May 2011 Visiting Teaching message

Don't you just love when the month after conference comes, and you get to pick your own message from the wonderful talks that were given at  conference?  I know that I do.  It is a motivational thing, because it is actually rereading all of them and trying to pick just one topic and message.  I think there is more of a purpose here than what meets the eye.  What I just said... rereading all of the talks, is probably what it is all about.  Here is the link to listen to the Conference talks again... http://lds.org/general-conference/sessions?lang=eng

Don't you just love this church?  It is all about repetition and going over and over the principles of the gospel, rereading the scriptures, Ensigns, and even going to church over and over each and every week.  Purpose to this madness.... YES!  It is all good for us and helps to keep us on the straight and narrow.

I have a little personal experience that I want to share about a calling I once had.  I was called in a past ward, many years ago to a calling that I had felt very much inept in taking.  I said "YES" only because I was taught to not say now.  I was called to be the ward choir director.  I have played the violin for years, and piano and have sung in choirs, and participated in many musical productions, but never had I lead the music outside of Sacrament meeting, Primary and Relief Society, and certainly not a ward choir.  This calling gave me great anxiety because the previous choir directors were professionals, and I literally mean that as one of them was actually a Music teacher, and chorus director as his vocation. 

I did alot of praying and studying for hours the music that I would present to the choir to prepare to sing.  I had been told that we have so many individuals who come and sing, yet they don't know how to read music.  I decided that I would give it my best shot and hope it all worked out.

I began to direct the practices, and I literally sweat blood as I studied the music so that I could teach those who didn't read music their parts, including the men's parts as I had never sung Tenor or bass before.  In the practices, I noticed that the key to learning the music was to go over and over it.  So I did. One Day, I noticed some of the women in the ward talking among each other when I was working with the men.  It was obvious that they were talking about me as they kept looking up at me and then whispering and then looking again.  Finally the practice ended and I went home to take care of my family and be wtih them as it was Sunday.

Shortly after that my doorbell rang and in walked one of the sisters from the ward choir.  She was on a mission and she said that she represented many of the sisters in the Choir.  She told me that I was repeating the music too much and by doing so, I was treating the members of the choir like babies, not grown adults.  This took me back.  As she was telling me this, images of working with the men who didn't get their parts until I went over and over the music with them, went through my mind.  My eyes began to well up, and I was ready to burst out crying.  I was definitely hurt, and felt very unappreciated.  Little did she or those other women know, just how many hours a week I spent toiling over that music, just to get it prepared to teach them.  My confidence was shot and shortly after, I asked to be released.  The choir didn't have a director for several years after that. 

Now my point was not to tell you this story for your sympathy, but rather to teach a lesson.  Repetition is how all of us learn.  Without going over and over things, unless of course we have a photographic memory, is the only way to learn, internalize and make progress with anything in life.  For some it is more difficult than others.  Do you remember how long it took to study for tests in your High school classes... then on to college?  I don't know about you, but I had to study my brains out for my grades, and then sometimes I simply didn't study and repeat things enough and I didn't do so well. 

Repetition is something that we all must do  in our lives, and with that said.... remember "the glory of God is intelligence.  We all need constant learning in order to progress.  I don't know how many times our prophets have advised us to read and reread our scriptures.  Each time I do, it is almost like the first time I read them because I find things in them that I had forgotten or didn't get out of them in prior readings.  This is my message to you.... go through the Ensign and reread the conference talks, and do this over and over. I guarantee to you that different things will p op out at you each time you read them.  Share your incites with your sisters, and don't worry if you think that they have already read or heard it because everyone also absorbs messages with different perspectives.  Your perspective may be just what your sisters are in need of to help them to deal with their challenges and issues of this life. 

Happy Visiting teaching!  Go out and get it done!  Katie G