Nearly 80 years after Joseph F. Smith urged members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "to set aside an evening to grow and learn together", Augustin and Santhi were introduced to the "Mormon" church and taught the importance of holding a weekly Family Home Evening. Later they discovered that the Prophet had also promised that "those who did would witness greater love at home and increased obedience to parents."
- Family Picture
- Family Center
- Dad Counsels
- Faithful Mother
- Singing Together
- Vincent
- Augustin children
- Shashita
- Augustin Reads
- Anesha
- Father leads his family
- Mother and daughter
- Photo
- Garden
- Coconut tree
- Chop a coconut
- Young Coconut Meat
- Father Reflects
- Sisters Share a Smile
- Papaya
- Bee
- Family is central
- Figurine of the Family
- Banana Bunch
- Banana Stalk
- Yellow Trumpet Vine
| 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 |
Since they became members of the LDS Church 21 years ago, the couple has been dedicated to following the counsel of their church leaders. Each week they gather family members together for singing and a prayer, followed by a lesson and some bonding time with one another. These parents have proven that following the Prophet's counsel to hold a weekly Family Home Evening has helped their children grow and develop into faithful, loving and obedient people.
Augustin Adaikalam, his wife, Santhi and their children Shashita, Vincent, and Anesha live in Puchong, Malaysia. An older daughter, Anita, lives and works in East Malaysia.
Monday evening was Vincent's turn to present the Family Home Evening lesson with his sisters and parents. This evening he chose a lesson about forgiveness and the power of forgiving others. Vincent, 18, is preparing to serve a mission for the LDS Church in October of this year. He has been called to serve for two years in Auckland, New Zealand. He said, "Family Home Evening has helped me study the scriptures and make them a part of my life. Preparing these lessons for my family teaches me how to share the scriptures with others."
When asked how Family Home Evening has benefitted her as a mother, Santhi replied, "I can counsel with my children and share real life experiences which will guide them. It is easier to do when we are having a lesson." Like many 15 year olds, Anesha isn't always anxious to get together with her family. "Sometimes I have been annoyed because I am doing homework or something else, but during our lesson everyone can share with one another, so that makes it okay. We learn so much and it is usually quite fun." Twenty year old Shashita, works at a pre-school and often uses things she has learned in Family Home Evening to teach the children she works with.
Their father, Augustin, has found belonging to a church which focuses on the importance of families has had a big impact on him. "Though I am the head of our family, my wife and I share the responsibility to teach and counsel our family. We have found when we have this time together, it joins us as one strong unit. We use the time to counsel together and our children learn better this way. Each family member feels they can contribute and together we make good decisions."
The Augustin family closed their Family Home Evening with a song, prayer and a new resolve to be more forgiving. Father and Mother reflected on the promise of President David O. McKay when he said regarding Family Home Evening, "Great blessings come to those who carry out this responsibility. We feel to say to you again, with our love and earnest assurances, that the Lord will grant rich blessings to all who will prayerfully and sincerely carry out this program."