When I first moved here and was assigned a visiting teaching route, I learned that I had a less-active sister. My new companion had been her visiting teacher for awhile and fortunately, we were able to set up a time for us to have a visit right away. The day of that first visit, my companion was sick. I felt very uncomfortable going to the less-active woman's house, who I had never met before, alone. But I did. We visited for about an hour, getting to know eachother. I was never able to "get back in" - not for 2 years!
I started to wonder if I had maybe said something wrong and she didn't want me to visit her. We repeatedly called sometimes reaching her and sometimes not. When we set up times to visit, always she would not be there when we arrived. We quickly learned not to make appointments, we started to just "come by". I actually caught her once and talked for a couple of minutes on her doorstep. All other times she was either not there or hiding.
Several months ago my companion was switched but I kept the route and continued trying to reach her. During the last two years, each time we didn't see her, I left a card on her door just letting her know we were thinking of her and always including our names and numbers. Early this year, after months of leaving these cards, I got a call from her! Still, though I set a time to visit her (with my new companion) when we went, she wasn't there. But after a couple of months - she was!
We had a great visit, she told us about many of the things she has had to struggle with lately. I asked if she would come to church with us and told her I knew it would help her with her trials. She said yes! I told her I would pick her up. The following Sunday she called me to say she was sick. Shortly after that, her phone was disconnected. We had a hard time reaching eachother.
After a couple more weeks of me going to get her and something coming up, she still hadn't come to church. Today I wondered if I should even go to her house. But I did because I will NOT give up on her! Imagine my surprise when her son answered the door and said, "She's almost ready"!!! She had just worked a graveyard shift but instead of going to bed she got dressed for church and was ready to come with me!
I cannot tell you how grateful I am that she came today! I cannot tell you how glad I am that I never gave up. When she needed help, she knew who she could call. Not because I am the greatest visiting teacher. But more because I made sure she knew I had not forgotten her and I truly cared.
I know that sometimes people don't have great experiences with visiting teaching. Maybe they don't have good visiting teachers, maybe they don't see the results of their efforts to reach the sisters on their lists. I have always loved visiting teaching. And my testimony of it has grown immensely this week. Don't give up, you never know when your small acts of service are touching someone without your knowing it.
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