HOME/VISITING TEACHING

In our branch we are assigned as couples to visit other missionaries to do visiting and home teaching.

We are assigned to Sister Fahner, a younger sister, who lives in an apartment just below ours.

The message this month was the Visiting Teaching message on how our Heavenly Father is literally our spirit father and that we were created in His image.

While doing some research on her family line, JoAnn found this poem written by her great-aunt, Iris W. Schow, that fit the lesson.

This was a thought to sober all my dealings

And make the whole wide earth a sacred place.

Since man was made in the image of his maker,

I see God when I search a human face.

Sister Fahner told us a story about a homeless woman who came into the Family History Library on a regular basis.  She was toothless, unkempt, with bumpy, lotching skin, smelled of tobacco, wore old raggedy clothes, and talked quite loudly as she did her research.  Many people in the library keep their distance from her and just tried to ignore her.  However, a few of the library workers took an interest in her and befriended her while she was there.

Eventually, because of the kindness she felt from these workers, she became interested in the gospel and wanted to come to church.

One day she came to the library in a skirt.  When someone complimented her on it, she said that she had another one but that someone had stolen it out of her cart.  She said she prayed to Heavenly Father to please help her get a new skirt.  She told Him that she had no money, but that she needed a skirt so that she could go to church - that she didn't think she could go to church in her pants.  Shortly thereafter, she said that she found a skirt that was on clearance, so she was able to get her skirt.  She knew that Heavenly Father had made it possible so she could go to church and not feel out of place.

Sister Fahner said that after awhile, there was a change in her face -- it had softened.  Where she had been quite unattractive (even ugly to some), she now was becoming (in Sister Fahner's words) beautiful.

We can see the image of God in the face of others, and treat them with respect and dignity.  For we truly as all sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father and if we can see them as He does, what a difference in our attitude towards them.