As the visiting teaching coordinator in the branch, I hear a lot of reasons why visiting teaching doesn't or can't get done.  Today I sent out the following email to all the sisters:

Greetings!


I hope everyone enjoyed their July 4th celebrations as much as I did. Summer seems to be a busy time. Vacations, family reunions, amusement park trips, keeping cool by the pool and other fun activities keep us extra busy. Scheduling visiting teaching visits can be very difficult, especially if you are 1000 miles away from each other or going 100 miles per hour. For this reason, I have compiled a few easy ways to ensure that your visiting teaching sisters know they are loved and thought about during this time.

• send an email with your testimony
• send a weekly text message letting them know you are thinking about them
• water their plants while they are gone (much appreciated when they are on an extended vacation)
• weed their garden
• mow their lawn while they are gone (what a fun surprise when they get home)
• call just to chat and check in on them
• pray for them every day
• drop off popsicles for the kids
• meet up at the splash park (free relief from the summer heat)
• have a picnic lunch
• do your weekly grocery shopping together (share coupons give you bonus points)
• mail a note on cute stationary (I found some at Walmart shaped like flip-flops)
• meet for ice-cream
• set up a traditional 30 minute visit

I have been thinking a lot about the "errand of angels" that visiting teaching can be.  I am reaching out to all my cyber-friends (both in and out of my local area) to help me improve this list of some of the fun ways that you have completed your visiting teaching, even at the busiest times of your life.  Let's discuss!