As parents to Millennials, we are in a constant battle with technology. Be it cell phones, social media, video games, Netflix……what have you, it is a war! A war even upon our own selves. We are trying to maintain our own faculties from going insane by going out in nature and working with our hands in order to balance Spirit and Truth, health, work, home, community, and children. With that said, we really care what the future brings. We teach and we pray. We are trying to instill in our children those values and morals that have been passed down to us. Technology stepped in and has tried to rob what was given to us. Today in Covid times, where almost everything has come to a halt, many people are pressed with the computer in front of them. So much so that many are forgetting to go out, work-out, or work with their hands. Many are anxious, depressed or just DO NOT know what to do. We highly encourage anyone who is reading this and those that we talk to out in the world to keep going, keep creating, be inventive, keep working, pursue your dreams!!! Dream BIG, and maintain Faith above everything.

The following are words from our three children:

EMILY TITTNICH:

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Hey everyone! My name is Emily, most of my family and close friends call me Emmy. I am the oldest sibling of the TFAM. Growing up, I witnessed the hardworking and dedicated nature of both of my parents. My mom and dad have been educators my whole life and my siblings and I were blessed enough to have them on weekends and summer/fall/winter/spring vacations since they didn’t have to go to school to work. They have been such a positive influence in my life in all aspects, but especially being a hard worker. 

When we moved to Kaua’i in July of 2015, I was about to become a senior in high school. I had wanted a job for so long but with my crazy academic and athletic schedules, I didn’t have much time for that. On Kaua’i, it is very laid back and my senior year was a breeze so in January of 2016, I got my first job at an Italian restaurant and pizzeria called Bobby V’s. I was 17 years old. My family and I would always go in and eat because their food is so good. The manager, Kristen, aka “Sissy V” offered me a job on the spot one day when we came in for dinner and I was so stoked! I learned how to balance school and work as well as soccer. I loved working. I wanted more shifts, but only 2 nights were available, however I loved all my coworkers and had so much fun that I didn’t want to let that job go, as I decided to look for another one. A few months after I graduated high school, I got another job at a restaurant called Hukilau Lanai. I was a busser there for a year. I enjoyed it but I took the second semester off of community college to work and save up. I was paying for things all on my own and it felt so nice to have that kind of independence and accomplishments. I felt proud of myself that I could do that with the help of our Heavenly Father to give me energy. I of course had help from my parents since I was still living at home but I would help with giving back to them, as well as buying things for myself and for college. The next step for me was getting my own car.

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In February of 2017, I went to a dentist appointment and struck up a nice conversation with my dentist, Dr. Cathy Tsunehiro. She also offered me a job on the spot! I accepted and became a dental assistant and learned so much from how to prep for a root canal to how to process insurance claims. Though I really enjoyed the job and my coworkers, it wasn’t my passion. But for almost 2 years, I was attending college full-time and in-between classes I would work at the dental office. At night, I would bounce between Bobby V’s and Hukilau Lanai. I even found time to work out at the gym. People would call me crazy but I loved being busy and productive, I knew my family and friends were proud of me and it means the world to me. Not long after, I let go of my job at Hukilau Lanai and was able to buy my first car! I was 18 years old and it was a black 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I loved it. It had 4-wheel drive, surf racks, and it was all mine! I felt so happy and proud that I got my own car, it was super rewarding.

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Fast forward to when I moved to Oahu to attend UH Manoa, I was almost 20 years old and I got a job at Duke’s Waikiki. To this day, it is the best job I have ever had. I had the best managers, best coworkers, and the best location! I was right on Waikiki beach and I would surf at sunrise, go to college, come work, and repeat! My job lent us surf boards, or the beach boys would let me use theirs, so I never had to rent it! It was such a dream. My parents bought me a moped for my birthday and that’s how I would get around and it was just the best. I was living the dream. I was quickly moved up to a lead host position until I was promoted to a cocktail/bar server. It was great! I did that for a few months and made pretty good money. I was able to make payments for school as well as make rent every month! I loved having my own apartment with my roommates. It taught me a lot and helped me mature as an independent woman.

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In March of 2020, I came to surprise my sister Sofia for her birthday. I got “stuck” here in California due to the quarantine-you guys know about. Anyways, I found myself loving being home despite the circumstances and I decided to move back. April-July were some tough months since I had no job and all my stuff was being sent to me soon by my friend Luci on Oahu. This past September, my boyfriend Chris and I went for dinner at a very nice Mexican restaurant called Javier’s Cantina in Newport Beach, CA. I couldn’t make a reservation so we tried walking in, however we saw how busy it was on a Saturday night and Chris thought it was a bust. Until, I saw a friend from high school that I hadn’t seen in 5 years at the hostess stand. We immediately recognized each other and she sat us right away, as opposed to 2 hours of waiting. It was awesome! I reached out to her asking if Javier’s was hiring since I was looking for a job and low and behold, about a month later I am working at Javier’s! What a blessing it was! My family has loved Javier’s so much for years now and they were all so excited when I told them that they hired me. So far it has been such a great experience, everyone is nice, and I love working in Newport. I got another Jeep not too long ago as well and I have been loving it!

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All of my jobs have been such a blessing in my life. I love to work and be an independent person; it’s something that my parents and my grandmothers, and my aunts have instilled in me. It is so nice to put my time to good use and be a responsible adult. I encourage young adults like me and everyone to persevere and be a hard worker! Not that it can’t be difficult at times, but it is so worth it in the end.

For me and millions of other people, finding a job during quarantine wasn’t an easy task. I found myself feeling anxious and wanting to work and it was a struggle. I’m used to working 5/6 days a week and all of a sudden I had so much time on my hands! My cousin Andrew was the one who told me about Instacart. It’s a grocery delivery service that allows you to shop for groceries and deliver them to people’s homes. You go on your time and get to pick the places to shop and areas you want to stay close to. I did this for a few months and really helped me have some cash on hand, I even got my boyfriend Chris to join! Sometimes Sofi and Michael came with me to help and it can be fun! I got really good and quick at it, but I missed having a steady job, and soon after, my opportunity with Javier’s was presented to me-all from Abba (Heavenly Father in Hebrew)! 

 Of course I have worked hard to be a responsible adult, but without Abba, there is no way I could do it. He gives me the motivation and strength to persevere through any obstacle that life throws at me. He has given me every single opportunity I have been given and all my jobs have been such a blessing to me, and to my family! I am so grateful for all that He has given me. 

SOFIA TITTNICH:

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On March 16, 2020 I got a job at a restaurant named TQLAS.  However, they closed down on the exact day I was going to start because of the Covid quarantine. I wanted to work so badly, obviously my patience was being tested. So my brother and I started our own car wash business, which he wrote about. We worked together the majority of our summer washing many cars. I was driving around the town trying to find jobs and I came across TQLAS again. I saw the owner, I came up to him and asked him if they were going to be opening soon? He answered,“Yes on September 15, my wife will give you a call soon.” Once she gave me the call, I went to an employee meeting and my very first day was the day they reopened. That was my first job ever since Bobby V’s on Kauai. Bobby V’s is an Italian Restaurant on Kauai. I am grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Valenti for the job and of course our Heavenly Father put it all together. I started bussing tables at age 14 and helped the hostess at times. I had a very fun job on Kauai.

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I then continued to work for five weeks and built many great relationships with my co workers and customers. However, some miscommunication occurred and my hostess position underwent complications. The days they offered me to work did not match what I can currently do. I do not work on Sabbath (Saturday) so they could not accommodate my schedule because I had to work Fri-Sun and I used to work M-F. I am now on leave from TQLAS and I was pretty upset to hear that I wasn’t going to be working since the schedule was not right for me. I struggled for the next three weeks searching for another job. Again, my patience was being tested.

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For Michael’s 15th birthday on October 27th, my family and I went to a sushi restaurant named Okura’s in La Quinta. Since I was still looking for a job at the time, I asked them if they were hiring and they gave me an application to fill out. Then, during the weekend, my Grandma and my Aunt Lina along with my two cousins came to visit. My Mom, Aunt, and Grandma went out for dinner. They stopped at Okura’s to eat and while they were leaving, the owner came out to talk to them. Mom had a conversation with her that I was looking for a job and that I filled out an application for her restaurant a couple of days before. The owner set an interview with me and the manager. A couple of days went by and I got a reply! I had the interview the next day and it went great! Then, on Thursday November 5, 2020 I was getting stressed about applying to colleges and with school and thinking Am I ever going to get a job? Recently my mom told me, “There is a reason why you lost your job, so reflect on the things you’ve been doing and just pray.” I did do that! Because my mom has been right about A LOT OF THINGS! Haha!!

On Thursday November 5th, I GOT THE CALL!! The manager told me to come in Tuesday the 10th to fill out some paperwork and start my training. I was so so happy! I went from a Mexican restaurant to now a Japanese restaurant, which are also my roots. I thanked the Father for blessing me, yet again! On October 10th, I went in and filled out all the paperwork. This restaurant is high-end. It’s professional, which I like. What I received from waiting and being still…..to work….. to losing my job….. to waiting again…… and then receiving another job which I like even more, is that sometimes the Father closes doors to open new ones that are better for you.

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MICHAEL TITTNICH:

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This past summer, when we were all in quarantine, Sofia and I thought to ourselves, “What is a way that we can work, help people, and make money?” My first idea was to dog walk within our neighborhood. So we searched for apps that allow you to communicate with your neighbors and found one which we still use today: Neighborhood (that’s what it’s called). It is a FANTASTIC way to contact the people in your neighborhood about events, general posts, and much more. So, I started off with a simple advertisement that told the neighbors about myself, what service I am offering and how much I charge/hr. A couple hours later, I received my first response, “Hi Michael, I am looking for a dog walker.” I direct messaged them with the app, set up a time, met the dog and walked him for an hour. My first job of the summer. I continued to walk this same dog, along with a couple of others, for about a month and a half. During that time, I thought of another idea: car washing.

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I told Sofia about it and she was super excited about the idea so we got to work. We told our parents how we want to start washing our neighbors’ cars, and they were for it. We created a budget, did some research about the basic supplies needed and what the best brands to use and headed to Walmart. We picked the soap, sponges, rags, a hose, tire cleaner and window spray. We advertised “Car Wash Available!”  In that post, we set our prices and services. Surprisingly, 3 people had responded within that same day. So later in the evening, we headed to our first customer and received a wonderful review. Our second customer also was very satisfied with our work. This same customer is now a regular to this day. For about three weeks, we’d gotten so many car wash requests and reviews that we were washing an average of two cars EVERYDAY (except Saturdays of course). At the same time, many people had asked us if we offered inside cleaning as well, and unfortunately, it was just outside only. But so many people had asked about it, we had to take a week off for a break, while investing in some inside cleaning supplies. Furthermore, we took our household vacuum, made a quick trip to Walmart and returned with yet another ad that included “inside cleaning now available”. This was the prime of our business. Calls and messages were coming left and right asking when we were available. Not only were we thankful to our Heavenly Father Yahua for being able to work, we also were so happy to be helping many people with washing their cars for them.

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Eventually, we designed and ordered our very own business cards to hand out to people. One customer in particular had a car that needed to be washed and dogs that needed to be walked. We quickly became neighborly friends and we still walk her dogs to this day as well. We continue to wash cars today but it’s much more difficult to balance school and work as a lot of you know. However, we are so thankful to The Father that he really put us to work this summer.

By Mike Tittnich (dad):

Marcy and I have always tried to instill certain values that we felt were essential in our own lives. Any parent would do the same but now it means more to us as we have gotten closer to our Heavenly Father YAHUA. The values are in line with His Torah, or Instructions, with how we should live. These values include Respect, Honor, Truth, and Sowing with our hands. Although Covid-19 has brought many restrictions on our lives, these values must be put at the forefront even more to persevere. Were we just going to hunker down until this passes and live in fear? Not by any means! Our children have struggled at times but yet have remembered those values and instilled them on others only to be given favor by community and business members, all through The Father. Our family has dreams still and we will continue to strive for them as He allows it to come to pass. We thank YAHUA ELOHIM, YAHUSHUA and the RUACH HA QODESH for the Shalom and confidence to pull us through! Shalom

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