My First Job

Our first day at Labor Finders, we didn’t get any work. Luckily, the following day, Richard was a lot nicer. He seemed to be in a better mood. I get the feeling that a lot of the workers that come into that place aren't very reliable, so I bet that it meant a lot that we simply showed up 2 days in a row.

On day 2, we showed up at 5:15am so we could be one of the first few people there and be high up on the list. Thankfully, our persistence paid off and a few hours later Richard asked if I wanted to move dirt for Rampart Construction. I had already made an agreement with myself that if he offered me a job, no matter what it was, I'd take it...so I said yes. The contractor that asked for workers had requested 4. I was hoping that all 4 of us would have the same job, but it didn't work out that way. Luckily, Richard asked Chad if he wanted the same job and Chad accepted as well.

The first day was difficult. When Richard said "moving dirt" he wasn’t kidding. That's all we did. We dug holes in dirt, spread out dirt, packed dirt down, loosened dirt...you get the idea. Actually, it's difficult to describe what we were working with as "dirt"; it was basically large chunks of clay. Our tools consisted of spade shovels, square point shovels, and picks.

Basically, we were preparing some condo foundations for the plumbers and people laying concrete. There were shin-high concrete walls all around and we were to fill in dirt, break it up, spread it out, pack it down, and even it out. The foundation was probably 5000-7000 square feet.

I'd say that it was probably the most physical work that I've ever done in a day. I was extremely exhausted by the end of it both because I had gotten up at 4am and because I had worked harder than I've ever worked before for 8 straight hours. Even Chad, who makes his living as a carpenter and general handyman, was worn out.

Chad and I had both worked our tails off and our boss took notice. He asked if we wanted a "repeat" for the next day meaning that he wanted us to come back and work for him again. Although neither Chad truly wanted to come back, we knew that it was a good sign that we got invited back. We also knew that it would probably get us in Richard's good graces, so we accepted.

It was 4:30pm when we finally got off work, over 12 hours after we had woken up for the day. Exhausted, Chad and I went back to Labor Finders to return our equipment and pick up our checks for the day's work. (Oh yes, I forgot to mention that at this day labor office, you get paid on a DAILY basis. It’s just another feature of the job that allows for there to be no commitment beyond a DAY.)

So we picked up our checks and I was shocked. $45.32. Seriously?! I had been up since 4am and busted my butt for 8 straight hours and I only got $45.32?? Yes...it was correct. $7.10 per hour for 8 hours minus taxes (and a $2 transportation charge) puts you at about $45.32.

Never in my life have I made as little as $7.10 per hour. When I started my first job at Spring Creek Ranch Golf Course, my starting pay was $6.50 per hour...but I got tips on my check! All in all, that $6.50 per hour probably averaged out to around $8 an hour after taxes!

When I got that check, a whirlwind of emotions went through my head. At first I was just shocked, then frustrated, then angry. I worked harder than I ever had for 8 hours and then got less money than I ever had!!

But then God humbled me. I started to see how blessed I have been for my entire life. I’ve never really had to want for anything. For most of my life, I’ve had everything handed to me on a silver platter. For the people that are doing Labor Finders, this is an every-day thing. They regularly arrive at the office at 5:30am in HOPES that they will be given some sort of manual labor job shoveling dirt or picking up trash for 8 hours so that they can scrape together enough money just to make it another day. And I thought that I had problems.

So I quit my internal complaining, sucked it up, and mentally prepared myself for another day of the exact same thing.

Day 2 was much the same as Day 1. We woke up at 4, arrived at Labor Finders at 5:30, and got to the job site at 7. But...we arrived to find out that everything that we did the day before had been partially or fully ruined. For instance, I had spent a few hours spreading rocks in what would be 4 garages and grading it to a specific height with respect to the concrete walls....as soon as I returned to work, my boss told me it needed to be re-done. There were things that I had literally spent hours doing that I had to completely do over. It was very frustrating.

When the day ended and we were invited back again, we were a little disappointed. Neither Chad nor I really wanted to do it again but we felt as though we didn’t really have a choice. It was only the third day that we were there and we both wanted to stay in Richard’s good graces so we accepted.

Obviously the job was very difficult. Working the ground all day long is tough stuff. But, after about a week and a half of it, God shed some light on the subject. During one of our worship/lesson sessions, we talked about work.

We talked about the fact that in the Bible, it says that man came FROM Earth. Genesis 2:7 says "The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” That is to say, God had already created the earth...then God created man. (Interestingly enough, the name “Adam” means “Red Earth”).

Then in Genesis 2:15 it says “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” So man’s first “job” was to work the Garden.

In Genesis 3, which talks about the Fall of Man, God says to Adam: “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.”

I’ve read these chapters in the Bible before, but it really hit home this time. Man was created FROM the earth and put to work ON the earth. Then God curses the Earth and says that Adam will have to work it and eat of it all the days of his life. Adam’s first “job” was to move dirt in the Garden of Eden and here I am moving dirt in Colorado. Ok so it’s not EXACTLY the same thing, but you get the idea.

Our generation definitely tries to shy away from working the earth. We have equipment and machinery that does it for us now. It’s all about making more money and working less.

Do I think that this is a bad thing? Not necessarily, we’ve become more efficient in a lot of things. What used to take months now takes only days. But, there’s something to be said about working the Earth as God had intended. When I’ve entered into a hard day’s work with Christ, it feels like I’m truly “taking up my Cross.”

My idea of work prior to this experience was sitting at a computer doing spreadsheets on Microsoft Excel. It has been really challenging and yet really awesome working in the dirt with hand tools. There were definitely times that I wanted to throw down my shovel and quit, but there’s satisfaction in knowing that working the earth is what God originally created Adam to do.

In the end it was a great learning experience. While digging in the dirt, I had a lot of time to think and pray. It has certainly been a powerful experience in my spiritual walk.

First Day at Work

Last week we started our jobs. All of us are doing some sort of manual labor. 7 of us work for a construction company...My job is a little different. I've got about a thousand things that I would love to blog about my job but I will just start with the first day.

Originally we were all set up with jobs that we would hold through the duration of the summer. At some point before the program started, one of the employers backed out of the deal. That left 4 people without a job, myself included. The other 3 were Chad, Riley, and Jeff.

What looks and sounds like an unfortunate situation on the surface, has turned out to be one of the greatest learning experiences of my life...and I've only been doing it for a week.

They sent us to a place called Labor Finders. It's a "day labor" office in what is the "rough" part of town. It's right across the street from a homeless shelter, and it's evident that many that stay in the shelter also work at Labor Finders.

Day 1 at Labor Finders was an experience in and of itself. We were told to be ready to leave the house at 4:45am. So the 4 of us woke up at 4:00am, put on our work clothes, packed a lunch, ate a bowl of cereal and left at 4:45am.

When we arrived at the office, there was already a line outside the door. The office opens at 5:30am and if you want any hope of getting a job that day, you'd better be there before then. Josh gave us a few words of advice about Labor Finders...he had been in a similar situation with work last summer. He told us about the manager of the place named Richard...and how we'd have to work hard to earn his respect. Boy was he right.

It's nearly impossible for me to describe the scenario that we walked in to. I really wish I had pictures to illustrate my surroundings. First of all, I was incredibly embarrassed with my clothing. My brand new work boots were spotless and so were my new dickies pants. It made me feel even more out of place than I already did. Everyone's clothes had been "broken in" by what appeared to be years of hard labor. Let’s just say that the attire was quite a bit different from the pastel polo shirts and business casual dress of my every-day life prior to the TG experience.

We stood in line acting like we knew what we were doing, but two older gentlemen saw right through us. Luckily they were nice enough to tell us that we needed to get an application from Richard and they pointed him out. The 4 of us made our way over to the counter as Richard was walking out from behind it. "Excuse me," Riley asked, "can we get a some applications?"

"....um....can I pee first?" Richard replied sarcastically. Off to a bad start.

Finally, they reluctantly gave us some applications and we began to fill them out. As I finished and approached the counter, I saw that Chad was talking to Richard. "Can I use a credit card as my second form of ID?" Chad asked. "Absolutely Not. You don't have a Social Security card on you?" Richard retorted. "No sir" Chad answered. "Well then I can't help you" Richard stated as he threw Chad's application carelessly on a desk behind him. We were not making a very good first impression.

Luckily I happened to have the wallet that I no longer carry and it had my social security card in it. I was safe for now. Jeff also had his card but Riley did not, so Chad and Riley went to a nearby social security office to wait until it opened while Jeff and I awaited employment.

So I sat there...just thinking...for hours. Richard was obviously not very impressed with these 4 suburbanite boys that strolled in off the street with their northface backpacks, mountain hardware jackets, and brand new work pants (ok...I was the only one with brand new work pants but you get the idea).

Neither I nor Jeff got a job that day. This isn't really a “first come first serve” situation. It's not a government funded agency. It's a business. They provide a service to their customers (people in search of labor workers) and they want to provide their customers with the best possible service. That means the hardest workers get the jobs. We had not yet proven ourselves to be worthy. We found out from one of the kind older men that if Richard hasn't given you any work by 9:30, you're not getting work that day. Case closed. Go home. So Jeff and I waited until Chad and Riley returned at about 9:45 and the 4 of us went back to the cabin with our tails between our legs. Not a great first day at work.