Weekly Family History Activities

Week 31: July 24–July 30, 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.

Acts 16–21

“The Lord Had Called Us for to Preach the Gospel”

From Come, Follow Me

What resources do we have today to help bring the gospel to all nations?

The introduction in the new revised Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ states that it is a “vital resource.”

Preach My Gospel is a valuable resource not just for missionaries but for all members of the Church. See Use of Preach My Gospel by Church Members

Temple and family history work and missionary work is one great work of salvation!

Missionary, Family History, and Temple Work

“With a rapidly expanding and better-prepared missionary force, we simply cannot rely exclusively on past proselyting successes to determine our course and methods for the future. The Lord has inspired technologies and tools that enable us to benefit from the oneness of missionary work and temple and family history work more than at any previous time in this dispensation. And it is no coincidence that these innovations have come forth at precisely the time they are so needed to advance missionary work all over the earth. The Lord’s work is one majestic work focused upon hearts that change and turn, on sacred covenants, and upon the power of godliness manifested through priesthood ordinances.” David A. Bednar, Missionary, Family History, and Temple Work

Role-play scenarios where family history tools can be a tool for introducing someone to the gospel. For example, you could divide your family or group into “companionships,” and practice creative and workable door approaches with this guidance from the original Preach My Gospel: "Talk to people about their families. Help them see how the restored gospel can be a blessing to their families. Offer to help them find the names of grandparents, great-grandparents, or other ancestors. Enlist the help of ward temple and family history consultants."

The “Come, Follow Me” Resource suggests:

To inspire your family to share the gospel, you could show one or more of the videos in the “Sharing the Gospel” section of the Gospel Library.

Also, you could view the videos and follow the discussion found in Missionary, Family History, and Temple Work.

Help Others Begin Doing Family History

“If I were a missionary today, my two best friends in the ward or branch where I served would be the ward mission leader and the ward temple and family history consultant. People have an inborn desire to know something about their ancestors. That becomes a natural opportunity for our missionaries.

As missionaries learn to love the people they teach, they will naturally ask about their families. ‘Are your parents living? Are your grandparents living? Do you know your four grandparents?’ Conversations flow easily when those who are drawn to speak with the missionaries are invited to talk about the people they love.

Then the missionaries can make this suggestion: ‘I have a friend at our church who can help. If we could find the names of some or maybe even all of your great-grandparents, would it be worth a couple of hours of your time to find out who your great-grandparents are?’ That friend at church, of course, is the ward temple and family history consultant.” President Russell M. Nelson, Open the Heavens Through Temple and Family History Work

Along with temple and family history consultants, you also have the free site, “The Family History Guide,” to use in helping others make discoveries about their families, and get their questions answered.

Find more descriptive videos on this Family History Guide Playlist.

Have fun using this additional resource to find answers to questions you anticipate others asking in relation to family history.

Though not sponsored by the church, see this document (syllabus) which provides resources that may be helpful for those preparing to share the gospel with others: Gathering Israel on Both Sides of the Veil.

“The spirit of Elijah is ‘a manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family.’ This distinctive influence of the Holy Ghost bears powerful witness of the Father’s plan of happiness and draws people to search out and cherish their ancestors and family members—both past and present. The spirit of Elijah affects people both inside and outside of the Church and causes hearts to turn to the fathers.” Missionary, Family History, and Temple Work.

Sharing Family Stories

“Can we begin to understand the role of temple and family history work in helping an investigator or a less-active member obtain a deeper understanding of the plan of salvation? Do we recognize that one of the greatest influences on convert retention is the spirit of Elijah? Can we more fully appreciate the importance of heart-turning moments occasioned by the sharing of family stories as a means of finding people to teach by both members and missionaries?” David A. Bednar Missionary, Family History, and Temple Work.

See 10 Ways to Find Ancestor's Stories, and the FamilySearch Fan Chart which features family lines, birth country, sources, photos, research helps, and ordinances.

(Click to enlarge)

Practice sharing stories with one another to be prepared for using them in missionary opportunities.

Surname Search

Have fun discovering the meaning of surnames and their origins on Surname Search — FamilySearch.org. Practice what you would ask and say about surnames when meeting people and doing missionary work.

Acts 19:18–20

From Come, Follow Me

Are there worldly possessions or activities we need to give up in order to receive heavenly blessings?

President Nelson spoke during the women's session about gathering Israel. In 2016 he addressed millennials: "Spend more time—much more time—in places where the Spirit is present. That means more time with friends who are seeking to have the Spirit with them. Spend more time on your knees in prayer, more time in the scriptures, more time in family history work, more time in the temple. I promise you that as you consistently give the Lord a generous portion of your time, He will multiply the remainder." (Becoming True Millennials (see also this article))

President Nelson also invited the youth to gather Israel on both sides of the veil to prepare for the second coming of the Lord (see a short video segment here).

"As you pray about this sacrifice of time, you will be guided to know both what you can give up that week and what you can do instead to help gather Israel." A Sacrifice Of Time

“When we speak of gathering Israel on both sides of the veil, we are referring, of course, to missionary, temple, and family history work. We are also referring to building faith and testimony in the hearts of those with whom we live, work, and serve. Anytime we do anything that helps anyone—on either side of the veil—to make and keep their covenants with God, we are helping to gather Israel.” Let God Prevail

Family History Activities

Decide how you can accept our prophet’s invitation to do more temple and family history work.

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, and that family history activities can be a great way to introduce others to the gospel.

See Family Activities: Anytime Activities and Games 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.

You may also want to join the Facebook group for The Twenty-one Day Family Connections Experiment to do family history for 21 straight days, and select a plan to follow for ideas and motivation. Read more about it here. This would be fun to do with other families - there are so many options of themes and groups!

The Family History Fun Basket is a great activity because you can select the questions to fit the group.

See more ideas on The Family History Guide Youtube channel. You could help families learn about their family name, or about their ancestral homelands or have a myriad of other experiences! See the Activities Overview.

During RootsTech 2020, our leaders focused on how temple and family history resources can be used to minister to all of God’s children—and emphasized that "all" really means "all." Elder Bednar encourages us to watch the full presentation.