An IW's task is to find the cause of problems in a center and help the members improve their relationships. Some members think IWs only come to gather information and expose problems. But the IWs' mission is to help brothers and sisters develop good relationships and improve conditions in the center so they can work better. You're there to help them, not just to unveil their faults. You must change any negative image of IWs that exists, otherwise it will be very difficult for you to accomplish your mission. It will take time, but you must succeed. Your attitude and the guidance you give will surely help members develop a better feeling toward IWs. You will be visiting centers and meeting many members. The most important thing is to establish good contact with them. Actually this applies to all our relationships, not just those in our centers.

Skin contact is crucial to a baby's healthy development. A mother must express her love for her baby through intimate physical contact. If a baby doesn't receive such love its body won't function properly; it fails to produce essential hormones. This can lead to stunted growth or in extreme cases even to death. Man needs skin contact; it is especially important during a child's development. Children also need communication of heart as they grow. Those who have a loving relationship with their parents will find it easier to relate to other people. Those who lack such a relationship will not only have difficulty relating to others, they will also experience difficulty raising children. The same thing is true with animals. Scientists performed experiments with monkeys, isolating them from others for long periods of time and discovered that such monkeys couldn't take care of their offspring. The experience or lack of heartistic relationships affects all aspects of our life. We need heartistic communication in our centers, otherwise all kinds of problems crop up.

We say we are members of a family, so we must help members develop the kind of relationships they should have experienced in their own family. We must establish this in our centers, otherwise members cannot become good people and children of God. Anyway our main focus is to help members become true children of God. If we fail to do this, we cannot achieve our purpose. So always keep in mind that you visit centers to help members achieve this goal. Sometimes you will find a member with a health problem. You must help them improve their health and find a way for them to contribute to the providence. This is important for the member's spiritual well being as well. If we have good heartistic relationships we can pave the way for good results. If members can express their problems, we can help them solve them; so members must be able to express themselves openly. If they don't trust you they will never reveal their true feelings. So you must win their trust. Past IWs weren't really welcomed when they visited centers. This must change. You must create a better understanding of the IWs' mission by offering good advice and guidance. IWs are very important for the centers' well being.

Germans are thrifty and prudent. Foreign members should learn this virtue from German brothers and sisters. If you waste electricity or water, you waste money and must fund raise more. Try to be as economical as possible and keep your eyes open to find ways to save money. IWs can help centers by pointing out ways to save money. We can save in many ways. For example, there is a leaky tap in my bathroom, so I save the water by putting a plug in the sink and storing the water until I need it. It's good clean water and costs money, so it's much better to use it than to just let it go down the drain. We should also save electricity. It's good to develop this attitude. You can learn something valuable from this. So IWs should advise members about life in general as well as religious life. There are many small things we can improve that will automatically lead to even greater improvements.

Disagreements about money can cause big problems. If we clarify how money is being used there should be no problem, but if members feel money is being wasted, it becomes more difficult to fund raise. Therefore we must clarify the situation. When money is used well members will be happy to fund raise, even when extra fund raising is required. I know of a church business in which members lost all desire to make money simply because they weren't sure how it was being used. Sometimes money isn't used wisely, this doesn't mean the user had bad intentions; he was probably inexperienced in the use of money. The problem is complicated by the fact that in addition to having to fund raise more, members lose confidence in their leader's ability. Leaders must learn how to save money by using it wisely. IWs, as housewives, should be able to offer center leaders tips about the wise use of money as well as ways to let members know that it's being used properly. We know we need to fund raise, but we also need time for witnessing and other activities. We must balance our activities, continual fund raising is uninspiring.

The most important person in a center is the leader. He must set a good example for his members, otherwise he can't expect them to follow him. IWs must encourage center leaders to be exemplary members. They often don't realize they're doing something wrong or that something needs to be changed. When they recognize their mistakes though, they can correct them and become better leaders. IWs must help them in this respect. They are good people. They don't have any bad intentions; they make mistakes due to their lack of experience. You must help them learn from their mistakes and become better leaders.

You must be problem solvers. Your mission is to create good relationships between leaders and their members and among the members themselves. You must hear both sides of every problem or you may misjudge the situation. It is important to completely understand the situation. Grave misunderstandings and problems usually start from small mistakes. So when we correct the minor problems our centers can be greatly improved and members' relationships will improve as well.

You are also a bridge between headquarters and the centers. Sometimes members aren't informed about the decisions made in headquarters. You should keep them informed about such decisions and what goals we are working toward. All members should clearly understand such things. Centers should keep a file of speeches, newsletters and instructions received from headquarters for members to read. It's also good to hear member's suggestions. They shouldn't get the impression that they only receive orders from above and can't share their own ideas. That's not good. Center leaders should listen to their members' ideas and report good ideas to HQ. We need good communication and understanding between headquarters and the centers. IWs should form an additional communications link between headquarters and the centers. Problems arise when communication is interrupted, so you can help strengthen this connection. Thank you.

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