May I share a story about having an Aaronic Priesthood holder as a companion in Home Teaching?

When we were stationed in Germany with the Air Force, I had my first Aaronic Priesthood companion in Home Teaching, who also was my son. I did not think I was going to like this arrangement - I remembered that as a youth I always felt like only a half-companion because I could not help with blessings, etc. My senior companion would always sigh and look at me like I wasn’t a REAL companion when we would get to someone’s house and they needed a blessing. I guess I just wasn’t convenient enough. Well, my son and I were assigned to families who did not need me - they needed my son as a Home Teacher. The husbands were in jobs in the Air Force that required them to be gone for long periods of time, and what the wives needed was an older boy who could come to the house and help her with the children.

One particular Sister had sons who were all taller than her, meaner than her, and were basically uncontrollable. When her husband would leave - for a month at a time at the minimum - my son got to where he would simply pack his bag and just wait for a phone call. She would call, looking for help, and he would be out the door and would be at her house for at least three and four days, literally being the strong arm in the house, making those boys of hers do what they knew they should be doing. At the same time, he was able to set an example for them and teach them to treat their mother right.

What I thought at first was going to be a “ball and chain”, because that’s how I was treated when I was a junior companion, turned out to be the best companion I could have had for that Sister and for other families we were assigned. They did not need me; they needed my junior companion. And he was one they knew they could depend upon. Many times I was told that “we” were the best Home Teachers they had ever had.

Bruce T. Forbes

Posted by John in Home Teaching, Visiting Teaching, HT-Experiences, VT-Experiences