"Brethren, the appeal I am making tonight is for you to lift your vision of home teaching. Please, in newer, better ways see yourselves as emissaries of the Lord to His children. That means leaving behind the tradition of a frantic, law of Moses–like, end-of-the-month calendar in which you rush to give a scripted message from the Church magazines that the family has already read. We would hope, rather, that you will establish an era of genuine, gospel-oriented concern for the members, watching over and caring for each other, addressing spiritual and temporal needs in any way that helps.
"Now, as for what 'counts' as home teaching, every good thing you do 'counts,' so report it all! Indeed, the report that matters most is how you have blessed and cared for those within your stewardship, which has virtually nothing to do with a specific calendar or a particular location. What matters is that you love your people and are fulfilling the commandment 'to watch over the church always' (D&C 20:53)."
- Jeffrey R. Holland, "Emissaries to the Church," General Conference, October 2016
Click here to read or hear the complete talk
In speaking to the Priesthood session of the recent general conference, Elder Holland shared a vision and understanding of how "watching over" one another, particularly in areas of priesthood stewardship, can make a profound difference in lives. With poignant personal examples and inspired instruction, he lifted the vision of how this service ought to be making a difference in lives, both spiritually and temporally.
As we "lift our vision" to include the power of this program, we will understand that it goes far beyond a monthly message and a routine visit. It means that we are reaching out in true love and concern, bearing one another's burdens, caring and serving in every way as the Lord inspires us to do so.
And in a broader sense, this principle applies to our general Christian duty to love and serve one another.
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