We left off with quite a perdicament. Normally when employer's catch site of baby bumps and lumps, they begin to glance uncomfortably and frequently towards the door. What place would want to train someone who is now seven month's along and Romanian and accompanied by ridiculously hairdoed Hub and looking ready to pop at any given? As perhaps you have come to realize, Ruth and I are not the type to throw in the proverbial towel too quickly. We understand what an incredible blessing it would be to get Ruth into the workforce, if even for a month, and we prayed that it might come to pass. Here in Slovenia, we have encountered a completely different attitude in relation to social services. In Phoenix, it is only the homeless, the ex-con and my scumbag brother who choose to set foot in public transportation. Also, if you mention to someone that you make use of public health care, there is no chance of consideration to marry their most charming. Maternity-leave, while not looked down upon, is a measly six weeks most places, just enough time to realize that your life has changed before you and baby are thrust back into hostile territory (i.e. work and daycares-from-Hades). Husbands, poor sods, who hope for a bit of leave to welcome the little "angel" home, need to take sick-time off and are likely to be viewed at work as something between a violet and a chrysanthemum. Here in Slovenia, scoffing at those services would be the shocker. From the start, people here have encouraged Ruth and I to do all we can to get into the social system so that we can have those birth related benefits. Here, it is expected that Ruth start her maternity-leave a month before due date and not return to work until at least eleven months after the little bundle of fleshy bits arrives home. Husbands, those geraniums of joy, are entitled to a month, if not more, themselves, if they so choose.

Now I'm getting ahead of myself. Benefits and blissings aside, how is one going to manacle one's wife to the workforce for long enough to get these services when she is already in pre-pop mode. I have not yet mentioned Tammy. She is another of God's "coincidental" new friends of ours. One of the Christians that we met here, who never calls Tammy, called Tammy on our behalf to ask if she had any work for us. She's an English teacher, servicing every corner of this teeny nation, and one who also recognizes the pointless nature of life without relationship to God. She has since the onset of meeting us, taken on our case as a mission to assist. Within a few days of us meeting, she was to receive a call to make the maternity-leave impossibility quite profoundly more possible. A company in Nova Gorica had asked back in October for her to teach but at that time there was no way that she could. She never heard a thing from them again until April 12, two weeks ago. Tammy still didn't have time to take this on but she now knew someone who did. The work, though only two days per week, would pay just enough that Tammy could hire someone on to do it. Once she hired the person on, that person would then be elligible to receive all social benefits through that work, paid for of course by the wage. Tammy informed us that one teaching contract, opening up in the season when people give up learning for summer bliss, would almost never provide, by itself, this possibility. It was tailor-made and our interview was set for Monday, April 19th.

Quick side note: my brother in Phoenix is now not the only one in the family riding public buses though here the homeless population is rather more difficult to find there-on.

Next time I must make mention of those lucky Old Testament Jews.