Importance of Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching

Email from Elder Andrey Scott Pearce, January 28th 2007

Dear Family,

My mission is flying by so fast! I feel like I just barely got here. I have so much more to learn. Most of all so many more people to help.

My new companion is great! He has adapted to the new area just great. I can feel the spirit as we study in our companionships. We have been working hard. He has been teaching me some awesome skills. Most of all how to be more happy doing this work, to not always being serious.

We are not at this moment seeing many baptisms. We are seeing great progress and changes in this area. I have been seeing many changes in the ward. We have been working hard on letting the members understand the importance of home teachers and visiting teachers.

This recalls a sad story that took place. Flores and I contacted one house and she started by telling us that she was a member. We asked her why we have not been seeing her at church and how can we help. She told us of her story. She said, “I was baptized. I love the teachings, love the church. I started going but once I was sick”. I don’t recall why she didn’t go but she said, “No one visited me. I didn’t go the next week and no one visited”. This sister stopped going for 3 or 4 months and no one visited. She didn’t feel like part of the church. She said, “One day I didn’t visit my congregation in my other church. I had my friends and my pastor come by my house. I thought to myself, what a tragedy that other religions can stop by the member’s houses, visit the congregations but the Church of Jesus Christ are too busy in their lives”.

So we have been working hard on that. We have been seeing changes. Last week we saw the Relief Society president out visiting. We have seen the Priesthood quorum president put more emphasis. The members are really catching on fire. We have some activities planned to teach Family Home Evening and the importance of the prophet, Book of Mormon and Visiting Teaching.

I am glad to see the fruit of our labor. I know that it is a gift of our Heavenly Father. We have had great response of the members. I am excited for my next two changes in this area.

I am sad for the death or our dearly beloved prophet. I know the work must move on and I am excited for the new prophet of the world.

Hoping to find and teach people this week and working on activating members of the ward.

Love you and sounds like home is the place to be right now. I wish I could see.