We were pretty much getting settled into our responsibilities at the Employment Center when I heard that they were going to add another couple at the new Education Referral Center. I mentioned that Grandpa would love working close to Dixie College. Next thing I knew we were called into the Assistant Director's office and said that we were being transferred to the Educational Center. When it came down to it, I was kind of nervous. This new mission is a pilot program to help people who have been out of school and want to get back in to school, maybe they have lost their jobs and have decided to go to school, or in one of the cases that I am working on is a mother whose has three little girls and her husband has left her so she needs to get a occupation and wants to be a dental hygienist.
We went the next Monday to the Center which is located at the LDS Institute building next to the college. It is a gorgeous building. We are in room 224. The other couple that we are working with is Janet and Grant Cammack. I worked with Janet in the Relief Society Presidency and we are really good friends. When I went into the office, there were papers everywhere. Janet said she was so happy to have me there to organize the office. Now that is one thing I can do. It took me two days to do this. Janet worked for many years at the college over the Scholarship program so knows the ins and outs of obtaining scholarships and Pell grants. She also knows everyone in the college so that makes it a little easier for us to get the information that we need.
Our main responsibilities are to interview candidates and see what their needs are. The one young mother I mentioned wants to be a dental assistant before she goes to school so that she can make a little more money than she is making now. After much research, we find that we don't have any schools that provide schools for this. Plus there wouldn't be any federal funding for this. We found that dental offices do on the job training. The only thing is that it cost about $2500.00 for it. She was real discouraged when she heard this. I think that is the hardest thing we have run across. The church is helping these people with food and such and they don't want to ask for schooling. We have been discussing this with the higher ups and I think there will be some funding for them.
On Wednesday, Janet and I went around to all the beauty colleges and the skin institute. When we went to Paul Mitchell's school we learned about their program and the girl in charge offered Janet and I a free facial. We went Saturday, How much fun was that?
Grandpa has such a way of expressing himself. We had one man that came in and said that he was interested in the Medical field or maybe working with troubled kids or a few other things. Grandpa was able to say the things that he needed to hear. I think he wants to push ahead but doesn't have the self confidence to do it.
Grandpa is thinking of starting a class on succeeding in school. I think that this would really help the candidates get the motivation they need.
One thing I know for sure is that I love helping people get on with their lives and feel better about themselves.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Our Mission continues
We have been serving for a while now and getting used to our new duties as Missionaries. Grandpa has been assigned as one of the teachers of the Career Workshop. He teaches candidates how to create a "me in 30 seconds". It is quite cool. Usually employers will ask you to tell them something about yourself. You have around 30 seconds to wow them before their mind starts to wander. This would be the time where you sell yourself. I wish I would have learned that many years ago.
Grandpa has been helping people that do not speak very much English. It makes me so proud of him when I hear him rattle off Spanish. He puts the people at ease when they come in looking for work. He was interviewing a husband and wife the other day. After it was all over he came over and talked to me. He felt bad for them because they were here illegally. They had been here for seven years and he had lost his job. He has a son that is graduating high school this year. I would imagine that they are probably looking over their shoulders all the time for fear someone will find out.
I have been made office coordinator. I get to play office and help people on the computers. When Missionaries come into the Employment office, a lot of them haven't really been on the computer much let a lone know about email and other programs that they have to learn. The employment program on the computer is pretty user friendly. We have to keep track of all the hours that we work. They are called consecrated hours. I made a spreadsheet that keeps each persons hours on a separate sheet and then totals them on a totals page. It automatically calculates the hours.
I have been working with a few people that have just lost their jobs. One lady comes in everyday and gets on the computer because she doesn't have Internet at home. She has applied for so many jobs but never hears back from them. Most companies want you to apply online and so sometimes you never get to meet them face to face. I get so attached to the people and find myself looking and looking for jobs for them. One thing I learned is that after you have an interview, it is good to send them a thank you note thanking them for their time. It really makes an impression on them.
Sometimes we are working with someone and spend quite a lot of time with them and they finally tell us that they haven't graduated from high school and don't have a GED. They feel so bad about themselves and hate to tell us. I didn't realize that their is a program to help them get their GED or even high school diploma. It takes longer to get the diploma but it is done online and can be accomplished as fast as the person wants to work on it.
If I can tell you children anything, get as much education as you can. It is never too late to go back to school. I wish I would have.
Grandpa has been helping people that do not speak very much English. It makes me so proud of him when I hear him rattle off Spanish. He puts the people at ease when they come in looking for work. He was interviewing a husband and wife the other day. After it was all over he came over and talked to me. He felt bad for them because they were here illegally. They had been here for seven years and he had lost his job. He has a son that is graduating high school this year. I would imagine that they are probably looking over their shoulders all the time for fear someone will find out.
I have been made office coordinator. I get to play office and help people on the computers. When Missionaries come into the Employment office, a lot of them haven't really been on the computer much let a lone know about email and other programs that they have to learn. The employment program on the computer is pretty user friendly. We have to keep track of all the hours that we work. They are called consecrated hours. I made a spreadsheet that keeps each persons hours on a separate sheet and then totals them on a totals page. It automatically calculates the hours.
I have been working with a few people that have just lost their jobs. One lady comes in everyday and gets on the computer because she doesn't have Internet at home. She has applied for so many jobs but never hears back from them. Most companies want you to apply online and so sometimes you never get to meet them face to face. I get so attached to the people and find myself looking and looking for jobs for them. One thing I learned is that after you have an interview, it is good to send them a thank you note thanking them for their time. It really makes an impression on them.
Sometimes we are working with someone and spend quite a lot of time with them and they finally tell us that they haven't graduated from high school and don't have a GED. They feel so bad about themselves and hate to tell us. I didn't realize that their is a program to help them get their GED or even high school diploma. It takes longer to get the diploma but it is done online and can be accomplished as fast as the person wants to work on it.
If I can tell you children anything, get as much education as you can. It is never too late to go back to school. I wish I would have.
Monday, November 2, 2009
The Mission Starts....
We started our Mission on September 1, 2009. We went for three days of training. Once we made the decision to serve, we were so excited to learn all we could about what we would be doing. They were very excited to have Ron there to help with the people that could not speak English. We call the people we help Candidates.
After the three days of training they basically turned us loose. The computer part was easy for me but trying to find solutions to some of the situations was harder. We work with Candidates from all walks of life. With the economy the way it is, people that thought they had their lives all in order, found themselves without a job.
It is so amazing how much the church does for people. We are adjacent to the Deseret Industries. We went on a tour of the facilities. They offer people a chance to change their lives. Upstairs is the Humanitarian department, which they are remodeling. They have part time Missionaries that help gather blankets, toys, toiletries, clothes, etc. for countries all over the world. I know in our ward, once a month the Sisters get together and make quilts, hats for newborns, leprosy bandages, puzzles, books, etc. for hospitals to give comfort to those that our having a hard time.
They also have a program to help their clients get their GED's. It is so great to see the program and how it is implemented with the Missionaries as mentors. They wanted Grandpa and I to do this. We both said, I hope it isn't in Math. She gave me a math workbook to look at. Some of the people have been out of school for many years and don't have much self-confidence. We try and make anyone we work with feel better about themselves when they leave.
Now, I have to tell you a story. Grandpa and I went to Las Vegas so that he could baptize Savannah. After a wonderful day we were heading home. Whenever we do anything related to the church, we need to wear our Missionary badges, so we had them on while we were traveling home. I was busy playing a game on my palm when Grandpa said oh, we are going to get a ticket. I said, "Were you speeding?" Sure enough, we saw the lights go on. We pulled over, and then we hear over a loud speaker to go further up to get out of the way of traffic. Of course, I said; "Oh, trouble." He came to my side of the car and said "Hello folks, do you know why I stopped you?" Grandpa said no, maybe speeding? He said yeah, you were going 83 in a 55 mile zone. Now, I have to tell you that it had just changed to go into the gorge. We both gulped. He then asked us where we had been. We told him to our daughter-in-laws baptism. He looked at my badge and said, so are you Missionaries. We told him yes. He asked us where we were serving. We told him at the LDS Employment Center. He said so if I lose my job, you will get one for me? We told him yes. He got Grandpa's license and registration. He was gone forever. He came back with a clipboard and I thought we are going to get a ticket. He showed us what we would of paid if we got the ticket. It would of been $483.00. He then said that he was just giving us a written warning. He told us to go talk to our Bishop the next day and tell him what we did. We laughed. Now I don't leave home without my badge. Just kidding. But I have to tell you, people show such respect to us when we have our badges on.
Also in our office we have a transient Bishop that work with the homeless, people who get stuck in St. George and can't get home and various other reasons. When I see them come in they look so sad and hopeless. Most of the people are homeless that come in. Some look like they haven't had a shower in a very long time. They also have children with them sometimes. A lot of times they let them work at the DI in exchange for shoes or clothes. One thing I heard from one of the Bishop's wife is that when people have been sent to the prison in Hurricane, which is the next town over, they are let out with the clothes that they came in with. One lady had been arrested in her nightgown. When she got out, she had gained weight, but they sent her out with the nightgown anyway. Now, if you don't have anyone to pick you up, you are in big trouble. There isn't any public transportation from the prison to St. George. This poor woman walked into our office in the ill fitting nightgown. They of course, got her something to wear. This has really been bothering me and I am going to look into getting donations to the prison with clothes and shoes for the ones being let out.
After the three days of training they basically turned us loose. The computer part was easy for me but trying to find solutions to some of the situations was harder. We work with Candidates from all walks of life. With the economy the way it is, people that thought they had their lives all in order, found themselves without a job.
It is so amazing how much the church does for people. We are adjacent to the Deseret Industries. We went on a tour of the facilities. They offer people a chance to change their lives. Upstairs is the Humanitarian department, which they are remodeling. They have part time Missionaries that help gather blankets, toys, toiletries, clothes, etc. for countries all over the world. I know in our ward, once a month the Sisters get together and make quilts, hats for newborns, leprosy bandages, puzzles, books, etc. for hospitals to give comfort to those that our having a hard time.
They also have a program to help their clients get their GED's. It is so great to see the program and how it is implemented with the Missionaries as mentors. They wanted Grandpa and I to do this. We both said, I hope it isn't in Math. She gave me a math workbook to look at. Some of the people have been out of school for many years and don't have much self-confidence. We try and make anyone we work with feel better about themselves when they leave.
Now, I have to tell you a story. Grandpa and I went to Las Vegas so that he could baptize Savannah. After a wonderful day we were heading home. Whenever we do anything related to the church, we need to wear our Missionary badges, so we had them on while we were traveling home. I was busy playing a game on my palm when Grandpa said oh, we are going to get a ticket. I said, "Were you speeding?" Sure enough, we saw the lights go on. We pulled over, and then we hear over a loud speaker to go further up to get out of the way of traffic. Of course, I said; "Oh, trouble." He came to my side of the car and said "Hello folks, do you know why I stopped you?" Grandpa said no, maybe speeding? He said yeah, you were going 83 in a 55 mile zone. Now, I have to tell you that it had just changed to go into the gorge. We both gulped. He then asked us where we had been. We told him to our daughter-in-laws baptism. He looked at my badge and said, so are you Missionaries. We told him yes. He asked us where we were serving. We told him at the LDS Employment Center. He said so if I lose my job, you will get one for me? We told him yes. He got Grandpa's license and registration. He was gone forever. He came back with a clipboard and I thought we are going to get a ticket. He showed us what we would of paid if we got the ticket. It would of been $483.00. He then said that he was just giving us a written warning. He told us to go talk to our Bishop the next day and tell him what we did. We laughed. Now I don't leave home without my badge. Just kidding. But I have to tell you, people show such respect to us when we have our badges on.
Also in our office we have a transient Bishop that work with the homeless, people who get stuck in St. George and can't get home and various other reasons. When I see them come in they look so sad and hopeless. Most of the people are homeless that come in. Some look like they haven't had a shower in a very long time. They also have children with them sometimes. A lot of times they let them work at the DI in exchange for shoes or clothes. One thing I heard from one of the Bishop's wife is that when people have been sent to the prison in Hurricane, which is the next town over, they are let out with the clothes that they came in with. One lady had been arrested in her nightgown. When she got out, she had gained weight, but they sent her out with the nightgown anyway. Now, if you don't have anyone to pick you up, you are in big trouble. There isn't any public transportation from the prison to St. George. This poor woman walked into our office in the ill fitting nightgown. They of course, got her something to wear. This has really been bothering me and I am going to look into getting donations to the prison with clothes and shoes for the ones being let out.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
The Call
Ron and I have talked about going on a mission since we first got married. We were newly married and the time to serve a mission would be many years away. We had children to raise and employment to think about. Ron always dreamed of going back to Chile where he served as a young man.
I had just gotten released from the Relief Society Presidency at the end of July 2009. One day soon after,while I was out and about, Ron answered a call from the executive secretary setting up a appointment to meet with the Bishop for that Sunday. I thought, oh trouble, the Bishop is over the Relief Society and the Activities committee and I just got released from Relief Society so Activities committe here we come.
We were sitting in the Bishop's office waiting for him. Ron was chewing gum and I was trying to think of reasons why I couldn't be on the Activities committee when the Bishop came in and sat down. The next thing I heard was. "I want to call you on a mission." It would be a part time mission at the Church Employment Center. I looked at Ron and his mouth was going a mile a minute and I must of looked like a doe in the headlights because the Bishop said. "Don't answer me now, think about it and we will talk next week."
We went home and thought of all the reasons why we couldn't do it. After all he was going to be teaching four classes that semester and would really be busy. I knew I had so many things to do with children and grandchildren. I talked to some of our children and they knew that we should accept the call. After praying about it we also knew. After all we have been praying to our Heavenly Father for years for the opportunity to serve a mission. We always knew we would serve a mission but we thought that was for when we were older. Oh yeah, we are.
I had just gotten released from the Relief Society Presidency at the end of July 2009. One day soon after,while I was out and about, Ron answered a call from the executive secretary setting up a appointment to meet with the Bishop for that Sunday. I thought, oh trouble, the Bishop is over the Relief Society and the Activities committee and I just got released from Relief Society so Activities committe here we come.
We were sitting in the Bishop's office waiting for him. Ron was chewing gum and I was trying to think of reasons why I couldn't be on the Activities committee when the Bishop came in and sat down. The next thing I heard was. "I want to call you on a mission." It would be a part time mission at the Church Employment Center. I looked at Ron and his mouth was going a mile a minute and I must of looked like a doe in the headlights because the Bishop said. "Don't answer me now, think about it and we will talk next week."
We went home and thought of all the reasons why we couldn't do it. After all he was going to be teaching four classes that semester and would really be busy. I knew I had so many things to do with children and grandchildren. I talked to some of our children and they knew that we should accept the call. After praying about it we also knew. After all we have been praying to our Heavenly Father for years for the opportunity to serve a mission. We always knew we would serve a mission but we thought that was for when we were older. Oh yeah, we are.
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