From the day I joined the church, I have been a huge fan of visiting teaching. My very first companion was a ‘hundred percenter’ (or fairly close); she took the time to sit down with me and discuss the responsibilities and need for visiting teachers, and it has been a lesson I never forgot (thanks, Jada!). I know that visiting teaching can be difficult, especially once you add children to the mix, but I strongly believe that it, along with home teaching, is a vital part of the church.
As with children, I have wondered if the women I visit teach ever really take anything from my lessons. With that in mind, I would like to share with you the first visiting teaching lesson I ever received. Although it took place just over nine years ago, I can still remember the gist of the lesson, where it took place, and even the face (although not the name) of my sweet visiting teacher. At the time, I was new to the stories found in the Book of Mormon, and names like “Nephi” had an odd, foreign sound to them. I made a note in my scriptures, and every time I turn past the section, I remember and relearn from the lesson. I’m not even sure if my visiting teacher took the message from the Ensign; I suspect she was winging it (either prepared or unprepared) due to the personal comments she made. But obviously it was an effective and meaningful lesson that I really needed to hear, since it stuck with me for so long.
At the end of 1 Nephi 3, Nephi and his brothers have failed to get the brass plates from Laban. In a fit of rage, Laman and Lemuel violently beat their younger brothers. Suddenly, an angel appears and rebukes them, saving Nephi and Sam.
You would think that the older two would learn their lesson, but, no, they never do. Only a few chapters later, when the four of them return to Jerusalem to bring Ishmael’s family into the wilderness, Laman and Lemuel lead a rebellion and bind Nephi. In verse 19, we read “And it came to pass that they were angry with me again and sought to lay hands upon me; but behold, one of the daughters of Ishmael, yea, and also her mother…did plead with my brethren, insomuch that they did soften their hearts; and they did cease striving to take away my life.”
Once again, Nephi’s brothers threatened his life. But instead of sending an angel or endowing Nephi with shocking power, two women (all right, and Ishmael’s son, as well, but let’s ignore him, shall we?) intercede on his behalf. At this point, my visiting teacher introduced me to a well-known hymn that I would also come to associate with this lesson. “The errand of angels,” my visiting teacher told me, “is given to women.”
Throughout our lives, we have burdens to shoulder that may be more than any sane person would choose. Perhaps, as Ishmael’s wife and daughter (and I would guess that this same daughter became Nephi’s wife and tried to intercede again when her husband was tied to the mast of their ship), we will literally have to save the life of a loved one. Or perhaps the most strenuous task – and it can take more effort than most people realize – will be the constant lifting up and inspiring of our families or the women we are chosen to visit teach. Either way, we can rest assured that we are in good company, that we are tools in the Lord’s hands, and that we are part of the building up of the kingdom of Heaven.
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