I love Visiting Teaching

My visiting teaching companion and I are taking care of business this week. Kicking "butt" and taking names, as some may say. The visiting teaching message for this month is actually about being an effective visiting teacher, and reading over it caused me to reflect on the years I've spent as a visiting teacher.
I remember when I first joined the church as a freshman in college, and my roommate and I were assigned to be VT companions. We had absolutely no idea what we were doing, but I think the girls we visited could tell that we truly cared about them, even if we weren't as smooth as we might have been. With a little more experience I got better at sussing out the needs of the girls with whom I visited, and tried to meet those needs. I remember praying that one girl would get married soon, and telling another to quit pretending she had a testimony of the Gospel and actually try to get one. I've made dinners, and watched children, and meditated on how to help the women I'm assigned to visit. Through going out and doing my visiting teaching, I know that Heavenly Father instituted this program to bless lives.
My life has certainly been blessed by visiting teaching. With my current calling as the Visiting Teaching Leader (and this ain't my first rodeo- er, assignment) I get to work with our Relief Society president on a monthly basis to create assignments that will bless the women of our ward. Working so closely with her has taught me to be more forgiving and less quick to judge others, as we discuss the various trials our girls are experiencing. Trust me, that's a personality lesson I desperately need. I also am blessed because I have visiting teachers. When I was pregnant with Sam- you know, deathly ill and in the first semester of my master's program, my visiting teachers did not visit me. I didn't even know who they were. And I was alone, and sick, and scared. Looking back, I know it would have lifted my spirits immensely to know that there were two women assigned to look after me. When I was pregnant with Benjy, my VTs brought dinner to us, helped organize people to watch Sam so I could take a break, and faithfully visited me (even when I was spitting into a bucket during their visits because my mouth overproduced saliva like crazy). It was so wonderful to know that they cared.
I love visiting teaching. I love the concept, and I love the dirty work. It changes lives. It is a plan straight from God. If you haven't seen your sisters this month, get out there!

Oh, and I am aware that many of you may not know what visiting teaching is. Find out!