Reneé ringing the bell.
I gotta include some of these amazing stories that just make me so happy!
Success story #1 (of many)
Reneé is from Peru and came here only two weeks before we met her in the office. Before coming to Chile, she lost both her father and mother within two months and so needed to live with some relatives in Chile. But needing to be on her own and have a job, she came to the LDS Employment office and we put her in the Workshop. She came and participated, but with the help of another sister in the office, she got a job cleaning a woman's house. She was so excited and so she rang the bell in the office. It really gives people hope when they do that! She came into the office on Friday and she was notably happier and calmer. It was great!
Success story #2
Lucia, another sister from Peru, was in the same workshop as Reneé. After completing the workshop, she came into the office and said she got accepted to work at a large supermarket here in Santiago. I saw her in the temple the other day and she looked happy too!
Success story #3
Remember the Haitian family? Well, here's the rest of the story. When Jonas came into the office last week, he saw a job offer for a seamstress and mentioned that Maya sews really well. The problem was how to take care of their son. Maya asked me to call the lady to find out if she could bring him to work. I tried all week calling the lady and finally got a hold of her Friday. I asked her about it and the lady said that it should be no problem. I was excited and so I gave her Maya's name and number. On Sunday, I asked Maya about it at church and she said the lady called her and she starts work today! So happy! She looked relieved!
Success story #4
This is a little different because the sister looking for a job was a little particular about the job she wants. Ester Diaz had been coming in every week looking for a Monday through Friday job (she works in the temple on Saturdays and will not change that at all!). Every time the phone would ring and we would jot down notes about a job offer, she would run to the desk where I was at asking about it. I would tell her the specifics and the requirements, which I knew she didn't have (we're talking about job offers like truck drivers and teaching positions - she wouldn't have those). She would return to her seat, just waiting for the phone to ring. It was sad. I went to where she was and talked to her about what exactly she was doing to find a job, because (I didn't tell her this), sitting there waiting for a job offer wouldn't help her in the slightest. I helped remind her to keep her "line in the water" all day and to keep increasing her network and do her contacts. I asked her if she's ever done the workshop, which she had, but later asked to be enrolled in the career workshop again (she took it a long time ago). I felt better knowing that I was doing something to help her instead of just watching her sit there every time she came in.
Well, on Friday, a job offer for a housekeeper came in from an elderly gentleman. He needed someone Monday through Friday from 9 to 2. I took down the offer and sent it to the other office in town to put with the other job offers we receive. Later on, I saw Ester and she was talking with another sister in the office. I thought of the job offer from that morning about housekeeping and I told her about it and she took down the number. After talking with the gentleman, she left right away for an interview with him. Saturday I saw her and she said she starts work today as well!! She looked relieved, yet again! Wahoo!! I felt so good!
Stay tuned for more success stories!
This is me with Sis. Vicki Matsumori from the Primary General Presidency. She and Sis. Barbara Thompson from the RS General Presidency came to speak in Santiago. They are so cute!
This is what it looks like in Santiago when it rains, which isn't very often. We even hear thunder!
