A key doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that families can be together forever through priesthood covenants and ordinances. When we invite people to come to Christ through baptism, we are also inviting them to begin the work of connecting their family through family history and temple work.

In the second video below, President Henry B. Eyring talks about how the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ included the fulfillment of the prophecy recorded in Malachi about the hearts of the children turning to their fathers and the fathers to the children.

Expanded resources at Family Search are available to help people do family history work, including the new Family Tree program. You can also now share photos and stories as part of creating your Family Tree. This service is available to anyone — you don’t have to be a Mormon to take advantage of the millions of free records and the resources that can help you create your own family history.

The post Mormon Doctrine of the Eternal Family appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is passionate about family history and genealogy work. And while some Mormon genealogy work does have its uniquely Mormon elements (such as the work done in Mormon temples), much of Mormon genealogy efforts go far beyond the bounds of our faith. Many Latter-day Saints involved in genealogy spend a combined total of thousands upon thousands of hours to transfer myriad microfilm records to a digital format. These records are then available to anyone and everyone at Family Search.

Recently, 25 million more records from 16 different countries were added to 55 different collections on the Family Search website.

If you are interested in learning more about how to access these records, see the Family Search website.

If you are interested in helping digitize historical records (you don’t have to be LDS to do this), see the Family Search Indexing page.

For more information about the aspects of Mormon genealogy that are more specific to our faith, you can read thoughts from Latter-day Saints here.

[Edited to add] To read some Mormon genealogy articles on our site, see the following:

Macular Degeneration Hasn’t Stopped This Mormon Genealogist

The Joys of Family History and Genealogy Work

Free Family History/Genealogy Classes Online

A Mormon Woman Finds Charm In Family History

The post Mormon Genealogy: Family Search Adds 25 Million More Records appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

We may joke and roll our eyes but at some point in everyone’s life it is really worth taking a peek into your family’s past. I tried it, and guess what? It was fun! It’s family reunion and private investigation all rolled into one. But you provide your own watermelon and take it at your own pace.

It’s easy to start. Print out a simple family tree, also called a pedigree chart. Start with yourself and see how much you can fill in without asking anyone else. Then ask a relative for help – Mother, Grandmother, Aunt or Uncle. Or look at a family Bible or other such book. The first time I tried this it amazed me what I didn’t know. How could I not know my own grandmother’s maiden name? And dates, well I didn’t know any of those!

Most likely by the time you fill out a pedigree chart you will be curious about some aspect of your family. Where did they come from? Why is their name different? That person was adopted? Hm…that birth date is awfully close to the parents’ wedding date…. You just never know what you’re going to find!

As you may have heard, the Mormon Church is very excited about genealogy, sometimes called family history. We just love families! Many LDS meetinghouses include a family history center. They have computers, microfilm readers, books, and most important of all – knowledgeable staff to help guide your research. Check out this link for the family history center near you. The centers are a service to the community, free of charge. No proselytizing goes on in family history centers so there is no need to feel uncomfortable going there. (You can also find much information online at Family Search — a free database of millions of digitally indexed records. You can even help index records here.)

There is a bit of urgency to family history work. My husband’s energetic Grandma now has dementia. Somehow the fibers of her mind have let those stories she held so dear slip away. But because of her previous family history efforts the records of her family are secure for generations to come.

The post We Believe: Finding Family is Fun! appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.