When I called into my first EQ presidency years and years ago, I vowed never to teach a lesson on Home Teaching. Those two words cause eyes to glaze over faster than Isaiah. I have largely managed to keep that vow with the exception of a lesson I gave a couple of years ago about the importance of being home taught (we were having some issues with some families not making themselves available to their home teachers). When I got called to be the HP Group Leader, I redoubled that vow. My group consists of some of the most incredible men I have ever met. Their commitment to the gospel is inspiring and some of the things they quietly do for their HT families is so far beyond what is "normal" that I feel pretty useless sometimes. However, the other night, as I was thinking about the men in my group and wondering what we could do to be more effective I was struck by the thought that we need to do a better job challenging our HT families. We do a pretty good job being friends with our families and responding to emergencies but how often do we ask our families if they are having family prayer and FHE? Do we ask them about their relationship with their spouse and children? It is our responsibility as Home Teachers to look after the members of the church temporally and spiritually. I realized that I wasn't asking those hard questions (yes, they can be hard to ask in some homes) so I asked them this last month and I felt the relationship between us grow.
My question for each of you is how do we as Home Teachers or Visiting Teachers go beyond casually asking what we can do for our families as we walk out of their front door? What has worked for you and what have your Home Teachers done that has been most effective?
3 comments:
Ugh. It didn't save my comment.
Here's the shortened version: Check out the talk "Carrying Others to the Pool of Bethesda"by Ann E. Tanner. It's in January's Ensign. 5 main points that can easily be tied to home/visiting teaching:
1. Look for a need
2. Listen without criticism
3. Serve anonymously
4. Learn about grief
5. Follow Up!
Great talk! I'm giving my lesson on it tomorrow.
Good luck, and send me a copy of your lesson plan if you can. I think most wards struggle with this, so whatever great ideas you have, pass them along. And never say never, Jason!! That will always be the lesson you'll give!
I had a big long post here but Blogger won't let me post it! I lost the dumb thing.
Good luck with the lesson - I wish I had a home teacher like you.
Every time I get assigned a new family to home teach, I go over with them the purpose of my coming to visit them. I read to them from D&C 20, including v. 51: "And visit the house of each member, exhorting them to pray vocally and in secret and attend to all family duties." I explain that part of my responsibility, then is to encourage them to attend to their family duties. I try to remember to ask during each visit the following questions: Are you having daily family prayer? Family scripture study? Family home evening? Personal prayer? Scripture Study? and I'd like to start adding, "Do you attend the temple?", but I don't remember to ask that one. I've seen a couple of families go from never doing these things to doing them all the time. I don't think I had much to do with it--perhaps my questions were like the nudge the ball at the top of the stairs needs to get going.
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