Visiting Teaching

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Visiting Teachers must excel and give leadership to the women into whose homes they go. 

President Spencer W. Kimball

To be successful, it seems to me that a visiting teacher would wish to have high purpose and remember it all the time, would want to have great vision, a terrific enthusiasm that cannot be worn down, a positive attitude, of course, and a great love. . ."

Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball page 525

"My desire is to plead with our sisters to stop worrying about a phone call or a quarterly or monthly visit, and whether that will do, and concentrate instead on nurturing tender souls.  Our responsibility is to see that the gospel flame continues to burn brightly.  Our charge is to find the lost sheep and help them feel our Savior's love."
-Mary Ellen Smoot, General Relief Society President, 4 October 1997

A Position of Leadership
by Debra Coe

I know that we have all heard the statement that no one is "Just a Visiting Teacher" and that visiting teaching/home teaching are the most important callings, but how many of us believe it?  There is something about "most everyone" being a visiting teacher that makes us feel like we aren't "special.”  If we were to be called to be THE Stake Relief Society President that would be different; then we would feel important but only because just one sister in the whole stake has this calling.  It all reminds me of President Benson's talk “Beware of Pride” where he said, "It is the
comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest."

The truth is that visiting teaching is a call to lead.  Through faithful visiting teaching one can learn that real leadership is all about caring for individuals and helping them to improve.  Leadership has no necessary connection with position.  Leading others is not a title it is an action word.

I love the song Teach me to Walk in the Light where it says: "Lead me, Guide me, Walk beside me, Help me find the way."  What better words to describe our duty to the sisters we visit.  Such a small thing, but in the Book of Mormon, " 'Alma spoke of miracles worked by small means, and he included a warning; 'Nevertheless because those miracles were worked by small means it did show unto them marvelous works.'  But, 'they were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those marvelous works ceased and they did not progress in their journey.' (Alma 37:41)" (Elder Boyd K. Packer, "Let Them Govern Themselves," Regional Representative Seminar Friday, March 30, 1990)

True leaders desire equality. They esteem others as themselves (Mosiah 27:4 and D&C 38:24-25). Hugh Nibley said, "We think of great generals from David and Alexander on down, sharing their beans or maza with their men, calling them by their first names, marching along with them in the heat, sleeping on the ground, and first over the wall. A famous ode by a long-suffering Greek soldiers, Archilochuis, reminds us that the men in the ranks are not fooled for an instant by the executive type who thinks he is a leader." ("Leaders and Managers," Commencement address given in the Marriott Center on August 19, 1983)

The whole War in Heaven center on equality.  Satan wanted to be above all and have glory unto himself.  Christ, with God on his side, desired that all should be equal.  He desired to give great service to us and did not seek glory for Himself.  As visiting teachings, we can emulate this example by seeking only to serve, love and encourage those we teach.  We must see each sister in their true light as daughter of God and of great worth.  What a wonderful thing to have so many sisters in the church called to be visiting teachers so we learn that we are all of equal value in the sight of God.

Great leaders care about individuals.  General Eisenhower for example, spent the last few hours before the D-Day invasion with his troops.  Note that he did not spend it with the "top brass."  Instead he mingled with the soldiers, the airmen, the sailors who were about to invade Europe.  He
couldn't possibly visit with all of them, but he knew that word would spread that he cared about his men as individuals.  He knew that this alone would give the added courage and strength needed in battle.

God Himself is of course the perfect leader.  As such, He is deeply concerned with individuals.  The Holy Ghost is sent to comfort all those who would invite Him and are willing to listen to the still small voice.  The spirit of Christ is likewise given to all men.  Through prayer we may speak with our Heavenly Father at any given moment.  Through the scriptures and modern day prophets a loving Father in Heaven speaks to all who will listen. This same loving Father knows that there are times when we need another flesh and blood person to help and encourage us in the "battles" we are engaged in.  Again His main concern is with individual people.  So we are called to visit teach and to be God's representatives. As with all callings, great spiritual growth can be obtained by those who learn the real spirit of visiting teaching. Caring for individuals and valuing them no matter what worldly status they have, is what becoming more Godlike is all about.

I have learned over the years that as women we are far more verbal on average than men and have a need to talk about our feelings.  In facing challenges, when women know that just one other person in aware of and understands what they are going through, they receive added strength and are better capable of getting through difficult times -- even with no more help than a listening ear.  How interesting that the rest of our families are served by one set of home teachers and while sisters are given the added help of visiting teachers.

Christ often reached out to individuals as they went about their daily lives.  He taught Mary and Martha as the prepared supper, the woman at well as she got Him a drink, an entire crowd about the worth of a soul as He helped a woman about to be stoned to death.

"Come follow me, the Savior said."  Visiting Teaching gives us opportunities to serve as He would serve and to learn what leadership is all about.  It is a call to be in the service of our fellowman which is to be in the service of our God.

I'M JUST A VISITING TEACHER
Author Unknown

"I'm just a visiting teacher,"
I said to my friend today.
And my father in Heaven heard me,
And I seemed to hear him say:
"Not just a visiting teacher,
A disciple with work to do,
And wherever you carry my message
My spirit goes with you."

"Some daughters of mine with burdens
Some seem to have lost the way
Go take them my love and my gospel
To strengthen them day by day."
"Never say you're just a visiting teacher,
Have faith and you'll understand
When you enter a home with love and prayer --
I take you by the hand."

Top Ten Ways NOT To Visit Teach

10.  Have NO contact at all -- don't call even once, that way the sisters on your route won't even know who their visiting teachers are and won't know that you are the ones that don't care about them.

9.  When you do visit a sister, be sure to keep one eye on the clock and when ten minutes are up LEAVE IMMEDIATELY -- DO NOT care what topics were being discussed and DO NOT ask if there is anything you can do to help.  You have now achieved your goal of being able to count this sister as visited so RUN!

8.  Instead of asking "is there anything we can do to help you?"  Say, "If you need anything be sure to call your hometeachers; we're sure they would be glad to help you!"

7.  Decide that you will be better than anyone else by finishing your visiting teaching the first week of every month.  Brag about this fact in public as often as possible.   To accomplish this you must not ask any sister when is a good time to visit.  Instead you tell each sister the exact day and time you will be visiting each month.  If she cannot make it, don't worry about it -- her loss!  Leave a little card to let her know that you were thinking of her, call and report your visiting teaching as 100% in the first week!

6.  When asked to take in a meal to to a sister you visit teach who has just had surgery and cannot get out of bed, call and say, "I don't want to offend you by bringing a meal because I know how independant you are."  If they tell you that you would not be offensive and please bring a meal, INSIST on helping them stay independant and INSIST on not bringing a meal.

5.  Be sure to say, "If there is anything that we can do to help, give us a call."  However, DO NOT mean it!  If the person you visit teach does call and ask for help, say okay so you sound nice, but then just don't do it.

4.  Do not become friends with the person you teach!  This means you need to go out of your way to avoid them at church!

3.  As often as possible, go visiting teaching without calling ahead and go when you KNOW the sister will NOT be home.  Leave a card or a note so the sister will "know" that she has been visit taught that month. 

2.  No matter what the topic of converstation, be sure to always either find a way to talk only about YOUR personal problems or find a way to put down the sister you are visiting.  Don't forget to put down your companion too!

1.  Criticize, Criticize, Criticize!

Unfortunately these are not as funny as I wish they were, each is something that has really happened!

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