Nephi could speak persuasively of the need to "press forward with a steadfastness in Christ," of following the "strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life" (2 Nephi 31:20, 18) because that is the path he followed. He knew by experience that this path, though demanding at times, is also joyful, and that "there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God" (2 Nephi 31:21).
Those who walked the covenant path before us and kept records of their journeys must have hoped and prayed that their words would positively influence anyone who read them in the future - just as Nephi hoped and prayed that "the words which I have written in weakness will be made strong unto them; for it persuadeth them to do good; it maketh known unto them of their fathers; and it speaketh of Jesus, and persuadeth them to believe in him, and to endure to the end, which is life eternal (2 Nephi 33:4).
In addition to being influenced by Nephi's words, here are some activity ideas to help discover, gather, preserve, and share the words of our living relatives, our ancestors, and others so they can also continually influence those we love as Nephi hoped and prayed his words would influence "his people" (2 Nephi 33:3).
Discover, Gather, Preserve, and Share Stories
Interview living family members. Ask questions and preserve the answers! Check out The 52 Stories Project for weekly ideas for questions. Watch this video for inspiration. Record as you interview! Use your phone to record stories and upload documents and photos. Explore the Memories App For IoS and Android. Find instructions here.
The Memories Gallery is a place where all of the photos, stories, documents, and audio recordings that you add to FamilySearch are collected. With the FamilySearch Family Tree app and FamilySearch Memories app, gathering, recording, sharing, and preserving oral histories has never been easier. Read more here and in The Family History Guide here. A new feature allows you to add audio to individual photos.
Think "story-time" as you make plans for family events, and as you go about your daily life using the "add-on" principle to fit in a story here and there - especially at bed-time, meal-time, home church, and while traveling. Share stories on social media.
You could consider audio or video recording your family members as they tell or read stories and also add these to FamilySearch!
Having stories whenever you need them has never been easier for more fun! Check out the All The Stories to enjoy a free, easy way to synchronize with FamilySearch and download the stories of your direct ancestors and their siblings back 9 generations, and includes a searchable list of any story placed on the tree along with how you are related to that person, and how long the story takes to tell! Glen N. Greener writes: "Caution: Do not open the All the Stories app if you have anything else to do ... After two hours of sitting in a chair I didn't like, my back hurt so much I finally stopped ... I couldn't possibly spend the time necessary to find all the stories from my family history that were instantly listed by using this app (Read more here).
Another way to find family history stories is to go to the FamilySearch fan chart where you can view stories along with family lines, countries of origin, research help, photos, and temple information.
See more ideas to Discover, Gather, Preserve, and Share Stories here.
Preparing for April 2020 General Conference
President Russell M. Nelson closed the October 2019 general conference with an invitation for Latter-day Saints to prepare for the subsequent April 2020 general conference, 200 years since Joseph Smith's First Vision.
As you use the ideas in this lesson, you may want to focus some of the activities on stories from the time period of the early restoration. See the suggestions for April conference in Week #8. You may want to add some video watching this week to glimpse into the time period of the first vision and events that followed. Here are some links:
Write one brief story about your life as you study each Come, Follow Me lesson. By the end of the year, you will have compiled 50 stories to add to your personal history. Save as a story (also consider audio-recording it) and add it to your FamilySearch memories to preserve it. Use your own questions or those from (or inspired by) the #52 Stories Project below. Here are some ideas:
What inspires you as you read accounts that your ancestors have recorded?
How would it have felt like to live before the gospel was restored?
How have the words of Nephi found in 2 Nephi 31–33 influenced you personally?
How have you worked to maintain a "perfect brightness of hope? What obstacles have you overcome? (see 2 Nephi 31:20).
What does the restoration teach you about God's love?
