Family

1.  "We need to make our homes a place of refuge from the storm, which is increasing in intensity all about us.  Even if the smallest openings are left unattended, negative influences can penetrate the very walls of our homes."

L. Tom Perry, "The Importance of the Family", General Conference, April 2003

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2.  "Marriage and family are not human inventions or social constructs evolving from human necessity.  They are part of a heavenly order that leads to eternal life and eternal happiness."

Elder Eric B. Shumway, "Preparing Yourself for Marriage", Ensign, October 2008

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3.  "I believe the mission statement for mortality might be “to build an eternal family.” Here on this earth we strive to become part of extended families with the ability to create and form our own part of those families. That is one of the reasons our Heavenly Father sent us here."  

M. Russell Ballard, "What Matters Most is What Lasts Longest", General Conference, October 2005

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4.  "While the family is under attack throughout the world, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints proclaims, promotes, and protects the truth that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children. “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” and our vast family history efforts are but two evidences of how this Church brings hope and help to the sacred institution of the family."  

Russell M. Nelson, "Generations Linked in Love", General Conference, April 2010

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5.  "The members of a stable family know who they are, where they are going, and what they want to achieve. The members of a dysfunctional family do not know who they are; they have no plan, no anchor, and no core set of values or standards to set their course."  

Barbara Thompson, "I Will Strengthen Thee; I Will Help Thee", General Conference, October 2007

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6.  "Let us place higher priority on family prayer, family scripture study, and family home evenings and eliminate those activities that fill our lives with worldliness and evil." 

L. Tom Perry, "A Year of Jubilee", General Conference, October 1999

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7.  "Parents should act to preserve time for family prayer, family scripture study, family home evening, and the other precious togetherness and individual one-on-one time that binds a family together and fixes children’s values on things of eternal worth. Parents should teach gospel priorities through what they do with their children."  

Dallin H. Oaks, "Good, Better, Best", General Conference, October 2007

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8.  "The Church exists to exalt the family. And the family is the fundamental unit of the Church."  

Russell M. Nelson, "Set in Order Thy House", General Conference, October 2001

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9.  "The key to strengthening our families is having the Spirit of the Lord come into our homes. The goal of our families is to be on the strait and narrow path."  

Robert D. Hales, "Strengthening Families: Our Sacred Duty", General Conference, April 1999

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10.  "Strong eternal families and Spirit-filled homes do not just happen.  They take great effort, they take time, and they take each member of the family doing his or her part.  Every home is different, but every home where even one individual seeks for truth can make a difference."  

Cheryl A. Esplin, "Filling Our Homes with Light and Truth", General Conference, April 2015

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My Position Statement - Family

I was born into a family with roots as deep as any other in making their mark in pioneer soil.  This family originated in 1682, landing in what was then known as Acadia, the most eastern part of Canada.  French born and escaping religious persecution, my ancestors came to that frozen and densely forest area, tamed the land and made their new home.  And that’s where I was born, seven generations later.  These ancestors of mine were known for their honesty, sobriety, hard work, and strong family ties.  But as with time and the cycle of iniquity, those strong attributes have somewhat diminished.  When I turned 19, I learned about the LDS church.  This opened up a new world to me, and I began my own personal pioneer trek.  I now have a family of my own and have tried my best to raise them with the gospel standards that I have come to learn and accept as truth.  I have taken those gospel standards, and along with the strength and the integrity of my ancestors, I have attempted to turn back the clock from today’s iniquity to bring back some of that good old fashion God-loving, bible reading, and truth telling common sense.  It’s not easy with the many darts that are constantly thrown at us today from every direction.  But my love for my Father in Heaven and for my Savior Jesus Christ, combined with my love for my family, has given me the strength and courage to continue forward and upward to be the best that I can be and do the best that I can do for me and mine.  The ultimate goal for all of us is to be reunited with our families in the eternities, and sometimes this goal is hidden and forgotten by today’s foggy forgetfulness.  Sometimes, we need to be constant in our efforts to shake ourselves awake to remember!  The only thing that matters, the only thing that is important – above all – is our families, both our earthly family and our heavenly family.  And to that end, there should be no rest until we succeed in bringing everyone home.