This month we get to choose what we teach! So get out your conference report and pick a good lesson! Just remember you are the Lord's representative, He knows the needs of the sisters you teach so ask Him to guide you in your selection! For me I'm still working on which conference talk to work from, there were just so many that touched my heart. I'll keep you posted.

Cute and Clever

Cookies and cute, clever handouts are nice, but remember you are the Lord's messenger. Be more concerned about the spirit and message you bring to the home of the sisters you visit. Love them, support them, just be there!

Just a Thought

As you think about going Visiting Teaching here's a thought by Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve:

".... the Church is a place for imperfect people to gather together - even with all their mortal frailties - and become better."

When I first joined the church during a Sunday School lesson the teacher taught we could never be completely perfect like Christ but we could be work at being near perfect. In fact we could be perfect. Maybe not in all areas, but still perfect in some areas. He said it's not like we are being asked to part the Red Sea or give up chocolate! We just need to work at being perfect one principle at a time. And then he listed all the things he thought we could be perfect at: paying tithing, following the Word of Wisdom, attending our meetings. These are things we could do 100%! They are easily measured so we can feel success as we move to the more difficult principles like always being kind, always having good thoughts, etc. And even with the more difficult principles we can be successful for a day then two, then a week.

So I challenged myself at the time to work at being near perfect by always paying our tithing and fast offerings. Then I added the Word of Wisdom. Then studying the scriptures (haven't quite master this one). In short I focus at being more like Christ just one or two principles at a time. Sometimes I am successful, sometimes I need to work a little harder.

A few years ago I took on the challenge to have 100% Visiting Teaching. Sometimes I fall short. Sometimes my sisters don't cooperate. Sometimes I'm may be sick. Sometimes my companion may be sick or out of town. Sometimes I just don't want to go. But, I always remember the Lord knows my heart. He knows if I'm doing my best, trying my hardest or just putting off a sacred duty He has entrusted to me. Remember He loves the sisters and has asked visiting teachers to keep a watchful eye their assigned sisters for Him!

Forget your imperfections and failing in the past regarding visiting teaching. We are all imperfect. We all struggle. Focus at being better, work at being near perfect. Set a goal to go Visiting Teaching. Love the sisters you visit and your companion. Be a friend. Be ready to jump in and help. Give a lesson. Like Elder Wirthlin shared we are imperfect but we can become better. So be perfect or at least near perfect - Go Visiting Teaching!

Gender Is an Essential Characteristic of Eternal Identity and Purpose

We are beloved spirit daughters of heavenly parents! As such we each have a divine nature and destiny. (Proclamation to the World.) Our gender to large measure defines who we are and our role in this life. Sisters are different, unique and distinctive. (Elder David A. Bednar) We shouted for joy at the creation of earth because we knew we would have the opportunity to have a body! Our goal to work side by side with righteous men to accomplish eternal goals to please our Heavenly Parents. These goals can not be attained independently, but require both male and female. Our female roles did not begin in this life and will not end in this life. (Julie B. Beck)

In high school (1967) there was some debate about not our origin but our gender before this life. Many thought we made the choice. Others thought female now.... always a female. Clearly based on Sister Beck's inspired words we were female in the preexistence and happy to be so! We had much to learn there and here. The female role is essential to the foundations of the world and God's kingdom. It is not always easy, but we can find much joy in womanhood.

These thoughts made me think about what are our goals? To be a good wife? A good mother? A good friend? To be kind? To be thoughtful? Margret D. Nadauld stated, " Women of God can never be like women of the world." But, as I used trudged off to work each day, leaving my home duties behind, was I woman of God or a woman of the world? How can insure I am always a Woman of God? Again from Sister Nadauld, "...we need women who are tender.... we need women who are kind.... we need women of faith. " These are all attributes of Jesus.

This is our challenge to take upon ourselves Christlike attributes. First we need to identify those attributes. Christ was kind, caring, sensitive, He kept his promises, He loved His neighbor, He had a core belief in righteous justice, He healed the sick and sorrowful with his words and deeds, He listened to the pains and sorrows of others, His actions always supported His beliefs.... There are surely more! All of these Godly qualities are doable even for someone as imperfect as I. As we pray to develop and prefect Christlike attributes we become more like Him and truly become Women of God. This is our divine nature and goal.

So be kind, be tender and have faith, listen, keep promises.... It sounds so easy. The challenge: be consistent!

My Girls

I have three girls - sisters.

One is a red headed beauty with light brown eyes with a spark and sparkle about her- Janene. She is self determined and goes after what she wants with determination and purpose.

My second daughter is a dark haired beauty who is reflective and introspective - Amanda. She approached life with caution, carefully thinking and over thinking everything. She analyzing everything all the time.

My third daughter has light brown hair and light brown eyes. She is beautiful! She takes in everything going on around her... quietly - Heather. She is just plain sweet and caring taking in stray cats and to an extent people.

They are all so different.

Years ago I had a picture of my daughters on my desk at work.

I had so many people ask, "Are these your daughters?"

I would reply with pride, "Yes."

They would then ask, "Do they have the same father?"

Again I would reply, "Yes."

"But they are all so different!"

"Yes, all the same father. Aren't they beautiful in their own way! All the same and yet so different and all mine!" and then quietly to myself I would think how much I love them each and marvel at their differences.

As Heavenly Father watches all of his daughters do you think His thoughts are, "They are all so different, so beautiful and all mine!" Does he celebrate and smile with pleasure at our differences knowing we belong to Him?

As you visit your sisters remember Heavenly Father thinks they are the most beautiful wonderful daughter even if they are so different. And He's probably thinking the same thing about you! We are all just a little different, but we all have the same Father! Celebrate the differences - go VISITING TEACHING, go see your sister!

September - The Gospel of Jesus Christ Teaches the Eternal Potential of the Children of God

Russell M. Ballard shares our riches reward will come as we rise to fulfill our destiny as devoted daughters of God. Hum....

Julie B. Beck desires that we have a testimony of our potential for eternal motherhood. Hum...

President Eyring tell us this life is full of learning experiences necessary to return to Heavenly Father, to live with Him. Hum...

President Taylor further tells us our main objective is to prepare ourselves. Oh, and our posterity and progenitors. Hum....

I am a daughter of God. He loves me. He wants only the best for me. But, am I devoted daughter? I know this. But, what is a devoted daughter?

I think of my little granddaughter, Addisyn, who wants to bake cookies for her daddy and put them in a special box. Is this devotion?

Or Janene, my oldest daughter, who send a special gift to her dad for Father's Day. Is this devotion?

Or how excited my little son, Jeremy, was to "get" to go with Daddy to the dump! Is t his devotion?

Of course it is. But, how do we show Heavenly Father our devotion. Can we make Him cookies or wrap up a special gift? Or do we just get excited to be with Him?

As I taught the little Sunbeam last Sunday: "We Can Be Jesus' Friend When We Are a Friend to Others." So we can show our devotion to Heavenly Father by showing devotion to others. We can make cookies for neighbors. We can wrap up a baby gift for a new mother. And we can be excited to be in His kingdom trying to do good. We can keep the commandments. But, that's not all. We can focus on doing our callings with all our abilities, doing the very best we can. We go visiting teaching, becoming friends with our companion and the sisters we visit. We can be a good friend, a good mother, a good daughter. In these ways we show our devotion. Of course learning all we can along the way.

A few months ago I was talking with my daughter, Janene. I was bemoaning the fact that I never learned to play the piano. She told me to go learn. But I'm so old I wouldn't have time to get really good, good enough to play in Primary or Relief Society. She told me I could play like an angle in heaven I would have lots of time to polish my skill! She is a devoted, sweet daughter who opened my eyes to an eternal truth. Never stop challenging yourself to learn something new.

While we a showing our devotion we can develop a testimony of our potential. We can ask for His help and divine guidance in what He would like us to learn. We can look forward to new callings and seek out new learning experiences. We can prepare ourselves to live with Him again by grabbing opportunities to serve and to learn. Remember, every friend we make, everything we learn, all the knowledge we gain in this life, every skill we perfect we take with us when we return to our Heavenly Parents.

Our eternal potential? Never stop seeking after your eternal destiny and potential. You might end up playing the piano with the angels in heaven.

August - Each Sister Is a Beloved Daughter of Heavenly Parents and Has a Divine Destiny

It is important that we stop our busy lives a remember we do have a divine destiny. We cannot see thought the veil to know what that might be, however, we can grow closer to the Lord and have His divine guidance in this life as we try to discover our destiny here and now. Of course discovering our destiny in this life will better prepare us for our rewards in the next life.

I sometimes get discourage because I don't think I do enough. I'm not a good enough person. I'm not attuned enough to the spirit. I miss so many opportunities to do good. I miss the fact that friends are in need, my children need reassuring. I silently assure myself I will do better. But, then life happens, I get busy and again and again I disappointed myself. That could not be my divine destiny.

Thank goodness for the "healing balm" of Christ as President Faust refers to in this lesson. It is only through the atonement of Christ we can overcome feelings of discouragement, lack of self worth and disappointment in ourselves. We can focus on what we do accomplish. The service we do give. The friends and family members we do help uplift.

I often put Neosporin on cuts and bruises. It's an antibiotic ointment or balm. At first it doesn't make that much of a difference. But, I feel better just knowing I did something. The next day I add a bit more. And I notice the cut has stopped hurting, or at least doesn't hurt as much. And so it goes one application at a time. I'm not healed overnight. It takes time. After a week or so the injury is gone. Like it was never there. An this is just like the healing balm of Christ. If we are diligent in applying his love and forgiveness on a regular basis we will heal. We will be able to see more clearly our divine destiny and we will be happy. We can put self doubt and negative feelings about ourselves aside. We might even recognize that our divine destiny is being a mom, a grandmother, a friend, magnifying our callings in the church learning everything we can, and doing our Visiting Teaching!

Just a Moment of Sharing

“In visiting teaching we reach out to each other. Hands often speak as voices can’t. A warm embrace conveys volumes. A laugh together unites us. A moment of sharing refreshes our souls. We cannot always lift the burden of one who is troubled, but we can lift her so she can bear it well” (Church News, 7 March 1992, 5).

Elaine L. Jack
Relief Society general president, 1990–1997

OK, I'm a flake. I did go visiting teaching, in fact I had a great time, but I forgot to all the lesson to our blog.

Why Go Visiting Teaching?

1 - Because it makes you feel good!

2 - You might just make a friend (or two)!

3 - You won't have to avoid that end of the month call asking...."how you do with your visiting teaching?"

4 - The Lord will be "well pleased" with your efforts!

5 - Your Relief Society President will LOVE you!

Share your thoughts in comments!!!

June Visiting Teaching Lesson

The Gospel of Jesus Chirst Teaches the Reality of our Premortal Existence

What a great topic for discussion for our visits this month. As a convert to the gospel when the missionaries taught me about my our premortal life bells went off. Of course we lived before with a Father who loved us and wanted only the best for us. We had friends, maybe family (?), other spirits we knew and loved. So the purpose for this new life now makes prefect sense. Julie Beck (RS General President) states, "Women have distinct assignments given to them from before the foundation of the world. We know ... we sided with our Savior, Jesus Christ, to preserve our potential to belong to eternal families."

During our premortal life we knew this life would be difficult. It would be challenging. We would be frustrated. It would be really hard. And yet we made the choice to come. To be tested. To be tried. Why? We made the choice because during the premortal life we KNEW the pure joy of earning eternal life. Elder L. Tom Perry during this past conference stated, "...those who obey the fullness of the gospel law will inherit eternal life... It is 'the greatest of all the gifts of God'... for it is the kind, status, type, and quality of life that God himself enjoys." This is our potential and divine mission as s sisters to return not as individuals but in family units. Each of us has the potential to become a "join" heirs with Christ with our families. To have the will, desire and ability to overcome all things, have all power and receive the fullness of the Father. So yes this life is difficult... and challenging... and so hard... but, "No one said it would be easy, just worth it!"

Elder Perry also challenged us to try to picture in our mind and hearts what it would be like to inherit eternal life. He believes that if we could create in our minds a clear picture of that life we would behave differently. We would not have to be pushed and prodded to do many of the things involved with enduring to the end, like visiting teaching(!), attending the temple, saying our prayers or reading our scriptures. We would do all that is required and MORE because we would know that these things are preparing us for the pure joy of returning and living with Father again. That promise and challenge we accepted during our premortal life when we chose to follow Jesus.

May Visiting Teaching Lesson

This month we get to pick our lesson from the conference talks. How fun is that? So many really good talks and thoughts it is hard to choose just one. But, for me after thinking about the sisters I teach and my own needs I selected Elder M. Russell Ballard's talk entitled, "Daughters of God" found on page 108 in the May Ensign.

I loved this talk because I see my daughters trying to do TOO MUCH. I think as women we often time try to do it all. Sometimes we stop and compare ourselves to others and then try to do more. Elder Ballard's thoughts give us all pause; to stop, decide what is important, take time for ourselves, and enjoy the season of life we are in.

I loved it when my children were little. What a joy. They were fun and full of energy. Everything was an adventure. I was exhausted most days. But, now they are all grown and gone. I'm rested. I have good memories of their childhood, but it is clouded with regrets. I wish I could remember more.... But I was soooooo busy. I wish we had more family home evenings. I wish we had more family picnics. I wish we had taken more family vacations. I wish I had taken more pictures and put them in clever scrap books. I wish, I wish. The list could go on and on.

Elder Ballard's advice is not just good, it should be an road map for all young mothers. Your kids don't have to be in every activity that comes around. What they need is to sit around the table at dinner time together and share their day. They need to participate in Family Home Evenings, Family Prayer and Scripture Reading. They need to go out in the yard and "play" with their family. Sometime a quite board game with spirited conversation tells a lot about your kids.

They need to know Mom needs help and a little time to herself. It was years before I could run a bath without have a rubber duck and naked kid standing in the bathroom. No bath for me! But now no rubber ducks, no naked kids. Just a warm bath. But I miss the duck and kid!

So follow Elder Ballard's good thoughts and take time to enjoy and be with your children. They will be gone soon enough and you can finally take that bath or read that book!

April 's VT Lesson - April Ensign pg 64

Marriage between and Man and a Woman Is Ordained of God

What I liked about this lesson is it made me stop and think about my own marriage. This is something all sisters can think about, married, widowed or single. As a married sister I feel so fortunate to be married to a good man who has always done his best. How fortunate I was to be able to raise my children with the help of this good man. Even though sometimes I wished I could pack up my kids and send them to Dad's for the weekend like so many of my divorced friends. Oh, the challenges of family life!

I'm sure widowed sisters can pause and think about the good times and love of their husbands and single sisters can ponder on what type of marriage they are looking forward to either in this live or the next.

I liked Elder Nelson's comments about appreciating each other and communicating with each other. Looking for the good and paying compliments to each other. And (this is important) actually talking to each other. These two suggests could make any marriage stronger and more rewarding. What good advice for us and the world! In conference during President Monson's remarks he encouraged us to think about good things. So why not think about the good things in our marriages?