“Provide Them with the Tools They Needed to Succeed”

When Ignacio García was called in 1991 to be the bishop of the Spanish-speaking Sonora Ward in Tucson, Arizona, membership was falling, it was hard to fill callings, and attendance at stake activities was low. Some stake leaders and ward members had come to view their congregation of Spanish-speaking members as a unit that would never be as functional as the English-speaking wards.

“Notwithstanding their faith and commitment to the Church, there were many members who had internalized low expectations,” remembered Ignacio, “because the bar had been set too low for them, and because few leaders expected any more from them besides good ‘fiestas,’ with lots of food and foot-tapping music.”

Ignacio started by organizing a retreat for all the ward leaders, including his predecessor, where working groups talked about ward needs and prayerfully set goals. The yearly ward budget was submitted to all ward members for discussion and a vote.

“He fully trusted our dedication and ability, and if mistakes were made, he patiently provided guidance. This gave us freedom to act,” said Yolanda Rodriguez. “He called me to be the president of the Primary and gave me the authority to act on my calling. I felt so capable, despite my five children, and among them a girl with special needs. He always called me ‘my third counselor.’”

Ignacio worked to reach out to those who attended less regularly, many of whom were single women or women in part-member families. He worked closely with the Relief Society president, Rosa Sardina, tending to the needs of the whole ward. “She presided over the largest group of members, and the issues she dealt with affected every family in the ward community,” he said.

He and other ward leaders sought to validate the commitment of members with little financial means, who made great sacrifices to serve at Church while juggling multiple jobs and family responsibilities. He called as ward clerk Yolanda’s husband, Daniel, who had no formal education but who had a natural capacity for learning, and patiently trained him.

Ignacio and ward leaders coordinated with other Spanish-speaking units in Arizona and one in Mexico to organize youth conferences, featuring cultural events, sports, financial workshops, religious training, and discussions of Mexican American history. “Bringing hundreds of young people together to play, learn, and worship created an incredible energy,” Ignacio said. “They learned that their culture and their talents, put forth in a positive way, could provide them with the tools they needed to succeed in both the world and the Church.”

Within the first year of the Sonora Ward’s new efforts, home and visiting teaching completion rates went from the low 20s to over 90 percent. Attendance at stake meetings was the highest of any ward. “We were all very close. If someone needed something, everyone cooperated and helped,” remembered Yolanda. “In cultural affairs, he gave us the freedom to express ourselves through dance, song and theater and ‘in Spanish.’ This gave us confidence and happiness.”