Today Valdosta First Ward Relief Society held its Visiting Teaching Conference. The theme is "Visiting Teaching: Linking Hearts". The goal is to increase our desire to become more closely linked as sisters, heart to heart. The mission of Relief Society is essentially to touch hearts. President Henry B Eyre, in a conference message, Rise to the Call, taught “Visiting teaching is the heart and soul of Relief Society". The purposes of visiting teaching are to build caring relationships with each sister and to offer support, comfort, and friendship. In visiting teaching, both the giver and the receiver are blessed and strengthened in their Church activity by their caring concern for one another.
This caring concern is described in Moroni 6:4: “And after they had been received unto baptism, . . . they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way.”
To accomplish these purposes, visiting teachers should:
• 1. Visit each assigned sister regularly (where feasible, in her home every month).
• 2. Learn of the spiritual and temporal needs of the sister and her family.
• 3. Offer appropriate assistance.
• 4. Give spiritual instruction through a monthly message.
• 1. Visit each assigned sister regularly (where feasible, in her home every month).
• 2. Learn of the spiritual and temporal needs of the sister and her family.
• 3. Offer appropriate assistance.
• 4. Give spiritual instruction through a monthly message.
Through our monthly visits as visiting teachers, we have the power to bless each sister no matter what our individual circumstances are, we all have the opportunity to edify and nurture others.
The monthly gospel message we share in those visits builds faith and testimony. The giver and the receiver are both edified as they share insights and personal experiences while discussing gospel principles, scriptures, and teachings of our prophets.
Our challenge is to love our visiting teaching sisters. I know that there is effort required to visit our sisters, to share a gospel message, and to attend to needs, but I also know that the rewards to the sister served and the sisters serving are well worth that effort. I hope that we can commit ourselves to "go to the rescue".
The monthly gospel message we share in those visits builds faith and testimony. The giver and the receiver are both edified as they share insights and personal experiences while discussing gospel principles, scriptures, and teachings of our prophets.
Our challenge is to love our visiting teaching sisters. I know that there is effort required to visit our sisters, to share a gospel message, and to attend to needs, but I also know that the rewards to the sister served and the sisters serving are well worth that effort. I hope that we can commit ourselves to "go to the rescue".
-Sheryl Giddens, Valdosta 1st Ward Relief Society President
"We cannot always lift the burden of one who is troubled, but we can lift her so she can bear it well.” -Elaine L. Jack 1990-1997 Relief Society general president
"We cannot always lift the burden of one who is troubled, but we can lift her so she can bear it well.” -Elaine L. Jack 1990-1997 Relief Society general president
