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VISITING TEACHING MESSAGE April 2016
Daughters of Our Eternal Father
Prayerfully study this material and seek to know
what to share. How will understanding “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”
increase your faith in God and bless those you watch over through visiting
teaching?
For more information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org.
The scriptures teach us that “we are the offspring of God” (Acts 17:29). God referred to Emma Smith, wife of the Prophet Joseph Smith, as “my daughter” (D&C 25:1). The family proclamation teaches us that we are each “a
beloved spirit … daughter of heavenly parents.”1
“In [the pre-mortal] realm, we learned about our eternal female
identity,” said Carole M. Stephens, first counselor in the Relief Society
general presidency.
“Your Father in Heaven knows your name and knows your
circumstance,” said Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles. “He hears your prayers. He knows your hopes and dreams, including
your fears and frustrations.”3
“We each belong to and are needed in the family of God,” said
Sister Stephens. “Earthly families all look different. And while we do the best
we can to create strong traditional families, membership in the family of God
is not contingent upon any kind of status—marital status, parental status,
financial status, social status, or even the kind of status we post on social
media.”4
Additional Scriptures
Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee;
and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee
Doctrine and Covenants 76:23–24 For we saw him, even on the right hand of God;
and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father. That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and
daughters unto God.
From Our History
In his account of the First Vision,5 the Prophet Joseph Smith verifies many truths—including that our
Heavenly Father knows our name. Young Joseph struggled to know which church to
join and found guidance in James 1:5. Joseph concluded he would ask God. One
spring morning in 1820, he went to the woods to pray but was immediately seized
upon by some dark power. Of this he wrote: “Just at this moment of great alarm,
I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun,
which descended gradually until it fell upon me. “It no sooner appeared than I
found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light
rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all
description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling
me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My
Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Joseph Smith—History 1:16–17).
Consider This
How does knowing you are a daughter of God affect your
decisions?
This is the handout I created for our sweet Visiting Teaching Sisters this month. Feel free to print this off - you can easily get 4 to a page and unclick the 'fit' button.
What are YOU doing for your sisters this month?
Make it a great one!
Daughter, Sister, Friend, Wife - in our 17th year, Stepmother to 2 adult children, Mother - (G16, G15, B13, G10, B9, B6, G5, & B2), StepMother-In-Law to 2, Step-Grandmother to 4 precocious little boys! Blessed, Happy & Satisfied!
