Visiting Teaching is not an easy assignment. Sometimes we get paired with a partner that we don’t quite mesh with, and other times, we are assigned to visit women in the ward that we have absolutely nothing in common with. This can be frustrating. We are told over and over to be a friend to these women and to not think of it as an assignment, but I have to admit that sometimes I have a hard time doing that. Maybe it’s because I don’t always listen to the spirit, or maybe it’s because of my own inhibitions, who knows? But, I recently had an experience where I finally felt like I was being the kind of visiting teacher that Heavenly Father wanted me to be.
I have been visiting this sister in my ward for a little while now. She is single, and about the same age as me. My husband also just happens to be her home teacher. So, we have tried to look out for her kind of as a couple, and I think this has really made her feel like she is loved. And, the truth is, we do love her. We worry about her and we think about things we can do for her.
One Sunday, I passed her in the hall and said hello, and asked how she was doing. She responded with a not so enthusiastic “OK”. I looked at her questioningly and she just smiled as we both walked on to our various church assignments. I didn’t have the time to talk to her then. But, thankfully, she popped into my head later that evening. I decided to call her. On the phone, she broke down to me about a problem she was having in her life. As I tried to be a friend to her in that moment, I felt such a sense of gratitude that my Heavenly Father prompted me to reach out to her again. She obviously really needed someone to talk to, and it taught me that we always need to be listening to the spirit.
So often, we say, “OK” when someone asks us how we’re doing, but how often are we really, “OK”? This experience gave me the desire to have this kind of relationship with all the sisters I visit teach and to be in tune with what the Lord is trying to tell me at any given moment.
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