Weekly Family History Activities

Acts 6–9

“What Wilt Thou Have Me to Do?”

Acts 6–8

My heart needs to be “right in the sight of God.”

From Come, Follow Me

Is there anything you feel inspired to change to ensure that your heart is “right in the sight of God”? (Acts 8:21–22). How might making this change bless you as you serve God?

“The refining influence of family history work can increase our own capacity for love. If we grow to love people long since dead, who lived very differently from us, then will we not come to realize how loving and merciful God is toward us? And can we not then love our families and neighbors and be compassionate with their shortcomings?” Amy Harris, How Family History Changes Our Hearts and Minds

Family History Charades

As individuals or with one or two others. take turns acting out family history stories that you draw from a hat (key words from each story are written on a slip of paper). The object is to get the rest of your family to guess the story using gestures and actions alone. That's right: when participants are acting out the word or phrase, they aren't allowed to talk. Select stories that show how your living relatives or ancestors showed that they loved their family. 

Talk about each story after it is guessed, share more details, and even look them up on FamilySearch if you would like. Find them on the fan chart, click on their photo or placeholder, and then when the information appears in the box on the right, click again to bring it full screen. Click on the “About” tab to see more information. 

Promised Blessings

Copy each of the blessings listed below on small pieces of paper and put them into a basket. In a group or as a family, take turns drawing them out one-by-one and discussing the reasons why you would want that particular blessing in your life.

• Increased understanding of the Savior and His atoning sacrifice
• Increased influence of the Holy Ghost to feel strength and direction for our own lives
• Increased faith, so that conversion to the Savior becomes deep and abiding
• Increased ability and motivation to learn and repent because of an understanding of who we are, where we come from, and a clearer vision of where we are going
• Increased refining, sanctifying, and moderating influences in our hearts
• Increased joy through an increased ability to feel the love of the Lord
• Increased family blessings, no matter our current, past, or future family situation or how imperfect our family tree may be
• Increased love and appreciation for ancestors and living relatives, so we no longer feel alone
• Increased power to discern that which needs healing and thus, with the Lord's help, serve others
• Increased protection from temptations and the intensifying influence of the adversary
• Increased assistance to mend troubled, broken, or anxious hearts and make the wounded whole

After the discussion activity, ask, "What one thing can we do to have these incredible blessings in our lives and in the lives of those we love?" Refer to Elder Renlund's talk (see above). Make plans together to do more temple and family history work to receive these blessings. Note that one of the promised blessings is that of "increased protection from temptations and the intensifying influence of the adversary" which exemplifies what Section 10 describes. Read more here.

Take Your Next Step

Everyone is at a different place in his or her temple work and family history journey, and can progress at a personal speed. See the chart (bulletin board) below to learn about taking your next step to be able to serve through temple and family history work. Don't give up finding connections and moving toward strengthening relationships. Keep the temple as a guide. 

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You will notice on the chart that both FamilySearch and The Family History Guide are shown as resources to help you in your journey, along with your ward leader and consultants. Make a plan to progress! 

Weekly Family History Activities: A Come, Follow Me Companion

If you are reading this, then you already know that the Weekly Family History Activities: A Come, Follow Me Companion can help you do more temple work and family history, (and bless you and your family in a multitude of ways) as you enjoy related activities correlated to each lesson. Check out the suggestions on the homepage to make using it a part of the weekly flow of your lives. See the video below for ideas and inspiration. Select an activity or two for this week! 

The following activity is one of the activities used as an example in the above video (timestamp 4:14). See also Activity #4 in the Youth Activities: Making Family History section. This activity is also described in the Kids Corner: About Family History section.

Have a quick scavenger hunt in your house (or at a relative's home) to see how many things you can find that are about your family history. You can look for birth certificates, a family bible, old pictures and scrapbooks, or anything that reminds you of the past. If the items are moveable you can make a display, and if not, you can take pictures to share. Create a name for your "family history museum," and have your mom and dad (or grandpa, grandma. or others) tell you stories about the items. Remember to have someone record the stories as they are told to create a Digital Museum to view often. 

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Acts 6–7

Resisting the Holy Ghost can lead to rejecting the Savior and His servants.

From Come, Follow Me

How can you be more sensitive and responsive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost in your life?

President Nelson: “I renew my plea for you to do whatever it takes to increase your spiritual capacity to receive personal revelation. Doing so will help you know how to move ahead with your life, what to do during times of crisis, and how to discern and avoid the temptations and the deceptions of the adversary.” (read more here).

Increasing Time in Family History and Temple Work

President Nelson: "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 

The invitation from President and Sister Nelson (Rootstech 2011) to make a sacrifice of time to do more temple and family history work is a change that you can make to increase your ability to hear the Savior. 

"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 ..."

Decide how you can accept our prophet’s invitation to do more temple and family history work without becoming overwhelmed. Sometimes all of us just need a little help finding what is best for each situation. See this blog post. Check out ideas in the Weekly Family History Activities, The Family History Guide, and FamilySearch , and make a plan. 

Check out  5-Minute Ideas for Latter-day Saints with the idea in mind that temple and family history work includes many facets, and can be fit into many different time frames. See Family Activities: Anytime Activities and Games which includes “Quick and Easy Family History Activity Time Fillers.” Find what works for you and your family and remember that The Family History Guide is free, searchable, and right at your fingertips! The “no prep” activities are marked with an asterisk. Make good use of the Activities Index.

President Russell M. Nelson invited us to make the Sabbath a delight by spending time doing family history: “Searching for and finding family members who have preceded you on earth—those who did not have an opportunity to accept the gospel while here—can bring immense joy.” The Sabbath Is a Delight 

See  Week 21 for ways to research and locate the names of your ancestors to do proxy work for in the temple. Included also are ways to prepare to go to the temple. 

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