Family

In honor of Mothers

We have a free printable for you in honor of Mother’s Day!
(Click HERE to save it in the original size)
Although we may not all be mothers, we each have a mother, a grandmother, a wife, a sister, a daughter or a friend in our lives who deserves to be appreciated and honored.

I love this quote from Elder Russel M. Nelson,
“During my professional career as a doctor of medicine, I was occasionally asked why I chose to do that difficult work. I responded with my opinion that the highest and noblest work in this life is that of a mother. Since that option was not available to me, I thought that caring for the sick might come close. I tried to care for my patients as compassionately and competently as Mother cared for me.
Many years ago the First Presidency issued a statement that has had a profound and lasting influence upon me. “Motherhood,” they wrote, “is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind. It places her who honors its holy calling and service next to the angels.”
Russell M. Nelson, “Our Sacred Duty to Honor Women,” Ensign, May 1999, 38

Being a mother is definitely hard, but it is also so very important and rewarding!
Here are a few other favorite talks from our church leaders on motherhood for your reading pleasure:

Your Greatest Challenge, Mother Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2000
Because She is a Mother Jeffrey R. Holland, April 1997
Daughters of God Elder M. Russell Ballard, April 2008
Mothers Who Know Julie B. Beck, October 2007

Katy Family History Fair

On October 25th, our stake hosted a magnificent family history fair.
Many people put much time, energy and prayer into the planning of the educational event.

For those of us new to family history, it can seem very overwhelming to get started.
At the fair nearly every aspect of family history was covered: how to get started on familysearch.org, what types of research can be done online (and where), creating family history books, and even tips for writing your own personal history.
Another topic covered was the importance of working with your living ancestors. I especially love this idea and think about how I should get started on it often.
One of the presenters quoted Bruce Feiler, who said, “The single most important thing you can do for your family may be the simplest of all: develop a strong family narrative…The bottom line: if you want a happier family, create, refine and retell the story of your family’s positive moments and your ability to bounce back from the difficult ones. That at alone may increase the odds that your family will thrive for many generations to come.”
Now we just need to do it!
Another great way to get started is to try out family indexing. It is simple and fulfilling, and everything you need is provided for you. Try it out HERE!
Modern-day prophets and apostles have continually taught the need for Church members to become involved in family history work. Elder Richard G. Scott expressed, “The real value of research in identifying ancestors is providing the ordinances for them in the temple.” And Russel M. Nelson said, “When our hearts turn to our ancestors, something changes inside us. We feel part of something greater than ourselves. Our inborn yearnings for family connections are fulfilled when we are linked to our ancestors through sacred ordinances of the temple.”
If you were unable to attend, don’t worry, they have posted much of the information shared for us to easily access!
Just click HERE for handouts, power point presentations, etc.
You can also visit the Katy Texas Family History page on Facebook to find out the latest information.

How Fathers Can Provide Spiritual Leadership to Their Children

During the Priesthood leadership session of our Katy Stake Conference in August, President David Sosa gave a wonderful talk. Below you will find some inspired ideas for fathers that he mentioned.
I think they are helpful for all of us as we work to strengthen our families and lead our children in the gospel.

How Fathers Can Provide Spiritual Leadership to Their Children
1. Use our priesthood to bless our children. Look for opportunities to share our priesthood with them. Give them father’s blessings. Baptize and confirm them. Ordain our sons to the priesthood. These will become spiritual highlights in their lives. This will also help them gain a testimony and appreciation of the priesthood we hold.
2. Personally direct family prayers, daily scripture reading, and weekly family home evenings. It is our responsibility as a priesthood holder and a father to make sure these important activities take place in our homes. Our personal involvement will teach our children how important these activities really are.
3. Whenever possible, attend church meetings together as a family. Family worship under our leadership is vital to our children’s spiritual welfare.
4. Spend time with our children. Go on dad/daughter dates and on father/son outings. As family, go on campouts/picnics, to ball games, recitals, school programs and so forth. Having dad there and being emotionally present makes all the difference.
5. Build traditions of family vacations, trips, and outings. These memories will never be forgotten by our children.
6. Have regular one on one visits with our children. Let them talk about what they want to discuss. Teach them true values. Teach them gospel principles. Tell them we love them. Personal time with our children will show them what dad considers to be important.
7. Teach our children to work. Show them the value of working towards a worthy goal. Establish mission funds and education funds for your children. This will teach them what you consider to be important.
8. Encourage good music, art, and literature in our homes. . Homes that have a spirit of refinement and beauty will bless the lives of our children forever.
9. Attend the temple regularly with your wife. This will set a powerful example for our children. Our children will then better understand the importance of temple marriage and temple vows and the eternal family unit.
10. Have our children see our joy and satisfaction in service to the Church. This will help them want to also serve in the church.