It
is hard to believe that things are coming to an end for us here in Scotland and soon a
new chapter in our life will be opening…to finally find out what retirement is
all about. I retired from Rutan &
Tucker the first of March 2013 after working there 37 years. The following week we moved to Arizona and on
April 22 we entered the MTC (Mission Training Center) in Provo Utah. We arrived in Scotland the first part of
May. With retiring, moving, trying to
unpack, and preparing for our mission, it was a whirlwind of activity and I really
haven’t had time to think about retirement life. We are now about to go home and find out what
this next chapter will bring. We only
have five more Sundays in Scotland. We have enjoyed the beauty of both Scotland and Ireland. Recently we have enjoyed the "heather on the hills..."
We
have had such a great opportunity to serve here in Scotland and Ireland. We have surely been blessed. We have met some wonderful people through
this assignment and have had some choice experiences as we have helped people
prepare for work. There have also been
some frustrations in seeing some people choose not to work, but rather live on
the Government dole. What we have enjoyed while in Scotland is the essence of
the gospel of Jesus Christ – to help people help themselves. This is the process of teaching people to
become self-reliant. When one is self-reliant
they are able to care for themselves, other family members, and other around
them. Self-reliance is ability,
commitment, and effort to provide the spiritual and temporal necessities of
life for self and family. As we become self-reliant, we are also better able to
serve and care for others.
One
of the best things I have had the opportunity to do while in Scotland is to study
the scriptures. In the New Testament
James writes that we will do well in fulfilling the “…royal law according to
the scriptures [if we] shalt love thy neighbour as thyself”. The gospel of Jesus Christ is to have us
reach out and share what we have with others who are in need. This is not just to give to the poor, but to
help others learn to help themselves.
Our
work in through the Employment Resource Centre has been to help people prepare
for work. In our Career Workshop we help
people identify their skills and accomplishments. This has brought great joy in watching
individuals in the Workshop realize the skills they actually do have and the
achievements they have made.
We
have developed a CV (resume) writing class that we have taught a number of
times. We do not have jobs to give
people, but rather we help them prepare their CV to catch the attention of
prospective employers. The purpose of
the CV is to not to get a job, but rather to get a job interview. We have had many tell us that they had been
sending out their CV “what seemed like hundreds of times” and never heard back
from anyone. After helping re-write
the CV and highlighting their skills and accomplishments they often have been
rewarded with an invitation for a job interview.
We
teach people the importance of building a network to help find the “hidden jobs”. Many jobs are already filled by the time the
general public learns of them. By
networking, and letting people know you are looking for work, one will find the
“hidden jobs.” One Workshop participant
told us of his experience of “testing” our methods of talking to people about
his search for employment and within two weeks had found a job that had not yet
been advertised to the public.
In
our Career Workshop we also teach people good interviewing skills to prepare
them for the job interview. Recently we
coached a Workshop participant in preparing for two different interviews. She was successful in both interviews and was
able to choose from two different job offers.
Again, we learn from the scriptures, “If you are prepared, ye shall not
fear.”
Last
week we taught a group of young people about the importance of preparing for their
careers through obtaining a higher education.
In Scotland, young teenagers must make decisions early on as to what
direction their education will take them.
Too often they have not thought enough about their education options and
start down a path that leads to being poorly prepared for university. In today’s world it is so important to make
sure good skills are developed.
As
we look back over the last 17 months we are so grateful for the experiences we
have enjoyed, the people we have met, and the beautiful country we have seen –
Both Scotland and Ireland. Our hearts
will always have such fond memories of our time here…
This was taken from the train ride...the Glenfinnan viaduct is seen in the back right. The train crosses over this viaduct on the way to Mallaig.
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