Be an Angel Today

Today I would like to touch on the sacred privilege to be a visiting teacher and to be visit taught. One thing that I learned and continue learning as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is that we try our best to love and support each other. And, we are guided on how to accomplish this with a little thing called visiting teaching. For those of you unfamiliar with this concept or new to it, as I am. It is a responsibility that every adult women of the church gets to go share a scriptural message and be a friend to someone else in her ward (another word for congregation). The scriptural message can be real quick, and it is just to uplift them in their lives. I can't help but laugh and enjoy a quote we heard today while discussing visiting teaching. This girl stool up and exclaimed "visiting teaching is NOT visiting teaching!! That's not what it's about!!" And she is ABSOLUTELY right. No one wants an assigned friend to come set their timer for 10-15 minutes, share a message and peace out. They want someone who actually cares for their worries and needs. And who is going to be there for them in whatever they need. It reminds me of a story my mom told me. Growing up in the Catholic Church, I never had visiting teachers or home teachers(the guy versions of visiting teachers). But there was something called the Catholic Guild. And they would make visits to people when they felt they needed it. My mom being a mother of 3 crazy children at the time, and me being the third and just newly born, caused a lot of stress as for any mother would cause. The house was a mess, my dad was at work, she was trying to make food and please my older high maintenance sisters, and during a slight second when my mom wasn't watching, my older sister decides to go visit me, in my crib and, due to jealousy of attention of my adorable smile and charm at the young age of 3 weeks, my sister decides to repeatedly slap me in the face. My mom hears my yelling and crying and frantically comes to my rescue. She puts my sister in a time out, picks me up as I'm still screaming, and *knock knock * there is someone at the door. My mom in between all the screaming and crying and distress, opens the door to find two lovely ladies from the church with cookies or something just stopping by to see how she is doing. As soon as they ask how she is doing, my mom breaks down. But this is the part I love the best. Instead of these ladies dropping off the cookies and wishing my mom well and feeling they did their good deed for the day, They instead, sit down with my mom, hug her, comfort her, calm her, calm me, calm the other two sisters, and let my mom know that she is an amazing mother and that things are going to be okay. Whenever I think of visiting teacher, I think of this. Because God loves us so much, he watches out for us through other people. He sends us earthly Angels. And I know that my mom needed love that day. And that she needed someone to tell her that she is the best mom out there. She needed those ladies to come by and say "It's gonna be okay. We've had children too. You are strong, you can do it". She needed that so much, and because God loves her, and all of us so much, he sent two people to be with her that day. If it weren't for that, I don't know if I would be here today, writing this post about the sacred privilege of visiting teaching, of being able to be an angel for someone who just needs a hug, or an encouraging word, or a pat on the back. We can be Angels. Just as much as God sends us earthy Angels, we can be that too. And that's what visiting teaching is about, that's what being a neighbor is about, that's what being a friend is about. Mourning with those who mourn, comforting those in need of comfort, and supporting those who need a little help, and believe me, we ALL need that. This is our chance to do what Jesus did, to represent him, and to show others the love that God truly has for them. Have you made a difference in the world today? Will you visit someone in need? Will you show them God's love? In Jesus name, Amen