As we partake of the sacrament we witness that we are willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. Being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; (Hebrews 5:9) He is the author of The Plan of Salvation: The Plan of Happiness

The Plan provided that the full benefits of the Atonement wrought by our beloved Savior might be available to all the sons and daughters of God of all generations of time. The Plan provided a Savior to pay for our sins and to teach us how to return to our Heavenly Father. There is an essential commandment in the Plan. In D&C 128:15 Joseph Smith taught, “Let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as… they without us cannot be made perfect – neither can we without our dead be made perfect.” “That which goes on in the House of the Lord, and which must be preceded by research, comes nearer to the spirit of the sacrifice of the Lord than any other activity of which I know. Why? Because it is done by those who give freely of their time and substance, without any expectation of thanks or reward, to do for others that which they cannot do for themselves. Great is our mission, and tremendous our responsibility.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, "A Century of Family History Service," Ensign, Mar. 1995, 62-63)

Joseph Smith taught, “The keys are to be delivered, the spirit of Elijah is to come, the Gospel to be established, and the Saints to come up as saviors on Mount Zion (Obadiah 1:21). “But how are they to become saviors on Mount Zion? By building their temples, and going forth and receiving all the ordinances in behalf of all their progenitors who are dead.” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, (2011), 468–478) The reason for us to engage in Family History and Temple work is that it is the means whereby we can become as He is - a Savior. To be saviors on Mount Zion is to be involved in the selfless activity of providing temple ordinances for the children of Israel. To be made perfect, in His Plan, we need to choose to turn our hearts to our fathers and participate in family history and temple work. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)... neither can we without our dead be made perfect. (Doctrine and Covenants 128:15)

Problem: Feelings of overwhelm with the task of doing one’s family history. Solution: Learning How to Organize Get a box and put all personal records containing our family story into it. Organize the printed records by family groups using folders. Use pedigree charts as a roadmap. Use a personal computer program. The FamilySearch – Family Tree Internet computer program was created to: Submit names of deceased relatives for temple ordinances. Share family information with others.with Collaborate with others to research and accurately identify relatives. A few rules: Only upload records into FamilySearch.org/Tree one family group at a time, from a personal genealogy program, to avoid duplication problems.duplication Don’t reserve more than you and your immediate family and friends can do in a few months. Reserve a few family member’s names and share the rest in temple file. This on-line program was not created to be a replacement for keeping and organizing personal and family records of the living.

A most important Promise: Choosing to turn our hearts to our ancestors – is an act of faith. “Whoever seeks to help those on the other side receives help in return in all the affairs of life…. Help comes to us from the other side as we give help to those who have passed beyond. We need help. We need strength. There are more in that other world than there are here. There is more power and strength there than we have here upon this earth….” Elder John A. Widtsoe The spirit will help you do as much and as fast as you can. You just provide the commitment and determination to do this work. When you feel overwhelmed, then stop for the hour or the day or the week (but determine to return). We ALL feel overwhelmed at times, but like the pioneers – Press On. Remember it is HIS plan we are following. Use a “to do” list. Learn to focus on small tasks that build a strong historical record instead of doing the task in a way that overwhelms. When you feel overwhelmed either the task is too big or poorly defined.

Press On by Doing Something: 1.Go to the temple at least monthly. 2.Using FamilySearch - Family Tree focus attention on identifying the descendants of the first five generations of your family members. 3. Schedule time periods to work on your family history. Regulate your effort by working from a “To Do” task list. Prayerfully select items from the “To Do” list by asking, “What is the best use of my time for the next thirty minutes?” 4. Share the result of your family history work with others.