January 9th 2011

9 January 2011

Snow, Snow, Snow ~ this morning during church it started snowing and it has really been coming down. It’s very pretty -- as long as you’re inside.
This past Monday we had another day off for New Years Day, even though it was the 3rd. We took a little drive out to Graham and Possum Kingdom area. Graham is in the Weatherford Stake so part of the area that we serve. We have had quite a few jobs posted for ‘Possum Kingdom,’ so we were interested in finding out what that was all about. It is actually a pretty area on a lake, there are also hills in that area too.
Since the Center opened back up on Tuesday after the holidays and several days of being closed we have been so very busy. I suppose the start of a new year and people are ready to focus on their job search once again. We have also seen quite a few new college graduates, particularly from BYU-I, that just graduated in December and are now entering the job market, well at least they are hopeful to do so.
Tuesdays we are open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm since the Bishop’s Storehouse is open until 8:00 pm. Therefore the Phelps come in at noon and then stay until 8:00 pm. Gloria is in Arlington that day so I take the front desk that morning. There were 24 phone messages to respond to! This would have been alright if that is all there was to do but there were at least 28 people that came in that day also. It took me 2 days to get back with everyone, but I finally got it done. Two of those phones calls were from member employers who needed to hire someone right away. We were able to contact several candidates and help them get jobs. It’s great when it works out that way!
Wednesday the Phelps had their P-day so Elder Nelson and I were kept very busy that day also. Thursday was our P-day. We invited the Morell’s to go with us to Fort Worth and we visited the Aman Carter Museum. There was a lot of western art in this museum also, my latest favorite. It’s nice to see a painting or a sculpture of a horse, cow and/or some barb wire once in a while if you don’t get to see it in person I suppose. We also went to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens – Japanese gardens. It is even beautiful in the middle of the winter.
Wednesday evening we were back to our regular schedule of the Sunbeck Spanish Branch piano lessons. We had a good group and a couple more joined us. The two ladies were very excited to get their own personal keyboards, however one of them doesn’t work so I’m awaiting word as to what I should do about that.
Friday was the Career Workshop, in which I teach the Career Options portion. It lasts 1 to 2 hours depending on the group and their needs. In this group we had a man and wife who had retired from their original careers of twenty years and wondering what to do next. The past year they had been house parents at a boarding school in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Hershey didn’t have any children so 100 years ago as a charity began a school for children ages 4 to 18 who were underprivileged. Once accepted into the program there is no cost of fees at all. It started out for 10 or 20 children, now there are more than 18,000 students. It was amazing to hear about and to know that someone set such a thing up as a service to children. However, their work schedule was a nightmare so they are looking for a new opportunity. So we did all of the activities. They were very appreciative and wished they had been able to do such activities when they were first making decisions of which direction to go in life.
Saturday a previous candidate and Ward Employment Specialist had called in and made an appointment for Elder Nelson and I to meet with a couple of young people. It was a brother and sister ages 21 and 19, friends of the church. Their mother died last spring and they are having a little difficulty finding their way in life right now. So we did the Career Development activities along with helping them sign on to the website and discussing job search skills. We worked with them for more than 3 hours but they wanted it all and wanted to get it done in one day if they could. They were grateful for the help and hoped that we would stay in touch with them.
It was also the New Leader Training Saturday so there were quite a few people in and out and around.
We had a treat at the Dallas 6th Ward today, Paul and Katey Leatham were the speakers, they did such a great job. Paul is the Ward Mission Leader now and Katey continues working in the library. Beth Nelson’s brother, Brother Labrum is the Gospel Doctrine teacher now, today was his first day, he gave a great lesson too.
The Elders that live in the apartment building next door are coming over for dinner this evening so I guess I better start preparing for that.
We sure love and miss everyone. We are grateful for the help and support that you give to us and our family. Our family and the people in the Valley are so wonderful when people need help, we are so grateful.
We pray that the Lord’s blessings will be with you all this week and always,
Dad & Mom, Grandpa & Grandma, Jack & Gaye
Elder & Sister Nelson
Jack n Gaye