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Visiting Teaching & Home Teaching - Page 15

I strongly believe inactive sisters need MORE visits than those who are active. See that I say they need 'more' because I also believe active ones need visits but I agree with Farseer that sometimes because we feel more comfortable with those sisters who are coming to Church and who are glad to welcome us at their homes, we tend to left out the ones who we don't know, who we feel embarrass or shy to call on the phone and introduce ourselves or the one who may not be very happy to see us but she always welcome us. So I think we should reach the extra mile, not assuming but observing. The key in my opinion is creating a genuine friendship, not a 'I have to' but a friendship, try to bond with the sister, do nice things for her, find out the reason she doesn't want any contacts, don't stop in her only answer that she doesn't want visits, find out more, do more! This is my humble opinion of course. We are in the comfort zone sometimes and we don't challenge ourselves, we stop as soon as a wall is in front of us and who knows is Heavenly Father who put that wall in front of us to break it down!.

Teaching Home and Teaching Visiting

Hey everyone- I really like this board and it has really been helpful. I just recently started going to church again, and I have a calling in the nursery. I was mailed a VT partner and a list of sisters to visit. I have never been a VT before and I don't have any clue who my partner is- I tried to call her once - anyway, I just want to thank all of you, I think that I am going to try harder to find out who my VT partner is so that I can get to know her- I really need the fellowship also-

Visiting Teaching & Home Teaching Studies Doctrine Mormon

Pyxie, I am happy to see that you got more vigor to do your visiting teaching after being here. We learn so much here. Continue to post your thoughts and you may wish to share your testimony in the thread called, 'Testimony Meeting' within this board.

Page 15 Teaching Home and Teaching Visiting

It was asked earlier about being set apart for VT and HT.

Actually for Home Teaching we are. Although many never realize it. As an example. It is one of my duties as a member of an Elders Quorum Presidency to make these assignments. I have had brethren tell me, "I don't want to except that assignment". My answer is "I am sorry brother, but you have already excepted that assignment". " When you allowed another brother to lay his hands on your head and confer the priesthood upon you and ordain you to either the office of a priest or Elder you excepted that assignment". "If you didn't want that duty of that office you should not have allowed yourself to be ordained to that office".

The bottom line, a brother is set apart technically when ordained to one of those two offices. Remember that the only difference between being "set apart" to an office and being "ordained" to an office is that setting apart is for a finite period of time with the understanding that eventually that person will be released from that duty. When a person is ordained to an office it is intended to be eternal.

As to why sisters are not set apart for this calling. Setting apart and Ordaining both imply a delegation of Priesthood keys of authority. Both brothers and sisters are supposed to be doing basically the same work with Home teaching and visiting teaching. But sisters do that with the authority of faith and under auspices of "gifts of the spirit". Not with Priesthood keys. Most of what a brother does in home teaching also falls under the authority of faith and the auspices of "gifts of the spirit", but from time to time he may need to employ further gifts and authority, those he holds within the priesthood.

RC3

Teaching Home and Teaching Visiting

I have a question, Does the Relief Society Presidency do anything similar to the formal PPI's (Personal Priesthood Interviews) done by Quorum Presidencies?

I have found that when one is regularly (at least monthly if not more often) interviewed and held accountable by one holding or delegated Keys of Presidency is very effective at motivating activity. I am not talking about a simple, "hi, how are you doing, did you get it done this month? type of meeting. I am talking about a formal, behind closed doors, opened with prayer, Holy Ghost invoked, actual charge and accounting of stewardship. Believe me it works as well as a Bishop asking that same question in a Temple recommend interview. Remember the Bishop is not the only one in a ward or branch that holds Priesthood keys of authority. So do the Quorum presidents and the Relief Society President and they delegate them to their counselors.

RC3

Visiting Teaching & Home Teaching

First off please use one message rather than two (if it is under half an hour) for your posts. Simply 'edit' your original message to include the new words.

Second, what do you mean by, 'Does the Relief Society Presidency do anything similar to the formal PPI's (Personal Priesthood Interviews) done by Quorum Presidencies?' FOr what purpose? you mean to find out how visiting teaching is going? If so they have a rep that does that for them, but of course together with her and the Counselors they can ask the Sisters if it is a large body.

Third, as for your point about PPIs I must mention that although there are various quorums, etc. only the Branch President, Bishop or Stake President have the right to ask worthiness questions and/or counsel outside of the regular temple recommend interview. Besides, when this involves mini interviews by the EQ presidency to get the HT report the questions should be directed to home teaching and not personal worthiness. An EQ President can suggest to a HT companionship that is not doing their job some personal experiences or faith promoting scriptures, but cannot start asking about worthiness, etc.

Visiting Teaching & Home Teaching - Page 15

I know you guys are probably tired of hearing from me already :--> but I would like to share a story with you about home teaching.

Shortly after I became active again in the church and having my Priesthood restored (which was also home teacher motivated, but that's a different story) I was attending a Stake Conference Priesthood session on a saturday evening. It just so happened that this Stake conference was being attended by a Brother from the 1st Quorum of Seventy. The meeting was started and He had just approached the podium to speak when the front side door to the chapel opened and a young sister, who I knew to be a single sister, stepped in. She just stood there inside the door looking at the Brother at the podium. After a minute or so, He stopped his address and asked the sister if there was anything that she needed help with.

She said that there was. She stated that she was a single sister, had been a member of such and such ward for almost a year, was just returning to activity, had been asking to find out who her home teacher was and could never get a straight answer and had never seen one at her home yet. She asked if He could help her with this. She went on to explain that as she was a single sister and her father was not a member of the church, the only chance she had of having the Priesthood in her home was through a home teacher, it was her right to have those blessings and she wanted them. She knew exactley what she was doing and had waited until the Seventy was at the pulpit to do this.

This Elder asked if the Bishop of her ward was present. He was and stood up and was asked if He knew this sisters home teacher. He consulted with the High Priest Group Leader sitting next to him and they came up with a name. The seventy asked that brother to rise if he was there. He was and he stood up. This Elder then instructed the Brother that He would be in that sisters home that month and every month. That as she stated she had a right and claim on those blessings and that He as a Melchezidek Priesthood holder would be held accountable for denying her those blessings if he failed in his stewardship to her. He then readdressed the Bishop, gave him instructions to follow up on it, the same to the Stake President. He then commended the sister for her diligence in pursuing the blessings she had a right to and was entitled to. After which she thanked him and she left the room.

I am very familiar with this story for as I said I was present at that meeting and observed what took place. I was so impressed with that sister that I made it a point to seek her out and make her acquaintance. Two weeks later I announced to the Priesthood Brethren while visiting her ward that I was going to marry her. They in unison gave me a standing ovation. Apparently she had been quite a thorn in the side of the Priesthood and kept them on their toes. Six weeks later we were married and Sealed in the Orlando Temple. Now she keeps me on my toes and is a huge blessing to me in my life.

RC3

P.S. She does her visiting teaching every month and believe me I make sure I get my home teaching done early in the month or there is no peace for me until it is.

RC3

Visiting Teaching & Home Teaching Mormon Doctrine Studies - Page 15

My presentation about PPI's said nothing about asking worthiness issues. My remarks were about those Quorum Presidents and Relief Society Presidents holding the keys of presidency to their respective quorum or auxilliary holding the members of those groups accountable for those specific stewardships which they had assigned to them. That is exactley what a PPI is for and well within the responsibilities of those Presidents and Presidencies. A relief society president can be much more effective at stimulating activity within one that is less motivated than can an assigned coordinator. You are correct that the only one that can make this into a worthiness issue is a Bishop, Branch President or Stake President. But that comes as a recomendation from that particular Quorum or Relief Society President as the actual presiding officer of that steward and stewardship.

Matters of Stewardship should never be done in groups. They should always be done in closed sessions by one having authority over that stewardship. I once asked about this of a member of my Stake Presidency, he asked me to give one example of the savior ever counseling stewards about their stewardship in public. He always took that steward or specific group of stewards off into private session for their instruction.

RC3

Edited: RCollester3 on 27th Feb, 2004 - 7:35am