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  1. #1

    the home teaching thread

    All right, had an experience this week and just had to share.....

    New companion, new set of families, all that jazz. Went to a family with young kids. Oldest 9, youngest 3.

    New comp starts to give his lesson and says....

    "Now kids, i want to talk to you guys.....in a few years, your bodies will start to change....."

    At this point, both parents start sweating bullets. Im embarassed but also imtrigued about where hes going.

    He steered back to the material but man, i thought i was in for a doozy.

  2. #2
    Forgot to mention that he wanted to set appointments for the rest of the calendar year.

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by UtahsMrSports View Post
    Forgot to mention that he wanted to set appointments for the rest of the calendar year.


    Lucky



    so what was the body change lesson really about?

  4. #4
    HT is a hot topic on our ward right now. The EQ has averaged single digit percentages each month this year. If it wasn't for the topic du jour (sabbath), there would be a pulpit pounding, hell-fire-brimstone on the 5th Sunday. Instead, the poor EQP gets to take the brunt.l in some one-on-ones with the bishop and high councelor.

    I think it might be time for the church to realize that the millenials are not a generation that is not as comfortable with face to face visits. It may be Time to start allowing visits by text or email for certain demographics.

    But I do recognize the good that comes from regular visits. Our ward and has about 60 single or widowed ladies. The RS and HPG do a great job of caring for them using VT/HT.
    “To me there is no dishonor in being wrong and learning. There is dishonor in willful ignorance and there is dishonor in disrespect.” James Hatch, former Navy Seal and current Yale student.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian View Post
    Lucky



    so what was the body change lesson really about?
    I sat through his meandering lesson for 25 minutes, and I am not even sure myself. His basic idea was that Satan will try to steer you off the path as your bodies develop (as opposed to as a young child, or a mature adult when he leaves you alone?) and then he went back to President Monson's message. It was creepy, quite frankly.

    Quote Originally Posted by chrisrenrut View Post
    HT is a hot topic on our ward right now. The EQ has averaged single digit percentages each month this year. If it wasn't for the topic du jour (sabbath), there would be a pulpit pounding, hell-fire-brimstone on the 5th Sunday. Instead, the poor EQP gets to take the brunt.l in some one-on-ones with the bishop and high councelor.

    I think it might be time for the church to realize that the millenials are not a generation that is not as comfortable with face to face visits. It may be Time to start allowing visits by text or email for certain demographics.

    But I do recognize the good that comes from regular visits. Our ward and has about 60 single or widowed ladies. The RS and HPG do a great job of caring for them using VT/HT.
    Holy wow! single digits! Man, I mean, I know that a lot of people are apathetic about home teaching but wow..........

    I obviously don't know the situation, but it seems pretty dumb to come down hard on the EQP.........I mean, is he supposed to HT the entire ward? You can only do so much. Now, if he is part of the "ah, who cares?" mentality, then yeah.

    As a general rule, I think home teaching ought to be brief. I want the family to feel comfortable with me so that when those times come when they need help, they can call me without hesitation. I don't want to occupy a lot of their time with visits though, there is a balance I think. I would feel awful if a family needed help but didn't ask because I seemed to be in a rush all the time.

    That said, some of the best visits Ive ever had were with my Dad as a kid going to visit the widows. Sometimes, we'd be there an hour and a half or two hours. That was what they needed.

  6. #6
    Our new EQP has been calling people up and saying "Who do you want to home teach?" "who do you want to home teach you?" Taking a little more of a true friendship approach to the program. I like it.
    “It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.”

    Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by UtahsMrSports View Post
    I sat through his meandering lesson for 25 minutes, and I am not even sure myself. His basic idea was that Satan will try to steer you off the path as your bodies develop (as opposed to as a young child, or a mature adult when he leaves you alone?) and then he went back to President Monson's message. It was creepy, quite frankly.



    Holy wow! single digits! Man, I mean, I know that a lot of people are apathetic about home teaching but wow..........

    I obviously don't know the situation, but it seems pretty dumb to come down hard on the EQP.........I mean, is he supposed to HT the entire ward? You can only do so much. Now, if he is part of the "ah, who cares?" mentality, then yeah.

    As a general rule, I think home teaching ought to be brief. I want the family to feel comfortable with me so that when those times come when they need help, they can call me without hesitation. I don't want to occupy a lot of their time with visits though, there is a balance I think. I would feel awful if a family needed help but didn't ask because I seemed to be in a rush all the time.

    That said, some of the best visits Ive ever had were with my Dad as a kid going to visit the widows. Sometimes, we'd be there an hour and a half or two hours. That was what they needed.
    25 minute lesson???
    Dang, that's pretty long.

    I've been home teaching once in the last 8 years we've lived here. Just not interested in it. We've identified some people in the ward that need some help and we do what we can to befriend them. My wife is really perceptive about these things. A *very* poor lady in the ward was having some real challenges and so she had some flowers delivered to her with a card that simply said "You are loved" She made a huge deal about it on FB, and said that she'd never received flowers before. Really made her week. I love being with kids, so each week I try and have a personal, positive interaction with someone in primary. So, that's how we try and do our home teaching.

    After a few times of saying "we're fine, we'll call you if we need anything", we've never had anyone visit either. 8 years. Not bad.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by chrisrenrut View Post
    HT is a hot topic on our ward right now. The EQ has averaged single digit percentages each month this year. If it wasn't for the topic du jour (sabbath), there would be a pulpit pounding, hell-fire-brimstone on the 5th Sunday. Instead, the poor EQP gets to take the brunt.l in some one-on-ones with the bishop and high councelor.

    I think it might be time for the church to realize that the millenials are not a generation that is not as comfortable with face to face visits. It may be Time to start allowing visits by text or email for certain demographics.

    But I do recognize the good that comes from regular visits. Our ward and has about 60 single or widowed ladies. The RS and HPG do a great job of caring for them using VT/HT.
    So I don't know your exact ward makeup, but if it rings true with a typical ward, if you get the EQP, his counsellors and secretary to actually home teach you'll jump right up to 30-40%. If they go and do visits weekly you'll get it even higher.

    That being said, I hate the numbers thing. Home teaching is absolutely the law of Moses. 'You can't simply love your neighbor? Okay, we'll assign you to do it.'

    I used to be a hater of home teaching and was a horrible one myself. I got assigned two separate single widows who sincerely needed help and it changed my attitude completely. I don't do conventional home teaching though (as described in this thread) which is pretty horrible. Instead we invite them over for dinner or different activities we are doing and do things to become actual friends. It has been a good experience ever since.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Rocker Ute View Post
    .....Instead we invite them over for dinner or different activities we are doing and do things to become actual friends. It has been a good experience ever since.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    I admire your attitude, but honestly, I'd rather a HT'er come over for his 30 minute visit every month and text me "everything ok?" a couple weeks later.....and leave it at that.

    I feel like my time is more important than establishing another inorganic friendship. But in the end, its nice it gets done one way or another.
    “Children and dogs are as necessary to the welfare of the country as Wall Street and the railroads.” -- Harry S. Truman

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  10. #10
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by UtahsMrSports View Post
    All right, had an experience this week and just had to share.....

    New companion, new set of families, all that jazz. Went to a family with young kids. Oldest 9, youngest 3.

    New comp starts to give his lesson and says....

    "Now kids, i want to talk to you guys.....in a few years, your bodies will start to change....."

    At this point, both parents start sweating bullets. Im embarassed but also imtrigued about where hes going.

    He steered back to the material but man, i thought i was in for a doozy.
    ...😳...

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    ......
    This guy has been our home teacher before. When our second child was born, there was some minor complications that required us to stay a couple of extra days at the hospital. I went to church the first sunday that we were home with my older child, it lined up just about right that my wife could get a nap while we were gone and the baby was sleeping. This guy comes up to me after the block and says hi and then asks if he can come home teaching in a little bit......

    As a general rule, I try to be very very kind and polite to people when I am in person. If I have something bad to say, I generally wait until I get home so that I can trash them on a message board, being the good Christian that I am........

    Well, I was not kind or polite to this guy at all. First of all, I had asked this guy before to give me a few days at least. Maybe I have the wrong attitude, but even in normal circumstances, I am not willing to juggle things and delay nap time (kids or especially mine!!!) so that my home teachers can come over and get 100% for the month. I love having them over, but I just need some notice first. Second of all, not a "how are you?" or "how is your wife?" the first thing out of your mouth is "Can I come over in a bit?" No, no, no, and no again. You may not.

    I am actually laughing thinking about what would have happened if he had gone with the maturation clinic approach at my house. My wife would have cut him off and probably asked him to leave.

    Can't wait to see what the future holds.....

  12. #12
    Great, and uncomfortable, story. Is this guy a byu grad? I hated the uber-zealous companions. Especially if they had zero social awareness.

    If you are teaching next time then I also suggest that you conduct. Don't let him bloviate on for eternity, just ask him if he wants to take one minute to comment before he says the closing prayer.

    If he complains, tell/ask the EQP to get you a new companion. Win-win! (When I was EQP I always tried to put compatible people together, and if anybody asked for a change or suggested a preferred companion, I tried to help them out).

    Our SP tried to get us to 80% home teaching for a few months, and we quickly realized that meant the EQP, missionaries, and bishopric would get left with about 70-90 families to visit every month. Ain't nobody got time for that jazz!
    Last edited by NorthwestUteFan; 11-18-2015 at 07:56 PM.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by NorthwestUteFan View Post
    Great, and uncomfortable, story. Is this guy a byu grad? I hated the uber-zealous companions. Especially if they had zero social awareness.

    If you are teaching next time then I also suggest that you conduct. Don't let him bloviate on for eternity, just ask him if he wants to take one minute to comment before he says the closing prayer.

    If he complains, tell/ask the EQP to get you a new companion. Win-win! (When I was EQP I always tried to put compatible people together, and if anybody asked for a change or suggested a preferred companion, I tried to help them out).

    Our SP tried to get us to 80% home teaching for a few months, and we quickly realized that meant the EQP, missionaries, and bishopric would get left with about 70-90 families to visit every month. Ain't nobody got time for that jazz!
    At first, I thought so. He definitely gives off that "You're not a true mormon unless you are true blue to byu!" vibe but he seems pretty nuetral.

    All great suggestions! And yes, I agree, I think that a high home teaching percentage requires the EQP to take on just about all of it.

  14. #14
    I got an email in my inbox this morning from him. It was a calendar invite for a home teaching appointment in three weeks.

    I need someone to talk me into or out of changing my response between "yes" "no" and "maybe" every ten minutes so that his inbox gets filled up with my responses.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by UtahsMrSports View Post
    I got an email in my inbox this morning from him. It was a calendar invite for a home teaching appointment in three weeks.

    I need someone to talk me into or out of changing my response between "yes" "no" and "maybe" every ten minutes so that his inbox gets filled up with my responses.
    "Propose new time"
    “It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.”

    Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by DrumNFeather View Post
    "Propose new time"
    I like it!

  17. #17
    My home teacher tried to schedule an appointment during the Redskins game. Know your audience, brother.

    Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk
    “It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.”

    Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by DrumNFeather View Post
    My home teacher tried to schedule an appointment during the Redskins game. Know your audience, brother.

    Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk
    Invite him in, give him a seat in front of the TV, and offer him a mild barley drink.

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by NorthwestUteFan View Post
    Invite him in, give him a seat in front of the TV, and offer him a mild barley drink.
    Haha. I had the missionaries stop by during the Utes/Georgetown game in March and was like..."you are welcome to come in and watch the game with me...but I'm not much for conversation when I'm watching the Utes."
    “It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.”

    Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

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