A Shepherd in Israel

This month in the October Ensign there was an article by Elder Daniel L. Johnson entitled "Me? A shepherd in Israel." In Luke 15 Christ tells the parable of the lost sheep saying, "What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing." I immediately thought of Doctrine and Covenants 18:10 saying, "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;"
I love thinking of Christ as a shepherd figure watching over us and leading us in the right direction. He is not the only shepherd however. In Ezekiel 34 God is chastising His under shepherds for not doing a good job feeding His flock. Well, who are my sheep that I've been assigned? Those I visit teach, the girls in activity days, my family... Are there any that are lost? In our stake we have been specifically counseled to go seek after those that are less active this year and try to help them find their way back to church. A number of people came to mind and more have come across my path since.
"We are shepherds watching over Israel. The hungry sheep look up, ready to be fed the bread of life... Our task is to reach out to those who, for whatever reason, are in need of our help."
President Thomas S. Monson, Nov. 2006 Ensign
We invited a couple over for dinner a while ago where the husband is only partially enjoying the blessings of the gospel. He was at church this past Sunday with his wife and stayed for two hours, I'm not sure if that was in any way due to us but hopefully it helped. I've exchanged some emails with friends that have fallen away. Have they come back yet- no, but should I give up- no. I even found out that my OBGYN was baptized a member of the church but now no longer attends. What can I do for her? I think the key phrase is, "until he find it." It can't be a one time effort and must involve real love.
"May we remember our responsibilities as shepherds so that we can give a good accounting to the Lord regarding our stewardship over the sheep He has assigned to each of us." (Elder Daniel L. Johnson, same article)