“To find real happiness, we must seek for it in a focus outside ourselves. No one has learned the meaning of living until he has surrendered his ego to the service of his fellow man.” Monson, T. S. (2007, November 13). Guideposts for Life's Journey. Speeches. Provo, UT, USA. Retrieved from http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1750
"As you keep the faith, you will find yourself invited by the Lord often to serve someone in need when it will not seem convenient. It may appear to be an unpleasant and perhaps even impossible task. When the call comes, it may seem you are not needed or that someone else could easily give the succor.” Eyring, H. B. (2012, October). The Caregiver. Salt Lake City, UT, Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/the-caregiver?lang=eng&query=Henry+B.+Eyring
"All of us should accept the callings we are given and serve in all diligence. The most common calling received for men is home teacher and for women is Relief Society visiting teacher. When properly performed, these vital callings can substantially lighten the load of the bishopric. Home teachers and visiting teachers are the eyes and ears and hands of the bishop. Brothers and sisters, help the bishop and his counselors by reliable, faithful performance of your visits and oversight as home teachers and visiting teachers." Oaks, D. H. (1997, April). Bishop, Help! Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1997/04/bishop-help?lang=eng&query=visiting+teaching
"I believe that if we could create in our minds a clear and true picture of eternal life, we would start behaving differently. We would not need to be prodded to do the many things involved with enduring to the end, like doing our home teaching or visiting teaching, attending our meetings, going to the temple, living moral lives, saying our prayers, or reading the scriptures. We would want to do all these things and more because we realize they will prepare us to go somewhere we yearn to go." Perry, L. T. (2008, April ). The Gospel of Jesus Christ. Salt Lake City, UT. Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/04/the-gospel-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng
"One habit that prevents inner peace is procrastination. It clutters our minds with unfinished business and makesus uneasy until we finish a task and get it out of the way. We are at peacein our Church callings when we do the work at the proper time instead ofwaiting until the last possible moment. This is true of going to the temple often, performing our home teaching and visiting teaching assignments, preparing lessons and talks, and doing other assignments." Wirtlin, J. B. (1991, April). Peace Within. Salt Lake City, UT. Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1991/04/peace-within?lang=eng&query=Wirthlin+Apr+1991
"I will never again see home teaching or visiting teaching as only programs of the Church.Those faithful teachers saw what they were doing for what it really was.Such work is an opportunity, not a burden. Every member has made thecovenant in the waters of baptism to be a witness for God. Every member has made a covenant to do works of kindness as the Savior would do. So any call to bear witness and to care for others is not a request for extra service; it is a blessing designed by a loving Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ." Eyring, H. B. (1996 , October). Witnesses for God. Salt Lake City, Ut. Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1996/10/witnesses-for-god?lang=eng
"For instance, each time you and your companion prepare to go visiting teaching, you just need to remember what success will be. It will be morethan getting in the door. It will be more than giving a message. It will bemore than asking how you can help. Success will come perhaps only aftermany visits. And you may not in this world see the evidence that you havesucceeded. But you can feel by the Spirit if you are on the way." Eyring, H. B. (2009, October). The Enduring Legacy of Relief Society. Salt Lake City, UT. Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/the-enduring-legacy-of-relief-society?lang=eng&query=Visiting+teaching
"In bearing testimony and establishing truth, two are better than one. Building on this divine model, the home teaching and visiting teaching programs of the Church have thus been organized. Companionships are called “to watch over the church always, and be with and strengthen[others].” We would hope that new converts would be given special attention by home teachers and visiting teachers. All assigned brothersand sisters may magnify their responsibilities to care for and nurturethose to whom they are called to serve. Local leaders prayerfully makethese assignments under the direction of priesthood authority and thespirit of revelation. So when your leaders ask you to serve, we hope that you will respond as if the Lord Himself were asking because, indeed, so He is: “whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.” Wirthlin, J. B. (1997, October). Valued Companions. Salt Lake City, UT. Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1997/10/valued-companions?lang=eng&query=Visiting+teaching
“The Holy Ghost is sent to you and to those you care for. You will be strengthened and yet inspired to know the limits and extent of your ability to serve. The Spirit will comfort you when you may wonder, ‘Did I do enough?’ Eyring, Henry B. The Caregiver. Salt Lake City, October 2012. <https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/the-caregiver?lang=eng&query=visiting+teaching>.
“And so he commands, ‘Watch over [them] always, and be with and strengthen them.’ You can’t be with them twenty-four hours a day. That would be ‘always,’ wouldn’t it? But they can be in your heart always. If you’ll think about the families you visit, those of you who are blessed to be called [visiting] home teachers, you know the help they need is beyond your casual effort.
In my experience, I’ve been assigned to watch over people who struggled with divorce, with financial ruin, with children who would not respond to all that parents had done, or with disease that would not respond to all that faith and medicine could do. I’ve gone to a home where little twin girls were sent to the screen door to tell us that Mommy and Daddy were sleeping and couldn’t we come another time.
I knew in my heart that effort ‘now and then’ wasn’t enough, that ‘going out [visiting] home teaching’ or even ‘giving a good lesson’ wouldn’t do it. God called us to watch over and help people in all their struggles for physical and spiritual well-being. He called us to help by the Spirit. He called us to teach by the Spirit. He called us to live what we teach. He called us to bear testimony. He called us to love them” Eyring, Henry B. Because of your Steadiness. Salt Lake City, April 1988. <https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1988/04/because-of-your-steadiness?lang=eng&query=Visiting+home+teaching>.
"As you keep the faith, you will find yourself invited by the Lord often to serve someone in need when it will not seem convenient. It may appear to be an unpleasant and perhaps even impossible task. When the call comes, it may seem you are not needed or that someone else could easily give the succor.” Eyring, H. B. (2012, October). The Caregiver. Salt Lake City, UT, Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/the-caregiver?lang=eng&query=Henry+B.+Eyring
"All of us should accept the callings we are given and serve in all diligence. The most common calling received for men is home teacher and for women is Relief Society visiting teacher. When properly performed, these vital callings can substantially lighten the load of the bishopric. Home teachers and visiting teachers are the eyes and ears and hands of the bishop. Brothers and sisters, help the bishop and his counselors by reliable, faithful performance of your visits and oversight as home teachers and visiting teachers." Oaks, D. H. (1997, April). Bishop, Help! Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1997/04/bishop-help?lang=eng&query=visiting+teaching
"I believe that if we could create in our minds a clear and true picture of eternal life, we would start behaving differently. We would not need to be prodded to do the many things involved with enduring to the end, like doing our home teaching or visiting teaching, attending our meetings, going to the temple, living moral lives, saying our prayers, or reading the scriptures. We would want to do all these things and more because we realize they will prepare us to go somewhere we yearn to go." Perry, L. T. (2008, April ). The Gospel of Jesus Christ. Salt Lake City, UT. Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/04/the-gospel-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng
"One habit that prevents inner peace is procrastination. It clutters our minds with unfinished business and makesus uneasy until we finish a task and get it out of the way. We are at peacein our Church callings when we do the work at the proper time instead ofwaiting until the last possible moment. This is true of going to the temple often, performing our home teaching and visiting teaching assignments, preparing lessons and talks, and doing other assignments." Wirtlin, J. B. (1991, April). Peace Within. Salt Lake City, UT. Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1991/04/peace-within?lang=eng&query=Wirthlin+Apr+1991
"I will never again see home teaching or visiting teaching as only programs of the Church.Those faithful teachers saw what they were doing for what it really was.Such work is an opportunity, not a burden. Every member has made thecovenant in the waters of baptism to be a witness for God. Every member has made a covenant to do works of kindness as the Savior would do. So any call to bear witness and to care for others is not a request for extra service; it is a blessing designed by a loving Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ." Eyring, H. B. (1996 , October). Witnesses for God. Salt Lake City, Ut. Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1996/10/witnesses-for-god?lang=eng
"For instance, each time you and your companion prepare to go visiting teaching, you just need to remember what success will be. It will be morethan getting in the door. It will be more than giving a message. It will bemore than asking how you can help. Success will come perhaps only aftermany visits. And you may not in this world see the evidence that you havesucceeded. But you can feel by the Spirit if you are on the way." Eyring, H. B. (2009, October). The Enduring Legacy of Relief Society. Salt Lake City, UT. Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/the-enduring-legacy-of-relief-society?lang=eng&query=Visiting+teaching
"In bearing testimony and establishing truth, two are better than one. Building on this divine model, the home teaching and visiting teaching programs of the Church have thus been organized. Companionships are called “to watch over the church always, and be with and strengthen[others].” We would hope that new converts would be given special attention by home teachers and visiting teachers. All assigned brothersand sisters may magnify their responsibilities to care for and nurturethose to whom they are called to serve. Local leaders prayerfully makethese assignments under the direction of priesthood authority and thespirit of revelation. So when your leaders ask you to serve, we hope that you will respond as if the Lord Himself were asking because, indeed, so He is: “whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.” Wirthlin, J. B. (1997, October). Valued Companions. Salt Lake City, UT. Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1997/10/valued-companions?lang=eng&query=Visiting+teaching
“The Holy Ghost is sent to you and to those you care for. You will be strengthened and yet inspired to know the limits and extent of your ability to serve. The Spirit will comfort you when you may wonder, ‘Did I do enough?’ Eyring, Henry B. The Caregiver. Salt Lake City, October 2012. <https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/the-caregiver?lang=eng&query=visiting+teaching>.
“And so he commands, ‘Watch over [them] always, and be with and strengthen them.’ You can’t be with them twenty-four hours a day. That would be ‘always,’ wouldn’t it? But they can be in your heart always. If you’ll think about the families you visit, those of you who are blessed to be called [visiting] home teachers, you know the help they need is beyond your casual effort.
In my experience, I’ve been assigned to watch over people who struggled with divorce, with financial ruin, with children who would not respond to all that parents had done, or with disease that would not respond to all that faith and medicine could do. I’ve gone to a home where little twin girls were sent to the screen door to tell us that Mommy and Daddy were sleeping and couldn’t we come another time.
I knew in my heart that effort ‘now and then’ wasn’t enough, that ‘going out [visiting] home teaching’ or even ‘giving a good lesson’ wouldn’t do it. God called us to watch over and help people in all their struggles for physical and spiritual well-being. He called us to help by the Spirit. He called us to teach by the Spirit. He called us to live what we teach. He called us to bear testimony. He called us to love them” Eyring, Henry B. Because of your Steadiness. Salt Lake City, April 1988. <https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1988/04/because-of-your-steadiness?lang=eng&query=Visiting+home+teaching>.