Step 59: Understanding Stewardship...

I wanted to get this experience written down but needed some time to process everything.

***Warning: This is a LONG one.***

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I have been visiting teaching since I was a little girl. My mom would go visit her ladies and if she didn't have a companion or her partner couldn't make it then she would take me as her companion. I love any excuse to talk so this was fine with me.

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I went on a proselyting mission and my first week out in the field our Stake President called my companion and I in to inform us that our mission had changed. We were now called to train the sisters of our areas in how to visit teach. Their visiting teaching numbers were practically non-existent. So I took out sisters and introduced them to the ladies they VT and then showed them by example how to conduct a visiting teaching appointment.

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I came home and was called to serve as a visiting teaching coordinator and served in that calling for a couple years and then was called to serve as a Relief Society president in a ward that had a HUGE turnover. New routes practically every month.

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I have a HUGE TESTIMONY on the importance and the wisdom behind visiting teaching. I have always been a faithful visiting teacher and I always REPORT. Since I have had that calling I understand the importance of completing your route every month and calling in to report.

I'm not writing all this to say, "See how fabulous I am." cuz I'm not. I am writing this to show that visiting teaching is close to my heart.

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Now, on with the story....

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I had an AWESOME companion in Oregon. She and I clicked. Our schedules clicked 99.9% of the time. We took turns preparing the message every month and we were good friends. We visited almost the same women the entire time we were called to serve together. One of these women was named Carol. She was older and had been a single mom most of her children's lives. She was a nurse to medically fragile children. She was short and spunky and visits with Carol were NEVER less than two hours long. We heard the same ten stories (in a rotation) almost every month. She worked a lot. Served as the BEST ward librarian ever to exist. This woman took her calling seriously and she went WAY beyond the extra mile. She was/is amazing. Every month Della and I would ask her if there was something we could do for her. Every month she would tell us "No." or she would ask me to get something down that was high, open a high window or switch out a picture that was high. Remember, she was short and I am over 6' tall so that was the only way she would let us serve.

Sunday, March 14th we went to church and I noticed that Carol wasn't there. She was always there, serving in the library. Half-way through sacrament I saw Carol's roommate call the Bishop down off the stand and at that moment I KNEW that whatever was wrong involved Carol. A few minutes later the Bishop closed the meeting and announced that Carol had passed away during the night. I was shocked! She was only a week shy of being 62 years old. She was still young. I took my kiddos to primary and I went to find Della, my companion. We tearfully embraced and then she reminded me of our last VT appointment. Carol had told us she was now working for two different nursing agencies and had mentioned some other things during her visit that we had never known in all the years we visited. I now know that she was preparing us for her passing. Not that she knew... but Heavenly Father did. I took off to Carol's home and found her roommate in shock. No calls had been made to employers. (she had Sunday evening clients) No calls had been made to Carol's two daughters. I went to work. I started calling everyone and informing them that Carol was no longer with us. She was still up in her room. The coroner came and removed her body and all the people started handing me business cards and phone numbers for Carol's children. (they live out of the area)

There was one moment when someone told me that our Relief Society president's mother was doing poorly and would be passing as well... at that moment I felt the mantle of the situation rest upon me. I knew that I would be coordinating everything and making sure that Carol was taken care of properly and that her children were taken care of. It was an amazing feeling. I was overwhelmed and asked for a priesthood blessing from Lance.

Sunday afternoon, Della and I along with our husbands went back to Carol's home. Carol's home teacher came with his truck and trailer and hauled off the mattresses and we bagged up all the bedding and threw it out. We could not let Carol's children enter the home and find the mess made from her final moments on this earth. Our husbands were amazing. They cleaned and helped us locate keys and mail and other important papers for Carol's children. Lance cleaned up Carol's bathroom top to bottom... he was amazing. Her children would be there the next day and would need to process all of their mother's things.

Della and I prepared and acquired clothing to dress Carol. One daughter is inactive and one isn't a member so they would not be able to dress Carol in her temple burial clothing. Della was leaving out of town to visit her parents and would not be able to come with me... but a sweet sister in our ward came and assisted me. I had never dressed a body before. It was a sacred act of service. I am so grateful that I got to serve Carol one last time. She looked so beautiful. Her children were waiting to view her one last time and she looked so peaceful and beautiful.

I was asked by the daughters to assist in preparing the memorial service. I conducted the music and Renea (Carol's youngest ~ she is my age) asked me to sing a song dedicated to her mother from her. "If We Hold On Together"... it is an old camp song. I love it. It was perfect for Carol. It was great to see old friends and to hear how Carol served others her whole life.

I bore my testimony the following Sunday and said that Carol had saved up all her service hours to be used at the end... it was an honor and a privilege to have served Carol and her children during the transition in Carol's life. She is hard at work, I know it. Her life was full of service and I know that is continuing. She was amazing and I am honored to have served as her visiting teacher.

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Thank you Carol for letting me serve you, finally~~~

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I love to visit teach.

I love to be a part of these women's lives and get to know so many women and their families.

I pray that women in the church will understand their stewardship and realize that visiting teaching is a sacred calling.