Discipleship: Visiting Teaching

Today after sharing cookies with and singing to our June birthday sisters we had the opportunity to hear from Bishop Kim. He reminded us that Jesus our Savior  asked Peter to feed His sheep. He asked Peter 3 times if he loved Him to emphasize that if we truly love Jesus, then we will care and watch over His children. We may feel that we hear over and over again to do our visiting teaching, but sometimes like Peter we need to be asked more than once. Our message today was that ministering to our fellow sisters in the ward is a true calling to feed His sheep that the Lord has extended to us. There is no one who can take our place in fulfilling the Savior's beckoning to visit the sisters who we have been . The bishop reminded us that we are the Lord's eyes as we help the Bishop know what is going on with our ward members; he can't minister to all without our help, just as Jesus needs us to go and do what He would if He were physically here among us.

Bishop shared an experience from early in his marriage. He and his wife hadn't had a chance to find an apartment and the day was coming very soon that they had to move. He and his wife planned to go apartment hunting that night, when his home teaching companion called to remind him of their appointment for that night. Bishop recalled that he had a choice to make - to find an apartment for himself and his wife, or to go home teaching. He chose to fulfill his assignment and go home teaching. He was assigned to visit the ward bishop. During the visit the bishop shared that he was looking for someone to rent an apartment of his near BYU and for a cheap price. Bishop shared that he believes he was blessed for making the right decision. Bishop Kim bore his testimony that home teaching and visiting teaching blesses our lives and the lives of others. 

Bishop also shared about how it's not just important to do our visits, but to do it well. He recalls how his young family of children some years later didn't enjoy being home taught very much. They weren't interested and didn't really want to listen to the home teachers' lessons. Things changed when a new brother in the ward was assigned to visit them. The brother involved the children in the lessons and brought a gallon of ice cream on the kids' birthdays. The kids felt this man's interest in them and things changed for the kids. Ever since that time they enjoyed the home teachers' visits. When we show a genuine interest in those we visit it enriches their lives and our lives.

We all can become better visiting teachers.

Sister Liza Blank in our Relief Society Presidency shared that there are a lot of sisters that need help. Visiting teaching is a TRUE principle. 

We received this handout from our lovely presidency:

The way I see it is that either the Lord asked us to visit teach, or he did not. Either the Lords has spoken through His prophet that the He would have us minister to those in the ward through visiting teaching, or he has not. Either visiting teaching is what Jesus would have us do or it is not. I believe that it is and that He did. And if so, who am I not to fulfill the Lord's desire and request of me? Faithfully striving to fulfill our assignments is a reflection of our testimony and conversion.

Thanks for reading the blog and feel free to comment.