew that you would. I believe they took courage and hope not so much from their own circumstances as from yours ..."

"Ours, not theirs, was the day that gave them heavenly and joyful anticipations and caused them to sing and prophesy of victory. Ours is the day, collectively speaking, toward which the prophets have been looking from the beginning of time, and those earlier brethren are over there still cheering us on! In a very real way, their chance to consider themselves fully successful depends on our faithfulness and our victory."

"I love the idea of going into the battle of the last days representing Alma and Abinadi and what they pled for and representing Peter and Paul and the sacrifices they made. If you can't get excited about that kind of assignment in the drama of history, you can't get excited!" Jeffrey R. Holland, Terror, Triumph, and a Wedding Feast. Listen to the entire presentation here.

Angels Cheering Us On

Joseph F. Smith said, "When messengers are sent to minister to the inhabitants of this earth, they are not strangers, but from the ranks of our kindred [and] friends . . . . In like manner, our fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters, and friends who have passed away from this earth, having been faithful, and worthy to enjoy these rights and privileges, may have a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, bringing from the divine Presence messages of love, of warning, of reproof and instruction to those whom they had learned to love in the flesh." Gospel Doctrine (read more here).

How can you learn more about these loved ones who are cheering you on, right alongside the prophets? Getting to know about their lives can help open the door to receive their influence in your life to help you through troubled times.

Check out these FamilySearch Activities and select the ones you would enjoy doing as a family or individually:

Have fun exploring additional activities to get to know your ancestors in FamilySearch Discovery and in The Family History Guide Activities pages. See also 10 Ways to Find Ancestor's Stories, your FamilySearch fan chart, and check out the All The Stories site to see a searchable list of all the stories anyone has placed on your part of the Family Tree.

"Interrupting Angels" by Annie Henrie Nader

"The Lord so declared: 'I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.' What a promise! When we are faithful, He and His angels will help us." (Russell M. Nelson, April General Conference 2011)

Expressing Gratitude to Ancestors

See what Sister Sheri Dew shares about asking for angels to help you. Watch a video of her presentation below.

To express gratitude to these ancestors, honor their names and perform temple ordinances for them. Write a letter of gratitude to one or more of your ancestors and add these to your FamilySearch memories. Tag your ancestors.

"So keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever." Jeffrey R. Holland, Tomorrow the Lord Will Do Wonders Among You

You may also be interested in reading this article by Larry E. Dahl and watching this short video clip by Elder Holland: Angels Round About You. Also, see these inspirational items from Elder Holland:

If you feel they can be shared, record in FamilySearch memories any experiences describing times you have felt the influence of your ancestors. Perhaps these experiences can help strengthen the family bonds and testimonies of your living family and generations to come.

Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:26–27, 38–55; Matthew 25:1–13; Luke 21:29–36

I must always be ready for the Savior’s Second Coming

From Come, Follow Me:

God has not revealed “the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 25:13). But He does not want that day to come upon us “unawares” (Luke 21:34), so He has given us counsel about how to prepare…You might also consider how the Savior wants you to help prepare the world for His Second Coming.

Temples and Technology

"These are your days. You were born in a time of temples and technology. These are your days to more fully turn your hearts to your fathers and bring these saving ordinances to millions within our families.” Elder Andersen RootsTech 2015 Youth Devotional: Find Our Cousins

To see how our opportunities to do temple and family history work have increased over time, click here to go to the FamilySearch "In-Home Activities" and take a look at The Year I Was Born activity. Click "All About Me - What's special about my birth year?" at the bottom of the page to go to the digital activity. This is a fun guessing game to help us all realize how quickly and dramatically things change in our lives, and especially how technology and opportunities to serve in temples have both escalated since our birth years. The birth year can be changed right on the page! Have fun exploring the birth year of your friends and family members.

In addition to playing the game (which can go on for a long time, it is so much fun), FamilySearch suggests:

For children: With a parent's help, learn about important events or inventions from the year you were born. What inventions have come since your birth?
Try to find photos or documents of when you were a newborn. Ask a parent or other family members about what you were like as a baby.
On FamilySearch, find an ancestor you'd like to learn more about. Look up his or her birth year. Using a search engine, learn what world events or inventions happened that year. How was life different back then?

Interview Living Relatives

Interview living relatives to see just how different life is now from the year they were born. Ask them to share their experiences seeing things change during their life times, and (if possible) their testimonies of Jesus Christ. Capture these conversations by learning how to record stories and preserve and share photos.

Matthew 25:31–46

When I serve others, I am serving God.

If you wonder how the Lord will judge your life, read the parable of the sheep and the goats. Why do you think caring for those in need would help prepare you to “inherit the kingdom” of God?

“Jesus taught his followers the parable of the sheep and the goats, representing the judgment to come, in which he clearly identified those who will inherit ‘life eternal’ and those who will ‘go away into everlasting punishment’ (Matthew 25:46). The key difference was that those who should inherit the kingdom with him had developed the habit of helping, had experienced the joy of giving and the satisfaction of serving. They had responded to the needs of the hungry, thirsty, homeless, the naked, the sick, and those in prison. …

“Nothing would seem more clear than the high premium the Savior put upon selfless service to others as an indispensable element of Christian conduct and of salvation. Helping, giving, and sacrificing are, or should be, as natural as growing and breathing.” Marion D. Hanks Inherit the Kingdom Prepared for You.

Serving Those on the Other Side of the Veil

Find step-by-step instructions to do temple work for the dead in the “Church of Jesus Christ” section of The Family History Guide. See also Take Ancestors To The Temple.

Create family temple traditions. Some sacrifices will need to be made, but having set times may help. See the video A Sacrifice of Time.

If you haven't used Ordinances Ready yet, you can try this FamilySearch tool that simplifies finding names for the temple, allowing you more time to serve your family and enjoy the blessings of the temple. Read how to verify names and relationships here.

Watch this video to see how to use the app: