Family Faith

By Elizabeth Ricks

“Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Liahona, Oct. 2004, 49).

When missionaries arrived in William Jarvis’s town in Lancashire, England, some men tried to prevent the missionaries from preaching. But they continued anyway, and William and his wife, Jane, joined the Church.

William’s family left England to travel to America in 1859. After 13 weeks in a sailing vessel and after many train rides, they joined other immigrants in the George Rowley handcart company. William pulled a handcart more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km).

Jane became sick and died. The company needed desperately to find food, so William stayed behind to bury his wife. Two Swedish converts stayed to help.

As the men started out again, they saw some Indians riding toward them. William was worried. Imagine his relief when the Indians were friendly. They laughed about the carts that the men were harnessed to. The Indians then harnessed themselves to the handcarts and pulled the carts until they caught up with the company! William’s grandson later wrote, “Surely never was a small kindly deed more appreciated.” (See Jeston Jarvis, A Short Sketch of the Life of William Jarvis.)

In July we celebrate the coming of the pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley. The pioneers showed great faith. William Jarvis had faith. He was an example to his family. You have examples of faith in your family, and you can be an example of faith. As your family follows Jesus Christ in faith, you will be blessed.

Activity

Remove page F4, and cut out the leaves. Cut out the tree, and mount it on heavier paper. Write the name of a relative on each leaf. (You may need to trace and cut out more leaves.) Glue the leaves to your family tree. You might want to put relatives on your father’s side of the family on one part of the tree and relatives on your mother’s side on the other part. You will want your own leaf on the trunk because you belong to both sides of the family!

Illustration by Brad Teare

Note: If you do not wish to remove pages from the magazine, this activity may be copied or printed from www.lds.org. For English, click on “Gospel Library.” For other languages, click on “Languages.”

Sharing Time Ideas

Play a game of “Who Are We?” Have some children represent scripture families such as Adam and Eve, Lehi and Sariah, or Joseph and Mary. Help them answer yes-or-no questions about the family. A child might ask, “Is your family in the Book of Mormon?” When each family is identified, tell about the family, and show where this family is found in the scriptures. Ask the children to think of one good quality of the family that they would like to have in their own family. For example, “I would like my family to follow God’s will like Lehi and Sariah’s family.” From paragraph seven of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” read, “Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Testify of the importance of righteous families.
Several weeks before this sharing time, ask older children to prepare to tell about the first member of their family to join the Church. If possible, select children whose families have been members for several generations and also children whose families are recent converts. (Alternatively, present stories of Church leaders such as Brigham Young and Parley P. Pratt from lesson 13 of the Primary 5 manual.) Make a list of qualities that people needed in order to join the Church 150 years ago. Make another list of qualities people need today to join the Church. Point out the similarities. Testify of the blessings that come to a family through the gospel.

Illustration by Brad Teare