Ten Reasons Why

Ten Reasons Why Corporations Should Love 20-Somethings

10. We're cheap: As entry-level or nearly entry-level salary qualifiers, you don't have to pay us very much. Unlike the 50-somethings who have been getting 3% raises for nearly thirty years, we are willing to be paid under $40,000 a year. In fact, in this economy, we're willing to bargain even lower.

9. We're quick learners: Post-college graduates are already used to being bombarded with new information on a daily basis. So give us a job we're not quite ready for, provide us with a role model or two, and we'll get done what needs to be done.

8. We're fast: Twenty-somethings are used to multi-tasking. We've been balancing class, sports, music, social life, work, studying, and dozens of other extra-curriculars since we were in elementary school. It's second nature. We can handle that 10-foot pile of work. And we'll do it with poise.

7. Technology is not scary: Unlike many employees, we won't throw a fit because you updated our Microsoft Office from 2007 to 2010.

6. We're dedicated: If you give us what we need, we'll give you what you need. While we may think family and friends are equally (more?) important than work, we will be there when you need us. We've pulled all-nighters for college finals. We won't have a problem staying late to get something important done.

5. We're adaptable: We've moved and been moving on and off for 4 or 5 years now. 9 months in one place. 3 months in another. 9 months in a new place. 3 months in another. We're used to change, so when you decide that you're going to change our job title, no problem! We'll happily take on a new challenge.

4. Relocation: Most of us are dying to move somewhere interesting so you can save your $2,000 in relocation grant money. We'll be happy to move to sunny LA on our own budget if it means avoiding Minnesota winters.

3. Spring Break: We're used to getting a break about mid-April, and since we'll only have one or two weeks of vacation, we'll be out of PTO by the time the summer vacation rush begins.

2. Facebook and Twitter: You may think these are reasons to stay away from time-wasting 20-somethings BUT you'd be wrong! Through these speedy media outlets, we are being bombarded with marketing in the 21st century, and we'll naturally have ideas about how best to market your products to well...everyone.

1. We are your target market: Chances are your business is trying to reach us. The quickest way to figure out what we want is from the inside out. Give it a try. We'll tell our friends. (Our facebook friends. All 1,000 of them. And they'll tell their friends... and...)

guatemeaning

I just returned from a trip to serve the people of the rural villages in Guatemala. My heart is full.

I think Nate put it beautifully when he said that this trip gives the members of our team an opportunity to reach those whom we can't help from inside our offices or our cubicles. Yes, we do meaningful work at home - raising kids, helping sick people through Mayo clinic, providing hospitality to families through our work, homes, and church. But that doesn't mean that our work in the world is done. This trip gave us an opportunity to reach out across borders, across miles, across our own personal boundaries, to help people who need it.

Heather said it well: Guatemala sticks to people. It's true. I have served in different places in this country - Kansas City, Kentucky, Missouri, Minnesota, Tennessee... but I have never before experienced the warmth and gratitude that the people of Guatemala expressed to us. They lit a flame within us - a flame that will burn throughout the months to come, a flame that will remind us to keep on giving because that's why we're here. We're blessed to be a blessing.

My strongest impressions from my trip are of the people of Guatemala. Our interpreters, drivers, construction workers... the people whose teeth we pulled, whose stories we heard, who simply came to us looking for a little relief from the hard work they live through each and every day. One woman told the story of how her husband died a month ago. He was working on a cliff and fell. She expressed worry about pain in her chest, feet, legs, and worries about the fact that she had headaches and was quick to anger with her children. She was 32 and has 4 kids to support on her own.

I gave my Spark Story Bible to one of our intepreters. His name is Raul, and he wears his heart on his sleeve. He is one of the funniest guys we met, always filling the air with his infectious laughter. He also is one of the most gracious people we met. He expressed gratitude to us - the angels that have been sent to him to help him find his way. He praised his mother, who planted in him the desire to be good and do good and spread good to the people in his life. We couldn't have done it without him or Ivan or Jose or Fernando or Emerson or Alberto or any of the other Guatemalans who worked with us. They are grateful to us for giving them work, but we are more grateful to them for making it possible for us to do God's work.

Faith is not easy, but the people of Guatemala are filled with it. They think we were sent to be blessings to them, but we received countless blessings in return.