Thank you to all that were present in our meeting last Sunday--our Visiting Teaching Conference and thank you to those of you that wanted to be there but couldn’t for various reasons. Thank you for all you do in visiting teaching-- in loving each other. We are lucky to enjoy these friendships and even sisterhood. A very special thanks to those that prepared thoughts and music last week: Sister Carol Hymas (also our Visiting Teaching Supervisor), Sister Amber Chabra, Sister Cassa Fox, Sister Telicia Chaffin, Sister Cheryl Wilson. I only wished that we could’ve had more time to really discuss but that would’ve been more than our hour together. Here follows some of the material that I drew my comments from. Some of it we didn’t get too and some we did. So putting it out here on the blog for those that have a little time or just want a refresher. Thanks again for all you do!!!
Christy Huffaker-Bernat
Christy Huffaker-Bernat
Sister Beck, Oct 17, 09 in an address “Relief Society ‘A Serious Work’” Church News:
“If meetings, ‘are not strengthening the faith of sister, if they are not helping them prepare for the blessings of eternal life, then why are they being held?’ Relief Society was organized to engage sisters in the Lord’s work and to teach them how to do that in their homes and in their personal lives.”
Same address...”The Lord is hastening His work. It seems we are all running faster. We have to respect the time of the sister and what we are asking them to do. We cannot require anything from Relief Society that is going to weaken their lives and their home and their families.”
Sister Beck addressed new objectives of RS and said, “It is not a frivolous work. It is not a leftover, made-up job for the women. This is where the Lord organized His daughters to do His work. We have Sunday meetings to do that. We have visiting teaching that does that.”
“We are not a social group and we are not entirely a service group. We are a priesthood-directed organization.”
Another talk by Sister Beck, 10/25/09, “...like our brethren who hold the priesthood, ours is a work of salvation, service, and becoming a holy people.”
Sister Beck same talk (10/25/09) continued on visiting teaching:
I. What:
Sister Beck, “The bishop, who is ordained shepherd of the ward, cannot possibly watch over all of the Lord’s sheep at one time. He is dependent on inspired visiting teachers to help him. We know we should each choose to be a friend to everyone in our ward, but the bishop and Relief society president have the responsibility to receive revelation as to who should be assigned to watch over and strengthen each individual sister. Ideally, every sister should watch over and strengthen at least one other sister in her ward. 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.”
Sister Beck said in an Auxiliary training for Relief Society reported by Rosemary Campbell:
“Personal revelation, I think is the most needed, most under-utilized skill Latter-day Saint women have available today. She can be talented, creative and intelligent, ...but if she doesn’t have the ability to get revelation in the moment she needs it, she will never be effective in her calling.”
“Visiting teaching is not just a monthly visit; it is ministering. To watch over and strengthen sister in their individual needs, visiting teachers have ongoing contact with them through visits, phone calls, emails, letters, or other means.” (Handbook 2, 9.5.1; 9.5.2)
II. WHY:
From Ensign article, 11/07, p113, 115 a sister said, “I have heard people say that visiting teaching is a pointless inconvenience, that life is just too busy and that there are more important things to do. I used to think that way too, until Heavenly Father showed me otherwise...” ?How do we view our visiting teaching?
Sister Beck, a former Gen RS president said “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. This is one duty we have in the Church where we are certain to have the help of the Lord if we ask for it. This is one responsibility that is certain to increase our faith and personal righteousness and strengthen our own homes and families as we become partners with the Lord. 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.” (Relief Society: A Sacred Work address 10/25/09).
Sister Parkin another former Gen RS president “Visiting teaching creates connections for women.” An older sister and younger sister can bless each other’s lives. (Visiting Teaching: the Heart and Soul of Relief Society, fall 2003)
Sister Parkin also said, “In the process of fulfilling our visiting teaching assignment we become more like our Savior, Jesus Christ. We fulfill our covenants to ‘teach on another the doctrine of the kingdom.” (Visiting Teaching: the Heart and Soul of Relief Society, fall 2003)
SEE WATCHCARE for more reasons on WHY do Visiting Teaching (watchcare also ties into how)
III. HOW:
(All thoughts from Bonnie D. Parkin, RS Pres 2003 Open House address Visiting Teaching: the Heart and Soul of Relief Society):
A. “Heart and Soul”:
Bonnie D. Parkin, RS Pres 2003 Open House: The essence of visiting teaching is “heart and soul.” “I can think of no more appropriate description than ‘heart and soul’ In our visits and those moments when we are sharing our thoughts and feelings about the gospel and the Lord, something happens. Mosiah describes it as ‘hearts knit together in unity and in love on towards another.’ Isn’t that what we want to have happen for each other?”
Same article Sister Parkin says, “WE visit teach teach because we’ve made covenants with the Lord, and they are fulfilled as we share our hearts and souls. We visit teach to extend charity, which is the ‘highest, noblest, strongest king of love.’ Visiting teaching is all about family. As we show charity to thos we serve, we become family by affection.. We belong to the Lord’s family, and when we serve sisters-- and through them their families-- we strengthen the family as designed in the heavens. Covenants, charity, family. They have connected our sisterhood from the beginning.”
B. Watchcare:
“Support, comfort and friendship. This is what we call watchcare.... Watchcare looks life good friends sitting down on the couch sharing their joys. It looks like two women walking the blocks in the morning together, talking about the day before the crush of problems and pressures begin. It looks like a sister choosing to sit by a mother in church with a young family who could use an extra set of hands. It looks like two or three women in the temple sitting quietly and at ease, the peace of the temple being the bond between them.”
“Watchcare feels like someone is there for you. It feels like you can call and not be embarrassed to ask for help. It feels like you are stepping in as the Lord’s representative. It feels responsible and responsive. It sounds like a voice that is happy to hear from you, like a voice that makes you feel at ease because you dared call or you knew whatever you were going to say would be received with an understanding heart.”
C. Flexibility:
“Visiting teaching has as many faces and configurations as Relief Society has sisters. The ideal is that each sister is contacted each month.” “Flexibility addresses when, where, and how but does not discount the importance of watchcare.” (Sister Parking address)
From recent RS Stake Training, page 309 of the Church Handbook of Insructions, Book 2), “Praying in the homes of those you visit and as companionships before you go visiting teaching has not been set forth as policy. Such decisions are left to individuals, companionships, and local Relief Society leaders in counsel with local preisthood leaders according to individual circumstances.”
IV. SOME Practicalities:
On reporting/ for supervisors, Sister Beck 10/25/09,
“Visiting teaching becomes the Lord’s work when our focus is on people rather than percentages. In reality, visiting teaching is never finished. It is more a way of life than a task. Faithfully serving as a visiting teacher is evidence of our discipleship. We demonstrate our faith and follow a pattern established by the Lord as we report on our assignment every month. If our watchcare were primarily about reporting that every sister in the ward heard the Visiting Teaching Message printed each month in the Ensign, it would be much more efficient to read it aloud to everyone in a sacrament meeting. Our reports are most helpful... when we inform...of the spiritual and temporal well-being of sisters and how we have been able to serve and love them (as visiting teachers).”
Sister Beck said in an Auxiliary training for Relief Society reported by Rosemary Campbell:
“Personal revelation, I think is the most needed, most under-utilitzed skill Latter-day Saint women have available today. She can be talented, creative and intelligent, ...but if she doesn’t have the ability to get revelation in the moment she needs it, she will never be effective in her calling.”
Conclusion:
President Hinckley said, “I honestly believe that (visiting teachers) will taste the sweet and wonderful feeling which comes of being an instrument in the hands of the Lord... It is not a heavy burden-- it just takes a little more faith. It is worthy of our very best effort.” (Ensign, March 1997, p27)
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