Theme: Family History

Family History For more information on this topic read “Generations Linked in Love,” by Russell
Conference Talk:
M. Nelson, Ensign, May 2010, 91–94.

Thought:
Our inborn yearnings for family connections are fulfilled when we are linked to our ancestors through sacred ordinances of the temple.

Song:
“Family History,” Children’s Songbook, p. 94.

Scripture:
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (Malachi 4:6)

Lesson:
Display some of your family’s journals and ask: • Why are journals important? • Do you think your journal will be more or less valuable ten years from
now? Why? • How valuable do you think your journal will be to your children,
grandchildren, and great-grandchildren? Ask family members to read JS—H 1:1–2. Ask: • What reasons did Joseph Smith give for writing the history of the Church? • When did the writing of the history begin? • Why are you grateful that Joseph recorded his history?

Story:
My father had sent a telegram saying he would meet me in New Zealand at the conclusion of my mission.
I arrived in New Zealand and took a taxi to the mission home. It was winter in the southern hemisphere, and I was very cold. However, meeting my father was such a warm experience that the cold didn't seem to bother. Dad's grandparents were converted and baptized in Christchurch, New Zealand, and immigrated to the United States in the 1870s. They were the only members of their family to join the Church, so we still had lots of relatives in New Zealand.
It was fun looking up and visiting family members, none of whom were yet members of the Church. We had some great discussions and gathered a lot of genealogical and family history information. We visited some cemeteries and made arrangements for more appropriate headstones and had many wonderful and heartwarming experiences. There is a special feeling about visiting graves of ancestors in distant lands. You feel a kinship or linkage that is hard to express.
(John H. Groberg, In the Eye of the Storm,

Activity:
Give your family a writing assignment to record in their journals the events leading to their conversion, or a spiritual experience from their life.

Refreshment
Mini-Cheesecakes
Top these little treats with cherries.
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 2 eggs, beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla 3⁄4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional) 18 vanilla wafers 1 (21-ounce) can cherry pie filling
In a large bowl beat together cream cheese, eggs, vanilla, sugar, and lemon juice. Put 18 paper baking cups into muffin tins. Place 1 vanilla wafer in bottom of each cup. Pour batter into muffin tins. Bake at 350° F. for 12 to 15 minutes. When cool, top with cherry pie filling. Makes 18 mini-cheesecakes.