Family Home Evening Service Project: Indexing

Purpose: This month's service project is centered on the family and genealogical research. One of the great ways each of us can help in this great work is by extracting names through indexing. The church has made it so simple to do and we can do it in the comfort of our homes!

Scripture: Malachi. 4:5,6

Song: "Who's on the Lord's Side?

Lesson: One of the missions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to redeem the dead. We participate in genealogical research to help bind families for eternity. The Lord has provided us with many tools in order to find missing links in our families so that everyone's work may be completed.

One of the tools we've been given is the use of the Internet. The church has created a way for us to be able to log-in and access records to do indexing from our homes.

What is Indexing?

Family history indexing is the simple process of extracting names from digital images of historical documents and creating online searchable indexes from the previously gathered information.


How is it done? First click on this link: Family Search Indexing

If you have not registered for an LDS account, you can do so on this Web site. You will need to your membership number to create this account and you will be able to use this same username and password on the Family Search Web site for family history.

If you have a previous username and password (LDS account) from doing family history online, use the same password.

If you are not a member of the LDS church or want to help others begin indexing, then you can create a Family Search account for the general public.

How to start? There is a helpful "How To" video that will begin once you log in to begin using the program for the first time. It is recommended that you watch this short video or have a family history representative from your ward help you learn the steps.

Additional Resources: Need additional help or want to learn more about expanding your skills?

Visit, Family Search Online Classes, for FREE help.

Activity:

Young children: (this activity, photo and idea are from SugarDoodle)

Hand Tree

Items needed: Fabric Paint, Paintbrush, paper plates, 1/2 yard of white cotton fabric for tree, markers, scissors, fabric glue, 1 yard of fabric (white or colored for background)

Have your family members pick out their favorite colors of paint and spread a little of each color on a paper plate. Working from the biggest hands to the littlest ones, have each person dip their hands in her chosen paint and print them on the cotton fabric, overlapping the hand prints slightly as the group moves up the tree (practice on paper first). Use a paintbrush to add a tree trunk, let all the paint dry and then identify each set of hand prints with a permanent marker.

Older children:

Older children can participate in doing the indexing online. You can set a indexing goal as a family-- make your first goal an easy one for the first week as you learn how to do indexing. Each family member can take turns doing a name or completing one record until each person has had a turn.

Discussion:

How does doing this indexing help others?

What was your experience doing the indexing?


Treat:

Delicious Healthy Cupcakes

For this simple recipe, all you need is one cake mix and one can of soda. If you want to use a chocolate cake mix, use a dark diet can of soda. If you want to use a light cake mix, use a can of Diet Sprite (or Fresca).

Simply mix the can of soda into the cake mix and stir.

Bake as directed for cupcakes.

You can also use some Sugar Free Cool Whip for icing to make a perfectly healthy and super yummy treat!