September Visiting Teaching Message

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Prayerfully study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life.

Special Needs and Service Rendered

“The needs of others are ever present,” said President Thomas S. Monson, “and each of us can do something to help someone. … Unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives.”¹

As visiting teachers we can sincerely come to know and love each sister we visit. Service to those we visit will flow naturally out of our love for them (see John 13:34–35).

How can we know the spiritual and temporal needs of our sisters so we can render service when it is needed? As visiting teachers, we are entitled to receive inspiration when we pray about those we visit.

Maintaining regular contact with our sisters is also important. Personal visits, telephone calls, a note of encouragement, e-mails, sitting with her, a sincere compliment, reaching out to her at church, helping her in time of illness or need, and other acts of service all help us watch over and strengthen each other.²

Visiting teachers are asked to report the well-being of sisters, any special needs they have, and the service rendered to them. These kinds of reports and our service to our sisters help us demonstrate our discipleship.³

 

From the Scriptures

John 10:14–16; 3 Nephi 17:7, 9; Moroni 6:3–4

 

From Our History

Serving one another has always been at the heart of visiting teaching. Through ongoing service we bring kindness and friendship that go beyond monthly visits. It is our caring that counts.

“My desire is to plead with our sisters to stop worrying about a phone call or a quarterly or monthly visit,” said Mary Ellen Smoot, the 13th Relief Society general president. She asked us to “concentrate instead on nurturing tender souls.”⁴

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) taught, “It is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom.” Yet he recognized that not all service need be heroic. “So often, our acts of service consist of simple encouragement or of giving … help with mundane tasks,” he said, “but what glorious consequences can flow … from small but deliberate deeds!”⁵

For more information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org.

 

What Can I Do?

1. Am I seeking personal inspiration to know how to respond to the spiritual and temporal needs of each sister I’m assigned to watch over?

2. How do the sisters I watch over know that I care about them and their families?

 

Make your appointments today!! And . . . as always . . .

Make it a great one!!

About Tammy: Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mother of 7 (ages: G12, G11, B8, G6, B5, B2, G6mos). Stepmom of 2: ages B 25, G 22. Mother in law to two, Grandma to Peyton and Andrew (With another on the way - due in December!!) and blogger at BellaOnline!! Happy & Satisfied!!

Monthly Calendar Background

I have been working on Calendar backgrounds for our computers (of which there are 7 . . . don’t ask!) =)

 

You *should* be able to right click on it and click on “Set as Desktop Background”. :) Voila! You have a calendar on your desktop! LOVE IT!!

Let me know if you have any suggestions or needs for future ones. :) I already have Septembers ready to go! =) I am going to be prepared!

Make it a great one!!

About Tammy: Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mother of 7 (ages: G12, G11, B8, G6, B5, B2, G6mos). Stepmom of 2: ages B 25, G 22. Mother in law to two, Grandma to Peyton and Andrew (With another on the way - due in December!!) and blogger at BellaOnline!! Happy & Satisfied!!

Personal Progress

I have decided to work on my Personal Progress with Kierstyn. It is a slow process. I am trying to read and understand what the Scriptures are telling me and then try to pray about it and have those ‘qualities’ or gifts help me in my own life. It has, so far, been an amazing experience. If you click on Personal Progress (anywhere I type it) it will take you to the Church Website where it explains it in greater (better) detail. You can set up your own account (You do NOT have to be a member!!!). Then work on your own. I love the fact that the journal and everything is online. How much easier it is to get my thoughts in order when I can just type it in. =)
The Value I want to touch on today is Divine Nature.  

Personal Progress

Divine Nature

Be partakers of the divine nature. … Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity (2 Peter 1:4–7).
I have inherited divine qualities, which I will strive to develop.

1 

What are some of the divine qualities of a daughter of God? Read “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”; 2 Peter 1; Alma 7:23–24; and Doctrine and Covenants 121:45. In your own words, list the divine qualities discussed in your reading. Think about how you can discover and develop each of these qualities. Record your ideas in your journal.

I love how “SIMPLE” it is. HAHA Just kidding. I mean if I am really taking time to read the scriptures and learn from them – it is quite a process. I am not going to write all of my journal entry but, I will share a part of it.

The Divine Qualities that were discussed in these readings were:
1) being a mother/parent/wife.
2) Faith
3) Charity
4) Virtue
5) Hope
6) Humble
7) Submissive
8) Temperate
9) Patient & Long Suffering
10) Prayerful
11) Diligent
12) Having brotherly kindness
13)

You may come up with more or less or different ones. But these are the ones that I am focusing on. I wrote a second journal entry with my thoughts and feelings.
Take a moment and try it out. We can work on it together. You can share your thoughts here, too!
Make it a great one!!

About Tammy: Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mother of 7 (ages: G12, G11, B8, G6, B5, B2, G6mos). Stepmom of 2: ages B 25, G 22. Mother in law to two, Grandma to Peyton and Andrew (With another on the way - due in December!!) and blogger at BellaOnline!! Happy & Satisfied!!

Spinach Salad

Salad

1 package bacon, cooked and crumbled
3/4 pound swiss cheese, grated
2 large bags of fresh spinach
1 head of lettuce, choppped

Dressing

3/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 medium purple onion, sliced thinly
1 1/2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
1 cup vegetable or olive oil
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. dry mustard
1 tbsp. onion salt

Mix the dressing and let sit for at least two hours.  Then, pour the dressing on the salad and toss and serve.  The dressing keeps in the fridge for a few days, if you don't want to toss it all at once, since the salad is so huge!

Make it a great one!!

About Tammy: Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mother of 7 (ages: G12, G11, B8, G6, B5, B2, G6mos). Stepmom of 2: ages B 25, G 22. Mother in law to two, Grandma to Peyton and Andrew (With another on the way - due in December!!) and blogger at BellaOnline!! Happy & Satisfied!!

Taking Action in Time of Need

Learn more about Visiting Teaching here.

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Prayerfully study this material and, as appropriate, discuss it with the sisters you visit. Use the questions to help you strengthen your sisters and to make Relief Society an active part of your own life.

Taking Action in Time of Need

As visiting teachers, one of our purposes is to help strengthen families and homes. The sisters we visit should be able to say, “If I have problems, I know my visiting teachers will help without waiting to be asked.” In order to serve, we have a responsibility to be conscious of the needs of the sisters we visit. When we seek inspiration, we will know how to respond to the spiritual and temporal needs of each sister we are assigned to visit. Then, using our time, skills, talents, prayers of faith, and spiritual and emotional support, we can help give compassionate service during times of illness, death, and other special circumstances.¹

Through the help of reports from visiting teachers, the Relief Society presidency identifies those who have special needs because of physical or emotional illness, emergencies, births, deaths, disability, loneliness, or other challenges. The Relief Society president then reports her findings to the bishop. Under his direction, she coordinates assistance.²

As visiting teachers we can have “great reason … to rejoice” because of “the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work” (Alma 26:1, 3).

 

From the Scriptures

Matthew 22:37–40; Luke 10:29–37; Alma 26:1–4; Doctrine and Covenants 82:18–19

 

From Our History

In the early years of the Church, membership was small and centralized. Members could respond quickly when someone was in need. Today our membership is over 14 million and is spread throughout the world. Visiting teaching is part of the Lord’s plan to provide help for all His children.

“The only system which could provide succor and comfort across a church so large in a world so varied would be through individual servants near the people in need,” said President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency.

“… Every bishop and every branch president has a Relief Society president to depend upon,” he continued. “She has visiting teachers, who know the trials and the needs of every sister. She can, through them, know the hearts of individuals and families. She can meet needs and help the bishop in his call to nurture individuals and families.”³

For more information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org.

 

What Can I Do?

1. Am I using my gifts and talents to bless others?

2. Do the sisters I watch over know that I am willing to help them when they have a need?

A Handy Handout! :)

Our Thursday

"May we ever be courageous and prepared to stand for what we believe, and if we must stand alone in the process, may we do so courageously, strengthened by the knowledge that in reality we are never alone when we stand with our Father in Heaven."

—Thomas S. Monson

Well, I didn’t end up making bread for visiting teaching and Camille got sick so I took Taryn with me instead. It was all good. Bev is leaving on Friday to visit with her daughter in Georgia so I knew we better get over there. Today I am going to try to put together a “Trip Survival Kit” for her. I can drop it off tomorrow night. :) We’ll see if I make it happen!!

I have to get the kiddies to practice their song for Cori’s farewell. We were doing so good at practicing twice a day but then the ‘real weekend’ happened and we got out of the groove. SO! I will round them up to practice. Let me insert here that I am really and truly going to miss my Cori. Every time we practice I get tears in my eyes just thinking about it. She is amazing and I know that she will thrive on this experience – it is just hard to see her go. Everything changes when you leave and come home. But we will love her more for having gone – absence makes the heart grow fonder and all of that.

Today I am Chore Boss. Trying to get them to get their rooms clean so their friends can come over in the afternoon tomorrow. Fun times. Love being ‘mean mom’ but, them completing chores is a good thing. I usually have them try to do their chores (big ones) when Dad is home (then I have back-up) but, they just might need to work longer and harder today. (their rooms were pretty bad – it was definitely time!)

 Tomorrow we are having cable hooked up again. So happy we will be able to watch the Olympics!! Curtis wanted to be able to watch ASU football when the season starts. :) We’ll probably get rid of it in January when the season (football) is over and the “special'” is up!! Can’t wait for the Olympics (& Food Network!) Friday we are playing cards with my parents and sister. We are having Loaded French Fries for dinner. I think I will make a pot of pinto beans to go with. :) yum! Course, a pot of beans calls for yummy corn bread. . . I know what is for Supper tomorrow! (we have early Supper with Curtis before he goes to work. The kids and I for ‘dinner’ just scrounge and rummage through leftovers! It’s been good so far!)

 

Make it a great one!!

About Tammy: Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mother of 7 (ages: G12, G11, B8, G6, B5, B2, G6mos). Stepmom of 2: ages B 25, G 22. Mother in law to two, Grandma to Peyton and Andrew (With another on the way - due in December!!) and blogger at BellaOnline!! Happy & Satisfied!!

Tuesday (or Wednesday) . . .

"Waiting upon the Lord gives us a priceless opportunity to discover that there are many who wait upon us. Our children wait upon us to show patience, love, and understanding toward them. Our parents wait upon us to show gratitude and compassion. Our brothers and sisters wait upon us to be tolerant, merciful, and forgiving. Our spouses wait upon us to love them as the Savior has loved each one of us."

—Robert D. Hales

Yay today is Curtis’ Wednesday!! :) 11 days vacation coming up in 2 days! I can’t wait. We have been trying to get the childrens’ areas organized – loft and bedrooms. They have kind of gotten a bit out of hand. Part of the problem is the Loft becomes Laundry Central for sorting and folding laundry. So, then if we get the least behind it gets stacked up – especially with their being 9 of us in the family. I have decided to work with Kierstyn and Kaity and get them some Home Management Books for them to work with themselves. Tips and tricks and examples of clean, etc. I am going to use the pocket folder like this one below.
They will be able to use it for a LONG time – which is all part of the whole teaching thing. :) I need to think of something for Clayton. He is at the age where he can start learning how to do specific things, too. *** NOTE: Clayton does chores - I am talking about specific HOME things that will enable him to be a prepared Son of God as he grows older *** Household management is not a GIRL thing. It’s a FAMILY thing and it would behoove him and his brothers to LEARN this so that when they go on Missions and go to College they will be able to take care of themselves. Also, when they get married they won’t be a burden to their wife. :)
I feel tired and sluggish today, so I think I will have to do some bread baking. That always makes me feel better! I LOVE the smell of fresh bread rising and then baking. mmmmmmmmm :) Hey! Maybe when I go Visiting Teaching with Camille tonight I can take Bev and her Mom a loaf. :) YAY good idea!! Off I go . . . well, after we grill burgers and eat yummy potato salad for lunch. Curtis will be leaving in less than 2 hours now. :’( BUT it IS Wednesday!!
Here is a video for you to enjoy for a good laugh:

Make it a great one!!
About Tammy: Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mother of 7 (ages: G12, G11, B8, G6, B5, B2, G6mos). Stepmom of 2: ages B 25, G 22. Mother in law to two, Grandma to Peyton and Andrew (With another on the way - due in December!!) and blogger at BellaOnline!! Happy & Satisfied!!