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| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
One of the core doctrines that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Church of Jesus Christ) teaches is that family relationships can perpetuate beyond the grave. This is why Church programs and activities, including family history work, center around the building and strengthening of families.
In Cebu City, the members of the Cebu City Philippines Stake (Diocese) hosted a Family History Discovery Day to help the young generation see a glimpse of their familial history and remember their loved ones who have passed away. Around 300 people gathered at the Cebu City Stake Center on 27 October 2018 with their friends and families.
David Ray Villanueva and a couple tandem, Rommel and Gloria Fajardo, Area Family History Consultants, headed the activity.
“I will never know the history of my great-grandparents until I did my own family history works”, said Villanueva.
Gloria Fajardo shared the four main emphases of the activity, and they are to discover their dead ancestors, know their names and their stories, gather information so that they can link their generation, and to learn the games they played and the songs they sang.
Elder and Sister Jacob, senior missionaries who currently serve at the Philippines Cebu Temple, also attended the event.
“The purpose of Family Discovery Day is to bring the family of each ward in the stake together to discover the culture of their deceased family members. It’s time for them to discover things about them, and how they lived before when they are alive”, said Sister Jacob. “It is the good time to feel the Spirit of Elijah in their hearts, and hope that they will continue to feel that spirit as they keep building, discovering, gathering and connecting to their ancestors.”
Michelle Yuzon from Mandaue City stated that she was amazed to discover that the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints believe that families can be together forever.
Some members of the interfaith group also attended. Ted Segura from Folocare Movement, who came with his wife, daughter, and son-in-law, became interested with the family history website after learning that he can discover and write stories of his parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, and even his great ancestors for his future generation.
Soledad Donoso, a Latter-day Saint from the Cebu City Philippines Stake, also expressed her interest in the activity. “It is remembering our past that we can learn the ways of our ancestors, their traditions and doings," she said. The family-history enthusiast also stated that such activity will remind us to perform the temple ordinances for our ancestors.
The program formally opened at nine o'clock in the morning with a devotional. It concluded late in the afternoon with presentations of members from different wards (congregations), which showcased Filipino costumes, games, dances, theatrical dramas and songs.
Photo credit: Kenneth Engracia