How can I work with the members?

So, a few days ago I got a package from the young women in the ward with some very nice letters and some candies… including gummy burgers mmmm.  Please be sure to tell them all thank you. They all wrote about how great you are, mom… and how proud you are [of Bryce]. Amanda Arnold wrote her testimony in Spanish which was impressive! Here are a few of the questions they asked, if you would be so kind to reply to them:

1. How is Mexico? — Mexico is great, there are a lot of people and they are very open and social. Most of them live very humbly. The food is delicious… well not all of it
2. What is it like this time of year? — Hot during the afternoon (like I’m sweating) and cold at night (like I use a coat); very strange. It’s a little drier because it hasn’t rained in a few weeks but it’s still quite green. The leaves don’t change color here.
3. What was your favorite talk from General Conference? — see my letter from that week.

This week we have a conference with Elder Johnson, who is the Area President. And as you can imagine, I am very excited for that! Things are going well with Elder Lauterio and we are continuing to learn together.

In our area, we are trying to focus more on working with the members. We have been praying to know how we can help the members get excited and participate in missionary work and how we can help our converts and the youth of the ward to have the desire and preparation to serve a full time mission. The idea we’ve come up with is to divide our area into sections and to assign ward missionaries to each section. They will have a list of part member families and less actives that live in their section and we will accompany them on visits. We’re also planning to have a meeting once a week to teach and practice principles from Preach My Gospel, and review the needs of the families being visited. It’s going to be work to prepare everything, but I know it’s going to pay off. We’ve also shared these plans with the Bishop and he is working on calling ward missionaries to help us.

I am excited to have more member participation, and know that it will help the members participating and being visited to be nourished by the good word, to have a friend, and to have a responsibility. (The three needs for retention and a lasting conversion.)

I love the Lord, I love the church and the brethren, I love the people where I serve, and I love my family!

Have a great week!
-Elder Packer

Do you have any more ideas on how we can work more with the members?