Sunday we received instruction on Visiting Teaching from our RS presidency. Here please find the handout and a summary for this inspiring lesson.
Catherine shared how when she was younger she felt that RS was not for her and did not want to participate in it, including visiting teaching. Her visiting teacher was relentless, and so Catherine said she could meet her in a very inconvenient place and time for her visiting teacher. And the teacher came. She continuously showed that she wanted to love and serve Catherine, loving her into relief society.
Ashlie D. Shared the vision of visiting teacher. Sister Smoot said,
Elder Wirthlin said, some people are lost "because they are different, some because they are weary, and some because they have strayed."
Ashlie shared that after high school she had decided not to go to college and felt very alone. Her singles Ward visiting teachers would always come and express their love. She learned the value of visiting teaching. Several times she has felt that the sisters she visited seemed to have it all together, and she remembers this time when it probably seemed to her teachers that she was not in need. However, their visits meant so much to her at that time.
Our Personal Gospel Ministry: Visiting Teaching
“There are many sisters who are living in rags—spiritual rags. They are entitled to gorgeous robes,
spiritual robes…..It is your privilege to go into homes and exchange robes for rags...
“ …You are going to save souls, and who can tell but that many of the fine active people in the
Church today are active because you were in their homes and gave them a new outlook, a new
vision. You pulled back the curtain. You extended their horizons…
“You see, you are not only saving these sisters, but perhaps also their husbands and their homes.”
President Spencer W. Kimball
Resources- March 2012 Ensign and Liahona “Visiting Teaching: Understanding the Power of Ministering.” General RS Presidency
- November 2011 Ensign and Liahona “What I Hope My Granddaughters (and Grandsons) Will Understand About Relief Society” Julie B. Beck.
- Daughters In My Kingdom – Chapter 7 “Pure Religion: Watchcare and Ministering through Visiting Teaching”
- Handbook 2: Administering in the Church – RS section 9.5
- Lds.org – Serving in the Church/RS/Visiting Teaching
How Visiting Teachers Love, Watch Over, and Strengthen a Sister
- Pray daily for her and her family.
- Seek inspiration to know her and her family.
- Visit her regularly to learn how she is doing and to comfort and strengthen her.
- Stay in frequent contact through visits, phone calls, letters, e-mail, text messages, and
- simple acts of kindness.
- Greet her at church meetings.
- Help her when she has an emergency, illness, or other urgent need.
- Teach her the gospel from the scriptures and the visiting teaching messages.
- Inspire her by setting a good example.
- Report to a RS leaders about their service and the sister’s spiritual and temporal well-being.
The following kinds of questions can lead to opportunities for visiting teachers to give comfort, share
relevant gospel teaching, and provide meaningful service.
- What worries or concerns do you have?
- What questions do you have about the gospel or the Church?
- Would you allow us to help you with ___________________?
caring for the children for a brief time, assisting with a homemaking task, or helping to run an
errand. It is less helpful to say, “ Call us if you need anything.”
We will know we are successful in our ministry as visiting teachers when the sisters we visit can say:
- My visiting teacher helps me grow spiritually.
- I know that my visiting teacher cares deeply about me and my family.
- If I have problems, I know my visiting teacher will take action without waiting to be invited.
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