“All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose. In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally. The family is ordained of God.” – The Family: A Proclamation to the World
“My dearly beloved brethren and sisters, 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 Paul says concerning the fathers—that they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made perfect.
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.
Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the deadspeak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.” -D&C 128
Family has been the central focus of the week in so many different ways. We each have a deep longing to be connected with our families including those in our immediate family, the families we have created, the families that have gone before us, our spiritual family (all mankind) and our Heavenly family (Heavenly Father, Heavenly Mother and Jesus Christ!) It is only through Jesus Christ that these family relationships can be possible!
Immediate family: First of all, I must say that my parents; Sandy and Brett; are the greatest people I could imagine. They have been a massive spiritual, emotional, physical and mental support to me throughout my life and especially during my missionary service. Alongside them, my sister Natasha and her husband James have written weekly letters of love and have done so much for me (and little nephew Malan)! Especially their example has allowed me to have hope in a happy, successful future in darkening times. My sweet sister Rachel has been a strength to me as well and Brookie and her boyfriend Guillermo with their kind words of encouragement and prayers! I LOVE MY FAMILY! I thank God for them each day and would be nothing without them. Literally. I wouldn’t be here haha I am so grateful my parents taught me about Gods love and this resorted gospel of Christ! I have been able to help other families have a vision of what their homes can become and am able to help them achieve that! If we have been blessed with a loving family, we must help teach others how to live likewise! Teach them how to pray together, be obedient, pay tithing, keep their bodies and minds healthy, how to serve others and say sorry and express gratitude through your example!
Future/created families: Ralph is progressing wonderfully! He came to church and received a priesthood blessing. In the blessing it spoke of his repentance process he was beginning and said that he would return home clean and not alone, but with his FAMILY! I pictured him with a beautiful spouse and his children surrounding him! It filled my eyes with tears. I know that as he continues to make changes in his heart and life and work towards baptism, he will see those blessings realized! Having a future family- your very own family that you have created is thee most beautiful thing I can imagine! Thinking of my future husband and children is something that has really motivated and inspired me these 18 months!
Family ancestors: I have heard countless testimonies of temple and family history this week! I can feel my ancestors pulling on my heart to come do their work for them! When I get home I plan on spending much of my time helping out the dead and taking their names to the temple weekly! I know of all the many wonderful things I could be doing with my time, this will be the BEST and surely the most important! I have shared that fire with those we meet with here and sister Allred and I have been able to help others discover their ancestors and prepare names for the temple! I LOVE the spirit of Elijah!
Spirit Family: As sister Allred and I have gone door to door, we have been sharing ‘The Family: A Proclamation to the World” with everyone along with The book of Mormon. We have a goal to give out 100 copies of this document before I go home in 2 short weeks. It has been amazing to see how many more people open up to the gospel when we start with talking about their families! Little do they know that I am actually their SISTER! Haha I love having sister on my name tag! It is a great reminder that we are all spirit brothers and sisters and have a sacred duty to help one another return home! Which brings me to…
Heavenly Family: I have felt strong ties with my Heavenly Family this week especially! As I have continued my study of the Book of Mormon and Jesus the Christ, I have felt Gods arms of mercy and love circle around me and hold me so close and comfort and strengthen me. God is real. I know it. He is constantly mindful of me and you. He has blessed me with the most amazing family and the most amazing companion- sister Allred, who has become like a sister to me and has taught me SO MCUH!
I invite you to do your family history and temple work! THEY NEED YOU! They have provided the way for us and given us life, now we must save their souls! I know that temple work is the most important work we could be doing on the earth. I know that “The Family: A Proclamation to World” is the word of God meant to bless us. In the Name of Jesus Christ, amen.
“Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.” -The Family: A Proclamation to World
Sister Rebekah Ruth Folkman 