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Act. Index
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:
Elder David A. Bednar taught, “Revelations are conveyed in a variety of ways, including, for example, dreams, visions, conversations with heavenly messengers, and inspiration” (“The Spirit of Revelation,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, 88). The Lord used dreams to reveal truths to Joseph, Pharaoh’s chief butler and baker, and Pharaoh. The Lord also revealed to Joseph how to interpret these dreams. What can you learn from Genesis 37:5–11; 40:5–8; 41:14–25, 37–38 about receiving and understanding revelation from the Lord? For instance, what can you learn from Joseph’s example when revelation seems difficult to understand? (see Genesis 40:8; 41:16).
Ponder how the Lord is revealing His will to you. What are you doing to act on revelation the Lord has given you? How are you seeking additional guidance from Him?
“Seeking inspiration will increase your success in family history work. When you are striving to obey the commandments, you may ask the Lord for help in your family history efforts and trust that you may be aided by revelation through the power of the Holy Ghost. On occasion, the Holy Ghost may also help you sense the desires of your righteous ancestors in the spirit world to enter into gospel covenants.
“President James E. Faust (1920–2007) of the First Presidency explained: “The process of finding our ancestors one by one can be challenging but also exciting and rewarding. We often feel spiritual guidance as we go to the sources that identify them. Because this is a very spiritual work, we can expect help from the other side of the veil. We feel a pull from our relatives who are waiting for us to find them so their ordinance work can be done (in Conference Report, Oct. 2003, 59; or Ensign, Nov. 2003, 55).” Chapter 5: Personal Revelation and Family History
How has God spoken to you? How can these experiences help you going forward? What inspiration have you received as you have participated in family history? The article How Can I Hear Him suggests four ways you can hear Him better and more often.
Discuss the promise you have received from President Russell M. Nelson, “I invite you to increase your participation in family history, including family history research and indexing. 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) Take turns as a family and share experiences where you have heard HIm. You could also record these experiences in individual journals, a family journal, an audio recording, or any method you choose.
What do you need to do more of in your life to be better prepared to receive the revelation God has in store for you? What do you need to do less of? Some suggested ways to hear HIm (Jesus Christ) more clearly were given in the May 2020 Friend, adapted from President Nelson's April 2020 General Conference address, Hear Him).
Decide how you and your family will change to be better prepared to receive the revelation God would send you. Check out the Get Started page in the Family History Guide to see different ways you can begin or continue your family history journey, to reap the rewards including hearing Him more clearly.
From Come, Follow Me:
What do we learn from these verses about how the Lord blessed the people of Egypt through Joseph? What can we learn about preparing for future emergencies? Discuss what you can do to be better prepared as a family.
One of the many items you are encouraged to prepare for in case of an emergency is to have copies of your important documents. Some of these documents include financial, medical, legal, ownership and many others. Have you considered how your family history records, photos and memorabilia will be preserved? What do you want to pass on to future generations? Consider some of the following activities to help you begin to gather and safeguard your own important personal records.
First, gather records of your family and ancestors. Scan or make paper copies of each item. Original documents then need to be protected and preserved.
Gather important records such as vital and religious records, and legal documents. List missing records and get replacements. (See Gather Family Information)
Gather photos of your ancestors and the stories behind them, making note of the date, place, event by writing or audio recording. Continue on to preserve them (see the next activity).
Look through some of the ideas below and determine how you will preserve your family memories. What methods will you use? How will you divide up the work? When do you plan to accomplish this? Set some smart goals to enable you to preserve your family history.
“A family heirloom is any treasured item that’s been passed down by a family member who has died. Some are treasures in the most literal sense, valuable antiques that could sell for many thousands of dollars. Others have strictly sentimental value, but the fact that they’re not worth much money doesn’t make them any less beloved. Family heirlooms can be many generations old, passed from parent to child for centuries. Or they can be newer, something inherited from a parent or grandparent that will be passed along in the future. Most important, whatever they may be, family heirlooms conjure memories of the special people who passed them along to us.” Legacy.com lists 21 of the Most Common Family Heirlooms.
Make a list of heirlooms you want to preserve and protect. Make a plan on how you will accomplish this. For additional help, read What Do I Do with This?, How to Preserve the Treasures in Your Home and How to Handle Family Heirlooms.
What Are Vital Records? - Vital records include birth, marriage and death records, and they are some of the most useful records to work with in your research. For tips on understanding and using different types of vital records, see Goal B1 in the United States page.