December 9, 2019
Shortly after we moved to Rochester, Francis and I were assigned some families to visit as their home teachers. After visiting some of them once or twice, I decided I had had enough and refused to accept an assignment as a home teacher for several years after that.
Over the years we have had some good and faithful home teachers come into our home. They were instrumental in teaching and helping our family in various ways. Through the efforts and encouragement of one of our home teachers, Darrell Rose, I got help with the hearing loss I was experiencing. First I had an audiology test to determine the extent of my loss, then a hearing aid to help with restoration, and finally an introduction to a surgeon who would operate on my ears and give me back most of the hearing I had enjoyed in earlier times. We were also given some insight into the world of investing and financial management and there was nearly always a gospel message or a blessing left in our home. Those home teachers made a real difference in my life and the lives of the other members of my family. Is it any wonder that they occupy such a special place in our hearts?
When I finally accepted another assignment, some really choice experiences came my way and made me feel like somehow we had made a contribution to the physical and spiritual well-being of the families we were assigned to watch over. As the years have gone by, I have been able to share responsibility and blessings with each of my sons and my wife as a result of home teaching.
One of our families had experienced a problem with bats getting into their house. First they came into the attic, then the walls and finally into the living quarters. As a result of their encounters with these odd-looking little fellows, the whole family was scared to death of them. One evening I stopped by to cut one of the boys’ hair as per his request. When I arrived, the parents were gone and the children were home by themselves. Even though they were teenagers, a bat flying around in their basement totally freaked them out. As I got out of the car, the girls came rushing out to tell me of their plight. I went in with them and went downstairs to see if the bat was still there. The poor thing was every bit as frightened as the children were. I asked for a pair of gloves and on the second grab caught it. Even with the bat held securely in my hands, the children would not come close to even look at it. I took it outside and set it free. By the time I gave a nice, short haircut to the young man, everyone had calmed down and I took my leave. Later, I scoured the attic and the outside of the house to see if I could find the entry place where the bats were getting into the house. I caulked and filled every little hole I could find but the family could still hear the bats. Maybe I sealed some in while trying to keep others out? I received a homemade card, black and cut in the form of a bat, from one of the little girls thanking me. The family came to affectionately call me their very own batman.
Early one rainy Sunday morning, I received a telephone call from the father of one of my families asking for help. He said water was coming into the basement from the sewer because of all the rain and that it was already knee deep. I was able to secure a pump from the plant and set it up to pump the water out after first moving the TV upstairs and stopping the incoming water. I later went through the washing machine, dryer and the furnace and put them back in operating condition after their soaking. In the meantime, Helen washed and dried a large batch of clothes to help get things back to normal. A lot of ward members also came out and helped clean up the damage. It is heartbreaking to see something like this happen but it makes a person feel good to help the family in some small way recover from such a tragedy and get on with their lives.
Not everyone is skilled in home repairs and since I have a little talent in this area, I have been able to share it with my home teaching families. A burner on an electric stove that would not work and had been out of commission for quite some time was repaired in about five minutes by simply reconnecting a couple of broken wires. A broken arm on a kitchen chair was glued back in place. Kitchen cabinet drawers that were unusable because the fronts had broken off were easily repaired to the delight of the mother of the house. Hangers for children’s coats were installed at just the right heights so the children could reach them. The installation of drapery rods was not much of a challenge either and the family was ever so pleased. Helping to manhandle and haul an old water heater to the scrap yard took only a little while but to the family it was a big deal.
A young mother, recently divorced, was having a tough time and needed some help with budgeting and instruction on the care of her automobile. Eager to learn, she grasped the budgeting instructions and put them into practice rather quickly. She appreciated knowing how to jack up the car to change a tire and where to put oil into the engine as well as how to check the air pressure in the tires. These things only took a few minutes but the relief and self confidence gained by this little lady were a joy to behold. Soon after, it became necessary for this little family to move and I had the opportunity to help by bringing boxes to pack things in and to arrange for a truck and help from my fellow quorum members to load and unload the truck. When the designated moving day arrived, she had most of her belongings neatly packed in the boxes. The group arrived to load the truck and everything went smoothly and soon the family was safely settled into their new apartment.
One of my families accepted a transfer to a new location a good two days drive away. When I offered my services to help, they politely declined saying that the company was moving them and that they had everything under control. Not wanting to make a pest of myself, I backed off but let them know I was available if needed. The moving van came, their furniture and other possessions were loaded, and the van left for the new destination. The man was to be at work on Monday morning. I received a call Friday night asking for help to clear an area of trees to make way for some new construction. They found out at the last minute that in order to sell their house it would be necessary to install a new septic system. Leroy volunteered to go with me the next morning and when we arrived they were hard at work sawing up logs and limbs and moving them out of the area. We went right to work and just before noon we had everything all cleaned up. We found out, however, that the mother had hurt her back and, though still helping, was in a lot of pain. In addition, there was another ugly problem that we found out about by accident. First, though, the children were hungry so I called Helen and she brought something out for them to eat.
Early that morning they had taken their van to the garbage dump to dispose of some stuff and while there, the shifter on the automatic transmission broke. In order to start the van, the hood was raised and someone would shift the transmission into park. After starting, that same person would shift into drive or reverse while the other held their foot on the brake. The same procedure was followed when they wished to change direction of travel. Here it was, noon on Saturday and most auto parts stores and garages were closed. They had over a thousand miles to travel before Monday morning. Imagine what such a long trip would have been like if they had been forced to travel with the shifter broken!
I was not sure that I could fix the shifter but I volunteered to take a look at it to see what could be done. Faced with the choice of traveling with it broken or being delayed for a little while with a chance it could be repaired, they decided to give me a chance to see if I could help them out. We drove to the plant as it was necessary to pick up a tool to pull the steering wheel off. Later, when we were able to get the broken piece out of the steering column, I discovered it was made of a metal that I could not weld. So without a replacement, we were faced with a real puzzle as to what to do. Would we have to put it back together and let them be on their way, now delayed and still with a broken shifter or was there another way to fix the part? I’m sure it was through inspiration that I came up with the idea of modifying another part on the shifter so we could clamp the broken part together. It took a little while to accomplish but when the re-assembly was completed, the shifter would move the transmission lever where it needed to be just as if it had never been broken. The joy and relief that father experienced as he tried shifting and moving the van forward and then backward was wonderful to behold. The expressions of thanks and appreciation seemed to be unending. The joy that I felt in being able to help this family through a very difficult situation was beyond description.
Another family trusted me enough to allow me to help the father create a bedroom in their basement for one of his daughters. Installing the studs for the wall went well and the room was ready for the electrical wiring. Thinking he would hire a contractor he declined my offer to do the wiring. After considering the contractor’s cost estimate, the father decided that with his help he would allow me to do the wiring and it was soon accomplished. Getting the sheetrock into the basement and installed proved to be the biggest challenge but it was finally accomplished. Just before the room was finished ready to be painted the father accepted a new job at a distant place. The daughter was disappointed not to get a bedroom of her own before they moved. To me the best part of home teaching was being trusted and allowed to help and serve our assigned families.
Throughout the years we have felt a special bond with the children in these families and we learned their names and prepared each month so we could relate a story that would involve them in discussions as we met with the families. Tricks or puzzles were also presented to the children. After the first or second visit, the parents did not have to call the children to let them know the home teachers were there as they would usually be at the door awaiting our arrival.
It is not easy for people to ask for help in this day and age when it is felt that every family should be self-sufficient. Sometimes we, as home teachers, need to be alert to what is happening in the lives of our families and volunteer our services before they are forced by circumstances to ask for our help.
The expressions of thanks and appreciation from the families for the small services that we have rendered as home teachers have been heartfelt. We truly were blessed to know such fine saints and we thank the Lord for allowing us to serve. Home teaching has truly been an inspired portion of the restored gospel and when accompanied by the spirit, the teachers gain as much or more than the families they are called to teach and watch over.