I found this article on visiting teaching which includes suggestions on how to make visiting teaching a more meaningful experience. There are also a few good quotes.
Posted by John in Visiting Teaching, VT-Ideas
Visiting Teaching - Ways to Show You Care
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Posted by John in Write For LDSTeach
A VISITING TEACHER By J. Richardson
A - A calling from God.
V - Visting Teaching can be a wonderful exerience if you…
I - Invite the Spirit of God to go with you through prayer.
S - Say only kind word in the home of those you visit and…
I - Inspire the sisters by bing a good example.
T - Teach the message the Lord wants each sister to receive.
I - Ivite each one to attend Relief Society.
N - Never take your troubles into the homes of those you visit.
G - Gossip should not be allowed or encouraged.
T - True love to give to your fellow sister.
E - Each visiting teach can be friend
A - Always check in during the first part of the month.
C - Consider yourself a teacher and…
H - Honor the call that is yours
E - Enjoy your companion and sisters and the…
R - Rewards will be great
Posted by John in Visiting Teaching, VT-Ideas
Is This Really Worth It?” by Marti Walker
It seems like each visit with our Home Teachers gets worse. These wonderful men arrive on time, in white shirts and ties, with a prepared message, and then it happens. My darling little children evolve into monsters!
During their last visit, even before they could sit down, my son began tossing sofa pillows at his sister. As they engaged in a full-blown pillow fight, our toddler mischievously giggled as she flipped the light switch on and off. All of this occurred, of course, just five minutes after we reminded our children of appropriate behavior during Home Teaching visits. Sound familiar? These are the times when I ask myself, “Why do we even do this. I’m not feeling The Spirit. Is this really worth it?”
Whether you have little ones in your home or you have been assigned to teach a family with young children, chances are you’ve witnessed something similar. Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching callings can provoke similar frustration and doubt when you face less-than-ideal circumstances.
Maybe the frustration comes from an assignment to Home Teach a family who is conveniently never home even when an appointment is scheduled. Maybe the doubts are due to visits with a less active sister who seems to allow you into her home only to debate LDS doctrine. Maybe the distractions in your life are due to working two jobs and you feel overwhelmed trying to fit Home Teaching appointments in between the chaos. Whatever your circumstances, at times, you may wonder, “Is this really worth it?”
Take comfort, it really is worth it! Regardless of your situation, Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching are the Lord’s work! Your dedicated service has eternal rewards, both for yourself and for those you teach. You may not see the fruit of your labor immediately or even in this lifetime. However, if you can say that you gave your best efforts, even under difficult circumstances, the rewards will be great.
Stress, frustration, doubt and disappointment may accompany Home and Visiting Teaching assignments. These are chief tools of the adversary. We must remember the source and know there is “opposition in all things.”
Maybe the next visit with the home teachers will go better. Maybe the next attempt to visit with a difficult family will be inviting. Maybe the next time the Home Teachers come the children will listen. Our challenge is to maintain an eternal perspective. We do this by tuning out the distractions and following the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Posted by John in Miscellaneous Articles
A Visiting Teacher’s (Home Teacher’s) Promise
I promise I won’t talk about me, my problems or my opinions. I won’t rattle on about the weather or the latest news. I won’t talk about my operations or medical problems, real or otherwise. And I won’t tell you about “friends” or family members whom you do not know and their problems and medical health.
I won’t talk about my work, or that annoying co-worker that I am sure you must be able to relate to. I won’t talk about my house, pool and boat and trying to find Tommy Hilfiger socks in this town. I won’t tell you about how I need to lose 10 lbs because I “feel so fat at 120 lbs”. I won’t tell you how my oldest son only got an 85% on his final math exam or how my daughter won the art contest. And, I will NOT engage in a conversation with my VT partner and forget that you are even there. And more than anything else, above all, I will NOT sit there in front of you and READ the lesson because very few people are aural learners and none of this will retain in your memory because you will be thinking of all the work you have left to do in the house and wishing I would finish and get out of your house.
HOWEVER…
I will get you talking about yourself. Not “How are you?”, but meaningful, open-ended questions, and if I see that you don’t want to talk about your life, I will make sure you laugh and forget about your troubles for those moments I steal you away from your everyday life. And the lesson?… well… you won’t even know you had a lesson. I will keep it in the back of my mind and when the opportunity presents itself (and it will, thanks to the Spirit), I will cleverly weave it into the conversation without you even knowing it. But later, when you are alone, the Spirit will repeat it to you and you will say I am so glad my VT’s came today.
Posted by John in Visiting Teaching, VT-Ideas
Visiting Teaching Message for July
My partner and I used fishing lures for July’s message - and talked about how Satan uses some pretty things to tempt us and some things that might look just like the real thing, but are just fake lures and then when we bite - we’re hooked - and it is hard to quit or get away.
Posted by John in Visiting Teaching, VT-Ideas
Tips For Home Teachers
When there are children in the family that are to be Home Taught, point the lesson towards the children, and keep the lesson short. Children have attention spans of about five minutes. Also, keep the birthdays of everyone in the families you Home Teach on a calendar and mail birthday cards to them. Also forward cards appropriate for any ocassion for that family.
Submitted by Jeffrey C. Apparius
Posted by John in Home Teaching, HT-Ideas
Recipe for Lemon Love Notes
1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Mix flour, butter and powdered sugar thoroughly. Press evenly into an ungreased 8 x 8 x 2 inch or 9 x 9 x 2 inch square pan. Make a little rim up the edges to hold in the filling. A quarter inch or so will do it. Bake 20 minutes.
3. Beat remaining ingredients about 3 minutes of until light and fluffy. Pour over the hot crust, spreading it out evenly.
4. Bake about 25 minutes longer or until no imprint remains when touched lightly in the center. Remove from oven, sprinkle the extra powdered sugar on the top, if you like. Cool, cut into squares.
Posted by John in Visiting Teaching, VT-Ideas
A Walk in Their Shoes by Marti Walker
As I sat down to read the current Visiting Teaching message a few days ago, I couldn’t help but notice my old and tattered shoes sitting by the front door. The threads around the sole were loose, the leather was scuffed across the toe, and a little patch of dirt was stuck to the side of the heel. Believe it, or not, these are my favorite shoes!
I soon recalled the sisters for whom I was preparing the Visiting Teaching message. My mind wandered to thinking about what type of shoe each sister might consider as her favorite. I thought, “Maybe Megan’s favorite is a pair of strappy sandals? Maybe June’s favorite is a pair of running shoes? Do I know them well enough to even know?” I was abruptly reminded, by the spirit, that part of our callings as Home and Visiting Teachers is to do more than show up with a lesson we need to try “walking in their shoes.”
While this sounds great, it can actually be more difficult than it seems. Sometimes the “walk in their shoes” might be easy if we visit someone who is very similar to us spiritually, temporally, and intellectually. However, most of the time, this type of empathy and understanding requires great effort.
I reflected upon my most recent interactions with those I visit. I realized how easy it is to be caught up in seeing things from my own perspective, “walking in my own shoes.” As comfortable as that may be, it is more important to get “in her shoes.” Many times I have poured out my feelings about the gospel and tried so hard to “convert” them into activity when a simple testimony, from her perspective, would have been more powerful!
I even considered my willingness to serve them and “walk in their shoes.” I thought, “Do I let my hectic schedule dictate my ability to fulfill my calling? Do I schedule service only when it is convenient? Should service even be scheduled? Do I allow the spirit to guide me to opportunities to serve?” Selfless understanding and genuine service is one of the best gifts we can give as Visiting Teachers.
How do we Home Teach and Visit Teach so we are “walking in their shoes?”
1) Seek the Holy Spirit often and follow the promptings.
2)Pray for ways to selflessly understand those you serve.
3)Listen carefully to those you visit.
4)Follow Jesus Christ. By following in His footsteps, not only do we become more like Him, but it is also great practice for “getting out of our own shoes.”
Brother and Sisters, we can do great things through our efforts as Home and Visiting Teachers. Take a “walk in their shoes,” the rewards are eternal.
Posted by John in Miscellaneous Articles
Reader Contribution
Many years ago, I was assigned to home teach a single sister in my ward. She and her two granddaughters lived in a small apartment in the rear of a larger home that had been converted to apartments.
On this particular visit, we had the usual small talk, how are the girls doing in school, etc. When we left, I commented to my companion that it seemed a little tense. He agreed that it didn’t feel right. But we went on with our usual activities, not thinking again about what we had felt.
The next month when we walked into the kitchen and I felt that something was seriously wrong. Without preamble or other small talk I said, “Sister Little what is wrong?” It caught her so off guard that she blurted out “we are hungry.” My companion and I just stood there. In the few minutes that it took to realize what she had said, there was total silence. We didn’t ask how much food they had or why there was nothing to eat. We excused ourselves and headed to the car. We went directly to Bishop’s home he gave us the keys to the Bishop’s storehouse and instructed us to immediately take an assortment of foods to Sister Little and her granddaughters.
To this day and so many years later, I still feel the remorse and sadness I had that evening when I realized we had let this family go hungry for another month. I had felt something was wrong during the first visit, but did not act on the prompting. We have a sacred calling and the Lord will guide us, but it is up to us to listen.
K. Fraser
Posted by John in Miscellaneous Articles