Flour & Flowers has been challenging recently. We are down one staff member, Nyein Nyein, for baking bread, as she’s been in Burma for nearly a month. She went to see her mother who was sick and hadn’t met Nyein Nyein’s newborn son. She planned to be gone a week and we filled in with a friend, and since communication is limited in Burma, we’re not sure what happened after that. She’s coming back soon, they promise.
We’d been wanting to add another employee, and per usual–our lives push us in the direction we do want to move in, just far faster than we would have chosen! So we added another young mom, Pwe Pyu Hey, who has a seven-month-old, Win Mo. Pyo Pyo is still a faithful baker and has all the recipes now memorized, but is also now nine months pregnant. She is due next Friday, and we are just going week to week to see if she comes to work or goes into labor!
We like to keep things interesting.
This week as we baked four batches of bread and rolled out 120 tortillas, the young seven-month-old was crying and crying to be held. The mother just kept telling her, I have to work! I have to work! You are fine. After a bit, Stephen came into the kitchen, picked her up, and swept her away to his studio. She quieted down quickly and then fell asleep on his shoulder while he worked.
I loved the mothers’ reactions. Both of them were surprised, commenting among themselves how Stephen took her and helped while they worked. I loved seeing him hold this little girl and talk to her; seeing the little girl know and trust him. I always love watching how he loves our neighbors, in particular the children and mothers. Sometimes I think it is the biggest gift for them to see him love so well and look out for their good.
This was last Thursday. It still makes me smile.
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