Fulfilling Family Responsibilities The mission of the Lord's Church is to help all people come unto Christ. Families have an important responsibility to help accomplish this mission. We do this as we: Provide for the spiritual and physical needs of ourselves and our families and help meet the needs of others. Share the gospel with the people around us. See that family members receive the blessings of the temple and help provide these blessings for our ancestors who have died. Providing for Spiritual and Physical Needs The previous section of this guidebook discussed how families can provide for their spiritual needs. Families are also responsible to become self-reliant in providing for their physical needs and to help meet the needs of others. Becoming Self-reliant Our Heavenly Father has given us everything we have—our talents and abilities as well as our material goods. Although He never forsakes us, He does not do for us what we can do for ourselves. He has commanded us to use the things we receive from Him to take care of ourselves and our families. When we do so, we are self-reliant. When we accept the responsibility for our own and our family's well-being, we are better able to sustain ourselves in our everyday lives. We are better prepared to endure times of adversity without becoming dependent upon others. To be self-reliant we must be willing to work. Work is physical, mental, or spiritual effort. It is a source of happiness, self-esteem, and prosperity. Parents should accept the responsibility to work toward self-reliance and should teach their children to do so. As family members do this, they should prepare themselves in the following areas: Education. Family members should: Improve their ability to read, write, and do basic mathematics. Take advantage of opportunities to gain more knowledge and better skills. Health. Family members should: Obey the Word of Wisdom and eat healthful foods. Provide for adequate medical and dental care. Keep their home and surroundings clean and sanitary. Employment. Family members should: Become skilled at their work through training and experience. Be diligent, hard working, and trustworthy. Home storage. Family members should: Store, use, and know how to produce and prepare food and other items that are essential for life. Where possible, store a year's supply of the basic items needed to sustain life. Families could begin by storing the food that would be required to keep them alive in case they did not have anything else to eat. Depending on where they live, these basics might include water, wheat or other grains such as corn or rice, legumes (dried beans, peas, lentils), salt, honey or sugar, powdered milk, and cooking oil. Where storing a year's supply is not possible, families should store as much as they can. Resource management. Family members should: Avoid unnecessary debt and save for the future. Satisfy all of their promised obligations. Use their resources wisely, avoiding waste. Social, emotional, and spiritual strength. Family members should: Strengthen their faith in God the Father and Jesus Christ. Improve their relationships with family members, neighbors, and friends. Work toward worthy goals. Caring for Others As disciples of Christ, family members should honor their covenants to build up the kingdom of God and care for those in need. Nearly all of us can give something to others, no matter how little we have. Those who have little are blessed when they have the desire to give. Parents should teach their children the importance of sharing with others. There are many ways we can give to people in need. One important way established by the Lord is by participating in the monthly fast and contributing fast offerings. Fast offerings are used to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, and relieve the afflicted. Other opportunities for service are present all around us in our homes, neighborhoods, and communities. One measure of our love for the Lord is the love we show to others by serving and blessing them. Sharing the Gospel Latter-day prophets have taught that every member of the Church has the responsibility to share the gospel with others. Alma, a prophet in the Book of Mormon, explained that when we are baptized we should be willing "to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places" (Mosiah 18:9). Family members should do all they can to help their friends and neighbors learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ and the blessings it provides. By working together to share the gospel, parents and children can increase their own testimonies and bring blessings into the lives of many people. To be successful in sharing the gospel, families can: Be good examples to others by obeying all the commandments (see Matthew 5:16). Be grateful for their membership in the Church (see Romans 1:16) and let other people know they are members of the Church. Ask the Lord to (1) help them select a family or individual who might be ready to hear the gospel and (2) help them find other ways to share the gospel. Introduce the family or individual to the Church in some way, such as inviting them to a family home evening or other Church activity, giving them Church books or pamphlets to read, and talking with them about the gospel and the blessings it brings into people's lives. Invite the family or individual into their home to be taught by the missionaries. Parents can also help share the gospel by preparing themselves and their children to serve full-time missions. To prepare children, especially sons, for missions, parents should teach the gospel in the home, have personal and family scripture study, teach children to pray, and talk often about the responsibilities and blessings of sharing the gospel. They can teach their children to save money for their missions, work hard, be self-reliant, and love and serve other people. Couples should prepare themselves financially to serve missions when their children are grown. Couples can prepare in much the same way as younger missionaries. They can strengthen their knowledge and testimony of the gospel, save money for a mission, study other languages, and maintain good physical health. Receiving and Sharing the Blessings of the Temple In the temples of God, worthy Church members can receive sacred ordinances and enter into covenants for themselves and their deceased ancestors. These ordinances and covenants are necessary in order for God's children to be exalted in the celestial kingdom. Receiving Temple Ordinances for Ourselves When Church members attend the temple for themselves, they receive the endowment, an ordinance that teaches about the purpose of life and the mission of the Savior. They enter into covenants with the Lord. Also in the temple, worthy couples can be sealed together, and their children will be part of their family forever. If families live worthily, these sealing ordinances will unite them for eternity. If parents have not received the endowment and been sealed to each other, they should work toward receiving these ordinances. Then they should prepare their children to receive all the blessings of the temple, including temple marriage. If families are not able to travel to a temple, they should live worthy to receive temple recommends and realize that they can receive the blessings of the temple in the next life, if not in this life. Providing Ordinances for Ancestors The Savior taught that all people who have lived on earth must have the opportunity to hear his gospel and receive the ordinances of salvation. Many people have died without having these opportunities. Through His atonement, the Savior prepared the way for them to hear the gospel message in the spirit world and receive the ordinances. These ordinances must be performed on earth by worthy Church members who receive them in behalf of the people who have died. The Lord has given families the sacred responsibility to ensure that the ordinances of salvation are performed for their ancestors who have died without receiving them. Families can do this by following three simple steps: Identify their ancestors. Find out which ancestors need ordinances. Make certain that the ordinances are performed. Priesthood leaders will have more information about carrying out these three steps. Keeping Personal and Family Records Parents should keep written records of the important events in their lives and the lives of their children. Certificates of blessings, baptisms, ordinations, marriages, and deaths should be kept in secure places. Parents should encourage children to begin keeping records of their own lives when they are old enough. These records will help family members see the blessings of the Lord in their lives and will be an inspiration to posterity. Families should also compile and write the information they find about their ancestors. Then this information can be used by all family members. For further information about temple work and family history, see chapter 40 of Gospel Principles.