Fathers and Mothers, Daughters and Sons


Families are essential in Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness. We are part of a heavenly family and an earthly one. President Gordon B. Hinckley taught: 

“God is the designer of the family. He intended that the greatest of happiness, the most satisfying aspects of life, the deepest joys should come in our associations together and our concerns one for another as fathers and mothers and children”

Temple and family history work unites families. Husbands and wives, parents and children can be sealed through sacred temple ordinances. The goal of this process is that “the whole chain of God’s family shall be welded together into one chain, and they shall all become the family of God and His Christ” (Joseph F. Smith, Millennial Star, Oct. 4, 1906, 629).

Personal and family history work have been been a source of joy and peace in our family. We have personally felt the spiritual blessings of taking the names of our ancestors to the temple and performing proxy baptisms and sealings regularly. We have an enjoyable time as we do this work together as a family. Even our younger children who aren’t able to get inside the temple yet feel the power of performing saving ordinances for our family members.

We do our best to qualify ourselves for temple recommend so that we could go to the temple as often as we can. 


"The Lord will bless us as we attend to the sacred ordinance work of the temples. Blessings there will not be limited to our temple service. We will be blessed in all of our affairs. We will be eligible to have the Lord take an interest in our affairs both spiritual and temporal. …

“Our labors in the temple cover us with a shield and a protection, both individually and as a people” (The Holy Temple [1980], 182, 265).


We know that as we prepare our family history and go to the temple for our ancestors, we will feel the influence of the Holy Ghost more powerfully in our lives. We will be strengthened to do this work and the other tasks we have more efficiently. As we do the work of the Lord, we will know Him better and become more like Him.

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