Extraordinary Ministering Sisters

Since Visiting Teaching was essentially changed to "Ministering" I no longer keep up this blog.  Instead have a Facebook page called Extraordinary Ministering Sisters, that is a transition to the new Ministering program.  Go to this link and please join us! https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExtraordinaryMinisteringSisters/

Feel free to use and enjoy any of the tips handouts and ideas that I have shared on this page or my other pages.

You've been missed! 
Enjoy, Katie G

July 2017 Visiting Teaching Message

You can find the Visiting Teaching message in the Ensign at this link: https://www.lds.org/ensign/2017/07?lang=eng  I also put together a handout of quotes, not only from the lesson, but other really good ones to give to the sister to ponder the lesson, but also to think about how we can be one with God and Jesus Christ.

Along with this great message, I thought about a great Scripture story to help my sisters understand the importance of being one with God and Jesus Christ.  I made up a page of bookmarks that talk about the gift from God to Father Lehi's family, in the Book of Mormon.  It tells what the primary purpose of the Liahona was but that another purpose was to help Lehi and his family receive greater understanding concerning the ways of the Lord.  1 Nephi 16:29.

I suggest printing book marks on card stock or heavy photo paper and laminating them, but if you do use something heavy, laminating isn't a must.  Feel free to use either or both of these handouts to take with you Visiting Teaching.  Enjoy! Katie Gauger

Err on the side of compassion



A well-seasoned Bishop was in a quandary on an issue he had with regard to members in his ward.  He met with his Stake President and asked this question.  How do I know if what we have done is enough, too much, or on the other end of the spectrum, too little? Just how much service is enough? 

The very wise and humble Stake President looked into the Bishops eyes, and said, “Bishop, I would err on the side of compassion.”  That was all the council he gave, and actually that was more than enough.

There are times in our lives as Visiting Teachers when we too wonder how much is enough, with regard to the service we give as sisters.  Have we gone overboard, and worn ourselves out, wondering if you can keep up the standard you have set for yourself?  Have we looked away and thought that someone else will pick up our slack, because we simply can’t do it with everything we have going on in our own busy lives? Maybe are we more concerned that we have not done enough, and should be doing more, or at least doing something?

Everyone at one time of another, goes through this self-evaluation process , monitoring our own progression in all aspects of our life.  It is a good thing and helps us to remember why God sent us on this earth, in this imperfect state. We are working out our own salvation, and with each little step forward, we become that much closer to Him. A word of caution would be that we need not be so hard on ourselves, if we aren’t there yet or are struggling just to keep afloat some days.  Sometimes life and responsibilities are just plain too hard, but, the key to remember is that if we are moving forward, not backwards, that is exactly where Heavenly Father wants us to be.

With all the commitments we make in life, how can we commit ourselves to do Visiting Teaching?  How can we know if we are doing what we need to, as a Visiting Teacher?  Getting back to the quote from the Stake President I mentioned earlier …. When a question arises like… It’s the end of the month, and I haven’t done my Visiting Teaching and I don’t have any time to squeeze it in… should I just not go?  Think of the quote: “Err on the side of compassion,” and I believe that you will know exactly what to do, how to do it, and end up feeling good about your solution.  When we do, we don’t have to go back and look at ourselves, feel guilty, feel bad for not doing anything or more, because we did what we could compassionately.  We did what the Savior would have done and did when he was on the earth.  Jesus always erred on the side of compassion, throughout His entire ministry. I am pretty sure when He was busy helping someone in one town, and about doing His Fathers work, it wasn’t always convenient for Him.  Jesus had people stopping him in the streets, needing his help and what did he do?  Jesus Christ erred on the side of compassion.  I would bet he didn’t think about how inconvenient it was to walk many more miles in sandaled feet, on dusty unpaved roads to heal the sick, feed the 5,000 or cleanse the lepers.  Jesus simply erred on the side of compassion.

In the March 1997 Ensign,  there is an article or story under the heading, “Feeding His Sheep.” The story is called “Reaching out with love. ” Beginning with the 8^th paragraph, it tells about how after a woman’s family had moved to England, tragedy struck.  The author tells about the drowning accident of her own 11 month old son. She was grief stricken beyond description and was in a state of shock. The story proceeds, with phone calls and visits from her Visiting Teacher, Joan Davis.  

Every day Joan would ride her bike up a hill to a payphone booth, because she didn’t have a phone of her own, and call this woman.  If her voice sounded despondent, Joan would ride her bike another 5 hilly miles to her home and spend her day cooking, cleaning, and tending the children of the grief stricken woman.  These visits went on for months. It wasn’t until months later, that this woman realized the sacrifice that Joan Davis had made for her, and in spite of Joan’s own personal heartaches and sacrifices, she reached out with love for her. What a wonderful example of erring on the side of compassion!

The second great commandment that God gave to all of us is to love our neighbor, and who is our neighbor?  It is my prayer that we can do so, in the best way that we can for all those who are in need of our service.  I firmly believe that what we do for others, the Lord is mindful of, and accepts our service, how much or how little we can give, with gratitude and love.  May we be mindful of erring on the side of compassion as we serve those we Visit teach.  Enjoy!  Katie Gauger

Image links:https://www.lds.org/media-library/images/bishop-interview-258665?lang=enghttps://www.lds.org/media-library/images/young-adult-women-laundry-baby-669380?lang=eng Video: https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/1998-05-01-the-good-samaritan?lang=eng

It is a Happy New year for Visiting teaching!

It is most definitely is a Happy New Year for Visiting teaching!  The world is at our feet, and it is all determined by our attitude about just how happy we will make this New year will be for ourselves, as well as those we visit teach. It's up to us, its all about choice, and most importantly, it's all about loving and serving others.  The scriptures tell us what God thinks about loving and serving others when we read in Matthew 22:37-39:  "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all the heart, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  The second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."  If we ask ourselves who are neighbors are, and the answer is "EVERYONE".

https://www.lds.org /media-library/images/visiting-teaching-901054?lang=eng

Visiting teaching is a very important part of the Gospel, because when we do it with all of our hearts, we are showing God that we not only love Him but we obey His commandments of loving our neighbors.https://www.lds.org/media-library/images/visiting-teaching-901054?lang=eng

Quoting from the Extraordinary Visiting Teachers Facebook group, one woman (Tia Fowles)said this:  

"Visiting Teaching fills a variety of needs, including fellow shipping, building friendships, increasing faith and personal testimony and watch care over one another.  I think one of the most important things Visiting teaching can do is let each person know they are remembered, cared for and wanted.  I often get the requests that people want to have good visiting teachers.  I rarely have "good" visiting teachers, that is, visiting teachers who consistently reach out to me.  I have done my best to BE a good visiting teacher so that at least someone out there can say that they have good ones. I am ot perfect, far from it, in fact but I hope the sisters I am assigned to know that I think about, pray for, and genuinely enjoy getting to know them."

President Monson said:
"We are surrounded by those in need of our attention, our encouragement, our support, our comfort our kindness.... We are the Lords hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children. (2nd great commandment) He is dependent upon each of us."

And Julie B. Beck said, "Visiting teaching is an expression of our discipleship and a significant way to honor our covenants.  This element of our discipleship should closely resemble the ministry of our Savior."  As committed disciples of the Savior, we are improving in our ability to do the things He would do if He where here." Tia Fowles

Can Visiting Teachers actually make a difference in peoples lives?  Yes, yes they most definately and most certainly can.  Sister Rochelle Miller shares her experience in this way:

"I joined the church at age 19.  But at age 21, I found myself back to my old ways and friends.  I remember one day seeing two women coming to my door dressed in dresses and I immediately knew they must be from the church.  They knocked and I hid!!!  I remember hearing them finally leave and at that moment my heart was touched and I began to cry as the spirit entered my heart and my home and a feeling came to me so strongly that I needed to return to church.  I did and went on a mission, was married in the temple and my mother joined the church when I returned from my mission.  I have been active ever since that day.  (25 years) Those two RS sisters took the time to search me out, and even though I never answered the door or spoke to them or even today know who they were, the spirit spoke to me and to this day they do not know their visit to only a knock on my door, changed my whole life."

Sister Miller goes on to say, "Never give up because you can't get in a door or get a phone call answered or returned.  We can touch lives just by doing our duty of trying every month."

Sisters, you simply never know how or if your visit will touch the life of a sister, and in Sister Miller's example, her life was changed forever because two unknown, loving sisters were obedient, following the second great Commandment, and following their own promptings to visit her.  Sister Miller said that those Visiting teachers must have walked away thinking, "If we could just get in to see her, then maybe we could invite her back or help her,"  but the Spirit of the Lord can go through the walls and touch hearts, simply by your visit.

Yes, It can be a very Happy New Year, both for you and for your sisters.  It is up to you, but I know that by loving your sisters as the Lord has commanded, He will help and bless you in your righteous desires, and those things you do for others come back into your own!

HAPPY NEW YEAR--- Now go out and do your Visiting Teaching!

Love one another



A young, married woman shared a story with me yesterday about Visiting Teaching. She told me that it was her very first time ever being a Visiting Teacher, as she and her husband were in the process of being reactivated in the church. She had been given some faithful visiting teachers over the past couple of years, and their example made it very easy for her to accept becoming a visiting teacher. She worried how she would be received into homes of women who didn't know her, for you see, her whole life, she had been judged by others, because she was born with a handicapping condition. She had been stared at her whole life time, made the brunt of jokes, and pointed at, and commented about because of her physical differences. She wondered whether or not, she would be welcomed and received into homes of sisters in her ward, to give them a lesson, form friendships and be able to be the kind of Visiting Teacher, that she knew she wanted to be. Would they even want her, or let her in? She also wondered if her new partner, a newly married woman without children, would want to go with her. Her whole life, she had never had friends who wanted to do things with her, or invited her to go places with them. They were embarrassed to be seen with her, though in private times, they would talk to her, and have phone conversations, they would never be seen in public with her. She knew it was because she was different physically, and somehow she had been able to reconcile not having friends, and clung to her family relationships as her friendships. Her best friend was and still is her Mother, who loved her and she knew it. Her brothers were the ones who stood up for her, when she was being teased or made fun of, and their friends joined in and were kind to her. How would this experience be, going visiting teaching the first time?

 She told her Visiting Teaching partner that she would give the lesson, which would be for this month, one of the Conference talks. She prepared, prayed and readied herself for her very first appointment, and when the day came, she woke with nervousness, and apprehension. Sill, she knew that since she has had great experiences with her own Visiting Teachers, she drew courage deal within, and remembered what she had been taught from her parents to look up, that she was a beloved daughter of God, who loved her very much too. With this said, she and her partner met at the home of the woman in their ward, whom they had an appointment with. Things went well, in fact, so well, that that they were there for an hour and 15 minutes. She felt the lesson went well, because things in her life related to the Conference talk, almost as if the talk were written for her alone, which let her share her feelings about certain parts of the talk. The sister they taught joined in and shared her thoughts and feelings. Together they began an emerging friendship.

This young woman related to me this experience, because she knew I loved and understood the value of Visiting Teaching. I explained to her that through Visiting Teaching, her own needs will be met right along with meeting the needs of the sisters she teaches, and who knows, maybe those she teaches yearn for friendships as much as she does. She will form friendships, and a sisterhood with ward members, and sometimes those friendships last for a lifetime. Her yearning for a friend, or friendships, have been met through her own Visiting Teachers, and what a blessing she has been given to make more friendships because she chose to accept this very important assignment. I was so proud of her, that she let her very difficult memories and challenges stay behind her, that she did not dwell on her past, but choose to move on, and let the Lord guide her paths. I know that blessings and friendships await her, as she serves the Lord, by loving one another.

Visiting teaching is important. People need other people, and when we serve them, we are serving the Lord. One of the most important things we can do in this life is to love one another. When this commandment was given to us, there were no qualifiers like to only love those who are church members, those who don't sin, those who never make mistakes. We are to love everyone, no matter their differences or circumstances, and that is one of the very most important things that we have been asked to do in this life. I wonder when we meet our Heavenly Father and our Savior one day, and when they remind us of the things we did in this life, which things they will value most about our earthly deeds and life. Will it be the trophy's we have won in our growing years from dancing, sports, and gymnastics. Will it be the fact that we were successful in life and had made lots of money to buy huge homes on the hill, and provide your family with name brand attire, cars, and anything that they could imagine. OR... would They simply ask, How much have you loved? Did you love your neighbor? I have a feeling that the only things that will matter at that moment will be the things that we did that showed love.

I recently heard of a woman who did not accept a Visiting Teaching assignment, because a particular sister they were assigned to, was too needy. Another time, an assignment to Visit teach an inactive sister was turned down because she lived too close to her, and had never taken the opportunity to meet her all those years, and she was embarrassed. Another was when she was assigned to a woman who could only be Visit taught on a certain day and was deemed inflexible, so that assignment was turned down. Still another... "They live too far away." I could go on and on I am sure that there are many excuses we could come up with, to not accept a Visiting Teaching assignment, but I would like to venture a bet, that if all those assignments that were turned down for whatever reason, were accepted, that a great experience awaited all the sisters, and because they were turned down, they missed a great opportunity to love one another.

As I have loved you,
Love one another,
This new commandment,
Love one another.
By this shall men know,
Ye are my disciples,
If ye have love one to another

Happy Visiting Teaching as you go about "Loving One Another!"

How to not dwell int he past @momgaug http://t.co/dC42zc4Y5g

— Kathleen Gauger (@Momgaug) May 20, 2014

Visiting Teaching

Thought I would start off this post with Sister Thompson's video titled, "And Some Have Compassion, making a difference."  This good woman is so lovely in all ways, and her messaView blogge is a great reminder for everyone who serves others.

Here is a great link to save to your computer on Visiting Teaching.  It gets you to the monthly Visiting Teaching message, provides additional Visiting teaching training,  shares Church News articles and shares a lot of other helpful resources.  One of the best resources is also on that page, and that is the Visiting Teaching Message Archive, which could be a great resource to Relief Societies who want to come up with R.S.Meeting ideas, Visiting Teaching conference ideas, and just all around great ways of sharing the gospel with our sisters.  I encourage you to go to this link and see what I'm writing about.    https://www.lds.org/callings/relief-society/visiting-teaching-messages?lang=eng

Visiting Teaching Message for January 2014

Are you wondering where the Visiting Teaching message can be found?  It is a bit confusing on LDS.org right now, but that should be corrected soon.  Here is the link to the Visiting Teaching message for January https://www.lds.org/ensign/2014/01/the-divine-mission-of-jesus-christ-exemplar?lang=eng  The topic is "The Divine Mission of Jesus Christ: Exemplar."

I love the direction this lesson is going, because I love all the stories from the life of our Savior.  He is our example, (EXEMPLAR) and who better to direction our Visiting Teaching messages around, but the one individual who was perfect.  I designed these handouts for you to print off and take with you Visiting Teaching, as a little reminder of what President Uchtdorf said in this message about women. To print, click on the image to enlarge it, then right click "save as" and then save it to your computer.  Then print from your computer.   We do follow or try to emulate Christ's example when He was always about helping others with their infirmities, afflictions, and challenges.  Enjoy!  Katie G

#1 Christmas book for 2013 "If you want to be happy give something away"

I just had to post a shout out to all my wonderful blog readers and followers about the brand new book that was released today, "If you want to be happy give something away."  It is a wonderful story, and the setting is on Christmas Eve.  It's Heartwarming and value based!  It is not just a children's book though the images will delight your youngest of children, but it's message is for the entire family.  Make this book part of your holiday traditions, like my family has, for more than a century.  The book trailer will be coming out next week, and pre-orders are being taken now, and will be fulfilled in only 3 weeks!  Get your copies now by emailing me.  Just a little tip, this book is perfect for families, but for gift giving for men and women who are widdowed, and the message is perfectly in keeping with this blogs theme, of sharing good things with your Visiting teaching ladies.  (Yes, shameless promotion but when you read it, you will understand why!)  Enjoy!!! Christmas is only 2 months away!

August 2013 Visiting Teaching Message

For the actual message, go to LDS.org and look under "Visiting Teaching Message" in the left Colum on the home page.  Here is a little printable designed by me, for you to share with your sisters as you share your message.    Click on the image to enlarge, right click and save as a file on your computer.  Print from there.  Enjoy, Katie G

August 2013 Visiting Teaching Message

Here is the link to the August 2013 Visiting teaching message that can be found in the August 2013 Ensign or on LDS.org at this link:  https://www.lds.org/liahona/2013/08/welfare?lang=eng

July 2013 Visiting Teaching Message



This is a little printable handout (3 per page) of the condensed version of the Visiting Teaching message found on LDS.org.  I thought that if you had any inactive or non member sisters you visit, that it would be nice to get a copy of the Daughters in my Kingdom book, The history and Work of Relief Society (http://www.lds.org/relief-society/?lang=eng)   to take to them to read.  Many references come from this book and as you give the lesson you could open up the book to the references from the lesson. 

Visiting Teaching, a work of Salvation, and The Good Shepherd

This past month, I helped my husband with a message that he gives out in tithing settlement to all the members of our ward.  With this printed message, we give each ward member a small gift or treat for their family.  This year, we decided to focus on "The Good Shepherd", and of course our treat was to give a nice candy cane out to everyone who came into see the Bishop.  It is also a small gift from "US" and not just the bishop and I signed it as well as he. 

It is such a wonderful message, I wanted to share it with you.  It relates to all of us, as Visiting Teachers, and home teachers alike, along with everyone else who accepts calling in the church, to Shepherd over others or their children in different capacities.  I hope you will enjoy the spirit of this message and feel the love of our "Good Shepherd". 

I will probably be taking a break from posting for a couple months, as I am getting a complete knee replacement surgery after Christmas.  I feel pretty certain that I won't be clear headed enough for a while to post, do any graphic design or much of anything besides sleep, and do the physical therapy that will get me back on my feet, so please don't give up on me, because I will be back.  For now, here is a wonderful message for all of you!

Have a wonderful and joyous Christmas season.  Remember Jesus, and honor him through all that you say and do.  Best regards!  Katie G

The actual Visiting Teaching message from the church for December can be found here:http://www.lds.org/liahona/2012/12/visiting-teaching-a-work-of-salvation?lang=eng
When I read this message, I felt that the Christmas message that I am inserting went so well, with this message, I just had to share it with you.  May the Lord bless you as you faithfully shepherd your sisters. 

Visiting Teaching White Board

One of the members of the Extraordinary Visiting Teachers google group, submitted a picture today of the white board system she uses to keep track of the districts, partnerships and such for Visiting Teaching.  I think they are magnetized, so she can move them around when changes are made.  I thought it was a really great idea to help with the arduous task of keeping track with a visual.  Much easier than thumbing through papers to make changes!  Here is the link to the Extraordinary Visiting Teaching google group to see it, and while you are there, sign up to be a part of an Extraordinary group of Sisters who serve.  http://www.facebook.com/groups/extraordinaryvisitingteachers/permalink/10151099454564340/#!/groups/extraordinaryvisitingteachers/

Enjoy!  Katie G

Visiting Teaching Fun!

We sure had fun on our field trip. If you don't know what I am talking about, then read the post below and it will enlighten you. Anyway that was such a fun idea and the ladies really enjoyed it.
We ended up going all to all 3 stores plus another one as it looked so interesting too. It was my birthday, and I want to let you know that sharing your birthday with others, who don't even know it is your birthday is the best. I eventually told them, but I love Visiting teaching so much, I knew that it would be a "Day maker" if I did it on my special day. I can truly say that spending some time with the sisters that I have grown to love and feel true friendship and adoration with, makes anytime, a special time. I hope that all of you can have the opportunity, oops, I mean... can MAKE the opportunity to feel the friendship with the sisters that you visit teach.

Anyway, I thought some of you would like a report on how this Visiting Teaching field trip turned out. Now... go out and get yours done... there is only a few days left in this month and your sisters need to hear from you.

Enjoy! Katie G.

P.S. I hope the stores that I borrowed the pictures of don't mind this free advertisement of their stores, because we sure had fun and maybe my site visitors might want to know about these stores and visit them too. Lehi Mill products are the best! I guess I am a bit prejudice because Lehi Mill is My Robinson Family business for over 100 years, but it really is a great place. The little store at Lehi mill is tiny and cute, but first class service.... you see your purchases are even carried out to your car for you, which is such a nice touch, especially when you buy food storage, flour and cases of their wonderful mixes. If you haven't been there, you should go and be sure to try the samples that they always have freshly baked for customers to try. It's a great place and I highly recommend it.

August 2011 Visiting Teaching Message

You can find the message for this month, at lds.org or just click on the title of this post and you will magically be taken there. The message is titled, "A Society of Holy Women".

Sister Sylvia Alred was quoted when she said, "The work of Relief Society is holy, and doing holy work creates holiness in us." What a profoundly true statement. When we are about doing the Lords work, which is indeed holy, then we become holy. I can certainly testify to the truthfulness of this quote. As an example of this truth, about a month and a half ago, my husband and I were called into the Stake Presidents office, and after interviewing both of us, and asking us some pretty direct and probing questions, my husband was called to be the new bishop of our ward. He was sustained and set apart a few weeks later.

I have been married to him for over 35 years and when hands were laid on his head and the keys were given to him, and he began to serve our ward, I saw a different man. I was seeing him through the very same eyes as I always have, but his countenance changed as he was about giving tireless service to the members of our ward. He looks different to me and I feel such a marvelous spirit surrounding him, and like the quote said... "holy work creates holiness in us."

I testify that as we go about serving others, like Sister Alred said, We become holy. We may not necessarily be transformed and look different as the example I gave , but when we go about doing what the Lord asks of us, we are refined, and our thoughts and actions become holy.

As members of the LDS Church as well as sisters in the Relief Society, we are given plenty of opportunities to become holy as we receive callings and are given opportunities to serve others. Visiting Teaching is one of the greatest opportunities to provide service. Relief Society Presidents can't be everywhere and know everything, so she depends on the Visiting teachers to provide the watch care over the sisters of the ward. We become earthly ministering angels as we act upon the promptings we get on behalf of our sisters. To paraphrase sister Lucy Mack Smith, the Prophet's mother, "We cherish, watch over, and comfort one another".

There is so much more to what we as women in this church, are blessed with the opportunity to do. We serve our families, we serve in our various church callings. We look for needs and then provide service to fulfill those needs. We do our genealogy, and write our family history and go to the temple and do ordinance work for ourselves and our ancestors. This holy work gives us the opportunity to become Saviors on Mount Zion for those who have left this earth without the opportunity to receive these holy ordinances.

The Prophet Joseph Smith said: "Relief Society sister living their covenants command the respect not only of noble people, but "if you live up to your privileges," he promised the sisters, "The angels cannot be restrained from being your associates."

One of my favorite scriptures brought to mind is ..."When we are in the service of our fellowmen (and women) we are only in the service of our God." And one more..."If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."

It is my prayer that we will seek for higher grounds as we serve others. Now with this said... go out and get your visiting teaching done for this month and enjoy and be happy! Katie G.

P.S. I really enjoyed reading all of the scriptures referred to in this lesson. I think you will to, so don't pass them by. One more thing... I have made a door hanger handout for you to print off, so that you can..."GIVE THEM A HAND" in whatever ways you can. For the printable go to http://visitingteachingsurprise.blogspot.com/

Strengthening families through temporal self reliance

Click on the Title and it will take you directly to LDS.org where you can read the June 2011 Visiting teaching message about Strengthening families through temporal self reliance.  I have added my thoughts about the lesson in the post just below.  Go out and do your Visiting teaching.  Katie G.

After 40 our Brain Cells must have all dried up!

I am laughing my head off as I returned home from what I thought was my Visiting Teaching visits.  My partner and I had appointments this morning and arrived at our first appointment and proceeded to the front door.  We rang the doorbell, and waited.  We rang it again and waited.  Then we decided that if they were in the basement, that she might not be hearing the doorbell, so we should knock.  After a very loud knock, and still no answer, we decided to go to our car and give her a call on my cell phone. 

She answered after only a couple rings, and she was oh so apologetic.  Says she totally forgot, and that she and her husband were on their way out of town.  I began to laugh, and I could only think of one things to say..."Thank you", you make me feel so much better.  That may sound like a bit of a strange reply, but in actuality, it was one that made me feel like I am not the only one who forgets things.  I have determined after about age 40+ our brain cells must be all dried up.  I have become so forgetful, even when there are post it notes, pasted all over my house... I still forget.  So here is my confession... When I was assigned to Visit teach this very woman who just forgot about our visit today, I forgot the very first appointment to visit her some months ago.  I was so humiliated that I forgot, as she had not lived in the ward for very long, and I was really looking forward to getting to know her better. But I forgot. Guess what... I almost forgot the second appointment.  Gee willikers... I can be pretty dense at times!!! Now can you see why I told her Thank-you?  I was so glad to be in the company of others who forget things too, and it makes me feel alittle more normal, even minus the brain cells.

So my story isn't over.....  We wait for the 45 minutes until the time to go to our next appointment, and my partner and I just waited at my home and chated for the interim.  Finally it was time to go, and as we pull up to the 2nd sisters house, her garage doors were open, and she was sitting in her car, ready to back out of the garage.  Her rear brake lights went on once she spotted us and she stopped.    She turned off her car, and came out the door toward us, and I simply couldn't  hold back the laughter. To totally busted up and said, "Looks like you forgot we were coming."  She said that she had programed in her telephone a reminder of our Visit for today, and had even set the alarm to remind her as well.  The alarm didn't go off, and she was on her way."  We all laughed together, and I said, "Well I don't remind myself with an alarm, but I have post it notes pasted on my bathroom mirror, my computer screen, my refrigerator, my purse, and still I forget things.  I told her how grateful I was that I wasn't the lone ranger and the only one whose brain cells were drying up!  We laughed again. 

Obviously we didn't get any of our intended visits in, but we did get to have a light moment of laughter and forgetfulness!  Sometimes we just need to let things roll off of us, and enjoy the moment and this happened to be one of them.  Now.... when will I be able to find the time to go back and visit these sisters again this month?  Who knows, and I must add that I had already visited them briefly delivering a Valentine Surprise on Valentine Day.  That's ok, and I am just grateful that we can all humor and appreciate each other, in spite of the lack of brain cells.

Now I thought I would tell you my brain cells theory.  Obviously it isn't in any medical journals, or spoken by anyone who is an authority on the subject, but because I must be the queen of lost brain cells, I have theorized what happens after about 40+.  (by the way... this is suppose to make you laugh)  I have done my homework, and evidently the general consensus is that a woman's brain weights about 2.8 lbs, and to make you feel even smarter, Albert Einsteins brain only weighed  2.71 lbs.  Anyway the average guess from the different websites that I did my research on .....is that the human brain contains about 100 billion cells on average. We lose about 10,000 brain cells a day after adolescence,  through a variety of different ways.  Some of the ways are listed here: http://4mind4life.com/blog/2008/02/22/50-things-that-kill-brain-cells/  Now women also lost a few more brain cells giving birth, so as I figure, I have had 5 children, and so I have that many less brain cells.  Right?   Stress can really cost us brain cells too, and women are the worlds best at being stressed, aren't we?  Gratefully for all of us, we have so many brain cells that when we lose a few, it doesn't matter... we just become a bit more scatter brained. 

Anyway, to sum all of this up, we are all the same, and we all have lost some brain cells or two thousand, but one thing is for certain, that no one is exempt.  We all need to just laugh about it, adjust ourselves, and let a whole lot more roll off of our shoulders.  We need to smile and laugh a lot more.  Everyone makes mistakes, and as I well know, some make more of their share of mistakes than others. (that would be me.) 

I did do some more research on the Internet and found that there are also some things that make brain cells grow including.... meditation, an enriched Environment, the act of learning, exercise, and even eating blueberries.  After reading that, I wondered just how many blueberries I needed to eat to get my brain cells back into a more normal range. Once again, I am laughing.  Wish we were alittle more like robots, and could plug ourselves into the power supply on the wall, and let the brain cell regeneration begin!

You know when you hear..."Laughter is the best medicine?" .....well maybe there is something to that after all!  Laughter reduces stress, and thereby, reduces the amount of brain cell loss!  Laughter boosts your immune system, and even lowers your blood pressure.  So there you have it from Dr. Katie... NOW go out and have a great day!!! 

Enjoy!  Katie G.

P.S.  How many blueberries did you say you ate today?  Oh and another piece of food for thought, and yes punn was intended.... If anyone wants to do the math, times our daily brain cell loss by the age we would like to live to, and subtract that from 10 billion, and that should give you a ball park number of how many brain cells we will have left by then.  Maybe it is a good thing that we all die oneday so we can go back and live with Heavenly Father to regenerate!

Spiritual Thought about rededicating ourselves in the Service of the Lord

I am assigned the spiritual thought for this month's presidency meeting and I put one together and thought others might also benefit from this, for use either at your own presidency meetings, or other meetings where you need a quick spiritual thought. It is perfect for giving out to the sisters as a goal to rededicate their lives in the service of Visiting Teaching. I also made up a bookmark to print off and hand out as a reminder of this goal. Feel free to use is as it applies to whatever you are in need of it for.

"The Lord Needs Missionaries", Liahona, Jan. 2011, page
4 –6 Thomas S. Monson.
Bike to the Future  By Peter Evans and Richard M. Romney

Lots of young men prepare financially to serve a mission. In Africa part of that preparation is earning enough money for a passport. Sedrick Tshiambine earned what he needed in an enterprising way: by selling bananas from the back of a bicycle.
Sedrick lives in Luputa, Democratic Republic of Congo. He’s one of 45 young men in the Luputa district who is working to save money for a passport to go on a mission. In DR Congo a passport costs $250, which is about two-thirds the cost of building a house.
But Sedrick was undaunted. He earned his mission money by cycling 15–30 kilometers (9–19 miles) from Luputa to small villages, where he purchased bananas, then cycling back across the hot African savanna, his bike heavily laden with fruit to sell in the city. Each week he traveled about 180 kilometers (112 miles) along the sandy roads, and only once did an unbalanced load cause a tumble.
For his efforts Sedrick earned about $1.25 a week, or $65.00 a year. It took him four years to save enough to purchase his passport, but now he knows his future will include a full-time mission because he is financially ready to answer the call to serve.
The scripture found in Matthew 16: 28 comes to mind as I think about this story. “He who loseth his life in this world, for my sake, shall find it in the world to come.
We are so blessed to live in an area of the world, where going to church, attending the temple and serving in our wards is so easy, close and relatively effortless… really only requiring the sacrifice of our time. Because we have it so good, we sometimes take for granted our blessed circumstances. . We should be mindful of the sacrifice so many others have to make just to attend church or like the young man in this story, to be able to earn enough just to get a passport so that he can serve a mission. May we all today, rededicate our lives in serving in the capacities that we are called, with all our hearts might mind and strength, and like the scripture in Matthew 16:28 says, “losing our lives in His service, that we might find it (meaning our lives) in the world to come. (Matthew 10: 39)

Enjoy!  Katie G.

Happy New Year!!!

Isn't it great that a brand new year has begun, giving all of us the opportunity to get our acts together again and begin a fresh start.  I personally didn't make too many resolutions this year, because I wanted to really fulfill them this time.  I find when I make too long of a list, I always disappoint myself, so this time I am focusing on one change in myself that will have a ripple effect on other areas of my life. I am not going to tell you what that resolution is, and just get your imagination going by sharing the inspiration for my one resolution..... It is a song that my mother use to sing, when I was a child and it goes something like this....

"You've got to accentuate the positive,
Eliminate the negative,
Latch on to the affirmative,
And don't mess with Mr. In between".

Don't you just love those words?  I give them a hearty thumbs up!Well they are much  more than words for me, as they are my inspiration to becoming the a better person all the way around.  I wrote a post just moments ago on my Extraordinary Visiting Teaching Facebook page, about one of the sisters that I visit teach. No matter her adversity, she  emulates this song.  No matter how hard live has become for her, she wears a smile and never seems to utter a negative comment or thought. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful example for me, and I am her visiting teacher.  My gift to her can be friendship, a listening ear, prayers on her behalf, and service for her and her sweet husband as they need it. 

What a blessing for me to be a Visiting Teacher.  I have had another sister on my route, for about 2 years now.  We have become really good friends.  She is fun, and crazy just like me.  She has her share of adversity too, and moves forward each day with a song in her heart.  She has the voice of an angel, and I love so much to be around her.  How lucky for me to get be her Visiting Teacher.

Isn't it interesting that Visiting teaching is really a swinging door, because the blessings go both ways.  We get as much as we give.  I certainly know that I do. 

I have another sister who is fairly new to me, and I so enjoy going into her home and getting to know her.  She doesn't attend church, and I would not have normally had the opportunity to meet her if it were not for Visiting teaching. I am so glad that she was put on my "LIST" because I have just begun to scratch the surface of a smart and talented, and really nice friend.  How lucky I am to be her Visiting Teacher. 

Visiting teaching is a gift to both the giver and receiver,  that is sort of like the Energizer bunny.... it just keeps on going.  Those who don't take the opportunity they are given to get to know some really wonderful women, are really missing out.  I would like to urge you to include in your resolutions to become the kind of Visiting teacher that you would want for yourself.  Even if you don't have that kind of Visiting teacher, you can be it for someone else, and the rewards are great!

P.S. The January 2011 Message can be found at http://lds.org/library/display/0,4945,2044-1-5233-1,00.html  The History and Heritage of Relief Society and a wonderful Scripture that you should recognize is found http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/moro/7.45,46,47?lang=eng#44 or you can look it up here:  Moroni 7:45-47. Now go out and make someones day!  Enjoy!  Katie G.

Christmas Lesson on Service

I have just finnished putting up a Christmas lesson on Service on my http://visitingteachingsurprise.blogspot.com/ blog if you need one. I will also be posting a few more that others have sent me, so be sure to visit that blog if you want a good Visiting Teaching lesson/seminar, Family Home Evening lesson, Church lesson or just to enjoy.  I have handouts also posted that you can print off.  Enjoy and Have a Happy Holiday season filled with love and joy and service!