Weekly Family History Activities

“Be Still and Know That I Am God”

From Come, Follow Me:

For the Saints in the 1830s, Independence, Missouri, was literally the promised land. It was “the center place” of Zion (see Doctrine and Covenants 57:3)—the city of God on earth—which they were making great sacrifices to build. To them, the gathering of Saints there was an exciting and glorious prelude to the Second Coming. But their neighbors in the area saw things differently. They took issue with the claim that God had given the land to the Saints, and they were uncomfortable with the political, economic, and social consequences of so many people from an unfamiliar religion moving into the area so quickly. Soon concern turned into threats, and threats turned into persecution and violence. In July 1833, the Church’s printing office was destroyed, and in November the Saints were forced to abandon their homes in Jackson County, Missouri.

Joseph Smith was over 800 miles away in Kirtland, and this news took weeks to reach him. But the Lord knew what was happening, and He revealed to His Prophet principles of peace and encouragement that would comfort the Saints—principles that can also help us when we face persecution, when our righteous desires go unfulfilled, or when we need a reminder that our daily afflictions will eventually, somehow, “work together for [our] good” (Doctrine and Covenants 98:3).

What principles did you identify that will help you face challenges in your life?

What principles might you be able to learn from the experiences of your ancestors that can help you face your challenges today?

Plan a get-together with family members to discover more about the life of one or more ancestors. Each person can be a "detective" to find information by using tools of discovery. For example:

• FamilySearch profile timeline and map (Project 1: Goal 2, Choice E)
• FamilySearch fan chart: locate locate family lines, birth countries, sources, stories, photos, research helps and more (see Project 1: Goal 5, Goal B)
• FamilySearch/Discovery (sign into your FamilySearch account first)
• Google for information, along with using Google maps and the Countries page of The Family History Guide.

You could also include making that ancestor's favorite recipe to enjoy!

As the "detectives" see, touch, read, hear, and taste what that ancestor did, and do their best to learn what was learned and feel what was felt, they will feel empathy for the ancestor. Discuss as a family how this activity can help develop an understanding of who we are and what we can become. How can the past influence you today?

You may also want to consider creating a collection of the stories of the first converts in your family lines. If you don't have many stories from the lives of your ancestors available, you could learn from conversion stories and other stories from the lives of our church leaders. See this link for ideas to illustrate conversion stories.

Put together an ancestor profile with the help of this Deseret News article. The article suggests looking at “every known detail of a human life, which includes information about the individual, their relationships and their origin.” As a family, pick an ancestor or two and try discovering a few aspects of their lives. Maybe you want to start with where they were born and what their neighborhoods and cultures may have been like. Look at the article and pick a topic of interest to your family.

If you are interested in ancestors originating in a particular country, you can locate ancestors on your part of the FamilySearch tree using the Birth Country option in the fan chart. Read more here. Also, check out this activity found on the "Activities" menu on FamilySearch: Where Am I From?

Find some of the stories of your ancestors. If you need help locating some stories, All the Stories is a tool which syncs with FamilySearch to help you easily find the stories of your ancestors. Read these stories together as a family. Discuss the following questions and share your thoughts and feelings with each other.

• What do you learn about your ancestors? In what time period did they live?
• What were conditions like at that time? 
• What was going on around them? 
• What were their challenges? 
• How did they overcome them? 
• What brought joy into their lives? 
• What else can you learn about your ancestors? 
• How do their experiences help you? 
• How do their lives help you have gratitude for your life? 
• How can their challenges help you face yours?

Note: You can also locate stories on your part of the FamilySearch tree using the fan chart option “Stories.” Read more here.

Go on a scavenger hunt to learn about your ancestors. First, download the Scavenger Hunt document created by Familylocket.com. Next, login to your FamilySearch account and click “Family Tree.” Then, look for ancestors in your family tree that match each of the clues. You will discover some interesting facts about your ancestors and also learn how to better navigate FamilySearch. (A FamilySearch account is required for this activity.)

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. 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.

The Family History Guide provides step-by-step help for FamilySearch Memories.

You could plan a story-telling marathon complete with pillows, blankets, grandparents and yummy goodies! In preparation, you may want to read Bruce Feiler's Tips from RootsTech. Don't forget that you can include others remotely; see ideas here.

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. See Need a Time Filler? Think Family History! and 5-Minute Ideas for Latter-day Saints.

You could consider audio or video recording your family members as they tell or read stories and also add these to FamilySearch.

See more ideas to Discover, Gather, Preserve, and Share Stories here.

"...let the adventure of family history be intentional and spontaneous. Call your grandmother. Look deeply into the eyes of that new baby. Make time—discover eternity—at each stage of your journey. Learn and acknowledge with gratitude and honesty your family heritage. Celebrate and become the positive and, where needed, humbly do everything possible not to pass on the negative. Let good things begin with you." We Each Have A Story, Gerrit W. Gong

Doctrine and Covenants 98:1–3, 11–14; 101:1–16

My trials can work together for my good.

From Come, Follow Me:

As you read what the Lord told the Saints in Doctrine and Covenants 98 and 101, ponder how His message applies to the various trials or difficulties you might have.

“Think of your own life. Over the years, I have listened to thousands of profoundly spiritual experiences from Latter-day Saints all across the world, confirming to me beyond any question that God knows and loves each of us and that He eagerly desires to reveal Himself to us. These experiences may come at pivotal times in our lives or in what may at first seem as uneventful happenings, but they are always accompanied by an exceptionally strong spiritual confirmation of the love of God.

Remembering these spiritually defining experiences takes us to our knees, declaring as did the Prophet Joseph: “What I received was from heaven. I know it, and I know that God knows that I know it.” (see Joseph Smith—History 1).” Neil L. Anderson, Spiritually Defining Memories

Record the stories of how you have been "rebuilt" after tragedy or adversity in your life to process the experiences, express gratitude for what you learned and for how you were helped, and preserve your feelings and counsel for generations to come.

Use the Memories Gallery to preserve photos, stories, documents, and audio recordings. Read more here and watch Uploading to FamilySearch Memories. Help children record their experiences also.

Suggestion for journaling this week: Write or audio-record about how knowing your family stories has made a difference in your life.