We had our first class today and it went well. We spent a few
minutes getting acquainted and finding where everyone was on their
personal family history, then we talked about a few things to get started.
Goals
1 - Learn to submit names to the temple
2 - Become acquainted with FamilySearch.org
3 - Be a good steward of family history - "correct & complete"
4 - Learn the stories of our ancestors
5 - Catch the Vision! (Get addicted!)
The Doctrine
We briefly talked about the doctrine that teaches why family history is so important.
The Plan of Salvation - Our time on earth has a purpose and we are
expected to do certain things in order to return to our Heavenly
Father. Among those things are to make covenants, like baptism and
others. Because most who lived on earth did not have the opportunity to
make those covenants, we can do it on their behalf in the temple. But,
first, we need to find them through family history work.
Savior on Mount Zion - Just as the Savior did things for us that we
would never have been able to do, we can do for our ancestors what they
were unable to do. When we find them and have temple work completed for
them, we become their saviors. The phrase "Mount Zion" in the
scriptures almost always refers to the temple.
Hastening the Work - While this is almost always used in reference to
missionary work, we need to remember that those who have died are being
taught the gospel in the spirit world. When we find these people and do
their temple work, we are completing the missionary work for them.
Everyone was encouraged to make sure they had a log-in for FamilySearch.org It is the same name and password as an LDS.org account. For non-members, create a user name and password. An account is required to work on FamilySearch, but there is no cost.
Next week, I will be out of town, but Maynard Hammond will teach the class. He will show a video reviewing the doctrine we discussed today. He will also get everyone started on FamilySearch. The week after that will be General Conference, so I will see you on the 9th.
Any questions, please feel free to contact me.
