Elder and Sister Stevenson Share Ways to Invite the Spirit of Elijah and Fortify Family
Contributed By Sydney Walker, Church News reporter
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his wife, Sister Lesa Stevenson, speak during Family Discovery Day at RootsTech at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, February 29, 2020. Photo by Kristin Murphy, Deseret News.
Article Highlights
- We can fortify our homes and establish a defense and a refuge.
- The spirit of Elijah is all about family—our eternal family—past, present, and future.
- As we strive to do our best, we can unleash the power of family.
“Whatever your family looks like, it needs to be protected. What we observe time and time again is that the home is the most powerful defense and refuge for our families.” —Elder Gary E. Stevenson
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SALT LAKE CITY
Led by Captain Moroni, the Nephites in the Book of Mormon fortified their cities against their enemies, digging up “heaps of earth” and building “works of timbers.” They constructed towers with “places of security,” and such preparations astonished their enemies (see Alma 49:5, 8; 50:1-6).
“As the Nephite cities of old, we can fortify our homes and establish a defense and a refuge,” Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles told families and individuals gathered at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, February 29.
As keynote speakers on RootsTech Family Discovery Day, Elder Stevenson and his wife, Sister Lesa Stevenson, offered ideas to help Latter-day Saints invite the spirit of Elijah into their homes and fortify their families.
Watch the Stevensons’ full message now.
President Russell M. Nelson has said, “The adversary is increasing his attacks on faith and upon us and our families at an exponential rate. To survive spiritually, we need counterstrategies and proactive plans” (“Opening Remarks,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 7).
The shift to home-centered gospel learning, Sister Stevenson said, quoting President Nelson, “has the potential to unleash the power of families.”
“Whatever your family looks like, it needs to be protected,” Elder Stevenson said. “What we observe time and time again is that the home is the most powerful defense and refuge for our families.”
Share Family Stories and Personal Testimonies
President Nelson defines the spirit of Elijah as “a manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family” (“A New Harvest Time,” Ensign, May 1998, 34).
“The spirit of Elijah is all about family—our eternal family—past, present and future,” Elder Stevenson said.
Every summer, Sister Stevenson and her sister-in-law host “Grandma Camp”—a time for cousins to strengthen bonds, learn skills, and build faith. Last year at camp, the family highlighted the story of Elder Stevenson’s great aunt Mary Elizabeth Rollins.
Elder and Sister Stevenson invited three of their granddaughters to the stage to share the impact of Mary Elizabeth Rollins’s story—how Isaac Morley lent Mary Elizabeth, when she was a young girl, the only copy of the Book of Mormon in the town and she stayed awake all night to read it.
“This story reminds me that the Book of Mormon isn’t just for adults; it’s for kids too. And Mary was only a child when she read it, so I can read it too,” said Sophie, a granddaughter.
As a surprise to his granddaughters, Elder Stevenson showed them a Book of Mormon, now in the Church’s possession, that was given to Mary Elizabeth in Nauvoo by the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Granddaughters of Elder Gary E. Stevenson, a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, hold a Book of Mormon from the Nauvoo era that belonged to their ancestor Mary Elizabeth Rollins and has a lock of Joseph Smith’s hair attached to the inside cover during Family Discover Day at RootsTech at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, February 29, 2020. Photo by Kristin Murphy, Deseret News.
A few weeks ago Elder and Sister Stevenson met Brother Kayle Morley, the great-great-grandson of Isaac Morley, at a stake conference in Moroni, Utah. “The paths that first crossed 190 years ago have now crossed again,” Sister Stevenson said.
Elder and Sister Stevenson demonstrated how to record stories using the FamilySearch Memories app and shared the story of how they met at Utah State University.
Family stories can strengthen children in many ways, said Elder Stevenson, citing a study from Emory University, which concluded that children who know more about their family stories have “higher levels of self-esteem, better family functioning, lower levels of anxiety, fewer behavioral problems, and better resiliency.”
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Lesa Stevenson, speak during Family Discovery Day at RootsTech at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, February 29, 2020. Photo by Kristin Murphy, Deseret News.
Pass Down Family Names
The Book of Mormon is a collection of family stories, Sister Stevenson said. The Book of Mormon also shows the power of family names.
For example, Helaman named his sons Lehi and Nephi. The significance of their family names gave them strength to stay righteous during a time of wickedness (see Helaman 5:6-7).
“Passing down a family name is a distinct and unique way we can help our children feel a connection to their eternal families and examples from the past,” Sister Stevenson said.
Another example is Elder Stevenson’s middle name of Evan, which is the name of his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. His son shares the middle name, and his grandson is named Evan.
Elder Stevenson shared the story of a couple they met in Japan whose son Johnny asked his nonmember grandfather the meaning of his middle name, Kurado—it means “keeper of the treasure.” Johnny’s interest in family history, as well as his mother’s miraculous conversion, led his grandfather and family to rediscovering their family genealogy scrolls dating back to AD 831.
“Johnny really was the ‘keeper of the treasure,’ as his middle name, ‘Kurado,’ implies,” Elder Stevenson said.
The crowd reacts as Elder Gary E. Stevenson, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and his wife, Sister Lesa Stevenson, speak during Family Discovery Day at RootsTech at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, February 29, 2020. Photo by Kristin Murphy, Deseret News.
Connect with Family and Establish Traditions
The family unit can provide a sense of belonging in a world that is becoming ever more disconnected, Elder Stevenson said. “Seize every opportunity to connect and get to know the members of your family and extended family during meals, reunions, funerals, and more.”
For example, when Sister Stevenson’s grandma Margarite died, her family gathered together and celebrated her life by filling out four generations in the “My Family” booklet.
“These simple ways of connecting to our families help us in our efforts to create a sanctuary of faith and to help our children know who they are and where they belong,” Sister Stevenson said.
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Lesa Stevenson, speak during Family Discovery Day at RootsTech at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, February 29, 2020. Photo by Kristin Murphy, Deseret News.
Use Technology to Do Good
As parents fortify their homes, children will be protected as they go out into the world each day, Elder Stevenson said. “We can then take comfort that the fortifications we build will contribute to the individual spiritual armor they bear.”
Sister Stevenson added, “They are, after all, as President Nelson taught us, the Lord’s youth battalion.”
Technology can be a powerful tool for gospel learning and positive connections. Help, teach, and invite children to use more of their screen time to read the scriptures, Elder Stevenson said.
“In the history of the world, you are the first generation of parents and children that carry not just your scriptures but also your personal family history—your family tree—and it can be with you at all times on this small device,” he said.
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Lesa Stevenson, speak during Family Discovery Day at RootsTech at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, February 29, 2020. Photo by Kristin Murphy, Deseret News.
Serve Together in the Temple
A fortified home can be an extension of the house of the Lord, Sister Stevenson said. “Strive to nurture a desire within your children and grandchildren to attend the temple as a family and with their friends.”
President Nelson said at RootsTech in 2017: “Our collections of stories and photos should never become an end point in themselves—if we know who our ancestors are, know marvelous things about them, but we leave them stranded on the other side without their ordinances, such diversion will not be of any help to our ancestors who remain confined in their spirit prison.”
“Understanding the eternal nature of the temple will draw you to your family, and understanding the eternal nature of the family will draw you to the temple,” Elder Stevenson said.
In closing, Sister Stevenson told the audience, “I know that as you strive to do your best, you can start to ‘unleash the power of family.’ . . . You and your family can become a great force for good in today’s world.”
Said Elder Stevenson: “Please remember that you are never and will never be alone. And I would add that these ministering angels know who you are, they care for you, they love you, and they will become a vital part of the fortification of your home. The spirit of Elijah helps make this possible.”
He then extended a promise “that as you participate in this divine work, that it will come back to you, that it will fortify your home, that it will become a defense and a refuge for you.”
