Lifelearning in Taidong: Hen & Chicks

Here at Hen & Chicks, we just got through our most hectic work day to date. A friend of ours arranged to host his class reunion, and asked if he could bring them to our place to visit. So we settled on breakfast for twenty-six people. I was nervous for about a week leading up to that morning. Our breakfast menu is sandwiches, cranberry orange streusel, cookies, season fruit and soy milk. I went over again and again every little ingredient and when to prepare it. Usually Ken helps a lot with getting plates out to customers, but this time he would need to be out there socializing with all them folks. So I prepped the kids. They have helped a lot in the past, and made a tidy sum as a result. But this time I asked for double the speed and all hands on deck (yup, Lydia). I asked family and some friends for prayer, and....

....all went well! Of course it was a lot more chaotic than I had hoped. What was supposed to be two tidy groups eating breakfast in shifts (we only had seating or 15), turned out to be one big cloud of humans, sitting, standing, strolling - all smiling and content. So I just churned out sandwiches and goodies as fast as I could. Despite all my planning, the pace was still a little too slow. Oh well. They didn't seem to notice much. All three kids delivered food, and brought in dirty dishes as fast as they were available. Then they were washed and re-used right away. Susan, whose husband hosted his classmates, came in and helped wash dishes and serve. Live saver!! Thank you, Susan!

Eventually, everyone said they were full. I couldn't believe it. Did my kitchen really churn out 31 breakfasts (including us, you see)? And no one was going hungry? Wow. All really went well! And the kids got a raise.

Now I have new respect for those breakfast shop people who do this everyday, seemingly effortlessly.

Thanks for your prayers, friends! I felt them keenly when, for lunch that day, Ken put some dumplings in the pot to cook, and the gas ran out within seconds. Any sooner, and I would have been stuck halfway through scrambling eggs for the sandwiches. God is good!

At the end, we sang a few songs together.

Good times all around!