Home Teaching: The Meat of the Gospel

​By Ilyan Kei Lavanway, Moroni Channel
Rockledge Florida, USA

​My dear brethren, there are three callings in the Gospel of Jesus Christ for which we are not set a part, and from which we are not released. Will someone please name them?

1. Husband
2. Father
3. Home Teacher

I have been assigned to give a short training on one of these sacred callings. Let’s start by reading a few scriptures. As we take turns reading and discussing these scriptures, let’s ask ourselves what common theme these scriptures carry, and see if it becomes evident which calling we are addressing today.

Look for the operative words expressed or implied in these scriptures: remember and do.

(Moroni 4:3, Moroni 5:2, 3 Nephi 14:21, 3 Nephi 15:1, 1 Nephi 13:37, John 14:15, Alma 10:6, Alma 37:41, Doctrine and Covenants 105:2-6, Alma 5:33-38, Doctrine and Covenants 112:14, Doctrine and Covenants 58:26-33, John 21:15-17, Jacob 1:19, 1 Nephi 17:3, Moroni 7:47-48)

​President Dieter F. Uchtdorf reminded us in his October 2016 General Conference address titled, Learn from Alma and Amulek:

​We can be the Almas and the Amuleks of our day. The Lord needs us to be up and doing.

Philippines has one of the highest, if not the highest of all baptism rates in the world. That presents a huge challenge: Retention. We have a high baptism rate but a low retention rate. I imagine retention is directly tied to Home Teaching.

May I suggest a strategy to help us avoid procrastination? Rather than think of Home Teaching as a monthly chore, let’s do it as a weekly activity. Let’s make Home Teaching part of our weekly schedule. If each companionship will visit a different family each week, we will be anxiously engaged in feeding the Lord’s sheep (see Doctrine and Covenants 58:26-33; 112:14; John 21:15-17).

If our assigned Home Teaching companions are unavailable, we can ask other brothers to accompany us. Remember, Alma asked Amulek to accompany him.

If we have not been assigned families to visit, we can ask our bishops to advise us whom the Lord would have us visit this week. Remember, Nephi asked his father where he should go to find food for their families (see 1 Nephi 16:23-24).

I have discovered that most people are home on Sundays, but Home Teaching can be done any day of the week.

Prioritize visiting less active and part member families.

May we ponder and act on the moving words of the third verse of Hymn 270, I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go:

​Beloved brethren, I testify with all the energy of my soul that Home Teaching is the meat of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Home Teaching embodies every aspect of living the gospel. It is a labor of love. It enables the pure love of Christ to abide in us. Through diligent Home Teaching, the Lord will heal our wards and our stake. May we be ever vigilant and diligent in doing this sacred duty, having our hearts knit together as one, that we may become a Zion people. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.