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Maggie didn’t know whether Bina had forgotten about the report or what. Besides, the Village was no longer her concern—except for collaborative projects between the church and its non-profit entity.
“Who asked Bina for the report in the first place?” Maggie asked. “Was it Hiroki?”
Erika nodded again. “It’s for the new land, not the Village.”
“That’s a very big project. Bigger than the Village. I’m sorry you’re the admin assistant now because it’s a lot of pressure on you if you’re new to this.”
“I’m super stressed out. I had like maybe three hours of sleep the last few nights running around in circles for my boss.”
Was Erika burning out already?
“Want to know what I used to do when Tally and I were involved in the Village?” Maggie said.
“Tell me.”
“Whenever Hiroki asked Tally for a report on the tiny homes, I called or texted Alden to give me the specifics. I wanted to know precisely what Hiroki wanted. Alden would verify it for me. He’s Hiroki’s assistant to this day—and your peer—and he’s very good at his job. You need to have his phone number on speed dial. You won’t miss a single report this way.”
“Okay. I forgot about Alden. He told me he gets off work at six o’clock. So I don’t call his office after five just in case he’s gone early, you know. But my boss would text me after hours asking for this and that, and I cannot ignore her. It feels as though she considers it taken care of if she just sends me a text, and I’m scrambling all night while she gets her beauty sleep.” The tears flowed again.
Poor thing.
All this time, Erika didn’t mention Bina Marley by name. She must be really hurt by her seemingly disorganized boss who had publicly shamed her for a report that could have been better handled.
How can I advise her about this without getting involved?
Getting involved meant she could talk to Mrs. Kim about it, who would then confront Bina for overworking her assistant. Or she could call Hiroki…or Alden.
Alden took Maggie’s call at any time of day or night, but it might not apply to everyone. Also, he’d given her his personal number, which Maggie had no permission to share with Erika.
“Have you had any meeting with Alden, just the two of you?” Maggie asked.
“No. Why would I?”
“You’re both working on the tiny homes. He assists Hiroki. You assist Bina. It makes sense for you and Alden to talk and come up with a system. He might give you an overview of all the reports that Hiroki often asks for whenever it comes to these projects. Hiroki is focused on ROIs. If the return on investment is low, it’s a problem for him. After all, he is a partner in RYUCP, and that company is heavily invested in Midtown Village and the adjacent property.”
“I see. I should call Alden and get on the same page with him.”
“Call Alden tomorrow—no, wait. Tomorrow is Good Friday, so maybe wait until next week when our church staff lunchroom is open again. I was going to suggest that you ask for a lunch meeting with Alden. He’ll have to pay for lunch since he’s not a church staff.”
“I can pay for him.”
“We used to give out guest coupons for lunches, but times are tough.”
“I know. Besides, it’s eight dollars, so anyone can pay.”
“They should raise it to ten dollars since it’s a full meal with appetizers, salad, main meal, and dessert, plus ice cream, but nobody asked me.” Maggie waited to see if Erika had anything else she wanted to say.
“Well. I feel better now.”
“Let’s pray and ask God to give you wisdom and strength.”
Erika lowered her head and closed her eyes, as though waiting for Maggie to pray. So she did.
“Lord Jesus, we come before You with a heavy burden in our hearts. Your Bible reminds us that Your burden is easy and light. We surrender this burden to You,” Maggie prayed. “Lord, please show my sister in Christ, Erika, why You have allowed her to be here at this time. Perhaps she is the only one who can do this job right now. For such a time as this, there is no one else better than Erika in this job as administrative assistant at Midtown Village. I pray that You will show her how to use all that she already knows from her marketing degree from college and her prior experience as an assistant manager in Key Largo, and show her great and mighty things she doesn’t know—as mentioned in Jeremiah 33:3—about the uniqueness of ministry work.”
Maggie paused to see if Erika wanted to pray. She did not. So Maggie continued.
“Lord Jesus, remind us of Your calling for our career and life. Ultimately, may Your perfect will prevail at Midtown Chapel, Midtown Village, and also RYUCP. Give us mercy and grace every day as we labor for You, Lord. It’s very hard work, but nothing is harder than when You had to sacrifice Your life on the cross to rescue us from our sins. I pray these in Your strong and holy name. Amen.”
