Akron Ohio Stake News

by Sister Lisa Kay, Stake Relief Society First Counselor

When I moved to the Akron Stake in 1995, Donetta was assigned as one of my visiting teachers. She and her companion came regularly and greeted me on Sunday at church. They didn’t visit every month, but enough that I felt comfortable with them. I was married with a two-year-old, Donetta was single and never had children, and her companion was married with children from Primary to youth ages. But despite our different circumstances, we had lovely conversations about our lives and the Gospel, especially the monthly visiting teaching message.

Later my visiting teachers changed, but Donetta and I still enjoyed chatting at church. Many years later, I was assigned to be Donetta’s visiting teacher. This time our visits occurred in her home. I was blessed by her strong testimony as we discussed the monthly visiting teaching message. She was understanding when I arranged a visit after not visiting for several months. She was accommodating if it was summer and I needed to bring my school-aged younger son, Carter. Carter enjoyed being with Donetta’s rescued greyhound, and fortunately, the fondness was mutual.

But in April 2018, visiting teaching was retired and replaced by ministering. President Russell M. Nelson called it “a newer, holier approach to caring for and ministering to others.” I, along with many others, wondered what this meant. At the time, I was serving as Canton Ward Relief Society President and had the opportunity, along with my presidency, to read the articles regarding ministering and watch the training videos. Eventually, I came to understand that ministering was trying to love and serve as our Savior Jesus Christ did, by comforting, teaching, loving, and serving those around us.

This close relationship doesn’t happen immediately but with regular interactions. It takes time to get to know people, but as we keep trying, our love will grow for those we serve.

Ministering interviews are a part of ministering. In the beginning, during the interviews I had sisters say they didn’t understand ministering. I asked them how they served when they were visiting teachers. Sisters spoke of visits, cards, phone calls, sitting together in church meetings, talking about the Gospel, giving rides to appointments, and more. They told of their love for the sisters they visited. I was delighted to respond that they were already Ministering and to keep up the good work.

Ministering interviews are a great opportunity to share with the Relief Society or elders quorum presidency member the strengths and the challenges of the members you minister to. Through these interviews, the elders quorum and Relief Society presidents can let the bishop know of spiritual and temporal needs of the members. Presidency members have the opportunity to minister to the members being interview by showing that they care about them as well as those they minister to.

Sister Jean B. Bingham said, “Sometimes we think we have to do something grand and heroic to ‘count’ as serving our neighbors. Yet simple acts of service can have profound effects on others—as well as on ourselves.”

I was blessed to continue to be Donetta’s ministering sister until she returned to her Heavenly Father in January of 2020. At our visits, she told of meeting the missionaries in her late teens and her conversion and always growing testimony. We talked about the Gospel, her love of family history, her childhood living at a Boy Scout camp, her love of horses, and rescuing greyhounds and giving them a loving home. She was a wonderful storyteller. I never did anything grand or heroic. But being able to be there for her as her health declined blessed both of us.