Visiting Teaching is a Sacred Assignment

In June, I had the opportunity to share a message with the sisters I VT. My companion read the message to our sisters, then she gave them the things I brought, including: my message, the VT message (click here,) a cute handout to go on their fridge, and a list of ideas of things to do during the summer.

I really love to visit teach; probably because I love people. I truly love the sisters we visit, and hope they know that.

Here's my message:

Dear Sister,

The visiting teaching message for June talks about how visiting teaching is a sacred assignment. Eliza R. Snow said "I consider the office of a teacher to be a high and holy office." 

Did you ever think of yourself as your sister's teacher?

We visit sisters and sometimes don't even get to the message because we're having so much fun talking. But, as a visiting teacher, we have the responsibility to leave our sister with a spiritual thought. 

Maybe what we say will be exactly what our sister needs to hear. How can it help her if she doesn't hear it?

Sometimes visiting teaching is taken too lightly. I've heard sisters say they don't need a lesson that month. Everyone can benefit from hearing a spiritual thought - even if it's just mailed to them and they read it.

Some sisters have lunch (which is fine,) but they never talk about anything spiritual. Let us not forget that we're not only friends but also representatives of the Lord. The Lord would never leave us without uplifting us in some way. Let's uplift our sisters EVEN when sitting in a restaurant.

Some sisters don't see or hear from their visiting teachers until days before the end of the month. Her visiting teacher calls her on a late calendar date and asks if she can make an appointment. I can guarantee that the sister feels like her visiting teacher doesn't care about her, and she feels that her visiting teacher just wants to get her visit done by the end of the month so that when the supervisor calls her and asks "did you do your visiting teaching?" she can say "yes." 

I respond to that situation with this quote by Sister Julie B. Beck, our last General Relief Society President. She said: "Visiting Teaching becomes the Lord's work when our focus is on people rather than percentages. In reality, visiting teaching is never done. It is more a way of life." 

That quote is true, just like this one, "Once a parent, always a parent." Perhaps this is also true, "Once a visiting teaching sister, always a visiting teaching sister." Hopefully, the words 'visiting teaching sister' become replaced with the word 'friend' and this can be said, "Once a friend, always a friend."

If we want our sisters to know we care about them, the best thing to do is to be their genuine friend. Maybe that means to visit each sister early in the month. Perhaps it means to say "Hi" to her whenever she is seen. One thing's for sure; the Lord WILL direct the visiting teacher in what to do, when she asks Him for help.

We don't stop being friends with someone when we get a new friend. Likewise, we shouldn't stop being friends with our visiting teaching sister's when our assignment changes. If we stop doing things (like treating each sister as a friend, saying "Hi" to each of them, or whatever) when we receive new names, the other sister's will consider us fake.

Visiting Teaching is a sacred responsibility. Sister Beck said that ideally every sister should look out for at least one other sister. That's easy for women to do because every woman is loving. Every woman likes to have friends too. Think of your sister's throughout the month and become friends. A friend may be just what she needs.

Women are naturally caring. They feel nice to be around. Let's do like Sister Snow recommends. She said: "If you find a sister feeling cold, take her to your heart like you would a child to your bosom and warm her up."

You have a great capacity to touch someone's life for good.

We love you.