GR RIVER BR SABBATH DISCUSSION ON SELF RELIANCE AND EMPLOYMENT

Preparing for a multitude of things we spent another full Saturday in the office. While working, Family Services was waiting for adoptive parents to come for their newborn 3 day old baby. To keep the baby happy I was asked to help. There is Great Joy in all that we are asked to do.

That day we also had a baptism for Brother Mathews, the tall man. It is easy to understand that his wife's parents from Oregon would be there. Elder Bradshaw who was going home from his mission was able to touch his heart with his teaching from the Spirit. It was the Mathew's truck that was stolen and the missionaries found it. This was all part of the culminating conditions that brought him to baptism. Elder Bradshaw returned home and missed Mathew's baptism. He could only send his love and best wishes. It was a joyful day.

Sunday afternoons at 5:00 we have been holding Sabbath Day Discussions on Self Reliance and Employment using many scriptures to inspire the development of skills and work.

There are only a few at a time who come. We would stay and do it for even one. We stay at the building after Church, after giving rides home. Elder Hoopes works non stop in the clerks office while I take a nap on the chairs. About 4:15 we start picking participants up to bring them to the discussion.

Amazingly our newly baptized 12 year old came with her 18 year old sister. She was a great participator and was able to immediately come up with her own power story after being taught about Personal Commercials and Power Stories. I thought about our own grandchildren and how they would all benefit throughout their school years by learning the skills from these classes. If any of you are youth leaders, the Employment Specialists could teach and apply these lessons to the youth, especially those going off to college and especially those who have finished their missions. Elder Hoopes does teach those in our mission who are returning home. Personal commercials, Power Statements & Networking during college years will benefit them immensely.

What I would like our children and grandchildren to do is to use Power Statements as a preface to any situation that must be resolved or activity they need to accomplish.

This is called a C.A.R.: a Condition, Action and Result.

The Power Statements written down, kept and memorized

are a great summary of things accomplished.

The approach in teaching the C.A.R. Power Statements is for us to look back in our life's past experiences from which we will find examples to give proof of our skills . However Susan and I at the office talked about how marvelous it would have been to know about and use C.A.R. in all of our activities growing up as children and as a focus serving the Lord in our callings when 'Planning With A Purpose'. Two things would be accomplished: 1. target goal setting and 2. power statements created by going forward rather than having to dig and dig into our past to find them.

We encourage our grand children to plan a goal every evening for the next day, (even if several days of Actions are required to accomplish a Result). At the end of the day, evaluate the goal with Mom and Dad by saying, "I can..." "I have..." "I am...." . State your skill for the day, give an example of it and give the impressive Result. This will be your power statement for the day. This daily goal setting will help during teen years and adult years when so much of worldly ways try to distract from spiritual ways of keeping our eye on the Lord and His Atonement.

To do this, teach the children to start with the end in mind. Visualize and first write down the Results expected (the Priesthood Purpose). Select the Condition with statements that describe the situation. Then layout the Action steps to achieve the Results. These can be used to accomplish all tasks throughout life and will in the end 1. document proof of skills developed,
2. build confidence and 3. help with power statements when times come to interview for employment. To know more about creating these statements just go to the Site Map on ldsjobs.org .

https://www.ldsjobs.org/ers/siteMap.jsf

The C.A.R. applies to all levels of jobseeker's experience. We give an example of a man with a 6 digit income who practices his statements daily. He selected 9 skills he possessed and memorized 3 Power Statements for each skill that provided proof for each skill. He practiced some of his 27 power statements daily. To impress the importance of having them memorized is using the example of a concert pianist who plays a piece 70 times perfectly before the concert, so in our case, before the interview.

A suggestion to anyone (employed, under employed or desiring to help others with employment needs) who wants to learn more about these things and how the Church offers to help us, just go to the Site Map on ldsjobs.org. If you are a job seeker, sign in and please fill out your profile to 90%. Adding six power stories will increase the % and will also make it visible to specialists and employers (IF you check the box to allow them to see you). We even encourage employed people to take the Career Workshops so they can help others. One man takes the workshop every year to just to stay alert and maintain his employment. Good idea.

Do we love our Employment Mission. Absolutely!

This class was in the foyer of our building,

PALMER PARK CAREER WORKSHOP

Here is our precious Sister in heels and a suit, riding her bike to the CWS. The two sister who organize this Detroit event have red and green flags so that when something is negative the red flags are waved. Something good and positive brings up the green flags and makes it real fun.


Everyone was surprised with a mock interview. After our biker Sister had her interview she came with head down and was sure she had done terrible.

After the interviews we watched each one to give positive feedback for all that was good. The interviewee is asked what he or she liked about their interview. Then the interviewee is asked what they didn't like about how they handled their interview. The last element is to ask the group if they have any helpful feed back for that person, having taught earlier that it takes courage to give feedback and that feedback is a gift.

We teach that we must take feedback as the reality of the person and see if anything can be learned from it. Then to consider first the impact of the impression we make rather than thinking first about our intention and so to consider it helpful, write it down and to say thank you for their feedback.

When it came time for our Sister to watch her interview she hid her face, fearful of watching herself. She gave me permission to share this with everyone.

The joy of it all was when the viewing of her interview was over, everyone energetically raised and waved their GREEN flags. She truly was awesome! Anyone proactive enough to ride a bike to the bus, lock it up to a sign, leave it to get where she needs to go, and to do all this to come to the CWS you know she has targeted goals and enthusiasm. She is our Primary President. And though her life is very sad, she is a go forward person and a great example to our members. She now has greater confidence in herself having learned many more things from the workshop.

We are grateful to be helping in this great welfare need and for the love, compassion and understanding that it brings into our spiritual lives.

SPECIAL EVENTS AND BEAUTIES ON OUR MISSION

All the activity around the Bishop's Storehouse is thrilling. The geese are always fascinating and their personalities are so obvious. We see them communicate and hear them on the roof. Squirrels and little birds are always interacting too. There is always a show going on with all the unique creatures in the city.


And it is always exciting to have Danita and Murphy drive in to clean the storehouse trucks. Danita realized at one time all the people who ride in our car get baptized. Danita our new member since December has the Elders teaching all those who work in her car wash. Many have joined the Church as did Murphy. She is the ultimate example of a new member. Her first calling was Welfare Specialist. She is now an inspiring Relief Society teacher



Our regular meetings and dinners with Mission President Holms and his family and our wonderful Senior Missionaries.


Baptism of dear 12 year old Noel sister to Carmen who was just also recently baptsized.We enjoyed taking pictures. Then Elder Hoopes put the camera in his pocket and H - oopes it went into the font.

Every six weeks there are missionaries finishing their missions who stay their last night with us. Another of the special events and beauties of our mission.

Temple August 2, 2011

Here are two sisters who we took to the temple for baptisms some time back. Now they have each been through the temple for their own Endowment. It was a wonderful evening. Arrived home at midnight. A long and beautiful day.

On Wednesday evenings now, instead of being in study with the group, I am watching over the little ones. It is fun and also very special.