Question: We’re on pins and needles and have been since Russia invaded Ukraine. We were born there and immigrated here to join other family members. Now we’re all here except one family who was fortunate to get across the border into Poland. We’ve totally lost touch with them and fear for their lives. We can afford to bring them here if/when we could find them.

In the meantime, we’re praying daily for their safety and all citizens of Ukraine. We’re asking you to join us in prayer and would also like to know if there is a way to remain peaceful in times like these. We’d also like to add that we appreciate the United States and the opportunities we’ve had since living here. We’re all now naturalized citizens of this great country.

~ Worried Families

Dear Worried Families,

Like most Americans, I find the news and images of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a terrible evil. The death and destruction is hard to fathom. I can’t imagine how it must make you feel when Ukraine is the nation of your birth. And yes, the first thing we can all do is to pray for peace. We can also pray for you to be reunited with your relatives in Poland. In fact, I invite everyone reading this to pray with us now:

“Almighty God, you reign over all things. Save and deliver the people of Ukraine from the Russian army, preserve them from all perils, supply all their needs for food, shelter and medicine and, most of all, O Lord, give them the peace and protection of your abiding presence and your holy angels. Confuse the assaults of the Russians. Cause them to withdraw. And Lord God, let your hand be heavy on President Putin until he relents and withdraws his army or is removed from office. And Lord God, let peace, order and just governance be restored in both Ukraine and Russia.

“We also join with every mother of every soldier, Ukrainian and Russian, and ask that you would protect their sons, even preventing them from harming one another. Finally, we ask that you would connect these people to their relatives so that their family can bring them to safety. We ask all this through the merits of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

In your letter, you ask if we “can remain peaceful in times like these?” To that I say, peaceful in action but not in prayer. We should all be “storming the heavens,” praying for peace and praying for God to remove all aggressors. In the mean time, we can take comfort in the remarkable cooperation of western nations in setting sanctions that are making it painful for Russia to continue this war. But the west also needs to find a diplomatic exit strategy for Putin. Cornered wild animals are dangerous and unpredictable. And Putin is a wild animal that is particularly dangerous. We can pray for Putin’s exit strategy or, baring that, for his personal exit from power.

Father Rob Holman
rob@stlukesanglican.org

Dear Worried Families, 

Thank God you and your family are mostly here and out of harm’s way. The other part of your family that has gotten across to Poland are fortunate to be out of range of the ridiculous and cruel bombardment that Putin is visiting on citizens and non-combatants of Ukraine. We are praying for the Ukrainians that are in peril at this time. We pray for the safety and care of the refugees as well. Although there is so much chaos and therefore difficulty in locating refugees in Poland at this time perhaps you might know of a phone tree of Ukrainians in Poland that can be contacted. Ask all the people you might know personally who have a connection to those in the area.

There is the Embassy of Ukraine in Poland. It is in Warsaw. The address is given as: Aleja J. CH. Szucha 7,00-580, Warszawa, Poland; Telephone number is +48 22 621 39 79.

I am sure they will have some suggestions to connect with your family. Be sure to say that you are prepared to pay for their transport and care as you have said in your letter. 

Do not lose hope. Continue to pray for an end to this war and safety for all those who have been hurt and displaced. I pray you will be in contact soon and are able to assist your relatives to come here to join the rest of your family in as short a time as possible. Breathe deeply in the meantime and picture them in your mind’s eye at peace.

In solidarity,

Rabbi Janet Bieber    
jbieber1155@aol.com

Question: First, we’ll admit that the pandemic has caused many problems with schedules, etc. We hear so much about available jobs and not a lot of folks applying for them and therein lies our problem.

We own a small mail order business that we’re trying to build. We started it just before the pandemic began. We are getting many orders and it’s difficult for us to keep up with them so we decided to hire two people. The process is not difficult. A person orders, we forward the order to the manufacturer and it’s done. We hired one person and he never came to work, even after we explained how easy it was. We hired another who stayed for a week and then quit. She had problems getting a sitter, so we understood. We’re good employers and we give good perks. Many have told us they want to work from their homes but we want our employees here at our business so we can help if needed. We’re in our mid-40s. When we were young, we were happy to just get a job. We’re trying to understand the mindset of those who want to set their own rules when applying for a job.

Any ideas about this? ~ Frustrated Entrepreneurs

Dear Frustrated Entrepreneurs,

The pandemic has indeed caused many people to reassess their life goals. They have considered the work/life balance and determined their labor is worth more than what some employers are willing to pay.

You have a lot of competition for workers these days. I have seen several notices in local businesses for “help wanted” and there was a recent post in a local Facebook group for a part-time shop assistant paying $15 per hour with mileage reimbursement and offering training.

A non-profit I support recently advertised for workers with the following: We offer a competitive salary and outstanding employee benefits. * Employer-paid health, vision, and dental with a domestic partner option * An employee assistance program * An optional 403(b) retirement program * A credit union/ automatic deposit option * Employer-paid life and long-term disability insurance * 12 days paid vacation during first year of employment * 10 paid holidays and three floating holidays per year * Supplemental term life insurance

If you aren’t offering similar pay and benefits it is less likely you’ll be able to attract good employees.

Why not allow working from home? You emphasize how easy it is to do the tasks you want done yet want to keep an eye on things. Many people learned during the past couple of years that telecommuting can be very successful. Time spent in lengthy commutes is less rewarding than time spent with family. Have you considered that you’re signaling to potential staff that you don’t trust them to work if you’re not watching?

Another benefit of working from home is avoiding the use of fossil fuel. That’s particularly important now that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused U.S. gasoline prices to rival that of the rest of the developed world. Folks of all ages are considering the effects of their choices on global warming and opt to pollute less in the hopes of keeping the planet able to sustain human life. A possible benefit to you, however, is that refugees fleeing war and economic collapse might be willing to accept your conditions for employment.

In short, I think potential workers’ mindsets is exactly the same as yours; they have their own agenda and want to fulfill their own dreams.

Sharon Weisman
sharon@jetcafe.org

Dear Frustrated Entrepreneurs,

I don’t blame you for feeling frustrated. I will be brief because there are not a lot of options on this.

You began by saying, “the pandemic has caused many problems.” That’s for sure! I see Help Wanted signs everywhere. It’s an employee’s market right now. In my view, many prospective employees need to re-learn employment lessons … the value of a dollar, the satisfaction that comes from a job well done, earning your own way. Those lessons have somehow been forgotten in the world of the pandemic; stimulus checks, working from home and abundant time off have made the American jobs market different from when you were young.

But time is on your side. Things won’t always be like this. It will be an employers’ market soon enough. You may be aware that the Bible talks a lot about what it calls “the sluggard.” The sluggard is alive and well in the world of free money, working in jammies and government checks.

I know little about your business but it seems to me that if you could scatter some perks throughout the employment timeline perhaps that would create an incentive to stay and work. How about a raise after six months? Or a three-month bonus for extra hard work? You would have far more practical ideas than I do on this since it is your business.

I’m sorry about the current state of affairs. From what I hear on TV, all of our problems are Putin’s fault. I suspect that’s not true, of course. But I applaud you for the courage to start your own business. And I encourage you to keep going.

For what it’s worth, you’re not alone and this isn’t a new problem. Duke Ellington used to complain about something similar. He bemoaned the fact that he had to pay one trumpet player double what he used to pay “and the kid can hardly blow.” At least you’re in good company.

Rev. Jon T. Karn
PastorJon@lightonthecorner.org