Lydia Telemarkets

(inexperienced photographer, sorry Drewbs)

Hey guys, it's been awhile since we told you how Lydia is doing. Last fall Drew helped her set up Lydia's Threads to sell her cross-stitch pieces in the US. Only two pieces sold on that website, so it was not a great success. However, she has sold many pieces locally. 

A couple months ago we connected Lydia with a local company helping vulnerable adults gain confidence, job skills, life skills and build a resume. They were happy to offer Lydia a job, but they asked Lydia to arrange her own housing since the employee dormitory is not wheelchair accessible. Lydia, having lived her entire life within the social welfare institute, felt that it would be financially unreasonable and unsafe to live independently, far from the only familiar place she knows. The company also gave Lydia the option of commuting to work each day if she could arrange transportation. Again Lydia felt this was unreasonable for her situation; I can't remember the precise reason. For now she's not planning to take the job, but the managers have kindly extended an indefinite welcome to Lydia.

About two weeks ago Lydia was very excited to tell us that she'd been given a job telemarketing for a photography business. The arrangement is for her to work six days a week, from her room, with a wage of USD$125 per month. Lydia has only a second-grade education, but she has a clear, kind voice. She said the job is pretty tough because a lot of people yell at her on the phone, but she will keep trying her best!

Another cross-stitch possibility is in the works. An American woman associated with the China-adoption community wondered if Lydia could create customizable cross-stitch pieces for children adopted from China. To us, it seems like a good potential market, but we have yet to develop the process, design templates, website, and decided if Lydia (and we) have the capability and time to create custom pieces.

Meanwhile, Lydia is cheery, thankful and resilient as ever.

And since I've got your attention here, may I tack on a few shots of some moments we've had the pleasure of experiencing recently?