Van's New Job

Van has been working at the kids' school doing the breakfast and lunch for a few years now (1 year volunteer, then 2 years paid).  It was perfect since she could work while the kids were in school, have the same days off and even spend less gas.  Unfortunately, the work is insanely intense feeding 400 kids for minimum wage ($7.50/hr).  Every day she was exhausted and, while she loved working with the other person there, the job was too demanding for what we got out of it.  And, since she doesn't HAVE to work, she finally decided to stop working there.  Yesterday was her last day.  The school was very grateful, and the principal (who's a great guy and often would help in the kitchen) gave her flowers and a card he sent around to all the teachers who filled it with great, loving comments.  Although the work was horrible, the people were great and helping the school felt good.

We talked about her staying home and not working, but Van is worried about going crazy during the day with no one around.  So she already has another job starting Thursday!  There's a Vietnamese sandwich/Pho shop right in Ann Arbor that opened a few months ago.  I go there for lunch every now and then and show off my Vietnamese. :)  When I was there last week I saw they were looking for help and felt impressed I needed to ask about it.  I talked with the manager about it and he quickly gave me his number to pass on to Van.  She talked with him, went in today to check it out, and feels really good about it so she starts on Thursday.  She will be the main person running the kitchen (usually 1-2 other people) and may even get to help and influence the menu.  Ann Arbor also has a local working wage starting at $10/hr, so the pay is already significantly better.  They only serve lunch right now, so the hours fit for her to be able to pick up the kids from school and will only work M-F.  Best of all, she gets to work with other Vietnamese people and can hopefully find a good Viet friend (which we've been lacking for the past 13 years)!

I feel like this is a major answer to my own prayers as I have wanted Van to leave the school for some time now.  Plus, I want her to find a friend; a tie to her Viet life that she's been lacking ever since I abducted her away from Vietnam 13 years ago.  We have truly been blessed these past few months and I'm so grateful to Heavenly Father and appreciate His forgiving love and support.  We love you all, so I wanted to share.