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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.
I show my love for Jesus Christ by keeping His commandments
From Come, Follow Me:
Ponder how the Savior’s love has influenced you.
“Before you were born, you lived with Heavenly Father. He wanted you to be happy and to become like Him. He presented a plan for you and for all His children to come to earth and then return to His presence. Your life is intended to be a homeward journey to the presence of God in His celestial kingdom.
This journey would be impossible without the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. The Savior’s Atonement enables us all to repent and be forgiven of our sins and to be resurrected. We obtain the full blessings of the Atonement by receiving gospel ordinances and making and keeping sacred covenants with God.” Read more here.
“Heavenly Father prepared a plan of salvation that teaches us where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going after mortality. Understanding our place in the plan of salvation helps us develop faith and find joy in a world with many inequities. We can use our knowledge of the plan of salvation to help us in our earthly challenges.” Read more here.
This activity works for families, groups, and wards. Ahead of time, reserve a church meeting house or another place with several available rooms. Prepare the menu and materials for the "carnival." Collect discarded keys or make paper cut-outs. You will need two keys for each participant, except for one or two adults who know ahead of time that they will not get keys. Find a place to begin such as a church building or temple grounds. A home will also work.
Step #1: PRE-MORTAL EXISTENCE
Bring a picture of the temple (representing life before we came to earth), or if you live near a temple visit it if possible and do Step #1 outside the temple. Explain what the premortal life was like (see Abraham 3:22-28 and Moses 4:1-6). See The Family: A Proclamation To The World.
We felt happy and secure there in the care of our Heavenly Father, and we shouted for joy when we heard the plan. We knew our Savior would help us through mortality and be the means by which we could return to our Father in Heaven. "... in the Grand Council of Heaven He loved us and was [so] wonderfully strong, that we triumphed even there by the power of Christ and our faith in the blood of the Lamb." Jeffrey R. Holland, This Do In Remembrance
What specific things can we do in our home to rely on the Savior? What were our hopes in premortal life, and how does the Savior make it possible to reach our dreams? At this point, give each group member three keys and tell them that they are important.
Step #2 BORN INTO MORTALITY
As you gather and go toward the next room (or return from visiting a temple), share stories of what it was like to welcome new babies into your family.
Explain that the purpose of mortality was "for spirit sons and daughters to obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life;" (see The Family: A Proclamation To The World). Explain why the "veil was drawn and why we don't remember what the premortal existence was like. Discuss Alma 43:32.
You are all now "born" and the room representing "mortality" could be set up like a big carnival with food, party hats and decorations, tokens to play games that are available, and birthday cake because it is your collective imaginary "birthdays." Earth life is filled with wonderful opportunities! Give out plenty of tokens (tickets) for games and prizes for those who win games. You could also go to a fun venue for this part.
During this phase, some of the adults could try to talk others out of the keys by offering to trade three tokens for one key. Some of the kids will figure out that the keys must be very valuable, and they will keep them. Some may trade them for tokens.
Step #3: DEATH
Suddenly it will be time for mortality to end. At the end of life on earth, all the material prizes, food, party hats and decorations, etc. must be left behind. Discuss death and its part in the plan of salvation (See Romans 5:12). Have everyone walk to the next room without anything extra except keys they still have. Discuss what mortality was like. What do the treats, games, prizes, and decorations represent? (worldly pleasure) What do the keys represent? (ordinances and covenants).
Step #4: THE SPIRIT WORLD
In the "Spirit World," begin by asking those who have keys if they are prepared for their reward. Make sure that one or two adults did not get keys. This is a prime opportunity to explain that there are those people who do not have the knowledge of the gospel, or who did not have the opportunity to understand it fully.
Those with keys represent people who have made covenants and received ordinances. In D&C 138:32-35 we learn that in the spirit world, those who did not have the gospel in mortality will have an opportunity to learn about, understand, and accept the gospel.
Invite (or this may happen naturally) those with keys to share the gospel with those who don't have keys. Explain that only through the atonement of Jesus Christ, our Savior, can the opportunity to receive exaltation be possible for all of us. Talk about missionary and family history work on both sides of the veil (see Families Gathering Families on Both Sides of the Veil).
Step #5: THE FINAL JUDGMENT, RESURRECTION, AND ETERNAL LIFE
We will all be resurrected (see Revelations 20:12, 1 Cor. 15:22, D&C 93:33, and Alma 40:23). So, because keys were shared to those without keys, everyone now has them, and everyone receives his or her symbolic reward (treat or gift)! That is what missionary work and temple work is all about - gathering Israel on both sides of the veil!
View any other relevant videos from the ChurchofJesusChrist.org Video Collections. Share what it is like to lose a loved one, and the glory of the resurrection. Visit the grave of a loved one or view online, tell family history stories, rejoice together in the fact that families are eternal. Sing: Families Can Be Together Forever
Record your feelings and gratitude in FamilySearch Memories, and add photos. Consider making a video of your experience to share also.
Watch the clip below from Mr. Krueger's Christmas, and try to feel what it would be like to be in the manger with the newborn Christ-child. Express to each other your feelings, and as you do you may want to also record them in writing or with an audio device. See instructions and ideas in The Amazing Audio Feature of The FamilySearch Memories App – The Family History Guide Blog
The Holy Ghost helps me fulfill my purpose as a disciple of Jesus Christ
From Come, Follow Me:
Consider what you can do so that [the Holy Ghost’s] influence will be stronger in your life.
President Nelson: "We can ... hear Him in the temple…please schedule regular time to worship and serve in the temple. Every minute of that time will bless you and your family in ways nothing else can. Take time to ponder what you hear and feel when you are there. Ask the Lord to teach you how to open the heavens to bless your life and the lives of those you love and serve…I promise that as you increase your time in temple and family history work, you will increase and improve your ability to hear Him." (Hear Him)
You can learn and help others learn to do family history by using The Family History Guide. See the menus at the top of each website page; or click on "Get Started." Use the search bar for any questions you have, and you'll find all the help you need. With The Family History Guide, you don't need to be the "library," you're just the "librarian!"
Discover how to track your progress through The Family History Guide’s tracker. These easy-to-use Trackers are included for projects in Family Search, Ancestry, My Heritage, and Findmypast. Look for the access link under the Title/description below each project on the left-hand side of the screen. See instructions in Online Tracker Help.
You may want to set goals as individuals or as a family to learn to do different aspects of family history and track your progress. Trackers help you see what you already know and what you may like to learn to do next. You may also want to record in a journal the blessings you receive as you make family history more a part of your life. See Elder Dale G. Renlund ‘s Family History and Temple Work: Sealing and Healing.