Evelyn was young, full of hope, and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chile. She got a job and married a returned missionary. And then life began to get difficult. Like many other young couples, they discovered how hard it is at times to survive. Their total income amounted to only $420 a month. It was obvious they didn't have enough to cover their expenses. Both needed better jobs, but it was difficult to leave their employment and risk not finding something else.

Finally, Evelyn was forced to quit her job in order to escape the harassment of her employer. She tried for more than a year to find other work, but she stuttered when she spoke and even simple questions seemed to confuse and terrify her. Evelyn's self-confidence was so low and shaken that when asked about the things she could do well, she could think of only two: she was a good Young Women leader, and she could cook. Her greatest desire was to get a job, any job, that would pay at least $240 per month.

In December 1999, the Church established an LDS Employment office in Santiago, Chile, and when Evelyn heard about it, she decided she'd see if there was anything they could do to help.

The center was starting its first Job Search class, and Evelyn attended. In class, Evelyn learned how to prepare a resume, how to find job leads, how to establish a resource network, and how to interview.

Although she had been beaten down by many discouragements, Evelyn was an avid and grateful learner. She practiced what she learned at class with her husband as well as with the missionaries and specialists at the employment center. She developed a plan for finding a job and began doing the things she had learned in the Job Search class.

Two weeks later, she returned to speak to a new group of students who were starting on their own road to finding employment. She could barely contain her tears as she told other members of the class about how, after following the instructions given in class, she had set appointments for 10 interviews. Even more impressive, she received 2 job offers in one day.

Excitedly she told the members of the class about her new job, at which she earned not $240, but $340 per month—40% more than she had hoped to earn.

Soon after Evelyn accepted her new position, her husband, encouraged by his wife's success, walked through the door of the Santiago Chile LDS Employment Center. "Is this where I sign up for the Job Search class?" he asked.