August: Why is it important to learn about my family history?

All Printable and Videos found HERE

1. Introduction

• Have the youth try to fill out a pedigree chart. (Some are going to be able to fill it out and other's might not know past their parents)
• I let the class share how well the class did. Then I had them hold on to the chart until the end of the lesson.

2. Likening the Scriptures

• Why do we do family history?
• What is the spirit of Elijah?
• Malachi 4:5-6
• D&C 128:18
• Read the "Redeeming the Dead" section in True to the Faith
• Watch The Time is Now Video

3. Learning Together

• How can we do family history work?
• Interviewing family members, recording memories (such as journals that were talked about last week), Learning about ancestors, adding photos and stories to FamilySearch.org, doing indexing, Completing temple ordinances
• Read "Redeeming the Dead" quote by Elder Richard G. Scott
• What family history work have you done? Or family members?

4. Making it Personal

• Read "An Invitation to the Rising Generation" by Elder David A. Bednar

(So this part of the lesson can be done many ways. My husband is a tech junkie, so we just happened to have a couple, okay quite a few, Kindle Fires. You could also ask the class to bring their own electronic device. Or you might have a few laptops and tablets lying around. Or if that isn't an option, you could set up a projector and laptop to show the class.)

• Give the youth a tour of the FamilySearch Indexing program
• Give the youth a tour of the FamilySearch website/app
• This was my main focus 
• How can I find ancestors who need ordinances completed?
• How do I reserve ordinances?
• How do I print them off and take them to the temple?
• In the link above, I provided some FamilySearch articles for help in navigating their site
• I also showed them the "Take A Name" app. This is my favorite, especially since I can't easily find ancestors to do work for since my immediate ancestors have had their work done already. This app will find people like my 1st cousin 7 times removed that needs their work done.

5. Conclusion

• On an index card, I had them write down one thing that they would do this week to do family history. (Ex: Complete the pedigree chart if they weren't able to, learn about an ancestor, or find a name to take to the temple.)