At a recent stake Relief Society training session, I learned something about home and visiting teaching that I had never heard before. In my ten years of visiting sisters in the ward, I generally followed the message published in the Ensign. However, I learned that in various cases – particularly including new and inactive members – the home and visiting teachers have the opportunity to teach outside of the proscribed lessons. In short, as home and visiting teachers (hereafter referred to as visiting teachers because, well, that’s what I do), we have the right to receive revelation pertaining to the needs of those we teach.
Although this makes sense, and was known to me, on a general level, I never fully applied it specifically to the lessons. The point was made, however, that new sisters especially may need help with things that we might not otherwise think of. Thinking back, I recall that my first home teacher, along with the missionaries, taught me the new member discussions, and I believe they even did so on a weekly basis. Similarly, we can teach these same lessons, either on our own or with the aid of the missionaries.
At the training session, several other subjects were broached that new and inactive sisters might need assistance with. These included lessons on:
- The mechanics of tithing: how to fill out a tithing slip, how to write the check (or otherwise pay)
- Using the scriptures to their full advantage: how to best use the footnotes, index, and bible dictionary especially; finding and becoming familiar with the Pearl of Great Price (that can be hard to find!), the Articles of Faith, and the Joseph Smith History and translation
- How to conduct a Family Home Evening
- How to give a talk in sacrament
- How to assemble and utilize your food storage without breaking the bank or being overwhelmed; recipes for food storage; how to make bread (I’ve been a member for ten years now, perhaps my visiting teachers can show me how to use a wheat grinder)
- How to garden or can food to supplement your food storage
- How to get started doing your genealogy; how to prepare and submit names to the temple
- The fantastic resources available in the ward libraries
- Help with their new callings as needed
- How to visit teach (and its importance)
- Preparing to go through the temple for the first time (this for a member of a year or more, obviously)
- How to use the church website to find talks, articles, or other resources that might help answer her questions; how to order items from the church distribution centers; how to purchase items from the cannery
- How to hold family scripture study; tips on keeping smaller children reverent and involved
- How to bear your testimony
The possibilities are endless. Think about some of the more ‘technical’ aspects of living the gospel on a daily basis and how foreign they might seem. Pick up some of those ‘top ten Mormonism words’ books or lists online and, after a good laugh, look at how foreign and confusing they might appear to a new member.
At the same time, if you are teaching an inactive sister, you might want to prayerfully consider her needs and concerns. Lessons focusing on the Savior and His ministry might be of help. General Conference talks she might have missed may relate to her.
The needs of all of our sisters (and families) need to be prayerfully considered. There may be times when even those who trace their roots pack to the pioneers may need a special or more focused lesson. As we are alert to the needs of those we teach, and prayerfully consider them, we can make sure that we are serving them to the best of our abilities.
Related Articles:
RS/EQ: Sisters Who Long to be Loved
Five Tips for Successful Visiting Teaching
The Errand of Angels is Given to Women