I am praying too  can you give us her email address so we can contact her
Rhonda
----- Original Message ----- From: "Pat Ferguson" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 3:46 PM
Subject: Re: Prayer for Carol and Mike


>Dear Phil,
>
>Please let Carol and Mike know that I'm praying for both of them.
>
>What a bunch of sad situations, but God is in controll, and I 
>believe that Mike will be able to keep his job, and I'mpraying that 
>they will treat him more kindly.
>
>Please let them know that they are both loved a whole bunch, and 
>that I send my usual lovings and squeezings in abundance.
>
>Love and Blessings,
>Pat Ferguson
>.
>
>
>
>
>
>At 01:59 PM 2/11/2009, you wrote:
>>Forwarded message.
>>
>>Hi all,
>>
>>Please could you pray ...
>>
>>We have a lot of difficult things going on in our lives right now and are
>>seeing God's moving ...  However, some things are a little daunting,
>>saddening etc. and now another situation has escalated and it's not good!
>>
>>This is likely to be long so please don't read to the end if you don't
>>wish - but just pray if you can!  If you wish to, however, here's the
>>situation!
>>
>>Mike has worked for over 40 years in various jobs and has always had a
>>reputation of being "good at his job ... nice, kind, pleasant, easy-going".
>>Anyway, he even got the Employee of the Year award at his present job a few
>>years ago ... and had a very supportive team with whom he worked.  Well,
>>that has all changed because the owners of the hotel have decided to run it
>>themselves instead of letting a large, respectable, well-known franchise do
>>it for them, largely because they wouldn't shell out for needed repairs etc.
>>...
>>
>>The owners took over last April, with a new manager who said there would be
>>no redundancies.  In a very short time the first of two phases of
>>redundancies began ...  Mike ended up going in to some pretty awful meetings
>>with staff who were afraid, upset and very badly treated in order that he
>>could take notes on their behalf.  (He ended up taking notes for many senior
>>staff who left because he was the most able of those few left behind!)
>>
>>Things have moved on and a large area of the housekeeping has been
>>outsourced, and it's looking like more redundancies!
>>
>>Meantime, along come lots of new staff who just do not listen at all to any
>>of the old-stagers.  On one occasion, because of work carried out, Mike's
>>switchboard was not available in his office.  Instead of letting him work
>>out front (as he had in the past) they moved his switchboard out of earshot
>>of other receptionists.  This meant that when he was not there, no calls
>>were answered!  They have done a whole load of other such rather ridiculous
>>things too and won't ever ask his advice ... and that's just one example.
>>
>>Things have moved on and now there are only a handful of folk left who were
>>there before the change!  None of them like it and some are actively looking
>>to get out!  Mike came home a few weeks ago and said, "I need to look for
>>more work ..." and told me that they'd removed the drinks machine.  As he
>>speaks all day on the phone, the removal of that cold water was just the
>>last straw for him!  However, he's continued on bravely, because it's
>>difficult for visually impaired people to find work, and his age will do him
>>no favors.  If he just ups and leaves then he will lose disability benefit
>>as a result of his actions.
>>
>>During the past months, he has had a new manager who made it his business,
>>on their first meeting together, to tell him that someone had complained
>>about his manner when asking for assistance to get drinks.  ((Most
>>colleagues would simply have realized he was coming again for a cup to be
>>filled ... and, as a regular request, he didn't always need to say "Please,
>>would someone kindly help me and ...")  Nevertheless, he took the point
>>onboard.
>>
>>There is now a lot of building work being carried out and he's had to have a
>>few words when he hasn't been able to get into the building alone (as he
>>usually can).  On one occasion he was particularly cold and couldn't get in
>>because of many cars taking up the space at the front of the hotel.  It was
>>agreed they'd look out for him (as the staff working under the old
>>management had naturally done) but it hasn't really happened.  This has
>>added stress to his life, together with the fact that the building is
>>currently unsafe for him to go around on his own and that means he can't
>>even get to the toilet without saying "Please may I be taken ..."  Further
>>to this, his new boss wouldn't even take him!
>>
>>Last week, with all the difficulties of the bad weather, a taxi was ordered
>>for him on Wednesday morning.  The company they have has been used by the
>>hotel for about four years and so he is well known and there's a good
>>understanding about the help that he needs to get him to the doors when he
>>arrives, especially at present as there is major building work being done
>>for the hotel.  Wednesday's driver was not briefed, nor did he appear to
>>understand Mike's problem when he was finding it difficult to get out of our
>>front drive because of the snow and ice and he'd gone straight back to his
>>car.  When they arrived at his work, the driver just said, "OK, you can get
>>out now" and expected him to make his own way, not being aware exactly where
>>the man had managed to park ...  Mike suggested he really needed help to get
>>to the door.  The driver's English was poor, which didn't help.  Suddenly
>>Mike found himself being pushed through the revolving doorway, with a dog in
>>his hands.  (This is not really safe or recommended, especially if there's
>>an alternative, which there is.)  Mike started by insisting that the door he
>>needed was not the revolving one ... but the driver didn't understand and
>>continued to push.  Eventually Mike was both anxious, stressed and tired of
>>it all and raised his voice somewhat, though he did not swear or anything
>>like that.  Eventually he got in and the incident was soon forgotten by him.
>>
>>Well, his line manager came to him again yesterday (the second time he'd
>>ever come to talk to him about his work) and said, "I have a print letter
>>for you inviting you to a disciplinary on Friday ..."  I have written
>>statements from members of staff ... etc, etc.
>>
>>Well, Mike knows he wasn't as patient as he could have been and will of
>>course offer apologies, but it seems that the person who has complained is
>>the one who had lots to say about the water incident before and on this
>>occasion she didn't offer help very readily either.  Also, I would suggest
>>that his boss's actions were nothing short of "Bully Tactics", making an
>>already stressed Mike even more stressed!
>>
>>Sorry to have written at length, but I felt I wanted to share it all with
>>you and just to ask for prayers.  He is attending the meeting on Friday
>>afternoon and is continuing to work, though that's not easy ...
>>
>>I found myself at first very angry about the situation yesterday and went
>>immediately into my "Suggest" mode, but I realized this morning that I
>>really needed God to take complete control here and to trust Him, so prayed
>>specifically about that.  It's pretty stressing for me also and I don't like
>>to see Mike treated this way, especially as it's likely to be the final job
>>of work for him.
>>
>>We are both taking a holiday break next week and can't wait for it.  My 60th
>>birthday falls in the middle and we think my brother may come.  That could
>>also be pretty stressing and I'm getting rather apprehensive (because of so
>>many family difficulties in the past) but he's only staying two nights so it
>>should be perfectly OK.
>>
>>Forgive the long post and thanks in advance for any prayers offered on our
>>behalf.
>>
>>--
>>Carol
>>[log in to unmask]