Putting our FAMILY in Family History – The First Annual Raymond Stake “Family” Family History Fair

Last weekend we had the pleasure of attending and helping with the Raymond Stake Family History Fair.  We thought this was a very very successful event which other stakes might want to try.  The Raymond Stake has been kind enough to share their plan with us.  About 150 people attended the Fireside and over 160 people attended the classes on Saturday.  The lunch of soup, whole wheat bread, cookies, and apple crumble (made from dried apples) was delicious.  Obviously a lot of planning and preparation went into the event and we have included some of the outlines. Another element that made the event so successful was the large number of presenters and helpers from organizations throughout the stake.   Congratulations Raymond Stake!

The following is an extract of their outline for the fair.  Please contact us if you need a complete copy of the outline and contact information for the FH leaders in the Raymond Stake.

On Friday evening, April 20^th and during the day, Saturday April 21^st, The Raymond Stake will host a Family History Fair, centered in Family History activities that we can do as families.

Our Goals

• Help our stake families to understand their ancestors and how they contribute to who and what we are today
• Provide family centered activities to help us learn about and enjoy our family backgrounds and history
• Show what is available and build interest within our Stake in family history and genealogy work

The Format

Our fair will be in two parts. It will begin with a family fireside on Friday evening at 7:00 pm at the Stake Center Chapel. Peter & Linda Darby, our Area Family History Advisors, will be the speakers. During the day Saturday we will host a “drop in” smorgasbord of family centered Family History activities at the Stake Centre and Cultural Hall. This will begin at 9 am and continue till around 4:30 pm. Attendees will be able to choose from a range of concurrent activities, classes, displays and programs, each one repeating 6 times, at 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30. Some of the activities may require a previous signup with designated times for attending. Others will be “free form” and “drop in”. All will be designed for entire families to participate in. Each will take about 45 minutes, and allow 5 to 10 minutes for questions after, and 5 minutes to move the group out and a new one in. Lunch will be provided in the Cultural Hall between 12:30 and 1:30 (the Stake Emergency Preparedness group will be handling this so it could be interesting as well as filling).

The planned activities and their coordinating/sponsoring High Priests groups are: 

#1 – Build Your Family Tree and put it on your mantle, save it for a rainy day. (1^st Ward)

#2 – How can I write a journal when I can’t even write a note? (4^th Ward)

#3 – Can I really learn anything useful from my grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles? (7^th Ward)

#4 – What is indexing and do I need a dictionary to do it? (5^th Ward)

#5 – What does our family stand for, how are we unique, and where did we get our family traditions, traits, habits, recipes and all these things that make us who we are? (3^rd Ward)

#6 – How were the lives of our ancestors different from ours, and how were they similar (9^th Ward)

#7 – What is this whole NewFamilySearch thing, why is it “new” and is my family really lost enough that I need to be searching for it? (8^th Ward)

#8 – I’ve got all these old photos and artifacts and stuff – are they good for anything and if so, how can I save and use them? (6^th Ward)

#9 – What’s at the Family History Centre and what can it do for my family? (2^nd Ward)

There will be two additional activities that are not repeating “classes” but will be more of a service booth approach:

#10 – “The Doctors are IN” – what FH problems can we help you solve? (Area FH Advisors)

#11 – Haven’t registered for new FamilySearch yet? – Here is your chance – (Stake Clerk and FHC Staff)

What’s next

We are working with the High Priest Group Leaders to define and refine the activities and help find ways to make them whole family experiences. Someone has been assigned to coordinate a publicity campaign and we will all keep reinforcing in a positive way that this is a “Family” Family History event. We also plan to have family history related displays in the Cultural Hall and North Stake Centre foyers, – posters, materials, some artifacts and such.

Please contact (member of HC or FHC Directors) with suggestions, feedback and ideas.

 

Putting our FAMILY in Family History – April 21, 2012

Activity #1 – Build Your Family Tree (and put it on your mantle) – First Ward

Message – Families are made of real people who are connected in ways we can understand

Activity Description – As a family, talk about what a family tree is. Families can make a physical family tree that can be taken home and displayed, and can also register and receive a fanchart printout showing 9 generations of their family ancestors.

Target Group – Families with younger children for the physical tree and any family for the fanchart

Coordinator – 1^st Ward High Priests

Possible assisting organization – Stake Primary people and ward people as needed

What we need

• A simple way that people can select pieces, put names on them and construct a tree form showing their family relationships
• Some posters and discussion points or illustrations about relationships, what they are called and how they fit together
• A computer and printer setup to load and print fancharts from the NewFamilySearch website

The Take-home – an individual family tree, a visual reminder of how and who makes up our family

 

Activity #3 – Can I really learn anything new or useful from my grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles? – Seventh Ward

Message – Our ancestors and their experiences can be a blessing to us, but only if we know who they are and what they did. We can find these things out by talking to them about their lives and keeping notes or a recording in some way

Activity Description – Examples of Q and A family firesides, possibly a church video on interviewing, ask some of the questions and get the answers, talk about recording with ink and ipods

Target Group – Families with living relatives (that’s most of us)

Coordinator – 7^th Ward High Priests

Possible assisting organization – Stake YW, YM

What we need

• Illustrations of things learned from our progenitors and family members
• An opportunity to interview someone about a specific event as a learning process
• Discussion and examples about ways to preserve an interview
• A real interview with a family member about some significant event – marriage, first child, mission

The Take-home – a better knowledge of a family event or member and an understanding of how to find out about other events that have meaning from our past

 

Activity #4 – What is indexing and do I need a dictionary to do it? – Fifth Ward

Message – Indexing can be fun and it blesses us all – it is a powerful way to help Family History efforts

Activity Description – A presentation/demonstration about indexing along with actual involvement in indexing records

Target Group – All, with some emphasis on the “gadgetized” youth

Coordinator – 5^th Ward High Priests

Possible assisting organization – Stake Indexing director

What we need

• A location with a computer or two, a large monitor or projector and internet access
• Some demonstrations and illustrations about  the Church indexing program and why it helps us
• Discussion about the youth site at LDS.Org/youth/family-history
• Demonstrations on a smartphone/iphone and/or a tablet
• Some fairly easy record sets to work with
• Those taking this class will need their membership number and birth date if they are not registered already

The Take-home – an understanding of indexing and its importance in family history work

 

Activity #9 – What is at the Family History Centre and what can it do for my family? – Second Ward

Message – Tools, resources and training for our research needs can be found at the FHC

Activity Description – Show what is available at the FHC and what help we can receive there

Target Group – all

Coordinator – 2^nd Ward High Priests

Possible assisting organization – Family History Directors

What we need

• Sample setups from the FHC, one computer workstation, one microfilm reader, one microfiche reader, internet
• A presentation/discussion about what you can do at home and what you can do at the Center
• Illustrations of ways the FHC can complement family research at home

The Take-home – an understanding of where a Family History centre can help a family in their Family History program.

 

 

 

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You Were Born for This – Family History and Youth

Recently we were blessed to be invited by a stake to give a presentation on FH and Youth.  The presentation was centred on Elder Bednar’s talk at the October 2011 General Conference. Here is our handout.

1. Putting things in context

• Remember the blessing of having a Prophet and Apostles
• Always talk and counsel with Stake and Ward Leaders

2.  Goals

• To provide a list of practical suggestions to involve youth in Family History
• End Result – To increase the participation of Youth in Family History

3.  We have been asked to focus on Youth and Family History.  Why FH for Youth? How? The Obvious?  Follow the program. Keep doing what do we do now in the YW and YM programs.  Review the program after going through Elder Bednar’s talk.

4.  Talk: The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn – Elder David A Bednar, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles , October 2011 General Conference, Saturday Afternoon Session – key resource – answers key questions invites youth to participate in FH and how this can best be accomplished:

5.  Why do Family History?

6.  What are Youth to do?

• Learn about and experience the spirit of Elijah
• Study, search out your ancestors
• Prepare to perform proxy baptisms
• Help other people identify their family histories

7.  A Promise . . . What is promised?

• Your hearts shall turn to the fathers.
• The promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be implanted in your hearts.
• Your patriarchal blessing, with its declaration of lineage, will link you to these fathers and be more meaningful to you.
• Your love and gratitude for your ancestors will increase.
• Your testimony of and conversion to the Savior will become deep and abiding.
• I promise you will be protected against the intensifying influence of the adversary.
• You will be safeguarded in your youth and throughout your lives.

8.  Role of Parents and Leaders

• Help them learn about and experience the Spirit of Elijah
• do not overly program this endeavor
• or provide too much detailed information or training

9.  A further word of caution

• “First, the youth won’t need technology or computer lessons, in fact, they could be called as consultants to teach new.familysearch.org after just a few minutes using it. They get it.
• Second, you will lose them if you try to teach them to become genealogists.
• Get them to the temple with their own names,
• Set them up to help and serve others, and you will be successful.
• Teach them how to correctly document jurisdictional place names, or to correctly enter sources and citations and you will lose them.
• They are a wonderful resource and can help and be blessed in so many ways.” (Jim Greene, FamilySearch)

10.  What should youth do?

• Invite to Explore
• Experiment
• Learn for themselves
• Use FH for Youth website
• Be learners who act
• and receive additional light and knowledge by the power of the Holy Ghost
• Not merely passive students

11.  You will stand all amazed

• Youth will quickly learn how to effectively use resources
• Youth can help those uncomfortable with or intimidated by technology or unfamiliar with FamilySearch
• More time for FH and Temple service means less time doing . . . . .

12.  So what should we do?

• Using the Youth and FH website – give them the opportunity to look at the videos and try some of the activities
• Learning about their ancestors for at least 4 generations – not just a pedigree chart – but who are they? Gather, organize pictures
• Take their own family names to the Temple for baptism
• Help by Indexing
• Help friends learn about their ancestors
• Ask question – is the information on new.familysearch.org accurate for my ancestors
• Can we get it corrected?  – yes we can!
• Help ward members – could be a service project – someone with no computer and or no computer skills – someone needing someone else’s eyes and hands
• Digitizing photos and documents
• Help the FH Centre – are there youth who could serve a shift a week?  are there youth who could provide some of the technical support?
• Are there youth who could teach all or part of the SS FH course?
• FH and Missionary work – could youth go with full-time missionaries to help with FH questions?
• How are we preparing youth to be full-time missionaries?  What do they need to know about FH to be ready to enter a MTC?
• when youth are assigned to talk in sacrament meeting, ask them to learn about an ancestor who embodied the gospel principle they are talking about, and then share what they learned

13.  Find Short Active High Success Activities

• Explore the Family History for Youth website -  lds.org/fhy
• Use the 5 Minute Genealogy videos and activities – available at FamilySearch.org (remember these can be downloaded and used offline)
• Create a fan chart at Createfan.com – what still needs to be done on my tree?
• Indexing – always!  – and now available on the ipad/iphone/ipod – app called Indexing – and android devices
• Watch for the 20 Minute Genealogist – at https://twenty.byu.edu/ – not available yet (as of 10Feb)

14.  Internet access in church buildings

• Can 35 youth all come to the FHCentre and use each use a computer?  Probably not.  Plan for manageable groups
• Plan the use of the bandwidth we have available
• How many people can access the Internet simultaneously in my building?  If you need to know more ask your Stake Technology Specialist – but you will quickly find out if the number is 10 or 15 or 20 or ?
• Download videos like the 5 Minute Genealogy series – and then use it offline

15  Challenges/goals and competitions

• # of names indexed
• number of family names taken to the temple – is this an appropriate competition?
• caution – re duration of challenges – short repeated challenges may be more effective than single long events
• can competition on sacred things something become inappropriate?  What spirit is being shared?
• How about a competition to see how many people you can teach to do indexing – even a neighbour or someone who doesn’t yet belong to the church

16.  Some of these suggestions will take some planning – and involve choices – and leadership decisions – discuss then with your Bishop and Stake President in Councils as appropriate -  you can’t do all of them – prayerfully select

17.  Some Resources:

• Elder Bednar talk “The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn “at October 2011 General  Conference  (Saturday afternoon session)
• FH for youth website lds.org/fhy – Experiences are frequently being added.  Be alert for additions
• Indexing at https://www.familysearch.org/volunteer/indexing
• 5 Minute Genealogy video series at FamilySearch.org/learn in research courses – many great resources in this area
• https://createfan.com/ – makes a fan chart from data at new.familysearch.org
• Watch for the 20 Minute Genealogist – at https://twenty.byu.edu/ – not available yet (as of 13 March but you can register for the beta)

• video at <http://lds.org/service/serving-in-the-church/temple-and-family-history/leader-resources/individual-stories-and-topics?lang=eng#strengthen-youth>  6 min
• articles at the Research wiki at familysearch.org – particularly 3 articles – 1. FH Activities for Youth, 2. Involve Children and Youth in FH, 3. FH Activities for Children 12 – ?

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1. Advice on Helping the Youth with Family History and 2. New FH materials available to order

 Helping the Youth with Family History

I recently read this quote from Jim Greene, a manager at FamilySearch.  Please note his caveats in the second paragraph.  I added the underlining.  Please consider his advice.

“Even though it was developed for youth, it is ok for adults to go look at and use the new youth website that Elder Bednar introduced last conference. It is at http://lds.org/fhy the fhy stands for family history youth. It teaches the youth the importance of temple and family history work, shows them 5 steps for searching for and clearing names, and has many opportunities for them to comment and see other’s experiences. There is also a whole section with videos on ideas how to serve others through family history. I would recommend this as a wonderful resource.

That said, let me offer a couple of caveats. First, the youth won’t need technology or computer lessons, in fact, they could be called as consultants to teach new.familysearch.org after just a few minutes using it. They get it. Second, you will lose them if you try to teach them to become genealogists. Get them to the temple with their own names, set them up to help and serve others, and you will be successful. Teach them how to correctly document jurisdictional place names, or to correctly enter sources and citations and you will lose them. They are a wonderful resource and can help and be blessed in so many ways.

We are going to continually update the site with new videos, ideas and stories. We are even considering games and contests.  I hope you find it enjoyable and that it gives you some ideas.”

To Turn the Hearts Guide and DVD Available to Order

The guides and DVDs were made available to order by phone effective 21 Dec 2011, and online in mid January:

The Global Service Center is where you have to call to place orders, 1-800-537-5971. The part numbers are:

08886000-To Turn the Hearts Leaders Guide (English)

08885000-DVD (English)

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Christmas – and the last article for 2011

It is time to wish each of you a wonderful Christmas.  May you and your families feel the true spirit of Christmas as you celebrate the birth of the Saviour.

Thank you for all that you do to help others with their temple and family history work.  We have enjoyed our visits with you in 2011 and look forward to seeing you in 2012.

This is our last article for 2011.  We will resume on 8 January 2012.

We hope that 2012 will be a wonderful and special year.

1. To Turn the Hearts Leader’s Guide and DVD are on their way or already at Stakes and Wards!  There are some wording changes as well as formatting changes.  Please destroy any copies of the draft copy including any copies of the pdf file you downloaded previously.  While only 5 copies of the Guide were sent to each unit, they will be available shortly through Distribution.  Please download a copy of the pdf file from either Serving in the Church at lds.org or familysearch.org/serve/.  An example of a change can be found by comparing the old page 11 from the draft version which is now page 12.  The draft version wording “position the High Priest Group Leader as the coordinator of the ward council’s temple and family history work . . .” has been changed to say “the bishopric ensures that the high priests group leader acts as the coordinator of the ward council’s temple and family history work.”  Please study the final document. .
2. Please continue to review familysearch.org/serve to see new training resources.

For Christmas we would like to give each of you a colored 9 generation fan chart of your family history.  Go to createfan.com, and log in with your lds account. Then click on Create.  You get a coloured fan chart which you can save and zoom.  We hope you enjoy your chart!  Instructions are in a video available on the FH for Youth website at lds.org/fhy in the section entitled See My Family Tree.  Createfan.com is a 3rd party affiliate service that prints a chart from your file at nFS.

Every best wish for Christmas and the New Year!

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Family History and Youth

General Conference is always a delight!  We hope you are reviewing and using the talk by Elder David Bednar from the October 2011 General Conference (To Turn the Hearts of the Children, Saturday afternoon session  https://lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/the-hearts-of-the-children-shall-turn?lang=eng ).

Please consider the following quote from that talk as you involve the youth in Temple and Family History work:

“But do not overly program this endeavor or provide too much detailed information or training. Invite young people to explore, to experiment, and to learn for themselves.”

Explore, experiment and learn.  Perhaps we need to move away from some of our traditional teaching approaches when working with youth?

Consider how youth can help with Family History.  This could include youth teaching adults, or youth helping adults who find computers difficult to use.

Family History website for youth  – www.lds.org/fhy

Please share in Comments things that you find work well.

Addendum to article 20 Nov 2011 – the main search page at FamilySearch.org changed this week!

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General Conference October 2011 Day One

We hadn’t intended to write this article.  We are away from home helping family and already had an article ready for you.  We are busy and enjoying our grandchildren!

But . . .   there were so many exciting things in the first day of General Conference that we wanted to make sure that you heard the news regarding Temple and Family History:

•  Six new temples were announced -

1. Provo – yes there is already one there, now there will be two! The new temple will be in the restored Provo Tabernacle that was severely damaged by fire in December 2010.  http://newsroom.lds.org/ has a picture of the new Provo Temple.
2. Columbia gets a second temple at Barranquilla to go with the one already in Bogota
3. Durban, South Africa which means a second temple for South Africa (already one at Johannesburg)
4. Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa.
5. Star Valley in Wyoming (western Wyoming)
6. Paris, France – although this news was “leaked” out since last conference

• A fund to assist those who live a long way from a temple so that they can attend once.   This Temple Patron Assistance Fund (at least I think that was the title) will accept donations to help first time temple attendees from remote areas.
• Elder Bednar gave an exciting talk on youth and Family History in the afternoon session and announced the new Family History website for youth.  For a partial summary see http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/61513/Elder-David-A-Bednar-The-hearts-of-the-children-shall-turn.html

He showed a Family History website for youth.  The address given was (I believe) lds.org/familyhistoryyouth  but familysearch.org/ldsyouth also works

As I didn’t hear every talk of every the morning and afternoon sessions perhaps I missed some Temple and Family History news?  If so, please add through the comments.

Hope you too are having a glorious weekend!

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Family History Projects for Youth

by Ralph and Linda Miller, Area FH Advisers for the northern part of New England

Young people have the opportunity to complete projects to gain experience with family history and following the spirit.  Young men and women can start on potentially life-changing or life-enriching experiences.  One of the difficulties is finding interesting, modest projects that won’t take their entire life but will yield significant results.  Here are a few thoughts that you could share with YM/YW leaders, families and youth.

• Learn about one of your ancestors.  What were they like?  What challenges did they face?  What blessings do you have because of them?  Record a faith-promoting or inspirational experience of one of your relatives (parent, grandparents, uncle, etc.).  Write how that experience strengthens you.

• Begin a book of remembrance.  Get a binder with divider tabs for pedigree charts, family group sheets, biographies, pictures.  Also include your patriarchal blessing and your testimony (date it).  Begin your personal history (life story).

• Index for 30 minutes each day for 4 weeks.  Record the number of names indexed and describe what you learned during this experience.

• Prepare a talk about an inspirational experience of one of your ancestors (could be parent or further back).  Write it neatly and put it in your scriptures for reference as an “instant talk.”

• Interview one of your parents or grandparents about how they received their testimony.  Write it down and put it in your Book of Remembrance or scriptures.

• Download Personal Ancestral File (PAF) from the www.familysearch.org website.  Create a picture pedigree, starting with yourself.  Seek help from your extended family in getting pictures (headshots) of your family going back as many generations as you can.  Experiment with several printing formats (PAF helps you do this) – try four generations, five generations, and see what difference it makes when you check the “allow last generation to split.”  Print out the picture pedigree you like best and put it in your scriptures and/or your book of remembrance.

• Identify a deceased relative who needs temple ordinances and use New FamilySearch to prepare that person’s name to take to the temple.  (Your ward family history consultant can help you do this.)  Then go to the temple to be baptized for that person.  Have someone take your picture near the temple door holding the temple card.  Write your feelings about the experience in your journal

 

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