Well, my friend, I just hired another worker for all the construction work at the Bible school. So now I have two men working full time helping me with all the work around the station and at the school.
Let me tell you about them and how we decided on who to hire. This can be a real challenge at times. There are so many things to keep in mind, so many relationships to consider, and other issues.
S – is our carpenter. He is really incredible and very teachable. We went through quite a process in hiring him. He is a Muslim and very serious about his beliefs. You may wonder, were there no Christians you could hire? In fact, there were two. B is the best in town and also the most expensive. We hired him to help with the renovation of the house. That experience taught us much about him and both of us realized that he would not enjoy working full time under the mission. First we could not pay him what he expected, and second, he doesn’t enjoy working on a time schedule and being limited to doing only what his employer wants. The third reason came after we hired S. We found out that B chose to marry a second wife and renounce his membership in the church. A long story.
The other Christian, N, was a member of the other church in town. That would not have been an issue. What was an issue was the report we received about him during the time we were deciding to hire a carpenter. He is not well respected in town because his work is of poor quality. We noted this when we hired him for a single job. We needed a coffin built and all the other carpenters were unavailable. That gave us a good opportunity to observe and learn why people have such a poor opinion of him and his labor. He is quick, but tends to be late and delays doing the work, even when there is a very tight timeline. He seems to think that getting the job done is more important than how well the job is done. We also had to deal with a number of people who came to see him complaining about his work, delays in doing the work as promised, and other interruptions. It became clear that he was not reliable, not worried about the quality of his work, and would take on other projects, which would affect his ability to be on time and do the work we gave him.
That left S. He was trained by the first gentleman and so we knew the level of training he had received. We tested this by asking him to build the furniture for our breakfast bar in the kitchen. He did an excellent job at several levels. First, he was able to read and understand the drawings I made for the work. Second, he was willing and able to learn new techniques and ideas for the work. And third,he was not afraid to learn to use power tools when available.
We consulted with a number of key leaders in the church and they knew him and agreed with us that he would be the better option and this might open doors to ministry in the Muslim community. Hiring him would definitely help build good relationships in the community.
So we hired S and it has been a good decision. We have had many conversations about our faiths. He is open to talking and we are praying God will touch his heart.
The other man is a young man who has worked for us a number of times. We first met him when I was hiring young men to help with the farm work. Over time, we became acquainted and hired him for small projects around the school and house. During that time, he was still attending secondary school. As we became better acquainted, he expressed a desire to learn to be a mason.
We were happy to hear this. There were no masons in town, and only a few who knew how to do the work, but only did this work occasionally. A came to us one day with information on a two-year training program in masonry. As we discussed this information, we decided to help him with school fees and other needs. He finished about the same time we returned, and we quickly hired him. He is an active member of the church, is now married, and has one child.
We feel blessed to have him working for us because in the past, buildings using block construction were only done with the help of work teams or special government contracts. That means the only block buildings in town are those related to the church,the mission, and the secondary school.
S is busy building furniture, doors, shutters, frames, and many other items. A is busy making foundation blocks and helping get the foundation dug for the classroom building, which we hope to build early next year. They have made it possible for me to focus on other key areas, like working on accreditation for the school and the oil palm project.
Now we have six people working security, two craftsmen, and two helpers in the house. I never imagined being an employer when I began preparing for the mission field. It is a lot of responsibility to care for them. It is also a challenge to keep track of government regulations and other issues to make sure they receive the correct salary and benefits. But we could not begin to do the work and ministry we are involved in without them.
There is another benefit that cannot be bought. They provide an incredible resource in understanding the culture and helping us to be part of the community.
Well, gotta go. They are waiting for me for morning devotions and instructions for the day’s work.
Perry J
How will you decide who you should employ? Is it important that they be a Christian? Who should you consult before hiring anyone?
This letter gives excellent insight to other challenges on a foreign field that probably get overlooked in prayer unless specifically mentioned. Or, perhaps, speaking from my own ignorance, I would have to admit I never prayed about those specifics. Good thing the Holy Spirit knows what you have need of before you ask and can interpret our prayers too!
God has never put me in a position of hiring or firing, but your example of how you made decisions, regardless of religion, is very helpful.
Yes there are often things we don’t put in the regular prayer letters. can be too sensitive. hiring has always been a bit of a challenge even when we follow the advice of our local advisors. as will become apparent in a future letter or two.
Blessings