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I had my table set up with a pink cloth and arranged on it were a rag
doll and a feminine dressed stuffed bear, leaning back to back against
each other holding hands. (tacked together with needle and thread)
I also had a quilt draped over an easel, using the quilt design and dolls
theme throughout. I began by telling the sisters that we ARE our
sisters keepers and right away read the "The
Key..A Parable of a Visiting Teacher".
I had printed out the ending where it starts.. " Fair daughter of Zion.." and asked a sister to read that part. Then I read the quote by Pres. Spencer W. Kimball ---
"Today countless women in the Church reach out to others through visiting teaching and compassionate service, which are still the heart of Relief Society. They bless the lives of others-and buoy up those who may be discouraged or homesick, frightened or disheartened. They remember the cousel given us by a prophet that"God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore it is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom."
After reading this quote I repeated to emphasize the part that says " it is usually through another person that God meets our needs" I said this was stunning, and that if we didn't do our part to try to serve others then they would be losing some of the blessings God was trying to send through us to them.
Then I put up on the table and read a little sign on a folded piece of poster board that had a cute graphic of boy and girl dolls holding hands in a circle with the wording " Our Heavenly Father Knew His Children Would Have to Stick Togehther to Make It Back Home!" At the bottom it also said " We are not home yet!"
I said to the sisters at this time "We are not humans having a spiritual experience, we are spirits having a human experience." Then I pointed out that one of the most often repeated principals in all the scriptures is that we should love, help, and serve one another.
Next I read the definition of Visiting Teaching from The Encyclopedia of Mormonism.---
"Visiting Teaching is an organized means whereby the women of the Church receive regular instrucional and compassionate service visits-usually by personal contact in the home--from other female members of the Church. The purpose is to promote sisterhood, present inspirational messages, and note instances of need wherein the temporal and spiritual rescources of the Church might be helpful"
Then I handed out the " VT Job Description" to each sister and we went
over the items while I pointed out or emphasized particular things, like
the importance of praying before visits, praying for discernment especially,
etc.
Job Description for Blessings
Calling/Position: Visiting Teacher
Name: Companion:
Work under direction of:
Visiting Teaching Board Member:
Visiting Teaching Supervisor:
Responsibilities of this Calling:
1. Regular visits (at least monthly) to assigned sisters
(with your visiting teaching
companion).
2. Prepare message and adapt to individual sister.
3. Pray with your companion before visits.
4. Encourage the sister to attend all of her meetings.
5. Develop friendships.
6. Report concerns confidentially only to Relief Society
President.
7. Support the Compassionate Service Board member.
Help with emergencies
and report needs or concerns.
8. Report to visiting teaching supervisor if unable to
go. Report to supervisor
monthly.
9. Fellowship inactive and convert sisters.
10.
Love your sister and be her special friend.
Required meetings:
1. Monthly visits to sisters assigned to you.
2. Monthly homemaking meeting (listen to Visiting Teaching
message).
3. Annual Visiting Teaching dinner.
4. Quarterly interviews with someone from the Relief Society
Presidency to
review your stewardship.
5. Regular Sunday meetings.
Sisters you will Visit Teach:
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
Remember, you are special! Heavenly Father has called you to this
position and only you have the keys to this calling at this time!!
Do your best to fulfill this stewardship!!! You will be blessed!!!
When we got to "develop friendships" on the list I hung a small
poster sign ( a safety pin taped onto back) onto the quilt that said
" Visiting Teachers are like quilts.~Lives pieced
together~ Stitched with smiles~ Colored with memories~ Bound by love~ And...giving
comfort when needed~ ( I had a little graphic with two rag
dolls glued onto this poster also.)
Then as we went on down the list of the job description when we got to the item that said" Love your sister and be her special friend" I put another small folded over poster sign on the table beside the rag doll and bear holding hands that said:
" Sometimes life can get us down, our spirit can feel bruised and battered. What a blessing and a joy, to have a Visting Teacher who was there when it really mattered."
(More small quilt patch qraphics were glued on this one too).
Then I talked brought up compassionate service and had a sister read this poem:
A kindly soul came to the house, On a sad, heart-breaking
day.
She shook the hands and talked with folks, In
a sympathetic way.
And in soft tones she said to them, before she
turned to go.
"If there is anything I can do, be sure and let
me know".
Another came to this same house, Entered quietly
at the door.Washed the
dishes, made a pie, and finally scrubbed the
floor.
And when she left, no one recalled, Tho' they
knew it to be true
That she had never even asked, If there was anything
she could do.
I pointed out that we sometimes had to be a little assertive, when we saw a need, to just go in and help. I said if we found our sister unable to get out of bed and the potty needed cleaning, just go in and clean it.
Then I read aloud the paragraph at the bottom of the job description page "Remeber you are special...etc."
Next I said that we needed to not only just do the job of visiting teaching but that we should try to gain a true testimony of it in our hearts. Then I read Maurine Beatty's story telling how she gained her testimony of VT:
"I have not always enjoyed Visiting Teaching. In fact, there have been times I haven't enjoyed Visiting Teachers. I did not like feeling that way, but I did. That has changed and I'd like to tell you why. I have been interested in stories and experiences of "after life". I did not always agree, but it was interesting to compare those stories with my beliefs and gospel principles. I was reading a book about a young man of 19 who had one of these experiences. In his account he told of how he stood before the Savior and recalled the love he felt as he had never felt before. Jesus Christ ask him what has he done with his life. At first the young man felt that was an unfair question because he had lived such a short time. He thought seriously, then answered with what he thought was the best thing he had accomplished in his life. He said he had become an Eagle Scout. With a smile the Savior said, "That was wonderful, but that brought honor to you, what did you do to honor me?"
That statement went into my soul. For days and weeks I thought about it as I read scriptures and attended meetings. I tried to find ways to answer that question,"What did you do to honor me?" Then the inspiration came. Christ, in His wisdom, has set up a way to we can do just that-- Honor Him. "If ye have done it unto one the least of these...ye have done it unto me."(matt.24:40) "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."(Mosiah 2:17) "...Love your neighbor...(Matt 22:30) The list goes on and on. What is Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching? It is loving ones neighbor--Honoring the Savior!
Elder Russell M. Nelson said, "One of the tangible signs of the restored church of Jesus Christ would have to be the establishment of an orderly system by which each might be given the continuing care and nourishment the Lord decreed for every on of His flock." Now, when I'm faced with the decision of serving my fellowman and I start thinking, "Not today"--"I'm too busy"--Someone else will do it", I think of that young man accounting to Christ. When I have that same experience, as everyone will, what will I say? I now look at VT or HT as a gift from God, or an opportunity to help me accomplish the most important purpose of this life--to honor my Savior by serving others. This experience has really changed my attitude and has helped me realize what really is the essence of the gospel.
Then I had a sister read another story on the same topic:
I really have testimony of visiting teaching. When I was growing up, I was the oldest child in a family with two alcoholic parents. I was active in the church, but my parents had been inactive for years. For many years, my mother had the same set of visiting teachers--they always tried to see her, but she usually managed to avoid them. Yet, month after month, year after year, they kept trying. One time that I remember, in particular, was a time when we had had NO food in the house for a couple of days. My parents were gone, of course (as usual), and I had no idea what I would do for food for all of us kids (6). (Now, as an adult, I have some ideas & resources, but as a young teen, I didn't know any options.) Then, this marvelous lady pulled up in her van and dropped off a tray of cinnamon rolls and a HUGE bag of citrus fruit from her trees. "I figured your mom wouldn't be home", she said, "but let her know we stopped by". I don't think this lady ever knew what she had done for me and my family by doing what she probably thought was such a small act of kindness in fulfilling her call as a visiting teacher--perhaps she figured she wasn't making any difference. This small act gave me a marvelous testimony of the power of visiting teaching and the reason behind the calling.
I talked about how even a small act of kindness that we never dreamed would make any impression can have far reaching effects. Another sister then read :
" Once I was assigned to visit a sister that on one else would go visit. I went to see her about two times before she started going to church, and about a year later I was in the temple when she was being sealed to her family. She had been to afraid to come to church without knowing anyone. As soon as she felt she knew me she felt comfortable enough to come. You never know what you can accomplish by just being willing to go."
Now I mentioned that besides all the sacred seriousness of VT, it could also be fun! I talked about being creative and showed a few examples of handouts...a small piece of cardstock with a patch of fabric glued on,with a threaded needle stuck in it. The wording said "You are sew special to me!" and my name and phone number on the bottom. Another had a cute graphic of a little girl with an umbrella and said " I don't want to be just a fair weather friend. Call me! Name and phone number on bottom.
I also showed a pretty plastic glass with a lemon design that I had put some fresh lemons and yellow curly ribbon inside, so the sister could make herself a glass of fresh lemonade. I attached a note that said "Thank you for "lemon" me come to visit you!" I noted that the glass cost just .88 cents at Wal-Mart. Another was a jar of jam with the note "If you're ever in a jam...here I am!" and name and phone.
I talked about keeping a little notebook with notations of sisters birthdays, hobbies, etc.
In closing I read Neal A. Maxwells quote __
" There are no seperate paths back to that heavenly home. Just one straight and narrow way, at the end of which, though we arrive trailing tears, we shall at once be "drenched in joy"
And then, by Gordon B. Hinckley:
"We are all in this great endeavor together. We are here to assist our Father in His work and His glory, "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of Man" (Moses 1:39) Your obligation is as serious in your sphere of responsibility as is my obligation in my sphere. No calling in this church is small or of little consequence. All of us in the pursuit of our duty touch the lives of others. To each of us in our respective responsiblities the Lord has said " Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you, succor the weak, lift up the hands which hand down and strengthen the feeble knees" (D&C81:4)
I emphasized what is printed here in red and pointed out that our prophet has said our responsiblity is just as important as his!!!
I showed a last little poster printed with ~~
" I have wept in the night for the shortness of sight that to somebody's need made me blind. But I never have yet felt a tinge of regret for being a little too kind."
I said I hoped our little branch of sisters would take this as sort of our motto, and finally, passed out cans of soup that I had taped on the Relief Society Visiting Teaching Soup label.
~ The end~
This is where I got all my really wonderful graphics, I printed them out,then cut and pasted:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/7597/cgindex.html
Here is the addy for the VT soup label