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.
Doctrine and Covenants 29 —"Jesus Christ Will Gather His People"
Heavenly Father prepared the perfect plan for our exaltation.
From Come, Follow Me :
Doctrine and Covenants 29 teaches many truths about God's plan for His children. As you read, look for truths you learn about each of the following parts of the plan:
What new insights did you gain? How would your life be different if you didn't know about these truths?
"The Atonement allows for the family to be sealed together eternally. It allows for families to have eternal growth and perfection. The plan of happiness, also called the plan of salvation, was a plan created for families." (Julie B Beck, Teaching the Doctrine of the Family, March 2011 Ensign)
The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles proclaimed the doctrine of the eternal nature of the family: "The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally." (The Family: A Proclamation to the World)
"Because of Heavenly Father's plan of salvation, it is possible for you to become like Him. It is also possible to secure your mortal family in an eternal bond, allowing you to be together as a family after death….As you study...you will gain a deeper understanding of the eternal significance of the family and its role in Heavenly Father's plan of salvation. This knowledge will help you lay the foundation for doing family history work." (Chapter 1: The Family Is Central to the Plan of Salvation)
By following the steps of the plan of happiness or the plan of salvation, families can be united eternally. By following a plan and being organized in your family history research, you will be better able to find those ancestors who need your help to identify them and perform their ordinances on their behalf.
Create a Research Plan
In his blog article Do You Have a Research Plan?, James Tanner suggests you should "specifically identify the questions you wish to answer and then determine the documents you need to find to answer those questions."
Taking the time to get well-organized now will save you time later, and it will help you research your ancestors' lines efficiently. Here is a good overview of getting organized with your genealogy materials. The Family History Guide has some additional resources on how you can Get Organized for Research. Decide the method best suited for you and create your plan.
In what sense are all commandments spiritual? What does knowing that all commandments are spiritual teach you about the purpose of commandments? You might list a few commandments and consider the spiritual principles related to each one.
What might change if you looked for spiritual meaning or purpose in your everyday tasks, even those that seem temporal or mundane?
From Even with Technology, Family History Is "a Spiritual Work": "There are more resources to search out your ancestors than there have ever been in the history of the world. The Lord has poured out knowledge about how to make that information available worldwide through technology that a few years ago would have seemed a miracle.
"With those opportunities there comes greater obligation to keep our trust with the Lord. Where much is given, much is required.5" (Henry B. Eyring, Hearts Bound Together, April 2005 General Conference)
"...[I]nterest in exploring one's family history has grown exponentially. At ever-increasing rates, people seem drawn to their ancestry with more than just casual curiosity. Genealogical libraries, associations, and technologies have emerged around the world to support this interest. The internet's power to enhance communications has enabled families to work together to do family history research with a speed and thoroughness never before possible." (Henry B. Eyring, Gathering the Family of God, April 2017 General Conference)
How has technology helped you research, preserve, and share your family history? How are you taking advantage of some of the technological miracles available? Check out the following resources and make a plan to put them to good use.
Webinars
Webinars are live audio or video events hosted online, often for free. They are a great source for current genealogy knowledge and practices, delivered by family history experts. For example the BYU Family History Library has many free webinars. Check out some of the different options and choose one to watch. Have fun expanding your family history knowledge and skills.
FamilySearch Partner Accounts
Your membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides you the benefit of free subscriptions to many family history websites. Sign up for those websites that apply to your family tree at Partner Access—FamilySearch. Technology can truly be a A Heart-Turning Tool. You can find additional information about these partners at Doctrine and Covenants 29The Family History Guide Partners.
Descriptions of what each of these free partners offers to help you in your family history research as described by FamilySearch.org are listed below:
American Ancestor - American Ancestors focuses on American family history, from 17th-century colonial New England through 21st-century immigration research.
Ancestry.com - Ancestry offers billions of global historical records and integration with FamilySearch Family Tree.The website is available in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Swedish.
Filae - Filae is a prime resource for accessing French archives and tracing French ancestors. Search more than 150 million indexed images and billions of records.
Find My Past - Specializing in the United Kingdom and its many historical colonies, with records going back to AD 875, Findmypast is available in English only.
Geneanet - Geneanet focuses on continental Europe, with over 7 billion indexed individuals, 600,000 online trees, and a search engine available in multiple languages.
MyHeritage - MyHeritage provides family tree tools, unique matching technologies, and billions of historical records in over 42 languages.
Discovering the FamilySearch Family Tree App
The FamilySearch Family Tree app enables you to do many essential FamilySearch tasks right from your mobile device. You can complete tasks, record hints, view your relationship, add memories, tag a photo, and search records that tell your ancestors' stories.
"As you study your scriptures during the next six months, I encourage you to make a list of all that the Lord has promised He will do for covenant Israel. I think you will be astounded! Ponder these promises. Talk about them with your family and friends. Then live and watch for these promises to be fulfilled in your own life." (President Russell M. Nelson, Let God Prevail, October 2020 General Conference)
As you read your Come, Follow Me lesson this week, identify promises the Lord has promised He will do for you and add them to your list. Find promises in Doctrine and Covenants 29 and write or audio-record about their influence in your life.
