Focusing on what we can do

Family history doesn’t require wealth or expertise. It requires willingness. Like Hyrum, when we use the simple tools we have, we help build something eternal.

In Doctrine and Covenants 95, the Saints were rebuked for delaying the construction of the temple. Hyrum Smith responded by going to his parents’ house, gathering simple tools, and starting to dig. He wasn’t a builder, he wasn’t wealthy, and he didn’t have everything needed to finish the project. But he used what he did have to move the Lord’s work forward.

Just like Hyrum, we may feel unprepared or inadequate when it comes to family history. We may think we need advanced research skills, access to every record, or years of free time. But the truth is: the Lord asks us to begin with the tools we already have.

Tools We Already Have for Family History

• Stories we remember → writing down a memory from a parent or grandparent.

• Photos on our phones → uploading them to FamilySearch and adding context.

• Family traditions → recording the recipe, song, or holiday custom we already practice.

• Simple questions → asking a loved one: “What was your favorite game as a child?”

• Ordinances Ready → using FamilySearch’s built-in tool to take names to the temple right away.

Hyrum’s example teaches us that we don’t need to wait until we “know enough” or “have everything in order” to do family history. We just start with the tools in our hands — our memories, our photos, our access to FamilySearch — and trust that the Lord will magnify our small efforts into something great.