Now I Get It!
Confession: I have never been consistent with my visiting teaching. My freshmen year of college I had a bad first experience with girls who sneered at my attempts to befriend and help them. Sadly, I have not tried again since.
Lately I've felt guilty that in our wonderful ward here, I have again not made the effort. "But I have FOUR ladies to visit! But I work and go to school FULL TIME! But I'm so much younger than all of them...what would I have to share?!" The excuses are endless. So this semester, (despite the fact that I feel 10 times more swamped than in the fall) I made a goal to be able to answer "Yes, I sure did do 100% of my visiting teaching this month!"
My partner and I set up our first appointment and of course it turned out to be just 'one of those days.' It was down pouring (in St. George? what the heck!) by the time I finally finished with my 15 hour non-stop day and showed up damp and grumpy at the home of Marta. The first thing I noticed on Marta's wall was a giant picture of the Eiffel Tower. "That's....interesting," I thought to myself. Within a few minutes of conversation Marta casually said, "Oh yes, that's how all the schools in Europe do it." My curiosity heightened and as it turns out, Marta grew up right in Paris, France for 15 years! When Marta heard that Burke and I are going to Paris for two months this spring, she absolutely flipped and insisted on being our French language and culture tutor! She instructed me to buy a map and she would show us exactly where the wards meet, which metro to take to school, the right food to eat and the fabulous places tourists like us would never find without her.
I know it wasn't just chance that put me as her visiting teacher. I was a little chocked up to think that here I was thinking I was making such a huge sacrifice by taking time out of my hectic schedule to visit some of the sisters in our ward. Instead I'm realizing that the Lord has found just one more way to bless my life by me simply taking the time to do the little things he asks of us. Visiting teaching is an inspired organization and I'm happy to say I'm finally a part of it!
Lately I've felt guilty that in our wonderful ward here, I have again not made the effort. "But I have FOUR ladies to visit! But I work and go to school FULL TIME! But I'm so much younger than all of them...what would I have to share?!" The excuses are endless. So this semester, (despite the fact that I feel 10 times more swamped than in the fall) I made a goal to be able to answer "Yes, I sure did do 100% of my visiting teaching this month!"
My partner and I set up our first appointment and of course it turned out to be just 'one of those days.' It was down pouring (in St. George? what the heck!) by the time I finally finished with my 15 hour non-stop day and showed up damp and grumpy at the home of Marta. The first thing I noticed on Marta's wall was a giant picture of the Eiffel Tower. "That's....interesting," I thought to myself. Within a few minutes of conversation Marta casually said, "Oh yes, that's how all the schools in Europe do it." My curiosity heightened and as it turns out, Marta grew up right in Paris, France for 15 years! When Marta heard that Burke and I are going to Paris for two months this spring, she absolutely flipped and insisted on being our French language and culture tutor! She instructed me to buy a map and she would show us exactly where the wards meet, which metro to take to school, the right food to eat and the fabulous places tourists like us would never find without her.
I know it wasn't just chance that put me as her visiting teacher. I was a little chocked up to think that here I was thinking I was making such a huge sacrifice by taking time out of my hectic schedule to visit some of the sisters in our ward. Instead I'm realizing that the Lord has found just one more way to bless my life by me simply taking the time to do the little things he asks of us. Visiting teaching is an inspired organization and I'm happy to say I'm finally a part of it!
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