Sisters: Visiting Teaching Thoughts?


zil
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Gentlemen: I would prefer that you let the sisters answer this question, or comment on your feelings about Visiting Teaching (esp. about your wife or other women in your life being visit taught), but leave Home Teaching out of it (even if they appear similar to you).

Sisters, I wonder if you would help me get a broader perspective on Visiting Teaching (from the perspective of a visiting teacher or sister being visited).  The order of the questions matters, so please respond to / consider them in the order asked.

1) Prior to reading this question, had you ever read the handbook 2 section (9.5 and 9.5.1) on the responsibilities of a visiting teacher?  (Simple Yes / No.)  If yes, was that in conjunction with a RS calling, or just because?

 

2) What are your thoughts on Visiting Teaching?  (Do you like being the VTer?  Do you like being visited?  What's the best part?  What's the worst part?  What's its purpose?  What isn't its purpose?  How should it be done?  How should it not be done?  Do you feel like it has a significant impact on your life?  If yes, what sort of impact?  Whatever other thoughts you have.)

 

3) If you haven't read (or can't remember) the handbook 2 section on responsibilities of a visiting teacher, and are willing to (it's short), please go read now (or later and reply then), and then let me know if what you read there changes any of your thoughts in answer to #2 (please leave your original answer to #2).

Thanks!

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1) No

 

2) What are your thoughts on Visiting Teaching?  I do very much like being visited, even though I am hard to actually visit (crazy schedule).  I do very much like visiting, even though I am horrible at doing it.  I very much believe in it's purpose of people being there for each other.

 

3) If you haven't read (or can't remember) the handbook 2 section on responsibilities of a visiting teacher, and are willing to (it's short), please go read now (or later and reply then), and then let me know if what you read there changes any of your thoughts in answer to #2 (please leave your original answer to #2).   Ummm... not too many new thoughts...

 

 

Edited by Jane_Doe
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I did not know there was a handbook! But I read it as you directed.seems good to me.

visiting: I do this on my own, I have theoretically a companion who is semi active comes to church occasionally. I have from time to time invited her, got excuses which may be genuine, my phone doesn't work, I don't read email etc. Normally here an active sister is paired with an inactive sister. I admit that this is a good way to reActivate sisters but it often drives the active sister nuts. I have sometimes walked into a dangerous situation visiting teaching on my own. I would never again visit someone that I do not know on my own.

i visit 2 active sisters and one inactive sister. With the active sisters we go through the lesson and then I listen to their problems. This problem listening thing took years of visits Maybe 4 years to achieve so when they try to change the route I make a fuss.

the inactive sister seems to have no interest in religion. I was her visiting teacher for some years and I worked really hard to establish a relationship. The powers that be insisted that she be seen by someone else so for years the inactive sister refused to see anyone until they gave her back to me. I have again worked hard to put together a relationship. We talk about her life and the kids. I follow promptings but I am a bit at sea.

i have a visiting teacher who does not visit very often. She comes maybe every 3 or 4 months but I call her and ask her advice from time to time. I am happy with this. As you can imagine I know the lesson very well by the end of the month. The ladies that I visit are happy with me. They know that I care. I know the things that they like and I buy them little treats! Everyone seems happy. I like having people to care for and women normally don't have anyone who cares for them it works.

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44 minutes ago, zil said:

Thank you @Jane_Doe and @Sunday21, and all those who didn't answer.  The absence of replies answers my questions loud and clear. :)

Ohh... we're guilting people to reply to threads now?  ;)

 

1.)  No.

2.)  Do you like being the VTer?  - Absolutely
     Do you like being visited? - Absolutely
     What's the best part? - Getting to know people.
     What's the worst part? - None.
     What's its purpose? - Connect sisters to the Ward Family.
     What isn't its purpose? - Forced Friendships
     How should it be done? - Spread love.
     How should it not be done?  - Force friendschips
     Do you feel like it has a significant impact on your life? - Very much so.
     If yes, what sort of impact? - incubator for understanding the meaning of true Christ-like love.

     Great commandments:  Love God.  Love others as yourself.  What is LOVE - the pure desire to bring someone with you closer to Christ.  The first challenge is to fully exercise LOVE within the marital covenant - that includes the family up and down and sideways of the family tree.  The second challenge is to fully exercise LOVE within the Ward family - that can be further subdivided into the first challenge within that sphere as the sisters we visit teach and then the ward family that we serve under our specific callings and then the ward, the stake, the full church body.  The third challenge is to LOVE the people in your community, your subdivision, your city, your county, your state, your country, your continent, the planet...

     Learning to LOVE the sisters I visit teach gives me a better understanding of what Christ meant when He said - A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you. Bears repeating:  LOVE is bringing someone with you closer to Christ.  It gets a wee bit harder to get closer to Christ if you're sick and can't feed your children, the kitchen is flooded by the leak under the sink, you're stressed and sleep deprived and just need a break from the rigors of life, you don't like your bishop, you have a tiff with someone at church, you're bothered by Joseph Smith's polygamous relationship with a 14-year-old... etc. etc. etc. I do what I can to help as service (regardless of whether I need service myself) always make me feel closer to Christ.  I ask my VTs for help to uplift me too.

3.)  Read it just now.  Changed nothing.

 

Edited by anatess2
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3 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

Ohh... we're guilting people to reply to threads now? 

No, I was dead serious.  The lack of answers were as good as answers. :)

But thank you for your reply - it is inspiring and helpful.  I may well quote you at a future training in my ward. :)

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7 minutes ago, zil said:

No, I was dead serious.  The lack of answers were as good as answers. :)

But thank you for your reply - it is inspiring and helpful.  I may well quote you at a future training in my ward. :)

Whoa, you're serious?

Like, you expect everybody, or every sister, to be waiting with bated breath for the next new topic that pops up that they HAVE TO spend their time and energy to spill their brains for... and that they must be present right then and there... not like next week or something... to join in... and if they don't want to spend the 4 seconds they have to read the entire OP, let alone answer it, they must be... what... not interested in VT or something?

No.  The lack of answers could simply mean, I have 4 seconds - I'd rather spend it telling everybody about what movie I watched yesterday.

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3 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

The lack of answers could simply mean, I have 4 seconds - I'd rather spend it telling everybody about what movie I watched yesterday.

That was exactly what I meant, and that tells me something too.  I wanted to see what sort of responses I would get, and everything I got (or might get in the future) tells me something: the text of the replies, the "speed" of the replies, the total number of replies, etc. etc.  It all teaches me things - the trick is to figure out what it tells me.  I recognize there can be a wide variety of reasons someone doesn't respond (from "never saw the OP" to "chose not to [for every and any reason]") and I need to be careful not to make assumptions in that regard.

If I came off as demanding or complaining, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.

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7 minutes ago, zil said:

If I came off as demanding or complaining, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.

Meh.  Might just be me.  It came off to me as one of those memes that says, "If you love Jesus, share this." and the smiley makes it a funny... that's how I saw it but hey... I'm Filipino.  I got an excuse.  :D

Edited by anatess2
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1, nope

 

2, I haven't had any visiting teaching yet.. To be honest I would rather not have any.  I just don't need any thing so dont see the point in them popping by, they are quite a bit older then me too..  Like 40 years older so I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to talk to them about, I'm certainly not going to ask them to do anything for me so in my mind its abit pointless.    I visit teach tho   I have two older ladies I go and see but one is in her 80s, I don't mind helping with the dishes or what not but I wouldn't say the conversation isnt strained,  I tend just to keep it straight on the Ensign message. 

 

On another note has anyone read the VT message for this month? I just keep thinking why didn't he just do his own ironing.. Sorry, im am rubbish at all the RS stuff. 

 

 

Edited by An Investigator
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1 hour ago, An Investigator said:

On another note has anyone read the VT message for this month? I just keep thinking why didn't he just do his own ironing.. Sorry, im am rubbish at all the RS stuff. 

I admittedly haven't read the July or Aug lesson.  But my off-topic thought on this statement was: "Of course I do all his ironing!  He's horrible at it!  His does the cleaning, dishes, cooking, vacuuming, swiping, shopping, and yard work.  But I do the ironing (about 20 minutes every 2 years)."

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2 hours ago, An Investigator said:

1, nope

 

2, I haven't had any visiting teaching yet.. To be honest I would rather not have any.  I just don't need any thing so dont see the point in them popping by, they are quite a bit older then me too..  Like 40 years older so I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to talk to them about, I'm certainly not going to ask them to do anything for me so in my mind its abit pointless.    I visit teach tho   I have two older ladies I go and see but one is in her 80s, I don't mind helping with the dishes or what not but I wouldn't say the conversation isnt strained,  I tend just to keep it straight on the Ensign message. 

 

On another note has anyone read the VT message for this month? I just keep thinking why didn't he just do his own ironing.. Sorry, im am rubbish at all the RS stuff. 

 

 

Oh oh I just read the August ironing message. Oh my. Why didn't he just do the ironing for her? Reminds me of...no let's not bring up talks that are better forgotten. 

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