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.
From Come, Follow Me:
How does your knowledge of the Savior help you when He asks you to make sacrifices? How has He blessed you?
Consider keeping a written journal of God's hand in your life and in the lives of your family members. Write about your gratitude for the tender mercies you have experienced and that you see around you. You can also record journal entries using the FamilySearch Memories Audio app or the "Record My Story" feature on FamilySearch Discovery. You can also scan or take a photo of hand-written journal entries to preserve in Memories on FamilySearch, or type directly into a document. See instructions in The Family History Guide here.
Henry B. Eyring relates why he began writing things down and the blessings of recognizing the Lord's hand in his life.
"When our children were very small, I started to write down a few things about what happened every day...so that my children could have the memory someday when they would need it ... Before I would write, I would ponder this question: 'Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?' ...I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done. More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew. I became ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I felt more gratitude for the softening and refining that come because of the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. And I grew more confident that the Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance—even things we did not notice or pay attention to when they happened." Henry B. Eyring, O Remember, Remember
Plan a time to verbally share with your family the spiritual experiences you have had, and invite family members to share theirs also. This might be a "gathering" type of setting where you are not audio-recording. Preserve these stories at another time. Perhaps keeping a family journal will bless your lives.
Recording events in a journal or other format can help you remember events of your own life as well as learning from your ancestors' lives and experiences. 5 Unique Ways to Record and Remember Revelation gives some ideas that might help you decide on a method that works best for you and your family.
Write questions to encourage the sharing of testimonies of Christ on slips of paper and place in a basket.
Take turns drawing one slip from the basket and sharing your feelings and gratitude for the Lord's hand in your lives.
Share your testimony as our leaders are doing.
In an August 2014 talk, Elder David A. Bednar counseled church members to share "messages that are authentic, edifying and praiseworthy—and literally to sweep the earth as with a flood."
See Official Social Media Accounts of the Church.
President Dallin H. Oaks, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, regularly shares messages of faith, family, and doctrine on his official channels. His verified profiles feature spiritual insights, video clips from devotional addresses, and uplifting reminders about gospel principles.
The Lord often speaks in quiet, simple ways.
From Come, Follow Me:
What do you need to do to receive the Lord’s guidance more often?
Russell M. Nelson and his wife, Wendy Nelson, invite all church members to make a sacrifice of time to do family history and temple work (see Open the Heavens through Temple and Family History Work).
“...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 invite you to increase your participation in family history, including family history research and indexing [get involved app]. I promise that as you increase your time in temple and family history work, you will increase and improve your ability to hear Him." Russell M. Nelson, Hear Him
An idea to help both individuals and families do temple and family history work more consistently comes from an address Sister Wendy Nelson gave to the sisters of the church in a women's conference talk in 2015.
She offered the invitation to busy, overburdened sisters to do some temple and family history work each day for 21 days and then to watch what happened. She was concerned that adding one more thing to their list of things "to do" would make them even more burdened but the opposite was true for all who participated. Even a few minutes per day helped them to see miracles in their lives and the lives of their families. Although this challenge was given to sisters of the church, it is applicable to everyone. Here are the links to the PDF and the video of Sister Nelson's talk:
You may also want to join the Facebook group for The Twenty-one Day Family Connections Experiment (a family history project) and select a plan to follow for ideas and motivation. Read more about it here. The following video highlights youth taking the 21-day challenge:
The Great Youth Family History Adventure
See the syllabus for the above video here.
Other Resources to help you fit family history into your life:
Discuss ideas and options and make a plan! Think about routines and traditions you can create to do temple work and to make connections with those who have gone on before and living relatives. Calendar your goals and record how you will work toward them.
Make a list, perhaps on your phone, to have handy for the odd moments when you could use a family history time filler! Some ideas are:
Make something new that documents, creates, or contributes to your family history and legacy. Here are just of few of the many suggestions:
Ethnic Research - Do you have ethnic heritage that is African American, Asian, Basque, Hispanic, Jewish, or Native American? You can find helpful research resources at the bottom of the Countries menu, in the Ethnic section. You can also find similar resources in many of the individual country pages.