WE DON’T “DO” VISITING TEACHING.

WE ARE VISITING TEACHERS.

AND IN THE PROCESS OF FULFILLING THIS MOST PRECIOUS ASSIGNMENT, WE BECOME MORE LIKE OUR SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST. WE FULFILL OUR COVENANTS TO TEACH ONE ANOTHER THE DOCTRINE OF THE KINGDOM SO THAT EACH WOMAN IS NOURISHED BY THE GOOD WORD OF GOD.  WOMEN ARE HUNGRY FOR THINGS OF THE SPIRIT, FOR TRUTHS THAT COUNTER THE SLIDE OF VIRTUES ALL AROUND THEM. 

VISITING TEACHING IS A MEASURE OF THE HEART, AN UNSELFISH WORK, A SACRED TRUST THAT BLESSES BOTH THE GIVER AND THE RECEIVER. 

BONNIE D. PARKIN 2003

Ask yourself this question-

Do I need to change my attitude toward Visiting Teaching?

I wondered what I could say to change the attitudes about visiting teaching. I realized that there was nothing I could say that hasn't already been said a thousand different ways. What I realized is that change can only come through the Holy Ghost. If you ask and want a change in your attitude it can come.

Sister Beck also said in General Conference 2009, "Because we follow the example and teachings of Jesus Christ, we value this sacred assignment to love, know, serve, understand, teach, and minister in His behalf. A sister in this church has no other responsibility outside of her family that has the potential to do as much good as does visiting teaching."

She also said, "It is our blessing to pray for another sister and receive inspiration as to how the Lord would have us care for one of His daughters." And, "Faithfully serving as a visiting teacher is evidence of our discipleship."                    

We have been asked by the General Relief Society of the church to change the way visiting teaching is reported. When you talk to your visiting teaching supervisor, she will now ask you how your sisters are doing. Not whether or not you got your visiting teaching done but what's going on with them. We want to know the good things and the bad things. Keep confidences and follow the promptings of the Spirit. You'll never go wrong by listening to the still small voice. It won't scream and yell or knock you on the side of your head. You have to live your life worthy to be able to hear it.

I know God lives and He wants us to take care of each other. We will find the greatest joy in our own lives by serving someone else. Thank you for serving one another. 

The Willow wood Ward

Visiting Teaching ideas

More frequent contact is made with women and families exhibiting special needs, such as those new to the Church, the less active, single parents, the divorced, the widowed, the aged, and those faced with illness, death, or other difficulties.

1. With our elderly — I’ve grown closer to older women when I’ve been assigned to them, and think has been a positive thing for both of us. Most of the time, I gravitate toward sisters in my age range in forming friendships within the ward. Being “assigned” to be a friend, so to speak, helps me get a generational perspective. In a sense, then, it ties the different generations and viewpoints in the RS together.

2. With the inactive — explanation can pretty much go unsaid, but again, for those of us who aren’t good at naturally seeking people out for service opportunities, visiting teaching is a great way to bring one-on-one contact to inactive sisters.

3. With sisters whose callings take them away from RS — for those of us who work in the YW, Primary, etc. visiting teaching is a great outlet for us, in giving us an opportunity to be taught adult to adult. We don’t get that a lot, and it’s refreshing.

4. Care more about the sister than a check mark by your name.

5. Find all the good qualities that you can in each sister you visit and compliment them often.

6. Sincerely get to know the sisters well enough to become their friend.

7. Learn her children's names and say hello to them too.

8. Be more concerned about bringing a God's spirit and message than about bringing something that only looks cute and clever.

9. When personal problems are shared be sure to try and understand how your sister is feeling and find ways to help -- even just a sympathetic ear is a huge help and often all that is needed.

10. Remember that there are many things about each sister that you do not know so stay clear of judging and concentrate instead on lifting and helping.

11. Become friends with your companion

My Soul Delighteth in Plainness

unto My People
Claudia Dansie

I once was told a story of a woman who couldn’t do her visiting teaching because she hadn’t finished embroidering the cloths that were to go with her homemade bread that went along with her lesson. She missed the whole month. She also missed the simple principle of visiting teaching. The simple acts of listening, discussing gospel principles in solving life’s problems, and building trusting friendships are what visiting teaching is really about. Having someone to go to when we need help, having a friend to laugh with, and sometimes having someone to cry with are all parts of the miracles of small and simple things.

The Lord gives us solutions to our problems and ways to accomplish our goals. He has shown us the way through His words and inspiration to our prophets. These ideas may be simple and plain and ones that the world may think foolish, but if we lack the obedience to try them out, we are the ones who lose out. Much like Naaman of old, we may not truly understand the power of simplicity.

As explained in 2 Kings, Naaman was captain of the armies of Syria, “a great man . . . , and honourable, . . . but he was a leper” (5:1). His wife had a Hebrew maid who suggested that he go to see the prophet to be healed from his affliction. He went first to the king of Israel and then to the home of Elisha, the prophet. He came with his riches—horses, chariots, gold, and silver—for he was a very wealthy man.  (5:11). But Elisha did not. He chose simplicity. Naaman’s servants went out to him to console and plea: “If the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?” (5:13). Naaman was 

humbled. “Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean” (5:14). Are we sometimes like Naaman? Would we do anything if only President Hinckley would ask us personally or if we were called to some great position in the Church? Do we have a preconceived notion of how it should be? Do we expect the Lord or His prophet to come and do great things in our honor? Is that what it takes for us to obey or understand? Or do we follow the simple authority and instructions given by his messengers?

What should we teach our sisters about Visiting Teaching?

Teach them that this isn't about visiting once a month and sharing the lesson in the Ensign (though that may be really important in some cases, and the only opportunity a sister has to feel the spirit). Tell them it is about loving and getting to know a sister well enough so that she will think to call you in her time of need, and you will be able to recognize when she might need you even if she doesn't call you.

Teach them that when lots of people do a little, the heavy burdens of caring for everyone are lighter. Teach them that sometimes the things they think of as burdens are really blessings that they haven't recognized yet as such. Many times our burdens are made lighter by a relationship with a companion, or by something we learn from our VTEES in the course of meeting their needs.

Teach them we should make some kind of contact once a month. This can be a letter, phone call, email, etc. We should make a personal visit at least once a quarter. The second tip was that we can get together as a "group" to do lunch or go somewhere. For example, the visiting teaching companions can get all their sisters together to do something all together. It is a great way to have fun! Let's make it our goal this year to get more contacts made with our sisters! Let's all try to feel like visiting teaching is an opportunity to make friends and enlarge our social circles as well as uplift one another. It is not just an "obligation", but a great experience if we will let it be!

Visiting Teaching??

Lets talk about how we do it and how we can do it. I have been on line researching visiting teaching and have found of course an over load of information. So I am going to try to trim it down. Lets start with duties.

The Duties of Visiting Teachers:

• Prepare for visits by studying the message and adapting it to each individual sister. Also, by praying with their companions before their visits.
• Make regular monthly visits, and other contacts as needed, to each sister in their assigned district, conveying messages as directed by the Relief Society President.
• Encourage sisters to attend weekly Relief Society meetings.
• Develop helpful, friendly, trusting relationships with sisters. Any personal matters learned by the visiting teachers should be kept confidential.
• Report to the Relief Society President immediately any matter of urgent need.
• Render emergency compassionate service when needed at the time of a visit. They should also promptly report both the service and the need to the Relief Society President.
• Notify district supervisor, when they are unable to make a monthly visit.
• Report monthly visits to their district supervisor.
• Report changes in their district since their last visit.
• Attend the baptism of a convert sister when assigned her as a visiting teachers.
• Fellowship inactive and newly baptized sisters.

WOW!!! that is a lot to do. How can we break this down to our busy lives and still remember we are the Lord's hands for those to whom we are assigned --- not the Churches, not the bishops, not the relief society president. Lets start small. Any kind of contact with our sisters counts. ~ANY KIND ~ Phone, email, church, shopping, texting, visit, letter, We need to just let them know we care about them. But first we have to identify them. Do you know everyone on your list, do you know your companion, do you know who your visiting teachers are?

On Aug. 2, 1856, some residents of a small Iowa town approached two young women who were traveling with the Willie Handcart Company. The two young women were the Hill sisters, ages 20 and 23. The younger of the two was named Emily.

The townspeople attempted to entice these attractive young women away from the company, using written messages that they delivered to the two sisters. Their messages promised all of the comforts and conveniences that life had to offer if they would simply abandon their trek to Zion.

Notwithstanding they were worn and weary from their 4,000 miles of travel over the past three months, which began in Liverpool, England, they resisted.

On Oct. 19, 1856, Joseph A. Young was the first rescuer to reach the Willie Handcart Company. Young had been a missionary in England and had known Emily there. Eventually recognizing that the starved figure with a gaunt face standing before him was Emily, Young burst into tears. He gave Emily an onion from his pocket and told her to eat it. Instead, she saved it and unselfishly gave it to a man, near death, lying on the ground by a fire. This man credited Emily’s act of kindness with saving his life.

Emily Hill later authored a poem which became the words to the beloved LDS hymn “As Sisters In Zion.”

Here are some verses you may not be familiar with:

2. We'll turn from our follies, our pride and our weakness,
The vain, foolish fashions of Babel despise;
We'll seek for the garments of truth and of meekness,
And learn to be useful and happy and wise.
3. We'll wear what is sensible, neat and becoming
The daughters of Zion—the angels of light;
We'll work with a will, while the angels are scanning
Our aims and our actions from morning till night.
4. We'll bring up our children to be self-sustaining;
To love and to do what is noble and right;
When we rest from our labors, these dear ones remaining,
Will bear off the kingdom and "fight the good fight."
5. Nor shall our attention be wholly restricted
To training our children or shaping our dress;
The aged, the feeble, the poor and afflicted,
Our labors shall comfort, our efforts shall bless.
6. "The Lord hath established the cities of Zion,
The poor of His people are trusting in Him,"
He makes us a source for His poor to rely on;
Oh! shall we not brighten the eyes that are dim.
7. Oh! shall we not hasten to soothe the condition
Of the humble, the needy, the honest and pure?
Oh! let us remember, whate'er our ambition—
'Tis our duty, our mission, to comfort the poor.