I need to develop a list - 101 Uses for Visiting Teachers or something like that. Okay, I probably couldn't come up with 101 uses, but there are quite a few.
Visiting teaching is so much more than visiting or receiving a visit once a month. It's, as the LDS.org Relief Society website says, "watchcare" over those we are assigned to.
How many of us think to turn to our visiting teachers FIRST when we need something? Need some babysitting while you go to a doctor appointment? Call your visiting teachers! Do you need to borrow a cup of sugar? Call your visiting teachers! Need a ride to the temple? Call your visiting teachers!
And, as visiting teachers assigned to care for those we visit, we should gladly give the service. If we are unable to ourselves, we should be wiling to help her find someone who CAN help. Maybe you can't babysit at that time but know someone who will be able to. Don't just say, "No, I can't." Say, "let me give you some ideas on who might be able to." It's essentially the same as providing good customer service. Only, the master we are serving is not a retailer, but the Lord. We should have a deep desire to represent Him well.
As the Bishop's house, we sometimes get phone calls from ward members with requests that really could be handled by home and visiting teachers. Most of the time, they didn't even think to call them. We have come to the conclusion that it's because many people either don't know who they are or don't want to "bother" them. Well, you should be no bother to them and they have more stewardship over your care than the Bishop does.
Don't know who your home or visiting teachers are? Ask! Ask the Elders Quorum President or High Priest Group Leader or Relief Society President. Don't see them? Invite them over. Seriously! Catch them at church and say, "We're free tonight. Would you like to come over and do your home teaching?" Mark has done that many times. We often promise them some of his famous chocolate chip cookies if they come. Sometimes the reason people don't come is that they haven't come in SO LONG that they are embarrassed about it now. You can help them get back in the swing of things by inviting them over. If they don't come that month, do it again. You should not be ashamed in asking them to perform their priesthood duty.
I really, truly believe that if members of the church did their home and visiting teaching visits every month and then took it a step farther and truly ministered and watched over those they visited, that people and wards would be transformed into Zion. Love for one another would dramatically increase and gossip and back-biting would dramatically decrease.
Visiting those we are assigned to is really a very simple thing to do. Let's all shoot for 100% this and every month from now on. Then let us learn to truly love and care for those we visit by looking for opportunities to serve them - even if it's not convenient or sometimes even hard.
Visiting teaching is so much more than visiting or receiving a visit once a month. It's, as the LDS.org Relief Society website says, "watchcare" over those we are assigned to.
How many of us think to turn to our visiting teachers FIRST when we need something? Need some babysitting while you go to a doctor appointment? Call your visiting teachers! Do you need to borrow a cup of sugar? Call your visiting teachers! Need a ride to the temple? Call your visiting teachers!
And, as visiting teachers assigned to care for those we visit, we should gladly give the service. If we are unable to ourselves, we should be wiling to help her find someone who CAN help. Maybe you can't babysit at that time but know someone who will be able to. Don't just say, "No, I can't." Say, "let me give you some ideas on who might be able to." It's essentially the same as providing good customer service. Only, the master we are serving is not a retailer, but the Lord. We should have a deep desire to represent Him well.
As the Bishop's house, we sometimes get phone calls from ward members with requests that really could be handled by home and visiting teachers. Most of the time, they didn't even think to call them. We have come to the conclusion that it's because many people either don't know who they are or don't want to "bother" them. Well, you should be no bother to them and they have more stewardship over your care than the Bishop does.
Don't know who your home or visiting teachers are? Ask! Ask the Elders Quorum President or High Priest Group Leader or Relief Society President. Don't see them? Invite them over. Seriously! Catch them at church and say, "We're free tonight. Would you like to come over and do your home teaching?" Mark has done that many times. We often promise them some of his famous chocolate chip cookies if they come. Sometimes the reason people don't come is that they haven't come in SO LONG that they are embarrassed about it now. You can help them get back in the swing of things by inviting them over. If they don't come that month, do it again. You should not be ashamed in asking them to perform their priesthood duty.
I really, truly believe that if members of the church did their home and visiting teaching visits every month and then took it a step farther and truly ministered and watched over those they visited, that people and wards would be transformed into Zion. Love for one another would dramatically increase and gossip and back-biting would dramatically decrease.
Visiting those we are assigned to is really a very simple thing to do. Let's all shoot for 100% this and every month from now on. Then let us learn to truly love and care for those we visit by looking for opportunities to serve them - even if it's not convenient or sometimes even hard.
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