A Little Tutorial

Some of you may have noticed that the Ensign has had a little remodel. The messages meant to be used by Home and Visiting Teachers have been made more "user friendly". So, I am here to help you understand how to fully take advantage of the opportunity you have each month!

First of all, one of the three purposes of the Relief Society is to serve the Lord and His children. The Visiting Teaching program is our opportunity to serve and build-up the sisters in our ward. "Because we follow the example and teachings of Jesus Christ, we value this sacred assignment to love, know, serve, understand, teach, and minister in His behalf” (Julie B. Beck, “Relief Society: A Sacred Work,” Ensign, Nov. 2009, 113). Visiting teaching is such an awesome opportunity to reach out to those among us as He would. It gives us the chance to grow close to Him as we follow His example, while we teach others of Him. Visiting Teaching is truly a program inspired by the Lord.

Now, back to helping you utilize the new format of our monthly Visiting Teaching messages. Feel free to grab your own Ensign and follow along.

Gone are the days of flipping through the back of the Ensign in a desperate search for the Visiting Teaching message! It has been moved to the front of the Ensign, just behind the initial article (which is also used as the Home Teaching message)! Woo Hoo!

Click on image to enlarge, you'll get a better view of the layout!

Starting at the left, is the core message from the General Relief Society Presidency. From now on, they will be providing the message to us, for us,  each month. Underneath the message, are some scripture references that will help the preparation and personalization of your lesson.

To the right of the central message is a second column. This column is titled, "What Can We Do?" Each month, there will be 2 questions asked in this column. The first, is to help us act on inspiration when relating the message to each of our individual Sisters. The second question is for our own personal application and benefit. It will help us integrate the lesson into our own lives. Underneath these questions, is a link to other resources found on the Church's Relief Society website.

And last, but not least, the third column is titled, "From Our History". It will contain experiences and stories from our Pioneering Sisters of the early Relief Society. While reading this section, we will be able to be inspired by their sacrifices; which will hopefully translate to us taking our part in building the Lord's Kingdom in the latter days.

Please take thoughtful and prayerful consideration of your Sisters when preparing your messages for them. Keep them in your prayers daily so that when they need help, you will know it. After all, God answers our prayers through the service of others. The more in-tune we are with the Spirit and our Sisters, the better fit we will be able to help them as Jesus would.