Tender Mercies

So this is Brannick, my oldest. He's a pretty great kid. He will be 17 at the end of this month. (Most of you know all this, of course. ) One of the factors we considered when Geoffrey and I were pondering whether or not to try for an overseas assignment was how it would effect our kids. Specifically how it would affect the older ones' teen years. We knew it might be difficult for Brannick to get a job and have the opportunity to earn money for his mission.  We felt that work experience would be good for him and that it was important for him to earn a portion of his mission expenses.

Even before we got here to Incirlik we had heard that jobs for teens were very scarce. But as of today Brannick has a job! Its a great blessing and the result of multiple tender mercies. This is how it happened.

1) A few days after we arrived Geoffrey and I were grabbing some lunch at the BX food court. Geoffrey ordered his lunch at Taco Bell and was helped by an older American teen. That was unusual as all the other employees seemed to be Turkish as are most non-military employees on base. Geoffrey asked him how old he was and about getting a job there. He was told that Taco Bell was in need of another worker and that there was a table there in the BX with information on it.

2) While Geoffrey ate I walked over to look at the table. Within about 3 seconds there was a Turkish man standing at my side asking me about Brannick. He turned out to be the Food Court Manager.  We chatted briefly and I mentioned that Brannick did a home study program and would be available during school hours to work. He was very interested and asked me if Brannick could come the following day for an interview.

3) Brannick went the next day to the interview which was with both the Taco Bell Manager and the Food Court Manager.  Brannick has never had a formal regular job before but he told them about the temporary jobs he has had doing yard work, window washing and property maintenance. They were impressed and said he must know how to work hard and was a 'strong boy.'

4) After the interview he had to fill out an online application for AAFES and submit a resume. Geoffrey helped him with both. He expected to hear from the manager sometime this week.

5) Brannick has been gone everyday this week at the Culture Camp. I have been home most of the time but hadn't gotten any phone calls about it. Today Evan was getting a little stir crazy and asked if we could walk to the BX for lunch. While we were there I decided to ask the Taco Bell manager if Brannick's online application had been received. He directed me to the Human Resources office in the back of the BX. When I asked the HR manager he told me Brannick had been given the job but he had missed his in-processing appointment which was today at 12:15. He showed me the emails he had sent Brannick telling him about this. Brannick hadn't checked his email.

6) The HR guy said that if Brannick could fill out the processing paperwork online then he would just need to stop in and sign some papers and bring in his SS card, passport, ID, etc. I wasn't sure if Brannick would get home in time to do this as the Culture Camp isn't supposed to get home until 5pm each day. Monday they were early but yesterday it was 5 before they got home. So I prayed that they would get home early and called the Youth Center to tell them to pass a message to Brannick to come home as soon as they got off the bus. He was home by 3:30.

7) I had been able to get online and fill out the paperwork for him. And I was smart enough to hand carry on the plane all our birth certificates, both sets of passports and our SS cards. So I had all the documentation he needed.  Geoffrey came home with the copy of his orders that Brannick needed and took him over to HR where they got it all done! 

If I hadn't listened to the prompting to check up on his application I think they might have ended up giving the job to someone else soon.  The whole thing has been such a wonderful blessing. I am so grateful to have one more assurance that the Lord is mindful of my family and especially of my children and their needs.