Update on the Employment Resource Center work

Things at the ERC are progressing, we have seen some successes, but I do wonder sometimes how do we measure success? Is it employment? If so then we have had some success. In the past 2 weeks we have been able to show 8, with 2 more in the works as having employment. Now this being said it doesn't mean "we" have found jobs for everyone, but for the most part assisted. No I think it is something else, something that will take a lot of work and patience. Today we met with a member of the Hickory stake presidency and visited about the employment, our part and others part. I explained my analogy about moving the train, he said I get it. That seems to be the response, Ok Ok hush up already. He was busy, I get that, but I just am enthused and talk to much. The good news is he will meet with the bishops for a welfare meeting this evening and will find out who's doing what and what needs doing. So here is how I think we measure success, we (ERC) ->"help"<- (have I emphized the word help enough) each stake and ward within the mission to become self-reliant, at least in employment. When the stake president and 1 high councilor, the stake employment specialist, the bishops, HP group leaders, EQ presidents, RS presidents and ward employment specialists are signed up on ldsjobs.org and are seeing who from their ward is signed up, making contact with them, encouraging them and coaching them. Then when each ward member feels someone cares, and is willing to be there for them, the ward members have a desire to become self-reliant. That's all it takes, easy enough. My problem is the patience part. I want things moving, like a freight train on double track, with distributed power, 6.0 horse power per ton, 65 tons per operative brakes, carry UPS mail at Christmas time, nothing gets in the way!! What I need, is to know "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. Agency is our gift from the Lord. Boy I love being here and trying to serve the Lord though.
So about some pictures. Last Friday Sister Slade and I went into a small mall near by to get some pants hemmed as we walked to the building I noticed this lot and that it was cemetery.  We asked around and nobody really knew the history of it. One guy said that a hospital used to be across the street and this was there cemetery. Anyway, it was overgrown and unkept. The odd thing was that all the headstones were alike and in rows. Most just stated the name and when they died, example John Doe died March 3rd 1945. Interesting? The top two are Sister Slade looking around the cemetery.

 This picture below was at the cemetery, look at it, can you see the bird. It's an owl.

7 Oct 2014 New Pictures and happenings

Well today is Tuesday the 7th of October, why is that important? It's not, just another great day on the mission. Today was missionary leader training, I'll get back to that in a minute. Back at the office we have 2 more candidates close to landing a job. As it turns out we, the ERC, have partnered with the Goodwill industries of the Southern Piedmont. I guess it's not as it turns out, it is that a gentleman from the Goodwill contacted the ERC and wanted to sit down and discuss how we can work together to use each others resources to help serve the Charlotte area. We talked and I signed them up as 1. an employer and 2. as a community resource. So far it's working great, and looking good for the future. Things are moving forward at the ERC. Now about missionary leader training, the sister trainers and elders, district leaders and zone leaders meet as called by the mission president. So I posted some pictures at the lunch. 1st picture is Elder Youngstrom. 2nd picture is of president Craven walking in front, and sister Craven standing in the middle, 3rd is just a group shot. So why post these you ask? Well as I was sitting there watching them inter-act, I was thinking back during times when I worked with the youth at boy scout camp, girls camp (especially) and youth night. I thought how sometimes when the youth got together and they would gather with their friends, some one was always left out, standing alone. But not here, not on a mission because here you always have a companion. In the words of Tuco (from the Good the Bad and the Ugly) "even so a bandit like me knows there's always a brother who won't deny me a bowl of soup". It just so amazing to watch each sister or elder as they see a past companion run and hug each other.

Below is a picture of Sister Phillips (right) and Sister Zampeiron (left) Sister Zampeiron is from Brazil, she just learned english prior to and while at the MTC. She speaks very well, but it's a hoot to listen to hear talk. Sister Phillips is from Las Vegas, one of the better trainers buy the way. Oh and they live in the same apt complex all of us seniors are in.

Next is a picture of Sister Velarde (left) and Sister Urban (right) I was taking pictures and she grabbed Sister Urban and smiled, how could you not take a picture of that. Sister Urban is one of the office staff with her husband Elder Urban.

Sister Urban took the next few pictures, how can you pass up such a passal of beauty. (spiritual beauty of course). Michael Nuccio where are you?

I pretty well photo bombed this one.

Sister Zampeiron, Sister Phillips, Sister Slade and me (you know the camera puts on a few pounds)

And now for the last thing about today, North Carolina Charlotte mission, as with other missions were allowed to show a preview of the up coming movie "Meet the Mormons" Go! it's really good! 

The last picture is of Elder Urban (left), Elder Hunt, Sister Hunt, Sister Urban and Sister Slade (right) at dinner in the Urban's apt. after conference. And oh man wasn't conference amazing. I enjoyed every bit. That can be a whole other blog.

until next time, Keep the faith

A couple of stories from the ERC

It is always nice to have good things happen at the ERC. Last Monday, as most Mondays, we have a conference call with the region office. The center's office phone rang so I answered it and it was a woman on the other end she was thinking we were a employment agency, meaning we did hiring. Anyway I said no and that ended the conversation. After the conference call I started to call some one else about a job posting and dialed the last number on the phone, which was the woman who called earlier, I had forgotten she called. When she answered I asked for Ami (which is the sister about the job posting), she said no this is Cathy, realizing who it was now I apologized for getting off the phone so quick and explained who we were and what we were about. She explained that she had just lost her job and was looking for work. I invited her to come to the office she accepted and we signed her up on ldsjobs.org and showed her how to set up her profile and do job searches. Two days later she calls me and tells me she just got hired for another company, she had been doing searches and applications till she landed a job. Love that kind of news.

Another one, I got a call from a youn man, I believe from Ethopia, Sister Slade had sent him an email to check his status on ldsjobs.org. He calls back and asked me if he could come down and get a little help updating his profile, I told him come on down. He comes in and we go to the computer room and and sign him on (he already has a profile) so we can update his information. He has a good education, speaks english fairly well and actually is an chemical engineer. So we do more searches and come up with a few postings he is interested in. While we are talking I asked him what ward he is in, well he's not a member of our church. I told him that's OK we work with everyone who needs help, but I asked him how he found out about the ldsjobs website, apparently some member he was driving some where told him about it. This is great I'm thinking, then he says who attends church here? I tell him that it is a Young Single Adult Ward, by the way how old are you, 28 he says, I said you can come here if you like. I gave him the schedule and FHE day and time and explained what the FHE group does. He said that sounds fun, he wants to attend some meetings here. With his permission, I gave his contact info to the elders and he is now in there hands. Some one said if we prepare ourselves the Lord will send people our way who He has prepared to hear the gospel, I believe it! Well I have a few other things that I will post later, I really love this (missionary) work. Keep the faith,

a bite to eat

I saw this little guy grabbing a bite to eat in the parking lot.

More coming. As always keep the faith

Employment news

This past week, as is in most weeks, sometimes we're busy and sometimes not so much. When we stop and "see" and listen and "hear" we notice the Lord's hand in his work. Take for example the days in Gastonia and Shelby, Thursday (25 Sept. 2014). Sister Slade and I went to the Gastonia stake building for a career days, it was set up sort of randomly by the ward employment specialist. We were ask to be there by 5 pm and meet with whoever came in, now this is not how it is normally done, we usually have set appointments. We were there at 5 set up and ready, nobody is there nor comes at 5 or 6 or 7, but while we are waiting President Poole (Gastonia stake president) comes in and and we introduce ourselves. He tells us he is having bishopric training and ask would we come and do some training with the bishops. I said no thanks, ARE YOU KIDDING, I said I would love to. So I spent the better part of about 30 min. talking to the bishops about what we were there to do ( as far as our mission).  I expalined to them using a train analogy, here it is so bare with me. I explained that the engineer on a train controls the train movements, he can apply power and move faster or reduce power even apply brakes to slow down, he is in control of the movement of the train. Trains now have multiple engines (helpers as they were called but now is called distributed power) throughout the train, they have engines on the front (lead) entrained (middle) and at the rear. All these engines are controled from the lead engines, got it? Ok. The lead engines  are the priesthood leadership            ( stake press. or bishop), we respond to the priesthood, the middle and or rear units are the Hp group leaders, EQ pres. or RS pres. employment specialist and employment missionaries, the train is the ward members whether using welfare service or not.. Here is how it works the lead engines can try to move the train all by themselves they may or may not move it but either way it's a strain on resources. So the lead engines use the additional power to help move the train forward over the tracks sometimes your pushing hard and sometimes you back off, it all depends on how much the priesthood needs helpers, I told them if the lead engines don't use the power (helpers) at all they not only don't help but actually become dead weight. I said I do not want to be dead weight, so use us. After that the bishops started asking questions about what we did who we have been working with. I told them we need to get each priesthood leader (all of them) signed up on ldsjobs.org as leaders so they can effectively search and help. We (missionaries) email or call on the phone to our candidates every 10 days or so, they see them every week in person, they have a close, and personal relationship with their own members. I told them I am not trying to re-invent the wheel I just want to get the wheel rolling gain. Anyway that's a lot of info, but the point is the Lord's hand is in his work He supplies the engines (power) to each train, He knows how much is needed and how hard the terrain is. We just need to run the train effectively as He directs us. Love you all and Keep the faith.

Can't pass this picture up

I forgot 1 picture from the Cook Shack, I saw this hanging on the wall:

27 September 2014 several pictures

Couple of things to mention, 1. we received a letter from our wonderful stake presidency, this letter was given to all the missionaries from our stake but it still is nice to hear from them. 2. President Thies said that we need to record those spiritual things that happen while on this mission. So I am writing things down in both my journal and this blog. My journal is not as "filled" as it should be, but, between that and this blog I feel I am covering most things. I am enjoying writing this blog I hope whoever is reading it, enjoys it also. So anyway this past week was busy with different events. I want to post some pictures and then tell the stories.

This was a zone conference in Gastonia NC. Gastonia is about 25 miles due west of Charlotte. I had offered to help Elder Hunt (he and sister Hunt are one of the senior missionary couples). He has responsibility for the cars and bikes and things like that. Whenever there is a zone conference he goes to the conference and checks on the cars such as oil, brake fluid, coolant, tires etc. as the missionaries come to the conference. So I drive the cars to a spot to get the tires checked for pressure and we check the lights, flashers, brake lights and such. When we are done (this is the last thing we do) I drive the cars back and park them. I have helped them a couple of times and when I park them I try to get creative about how I do it. Sometimes by color or I would park them opposite of each other. So this day I parked all the Chevys first (7 cars) from dark to light then 1 VW and 1 Toyota then 4 Fords from dark to light. They get a kick out of it as I am setting up the order. The picture below is a picture of those cars.  I know, silly isn't it, but it is fun.

By the way at Gastonia I had my first NC Bar B Que served by the Relief Society, it was good!

So Sister Slade and I had appointments in Sheby NC (which is about 20+ miles west of Gastonia). We had a career days to do. The pictures below are from Shelby, NC. I saw this in the side yard of a house. I thought it looked like a camp site. Everything is so green! The next two below that are of houses in the neighborhood near the Shelby chapel.

So today was a P-day and Sister Slade and I along with Sister and Elder Hunt went on a short road trip to Union Grove, NC. We had read about a cafe that was run by a family for about 60 yrs.and every Saturday they get together and play music and invite anyone who wants to join in. So the pictures below are from the Cook Shack. The first one is of a young man who brought his guitar and joined in. He was really good "pickin" his guitar. if you look close you can see his tattoos, not talking bad but it was different. The next one is of the front and inside with sister Slade and sister Hunt and Elder Hunt. Then of the group (band) together.

So it has been fun, but not without many great experiences. I'll add some later. Keep the faith