FAMILY

1. Some of our greatest opportunities to demonstrate our love will be within

the walls of our own homes. Love should be the very heart of family life, and
yet sometimes it is not. There can be too much impatience, too much
arguing, too many fights, too many tears . . . the bottom line is that the
reasons do not matter. If we would keep the commandment to love one
another, we must treat each other with kindness and respect.
President Thomas S. Monson, Love- The Essence of the Gospel, Ensign, May
2014, pp.92-93.

2. Our priesthood obligation is to put our families and the families of those
around us at the center of our concern. Every major decision should be based
on the effect it will have on a family to qualify for life with Heavenly Father
and Jesus Christ. There is nothing in our priesthood service as important as
this.
President Henry B. Eyring, Eternal Families, General Priesthood Session,
April 2016 General Conference

3. Heavenly Father has made each of us unique. No two of us have exactly the
same experiences. No two families are alike. So, it is not surprising that
advice about how to choose happiness in family life is hard to give. Yet a
loving Heavenly Father has set the same path to happiness for all of His
children. Whatever our personal characteristics or whatever will be our
experiences, there is but one plan of happiness. That plan is to follow all the
commandments of God.
President Henry B. Eyring, To My Grandchildren, Sunday morning session,
October 2013 General Conference.

4. I urge those I love to accept and to magnify every calling offered them in the
Church. That choice is one of the great keys to family happiness. The
pressures at every stage of life can tempt us to reject or neglect calls to serve
the Savior. That can put us in spiritual peril for ourselves, our spouse, and our
families. Some of those calls may seem unimportant, but my life, and my
family, was changed for the better by my accepting a call to teach.
President Henry B. Eyring, To My Grandchildren, Sunday morning session,
October 2013 General Conference.

5. A family council, when conducted with love and with Christ-like attributes,
will counter the impact of modern technology that often distracts us from
spending quality time with each other and also tends to bring evil right into
our homes. Please remember that family councils are different from family
home evening held on Mondays. Home evenings focus primarily on gospel
instruction and family activities. Family councils, on the other hand, can be
held on any day of the week, and they are primarily a meeting at which
parents listento each other and to their children. . . When parents are
prepared and children listen and participate in the discussion, the family
council is truly working! No matter what our particular family situation is, it is
 critical that we understand the unique circumstances of each family member.
Though we may share DNA, there may be situations and circumstances
among us that may make us vastly different from each other and which may
require the compassionate collaboration of the family council. . . Siblings,
especially the older ones, can be powerful mentors to young children if
parents will use the family council to enlist their help and support during
times of difficulty and duress.
Elder M. Russell Ballard, Family Councils, April 2016 General Conference,
Saturday afternoon session.

6. The greatest missionary work we will ever do will be in our homes. Our
homes, quorums, and classes are part of the mission field. Our children and
grandchildren are our most important investigators. The greatest family
history work that we will do will be within our own homes. It is the spiritual
preparation of our children in the rising generation that will, through their
obedience, ensure the eternal preservation and perpetuation of our families
for the coming generations. The greatest rescue, the greatest activation will
be in our homes. If someone in your family is wandering in strange paths, you
are a rescuer, engaged in the greatest rescue effort the Church has ever
known. . . The greatest faith we have will be within our homes as we remain
strong in the trials and tribulations of parenthood.
Elder Robert D. Hales, Our Duty to God: The Mission of Parents and Leaders
to the Rising Generation, April 2010 General Conference, Sunday afternoon
session.

7. As a Church, we believe in fathers. We believe in the ideal of the man who

puts his family first. We believe that by divine design, fathers are to preside
over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide
the necessities of life and protection for their families. We believe that in
their complementary family duties, fathers and mothers are obligated to help
one another as equal partners. We believe that far from being superfluous,
fathers are unique and irreplaceable.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Fathers, April 2016 General Conference,
Sunday morning session.

8. Adult members of the Church should understand that Personal Progress and
Duty to God requirements are not just lengthy lists of items to check off. They
are personal goals set by each young man and young woman to help them
become worthy to receive temple ordinances, serve missions, enter into
eternal marriage, and enjoy exaltation. But let it be understood: for young
men and young women to try to accomplish these goals alone would be a
great loss and tragedy! Fathers, mothers, and leaders of youth, we urge you
to participate in Personal Progress and Duty to God with your children and
with the youth. Not only will they grow; you will grow too. And just as
importantly, you will grow together in a bond of faith and friendship that will
allow you to strengthen each other and stay on the gospel path forever, to
indeed be an eternal family.
9. Elder Robert D. Hales, Our Duty to God: The Mission of Parents and Leaders
to the Rising Generation, April 2010 General Conference, Sunday afternoon
session.

10.There was a time when the walls of our homes provided all the defense we
needed against outside intrusions and influences. We locked the doors,
closed the windows; we shut the gates; and we felt safe, secure, and
protected in our own little refuge from the outside world. Those days are now
gone. The physical walls, doors, fences, and gates of our homes cannot
prevent unseen invasion from the Internet, the Wi-Fi, the mobile phones, the
networks. They can penetrate our homes with just a few clicks and
keystrokes. Fortunately, the Lord has provided a way to counter the invasion
of negative technology that can distract us from spending quality time with
each other. He has done this by providing the council system to strengthen,
protect, safeguard, and nurture our most precious relationships. Children
desperately need parents willing to listen to them, and the family council can
provide a time during which family members can learn to understand and
love one another.
Elder M. Russell Ballard, Family Councils, April 2016 General Conference,
Saturday afternoon session

11.I promise that ahead of you is peace and happiness for you and your family.
The ultimate end of all activity in the Church is that a man and his wife and
their children can be happy at home.
Boyd K. Packer, Cleansing the Inner Vessel, October 2010 General
Conference, Sunday Morning Session.

12.It is our imperative duty to help youth understand and believe the gospel in
a deeply personal way. We can teach them to walk in the light, but that light
cannot be borrowed. They must earn it for themselves. They must obtain
their own light of testimony directly from the source of spiritual lightGod
Himselfthrough prayer and study and pondering. They must understand
who they are and who Heavenly Father wants them to become. . . When we
have a family home evening, a family council, or a meaningful gospel
conversation with our children, we have the opportunity to look into their
eyes and tell them that we love them and that Heavenly Father loves them. In
these sacred settings, we can also help them understand, deep in their
hearts, who they are and how fortunate they are to have come to this earth
and to our home and to participate in the covenants we have taken in the
temple to be a family forever. In every interaction we share, we demonstrate
the principles and blessings of the gospel.
Elder M. Russell Ballard, Family Councils, April 2016 General Conference,
Saturday afternoon session.