Roots and Branches
by Elder Quentin L. Cook
"Our precious roots and branches must be nourished."
"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
"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 4:5-6)
"Elijah's mission is facilitated by what is sometimes called the spirit of Elijah, which, as Elder Russel M. Nelson has taught, is 'a manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family'."
The Spirit of Elijah is all around us.
Need proof? How about the ever popular television series, Who Do You Think You Are? The show follows celebrities as they embark on the journey of tracing their family trees.
Also, look at the millions of dollars Ancestry.com brings in yearly- $562 million in 2013.
AND
And did you know that genealogy is the second most popular hobby in the United States? Yep, right after gardening.
Not Just for Old Folks
"The leadership of the Church has issued a clarion call to the rising generation to lead the way in the use of technology to experience the spirit of Elijah, to search out their ancestors, and to perform temple ordinances for them."
"If the youth in each ward will not only go to the temple and do baptisms for their dead but also work with their families and other ward members to provide the family names for the ordinance work they perform, both they and the Church will be greatly blessed."
Blessings of doing Family History include:
Family history work ... has a refining, spiritualizing, tempering influence on those who are engaged in it. - Boyd K. Packer (Family History: Getting Started)
As you respond in faith to this invitation, your hearts shall turn to the fathers. The promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be implanted in your hearts. Your patriarchal blessing, with its declaration of lineage, will link you to these fathers and be more meaningful to you. Your love and gratitude for your ancestors will increase. Your testimony of and conversion to the Savior will become deep and abiding. And I promise you will be protected against the intensifying influence of the adversary. As you participate in and love this holy work, you will be safeguarded in your youth and throughout your lives. -Elder Bednar (The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn)
Brother Widtsoe reaffirmed that ‘those who give themselves with all their might and mind to this [family history] work receive help from the other side. Whoever seeks to help those in the other side receives help in return in all the affairs of life’ (Boyd K. Packer, The Holy Temple, 252)
Do you young people want a sure way to eliminate the influence of the adversary in your life? Immerse yourself in searching for your ancestors. -Richard G. Scott (The Joy of Redeeming the Dead)
Remember that living Apostles have also promised that as we search out our ancestors and prepare our own family names for the temple, we will be protected now and throughout our lives as we keep ourselves worthy of a temple recommend. -Linda S. Reeves (Protection from Pornography)
The more connected we feel to our righteous forefathers, the more likely we are to make wise and righteous choices. - Elder William R. Walker (Live True to the Faith)
-Go HERE to get started
-There's even an App
Next Week's Talk:
by Elder Russell M. Nelson
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