Visiting Teaching

Do you ever wonder why you visit teach? I think I was on my mission when I gained my testimony of visiting teaching. Like any principal of the gospel you have to live it, in order to gain a testimony of it. I have visited many different sisters over my 35 years or so from all facets of life. Many times I'm the one learning from them. I have become friends with women I never would have, if I had not been their VT. Let me share one example with you.

Last March I was in RS and noticed a young mother I hadn't met before. They had been in the ward several months, but I had been attending all of our Stake's Ward Conferences and hadn't met her yet. She had just had a new baby and when I questioned her if anyone had brought her dinner she said, "no." I immediately told her I wanted to bring her dinner and she kept saying, "no I live too far." I told her I was going to bring it anyway. To make a long story short Russ drove out to her house with me. She was right, I had no idea our ward boundaries even went that far. It was an 82 mile round trip on a two lane highway on curvy roads. It took an hour each way to get to her house. Upon visiting with her she told us this was her 5th child, her oldest being 6!! Her husband does maintenance on a damn up on a lake out in the middle of no where. I asked her if she had a VT & she said no one had been there to visit her. After I returned home I talked to the RS President and felt very strong that I should volunteer to be her VT. If anyone needed one it was Jessica living out there all by herself. Every time I go visit her, her kids are so excited to see me and so cute. I had her to my house in October to teach her how to make applesauce. She brought her 5 year old daughter, Heidi & her 8 month old daughter. The week after we made applesauce was our Primary program at church. Heidi, the 5 year old got up to do her part and right in the middle of it she spotted me sitting in the audience. Her eyes lit up and she started waving at me. Everyone got a good chuckle out of it & didn't know who she was waving at. I was missing my grandkids Primary program that day and feeling bad about that and when Heidi waved to me it MADE my whole day. When I saw Jessica in RS she told me Heidi had said, " I saw her mom, the lady that taught you how to make applesauce."

Sometimes it can be frustrating to try and get all your visits in, but when I have experiences like I did with Heidi it makes it all worth it!!

Barbara Thompson said: The beauty of visiting teaching is not to see 100 percent on the monthly report; the beauty of visiting teaching is seeing lives changed, tears wiped away, testimonies growing, people loved, families strengthened, people cheered, the hungry fed, the sick visited, and those who are mourning comforted. Actually, visiting teaching is never done because we watch over and strengthen always.

Jessica and her kids on one of my visits.

Heidi is the one below in the blue shirt. They had picked dandelions for me.

Stake Conference

I really want to write about our past weekend, but I feel like Moroni in Ether 12:23 ….but thou hast not made us mighty in writing…

Saturday morning Elder Hamula of the First Quorum of the Seventy arrived at our home around 10:00 am to preside at our Stake Conference. His wife was going to come with him, but they are moving this week and she had a lot to do to get ready. He went on a few home visits with Russ and then at 3:00 at the church we had Stake leadership meetings. He talked with all the R.S., YW and Primary Presidencies of our Stake for about 15 minutes before he went in with the Priesthood. He explained the whole process of calling a new Stake President and it brought back a lot of sweet memories of when Russ was called four years ago. He said when they call in the wife and ask her several questions, one of which is can you support your husband if he is called to a significant calling? He said (his main point of this whole story) that if the wife says, "no" they don't call him…."that's what kind of veto power you have." He related another story about a ward Primary President that through a ward Halloween party help bring MANY people into the church. He talked about the power and influence we have as women.

After our leadership meetings we had a dinner in the High Council room with 17 of us, which I was grateful to be able to make. Next was our evening session of conference. Russ spoke on "Hastening the Work" and did a great job. He challenged everyone to pray daily for a missionary experience.  Elder Hamula spoke on the Sacrament and the significance of it (he spoke on this in the Sunday morning session of General Conference in October also). He said, "the way to rescue ourselves is to rescue others and that we need to keep our eye more fixed on the Savior."  After the evening session we came back to the house and Elder Hamula sat around and talked with us for a couple of hours. It was such a sweet experience as he shared some personal stories with us about his family and some of the apostles. He is so down to earth and so gracious and appreciative of everything you do. One thing I can tell you is he LOVES chocolate chip cookies. I was so glad I had made some!

The Sunday morning session of conference was so good! Russ gave an excellent talk on parents teaching their children the gospel, setting a good example for them and teaching them to work hard. Many members said it was a "timely" talk for them. Elder Hamula shared with us how he gained his testimony of the gospel and then what the call of someone in the "seventy" does. He called a few people up to bare their testimony, one of which was me. I was grateful to publicly tell my Savior how much I love Him and thanked Him for how much he has blessed me in my life. He has given me EVERYTHING  and all He asks me to do is keep His commandments. I had just went to the temple and ask the members, "how many of us really keep that last covenant we make in the temple?"

Probably the person who "stole" the show was a little nine year old girl who spoke. She spoke on love and sang, "My Heavenly Father Loves Me." Russ and Elder Hamula said they looked out at the audience and EVERY eye was glued to her. She was adorable!!  We had some other youth speakers also. Many members said it was one of the best Stake Conferences they could remember. The sad thing was that our attendance was way down. I feel so bad for members who missed out on a "spiritual high" weekend.

The icing on the cake was having Elder Hamula for dinner one more time in our home and then driving him to Federal Way where he will be touring a mission for a few days. Our home and lives were truly blessed this weekend by a servant of the Lord.