I have never really been a big fan of visiting teaching. I do mine, and I generally don't avoid my own visiting teachers, but I think I have a chronic case of missing the point in this regard. When I was in a relief society presidency, I gained a bit more understanding about the principles and reasons behind visiting teaching, but still. An assigned friend, sharing an assigned message, checking in to make sure you're still active and reading your scriptures...it makes for an awkward friendship, let's just say. I've always tried to make it easy for my visiting teachers by confiding, allowing them to serve me, etc, but still. It's been awkward. Perhaps my attitude towards visiting teaching is why my visiting teachers have had little to no impact on my life.
It's possible that I've forgotten one or two of my visiting teachers over the years--some I never even met--but one I will never forget. She was a recently returned missionary when I was a junior prepping for a mission. Her name was *Jenna. Jenna and her companion, Melanie, were the first RM visiting teachers I had, and let me tell you, they truly were a godsend. They knew exactly how to help me prepare, but they let me know in very humble ways. While I may not have looked forward to my assigned friends coming over to visit, I certainly didn't dread their visits. But, though these girls were good visiting teachers while I was assigned to them, Jenna stands out as a person who truly has changed my life--after she was my visiting teacher.
We didn't keep in contact. She wished me well at the end of the semester, and I've not heard from her since. I completely forgot about her...until almost a year and a half later, when I was nearing the end of my mission. I got a letter from a mutual friend, explaining the tragedy that had befallen Jenna, her husband, and her infant daughter. Jenna had been in a car accident, an accident that had claimed the life of her husband, left her severely injured, but had miraculously completely spared her daughter. Jenna's family had been together for just over a year.
I still remember getting that letter. I was sitting in the mission home. We'd come in from Vlore for a conference, I believe. I sat down in utter shock and disbelief. I hadn't known Jenna's husband well, but I certainly remembered him, his adoration for Jenna, and his good-natured personality. I could not believe the tragedy that had befallen their poor family. Jenna was in my thoughts and prayers for the rest of my mission. Once I returned home, I looked her up, trying to find what details I could. We were still connected through Facebook, and from there, I found a link to her blog, which held not only the updates on Jenna as they had come through, but also, when she started recovering, her own thoughts.
This is when Jenna became the greatest example a visiting teachee could ever want. Jenna had every reason in the world to become bitter. But she didn't. I'm sure that she had (and may still have) many moments where she felt that God had left her. However, her faith, her eternal optimism, and her love for her Father in Heaven shone through her writings and actions after her accident. She knew she would be with her husband again. She knew that life would continue. She knew she wasn't alone.
Just this past fall, Jenna remarried. I still have never talked to her--I highly doubt she would remember me--but she remains one of my most shining examples. I am eternally grateful that she was my visiting teacher. Not because I remember any of her lessons, not because we became close friends, but because in her, I see a perfect example of faith, hope, and charity.
*Name has been changed.
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