September Transfers/Finding and Teaching using Family History

To the missionaries of the Great Texas Houston Mission,

I attended a couple of productive and edifying district meetings this past week. As you prepare for this week's topics in your upcoming district meetings, I want you to consider a couple of Fast Facts about Family History research in the U.S.:

1. 60% of the U.S. population has expressed an interest in tracing their family history, according to a poll by Maritz Research.

2. Ancestry.com is among the top five largest paid subscription sites on the Internet with over 850,000 paid subscriptions. 

3. According to Nielsen NetRatings, genealogy is the most popular lifestyle category on the Internet for older adults.

4. Over 60% of Americans have embarked on a genealogical journey by discovering who their ancestors were and how various forces shaped their pastAccording to the USA Today, genealogy if the second most popular hobby in the United States (after gardening. It is also second on the category of websites most frequently visited.

5. According to the USA Today, genealogy or Family History is the second most popular hobby in America. 

6. There are TV shows like "Who do you think you are?" that show some celebrities being taken on the journey to discover their ancestry (usually filled with emotion). These shows are growing in popularity.

We know that these trends aren't by coincidence, but rather of a fulfillment of the prophesy we find in Malachi 4:5-6. The Spirit of Elijah is really just a manifestation of the Spirit of the Lord. Those who are feeling a growing interest in Family History are going to be more prepared to receive the message of the gospel because they are feeling the Spirit already. 

It will be important that we review PMG p. 163-165 in our personal and companionship study this week to know how we can use family history as a finding and teaching tool. 

It is important that we know how to answer the question "Why does your church invest so much effort into this?" One place we might begin answering that question is by referencing the answer Jesus gave to Nicodemus in John 3:3-5. This answer has confused religious scholars for centuries because without an understanding of the Plan of Salvation, this answer condemns the great majority of people who have ever lived on the earth. Only the gospel as found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can give an answer that soothes the soul. This is the "Good News" that we carry! 

It is a wonderful time to be a missionary! We love you and are grateful for all the good that you do!

Love,

President and Sister Mortensen

Two Bountiful boys

Testimony meeting 

The mission home sounded heavenly

At the airport with the departing missionaries

We are going to really miss these servants of the Lord

Last goodbyes

Just a couple hours later we welcomed our new group of missionaries straight from the MTC

We love them already

Don't they look great and ready to work?

A real Texas BBQ meal

Testimony Meeting 

The next several pictures are of the new missionaries and their trainers

 They are in great hands! We are excited to hear the great things they accomplish together.