One of the ways we can reach out to our sisters when a home visit is not possible is through a "LETTER". I am a living witness of how our sincerest desire to magnify our duty as Visiting Teachers can bless both our lives and our sisters' lives. It brings us closer to God and it strengthens our faith and testimony in the living God, that they live and they love us.Few years ago, i was called to serve in the Relief Society Presidency. One day a Visiting Teacher reported that a sister, who has not come to church for many years called and told her that she was her Visiting Teacher and had kept the letter that she sent long time ago. The Visiting Teacher couldn't remember the content of the letter but she knows that she wrote in it her telephone number.
Circumstances in life had led the sister away from the church.She took care of her very ill mom . Her mom was a faithful member and a regular attendee in the temple before she became completely reliant for help physically. Because this sister has no family to turn to, who will assist her in taking care of her mom, she shouldered all the responsibility missing most of the important things in her life. It was amazing however, that for so many years she had kept all her tithing money and had planned to give it to the church but couldn't get the proper channel to contact the Bishop.
One of her mother's very important wishes was to be burried with her temple clothes on. She was seriously ill for a long time, even mentation and speech were affected but because she knows that this time will come, she had prepared everything that she will be needing including the temple clothes that she had thoughtfully and carefully kept in a sealed box. The sister somehow knew the significance of this in her mother's life and had kept the promise to find the church so her mother can be burried accordingly.
That time, the only hope she has was the letter with the number of her Visiting Teacher. Having acted quickly on the sister's request to meet with me and the Bishop, we went to visit her and her ill mother . That was the beginning of the sister's journey to coming back to the fold.
Now, she is one of the most active members in our ward . Through the letter of the Visiting Teacher, she was able to find her place in this busy and sad world, had kept her promise to her mother and even brought a soul[her friend] into the waters of baptism.
